Earth, page 17
‘I said I was sorry.’
‘You shoutin’ again, cranky Franky.’
‘And you’re gettin’ cheeky Feed them babies. Your job’s to feed babies an’ mine is to cut wood.’
‘And stare at fence.’
‘Hmm.’
‘That Mrs Ruddock left another one of them pies.’
‘Oh Christ, it’ll kill me.’
‘S’alright, Frank, I gave it to chooks.’
‘The chooks?’
‘Stink that tucker.’
‘Yeah, don’t it. What she put in it ya reckon?’
‘Kunang by smell.’
‘Yeah, it’s crook alright.’
‘I make big plum damper an’ cook good stew, real good stew.’
‘Mutton?’
‘Maybe.’
‘We haven’t got any mutton.’
‘Maybe possum.’
‘Possum?’
‘Keep shirt on, Frank, you see, plenny good tucker. You see. Anyway Betty busy now, can’t talk alia day. Time you look at fence.’
‘You’re gettin’ cheeky, Betty, I thought you were a quiet girl.’
‘Maybe, maybe not, eh.’
*
‘Frank, Frank, bunitjan. Quick. Quick.’
‘What’s wrong? Who’s yellin’.
‘Bunitjan.’
‘Strewth. That you, Betty? Quick, get the babies.’
‘I got ‘em, you get Alfie.’
‘Yeah, Alfie, quick, there’s a fire. Alf, Alf, where are you? Alf, quick there’s smoke everywhere. Alfie!’
‘Frank, Alfie out here already.’
‘Alf, Jesus, I thought you were – ’
‘It’s alright, Grandpa. I heard somethin’ and I got up and then I saw wong ong gul and thought it was . . . an’ then I saw Mr Pearson.’
‘Pearson? Betty, come back here, no use chuckin’ buckets of water, it’s gone. Alfie’s roof caved in when I was in there. She’s gone. Whole bloody house gone. Pearson?’
‘I’m sure it was him . . . up the side of the house.’
‘Inside our fence?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Funny place to be at two o’clock.’
‘I’m sure of it, Grandpa. He ran away when he saw me at the back door.’
‘Well that’s it then. We’ve lost everything . . . only one good thing about it, Claudie’s not here to see it. Woulda broken her heart . . . she loved this place, havin’ her own house.’
‘Come on, Grandpa, the sparks are on ya shirt an’ hair.’
‘What are we gunna do now, Alf? Eh, what are we gunna do? They’ve fixed us now, good an’ proper. Middle of the night, just the clothes we’re standin’ in.’
‘Mrs Ruddock might let us . . . ’
‘Not on your life, her old man wouldn’t be in it, an’ there’s more of us to consider now, Alf . . . you know what I mean. They’ve got a real good excuse now.’
‘What about Mr Tomkins then?’
‘On Angliss’s property? No, Alf, Angliss is down on Arnie like a ton of bricks, blames him for all the drovers clearin’ out, reckons Arnie’s mixed up in the whole thing . . . no I reckon . . . I don’t know what I reckon.’
‘Frank, lookit here. Johnny Lee comin’ cross street.’
‘Yeah, with all the other vultures lookin’ for a party. Got nothin’ better to do, you people?’
‘Blimey, Frank, just come over to see if we could lend a hand.’
‘Thanks, Ruddock, very good of you.’
‘Not very gracious, Frank.’
‘Not your house they burnt down, is it?’
‘Pretty strong words, Frank.’
‘Be more than strong words in a minute, I can tell you.’
‘I was just goin’ to offer you the shed to sleep in . . . ’
‘I bet you were. My family doesn’t sleep in sheds.’
‘I suppose it’ll be the Windsor then will it, Frank?’
‘Come here, I’ll wring your bloody . . . ’
‘Frank, shh now.’
‘Go on all you people, go back home, we’ll look after ourselves, not that . . . ’
‘Frank, shh now, listen, Johnny Lee here, he ask us sleep his place.’
‘Johnny.’
‘Plenny room, Mr Palmer, you sleep at Johnny’s, I make cup of tea, soup, Johnny got plenny soup. Quick now, Mr Palmer, get babies inside. It’s not good for you to have all these people staring.’
‘Oh, Johnny, thank you. A country full of Christians and it’s up to a Chinaman to offer me his roof.’
‘You always kind to Johnny, Mr Palmer. Always say hullo.’
‘Not much to ask is it, Johnny?’
‘Come on quick, come inside, have a cup of tea in Johnny’s house.’
‘Well there’s all of us, see Johnny. You know the kids . . . and there’s Betty.’
