A New Beginning

Mark and Emily Everett journey to their land ‘Chadora’. The previous evening their friend Carmel Ridge had shared her fears of fires caused by a bolt of lightning that struck the ground during a summer storm when the grass in the fields and forest were dry. A strong wind could fan glowing embers into a flame and before long it became a great fire is roaring out of control causing both man and beast to flee for their lives.
The horses become frightened as the smell of smoke reached them. Mark urged them forward towards the farm and immanent danger.
Branches soaked in water from the creek were used to beat out small fires, then as night falls the terrified cow charges from the shelter of the creek and knocks Emily to the ground. Mark does not hear her cry for help above the roar of the wind. He finds her unconscious, and the flames have crept over the parched land and reached her small body set her setting her long frilled pantaloons alight. He doused her with a bucket of water and carried her to their wagon.
He tended to her needs and listened to the storm as it dumped heavy soaking rain onto their land.
They cleared more land and a few months later Mark was told that he was to become a father and he was horrified at the heavy work he had been allowing his wife to do as she supported him in every way.
Mark was loaded saplings onto a sled and followed behind as their horse dragged the load towards the house. It caught on a rocky outcrop and a sapling rolled off and knocked him to the ground pinning him down. Emily heard his calls for help and ran to his side. Unable to move the timber she raced to the wagon and found a pole and thrust it into the ground and managed to raise the timber sufficiently for him to craw free.
It was then decided that they required help and they embarked on a journey to Pinjarra to hire labour.