What is Mateship - Essay Example

            Alexander looked outside the window of his home onto the dry farmland. It had been nearly four months with nearly no rain. Alex and his family had moved out to this region five years ago after growing tired of the bustle of their urban surroundings. His wife had become sick and they reasoned that getting away from their current life and into a more pastoral existence would be helpful for her health and Alex’s wellbeing. Alex had worked on a farm throughout much of his life and had saved a small sum of money. He spoke with his wife and they had determined that if they portioned their money properly they would be able to purchase a home, with a small amount of livestock and farmland. If they were able to reach their quotas they would be able to continue to support themselves and their infant daughter Abby.

            As Alex continued to look outside his window he became increasingly worried. While the first few years after moving to their new home had gone as they had hoped, in recent years they had experienced tremendous hardship. A spread of the disease had overtaken much of their cattle, causing them to use the profits they had saved throughout the earlier years to buy new livestock. While the farmland had been the backbone of their existence, the recent drought had placed them once again on hard times. Added to this difficulty the couple’s infant daughter Abby was now a five-year-old child with increasing demands; she needed to be sent to school in the upcoming year and the family worried about having the money to support her education. Alex worried that if things did not soon improve he would have to sell the farm and admit catastrophic failure.

            While Alex and his family had enjoyed their lives and had become accustomed to relative solitude, it did mean that they had to rely only on themselves in these challenging situations. Alex considered his solitude. He thought that of all the friends and family he had known throughout his life and recognized that there was nobody that could help him. He began to think about his surroundings. There was not another neighbor for nearly twenty miles in any direction, except the lone estate on Douglas Hill. He had never ventured to this estate. It was clearly the home of a rich man, as it had fantastic architecture and was surrounded by a large and expensive fence. Alex recognized that there was farmland in the back and that the owner must have a reservoir of water he saved for droughts. Still, Alex had always been intimidated by entering the area of the home as he recognized the individual probably wanted nothing to do with a poor farmer like himself. Alex thought to himself – desperate times call for desperate measures – and set out to the estate.

            When Alex reached the estate he pressed the buzzer outside the gate. A light came on and he spoke into it identifying himself. He heard nothing on the other end and began walking away; as he was walking away the gates began to open. Alex turned around and walked towards the estate. When he reached the door Alex remained intimidated as he knocked on the door. He waited for a moment, expecting to be sent away or disregarded. Suddenly the door opened. ‘Howdy mate!’ a smiling middle-aged man in a hat said. Alex was taken aback. He had expected an old and serious gentleman but had found an upbeat and casual person. Alex explained to the individual that he lived in the house a mile away. Before he could explain why he came, the man invited him in. He introduced himself, saying his name was Steve.

            Alex was still slightly intimidated but had become increasingly relaxed by Steve’s friendly demeanor. The two men walked into the home and onto the back porch. Steve retrieved some beers and they sat and talked about the area. Steve told him he had moved there twenty years ago and had started out from humble beginnings and built his farm and wealth up from nearly nothing. The conversation shifted to the drought and Alex told him about the dire straights his family had fallen into as a direct result. Understanding Alex’s situation, Steve made a great sign of mateship and told Steve that he would be able to allow his livestock to feed on his extra reserves of land. He also allowed Alex a portion of farmland that would be watered through Alex’s reserves; all Steve had to do was tend to the land. Alex was extremely grateful for Steve’s show of friendship. Steve’s help allowed Alex to survive a time of great difficulty and the two men would become great friends, with Alex and his wife inviting Steve on many occasions after the end of the drought.