‘I not blind, Mr Palmer, very good eyes. Quick, come inside. They kill us, Mr Palmer, if they could. That what Johnny reckon. They reckon only Englishmen, I hear ‘em sing it, too right, no more Chinee man, no more blackpella . . . you come inside, Mr Palmer, too late care what English think.’
*
‘Stop giggling, Pearson, you’re a bloody idiot.’
‘Wasn’t me, Snodgrass. It was the lads, got a bit carried away.’
‘Oh, yeah, that’d be right. S’pose you was tryin’ to talk reason was you?’
‘Too right.’
‘Well I hope you’re ready to explain it to Sir William.’
‘And what about you? It was you put us up to it.’
‘Who mentioned fire, Pearson? Who ever mentioned burnin’ down people’s houses?’
‘An’ who mentioned any willing lads would get a case of rum, eh?’
‘You’ll get your bloody grog.’
‘Anyway, that gin was sleepin’ there.’
‘Jealous?’
‘Look who’s talkin’, you dipped ya wick there too ‘far as I remember.’
‘What rubbish, Pearson. Still no reason to burn the house. There were three children in it.’
‘They got out.’
‘More good luck than good management. Look out, here comes Angliss now. Piss off, I don’t think you bein’ here is going to help.’
‘Don’t go, Mr Pearson. I’d like a word.’
‘With me, Sir William?’
‘The same. People down the street are talking of your handiwork.’
‘Wasn’t me, Sir William. It was the lads . . . I was trying to talk reason to ‘em, wasn’t I, Snodgrass?’
‘Listen, Bill, I don’t know how it happened, Pearson gets carried away . . . ’
‘It wasn’t me, it was . . . ’
‘Shut up and piss off, Bill, I think we’d be better off inside. Perhaps a drop of something pleasant?’
‘And what about our rum?’
‘Piss off. The man’s a weasel. I’m sorry about the fire. I’ve just been rousing at Pearson myself. I’d lay London to a brick it was him. I said nothing about fires, believe me. As you advised, I just said to put the frights up a few to get them out of the way for a while.’
‘Well, I’m sure that has been achieved. It’d be wise to call a meeting in the meantime and just urge people’s discretion, if you know what I mean. People ran up to me in the street blabbing about Pearson and the fire. We’ve got to distance the Loyal Society from this business or we’ll have people pointing the finger in our direction.’
‘I’ll call a meeting at once.’
‘And perhaps make the main business, say . . . you know, selecting school children to be presented to His Highness, that sort of thing, a ladies auxiliary to do the afternoon tea . . . a . . . a choir from the church. Look as busy as we can, you know. I was hoping we’d be able to arrange things a little more discreetly than this.’
‘I’ll see to it, Bill.’
‘Perhaps send a letter of condolence to Palmer . . . you know about his wife . . . ’
‘Claudie?’
‘Yes, that’s right. And perhaps offer some blankets and supplies following the fire.’
‘I’ll fix something up out of the hotel stores.’
‘I’ll see you right for it all, Snodgrass.’
‘It’ll be put to rights, Bill, don’t you worry about that. The blacks will have cleared out and we’ll smell like roses.’
‘Better that than ashes I can assure you.’
*
‘It was good of Mr Lee to put us up after the fire, Grandpa.’
‘Too right it was, Alf. Johnny’s a gentleman.’
‘Lucky the cart wasn’t right up against the house.’
‘Yes, things could have been worse.’
‘You’ve fixed up the tarpaulin like a palace. I love it here, Grandpa. We can camp wherever we like, always get a view of the creek or the hills . . . ’
‘Live like gypsies you mean.’
‘No, it’s beaut, Grandpa. I love bein’ out in the bush.’
‘No good for the babies though.’
‘Betty comes over every day . . . and you’ve still got your jobs, the fencin’ an’ so forth.’
‘What there is of it these days.’
‘Ar, come on, Grandpa, Mr Tomkins has just offered you the job of doin’ Angliss’s whole west boundary. That’s miles of fencin’.’
‘Yeah, Arnie’s a good man. Him an’ Vera been very good to us.’
‘An’ I can help you with the fence.’
‘No fear you can’t, Alf, you’re stayin’ at school. Claudie’d turn over in her grave at the very thought. No, hell no, Alf, you’re stayin’ at school. No good purpose will be served by you endin’ up like your grandpa. No real job, no house – ’
‘That was an accident.’
‘That was no accident, you know better than that, Alf. It was you seen ‘em up the side of the house.’
‘What I mean is it’s not your fault. You couldn’t help it.’
‘I’m just glad Claudie couldn’t see it, she’d die if – ’
‘She’d know it wasn’t your fault.’
