The earliest version of this poem I could find was published in 1902, shortly after Morant’s death, and it has 11 verses, not the usual five. It was introduced as follows : “The following poem was written for the proprietor of this paper by H.H. Morant who is identical with Lieutenant Morant of the Carbineers, recently shot in South Africa after being court martialled for shooting Boers who had surrendered. The sentiment running through the poem will give the reader a pretty good insight into the devil-may-care character of the ill-starred soldier.” (ref. #1)
-----------------------------
According to Wikipedia “: “The Brigalow Belt is a wide band of acacia-wooded grassland that runs between tropical rainforest of the coast and the semi-arid interior of Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia.” (Ref. #2) The Brigalow Brigade are obviously riders from these parts. Morant often mentions this region in his poetry : e.g. There are three mentions in the first two verses of “Who’s Riding Old Harlequin Now”, first published on 1st May, 1897, under the title “Whose Riding The Old Horse Now?” (Ref. #3 ) The full text of “Who’s Riding Old Harlequin Now”, published in the Bulletin on 11th December, 1897, can be read here (Ref. #4 ) But here are the verses anyway :
[V.1] They are mustering cattle on Brigalow Vale
Where the stock-horses whinny and stamp,
And where long Andy Ferguson, you may go bail,
Is yet boss on a cutting-out camp.
Half the duffers I met would not know a fat steer
From a blessed old Alderney cow.
Whilst they're mustering there I am wondering here -
Who is riding brown Harlequin now ?
[V.2] Are the pikers as wild and the scrubs just as dense
In the brigalow country as when
There was never a homestead and never a fence
Between Brigalow Vale and The Glen ?
Do they yard the big micks 'neath the light of the moon ?
Do the yard-wings re-echo the row
Of stockwhips and hoof-beats? And what sort of coon
Is there riding old Harlequin now ?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Morant also wrote a poem called Brigalow Mick (Ref.#5)
[V.1] A dandy old horseman is Brigalow Mick —
Which his name, sir, is Michael O’Dowd—
Whatever he’s riding, when timber is thick,
He is always in front of the crowd.
[V.2] A few tangled locks that are fast turning white
Crown a physog. the colour of brick,
But as keen as a kestrel’s—as bold and as bright —
Is the blue eye of Brigalow Mick.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ref. #1 :
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/143029640?searchTerm=title%3AThe%20Brigalow%20Brigade
Ref. #2 :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigalow_Belt
Ref. # 3 :
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/72551716
Ref #4 :
www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/moranth/poetry/oldharlequin.html
Ref.#5 :
www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/moranth/poetry/brigalowmick.html
========================================