‘No, Alf, there’s the one thing you didn’t know about your grandma, she was scared stiff of goin’ back to bein’ as poor as she was when she was a girl. It would have killed her, Alf, and she warned me that all this blackfella business would end up cornin’ back to haunt us. If she could see this now, Alf, she’d just look at me an’ then she’d – ’
‘Oh come on, Grandpa. We can start again.’
‘You might, Alf, not me.’
‘Look, we’ve got the horse and cart, we’ve still got the boat, we can earn our living . . . ’
‘You’ve gotta go to school . . . ’
‘I will, Grandpa, but we can start again. Johnny Lee wants me to work for him after school pickin’ caulis an’ spuds, every little bit counts, an’ soon enough Woori can . . . ’
‘He’s still a baby.’
‘But it won’t be long . . . ’
‘And I’ll be an old man.’
‘You’re not old, Grandpa. No one can swing an axe like you.’
‘But time’s on the march, Alf – ’
‘An’ so’s Betty, look here she comes across the paddock.’
‘Well, at least she’ll be able to care for the babies. That’s one thing we don’t have to worry about.’
‘And there’ll be a stew on the fire when we get home.’
‘Yeah, there’s always plenty of stew.’
‘I don’t mind that possum.’
‘Yeah, it’s alright once or twice.’
‘Well let’s go out in the boat again. It’s weeks since we had whiting or crays.’
‘Yeah, maybe.’
‘It’ll be alright, Grandpa. And look where we are. In summer there’ll be yabbies in the creek and look at the waterhole . . . it’s beautiful. Budgerigars everywhere, miners in the trees, king parrots, hawks . . . I love it here.’
‘Waxing lyrical, Alf.’
‘But it’s true, anyway here’s Betty to boss us about.’
‘You’re right, she is, isn’t she? I thought she was such a quiet thing.’
‘Not when it’s just us blackfellas.’
‘Speak for yourself.’
‘Alright Parwung.’
‘Careful, Alf, I might be old, but I can still – ’
‘You fellas still chewin’ the fat?’
‘Men at our leisure, Betty, lords of all we survey.’
‘Yueh, look like lords to me too. You got them bobup out of bed?’
‘No, Elizabeth we was waitin’ for you.’
‘Don’t you Elizabeth me, cranky Franky. You goin’ to school, Alf?’
‘Yes, Betty.’
‘You call me Aunty, now, burron. An’ make sure you get to school. I promise you Grandma I chase you off to school every day. An’ Frank, I saw ol’ Arnie headin’ off to that west fence. He be waitin’ for you ‘fore long. An’ doan look like that, for your own good I tell you.’
‘Yes, Betty. What did we do to deserve such wonderful care.’
‘You musta be saint longa this time, Frank. Time you pull britches up ol’ man, what you doin’ lookin’ like sad sack with all these bobup needin’ to be look after?’
‘I’m goin’, I’m goin’. I’ll be back on dark.’
‘There be nice stew on fire, Frank, got tarook an’ cress an’ all.’
‘Yeah, possum too I suppose.’
‘Yueh, good fat possum.’
‘We was thinkin’ of some whiting.’
‘Tomorrow you fish. Today you go fence an’ tonight big pot possum when you get ‘ome.’
‘Home?’
‘What wrong this creek?’
‘No, it’s good.’
‘You want ‘nother house, cranky Franky, you better get off your mum and help Arnie with fence.’
‘Well there you are. There’s the lesson according to Black Betty.’
‘Too right. Plenny black an’ plenny right. An’ who you turn nose ‘bout black. You doan know ‘bout black woman, Mista Brindle, maybe not too bad, maybe you find out bye an’ bye.’
‘You’re gettin’ a bit cheeky, Betty.’
‘Cheeky eh? You not see cheeky, you not see nuthin’. Anyway ‘bout time you go fence ol’ man.’
*
‘You, Alfie, what you doin’ mopin’ aroun’. You got school, eh?’
‘Yes, Aunt.’
‘What you doin’ chuckin’ sticks in creek, eh?’
‘Just . . . thinkin’, Aunt.’
‘Thinkin’? You guli man now, eh?’
‘Yes, Aunt.’
‘Time to think, eh?’
‘Yep.’
‘Alright. Do you know me, boy?’
‘No, Aunt.’
‘I’m your Aunt Adpin, Pongeetch Nubiyt proper way. You not see before?’
‘No, Aunt.’
‘Neither them other peoples. Come from way up Yorta Yorta way.’
‘Yes, Aunt.’
‘You know why I come?’
‘No, Aunt.’
‘I come see you.’
‘Me?’
‘Yueh. You see your mumma?’
‘No, Aunt, I haven’t seen my mother for . . . nine years.’
‘Nine years, eh. Well, I seen your mumma.’
‘Aunt?’
‘Yueh, I bin see her up river way. She say to me, Aunt, you see my Alfie, you tellim . . . I sorry.’
‘Where is she, Aunt? I’d given up ever seein’ her again. She said she’d come an’ see me when she had enough money. She said . . . see, Grandma and Grandpa were waiting, too. Grandpa . . . you could see it in his face, he was hopin’ she’d come to Grandma’s funeral. Grandma, too . . . when she was really sick, I could hear her calling out at night . . . she was calling her name . . . where is she, Aunt, why doesn’t she . . .?’
‘Alfie, you listen your aunty now, your mumma got real sick, she be real sick . . . ’
‘She said she was workin’ up in . . . ’
‘Oh, she bein’ workin’ alright, but then she got sick. We look after your mumma . . . keep askin’, where your people, sister, where your country? That why I bin come, look for you, Alfie.’
‘Is she alright now?’
‘Oh, Alfie, sorry business true, your mumma die now. I bin lookin’ for you long time . . . alright, you cry now, Alfie, you cry, no one see guli man cryin’, all tear run down in creek, liddle bird drinkem up, look now, see, liddle green fella drinkem up tear . . . alright, we stay ‘ere while now, Alfie . . . I look over this way, alright, I not see guli man cry, alright, I look over an’ see bird make nest in riverbank, alright, you sit there, no school now, alright, you sit down an’ listen your aunt, alright, aunt tell you story ‘bout your mumma, ‘bout country all ‘roun’, ‘bout your cousin up on river, ‘bout how this country talkin’ to you. You come up river way, you askem Aunty Adpin, alright. You know adpin? Stick in hat, you know? You askem, I livin’ longa way longa river, I be your Grandpa’s aunty too, you wa fella, eh? You know crow? Well us mob we be gabadj, you know, we longa you people alright. That right, Alfie, long time you holdin’ them tears, eh, boy, long time you hold ‘em back, eh, yueh, well gone now, eh, well you listen your aunt story now. See now, look them liddle lizard. What you call that one?’
‘Lelon.’
‘Lelon, eh. Alright, ‘e be listenin’ too, eh. Now your mumma she come longa us peoples an’ she say aunt, I bin sick now an’ we say, alright you stay longa us, an’ we bin lookin’ for her people, you know. We bin askin’ her, where your people, now, all that thing, you know. An’ Alfie she say, I be shame, I be shame from my people. Why you be shame, we say, an’ she say, I bin leave my baby with granmumma, I bin work in town, I not see my boy longa time, I be shame. Ol’ Granny Kneebone, you know that lady? No, alright, Granny Kneebone she wise ol’ lady an’ she be say your mumma, you love that boy, your Alfie? Oh yueh, your mumma say, I bin love that boy, alright Granny Kneebone say, why not you go back for your burron, an’ your mumma say, I be shame, an’ Granny Kneebone say, you reckon you boy be shame on you, that boy be lovin’ his mumma. True, eh? That true one what Granny say. Granny Kneebone say, Aunty Adpin, you go find that boy, you bring that Alfie to ‘is mumma. She be love you true ways, Alfie, no humbug. She be shame job, plenny bad luck in city, Alfie, plenny bad fella knock ‘er ‘bout, but she never forget ‘er boy, she never forget her mumma an’ daddy, Aunty Kneebone say, eh you not be shame no more, you with you own people, you be our sister, that what granny say. But you mumma die. An’ you be sorry time, Alfie, that right, but you mumma love you, big one love for ‘er burron, an’ she say to Granny, tell him I love ‘im alia time, tell him grow up true way an’ listen to ‘is grandma and grandpa an’ all ‘is aunties an’ uncles, an’ all through big countries I say, you see that Alfie? An’ our peoples say to Aunty Adpin, oh, true one that Alfie, ‘e be true one alright, an’ I see Bunjil, an’ I say, you see Alfie, an’ Bunjil he show me track, an’ I say to goim, you seen that Alfie, an’ goim he twist ear an’ say, that way Aunty, an’ I see our own fella, that gabadj, an’ I say, gabadj, you seen that Alfie, an’ he say that boy, good fella, he be longa wa . . . see, your country, ‘e know you alright, ‘e be lookin’ after you, Alfie, ‘e be proud of brave guli fella, jus’ like your mumma, we tell ‘er, eh sister we say, you burron ‘e true one, ‘e be guli fella now, an’ we say to Da, eh, Da you lookin’ that Alfie now, ‘e mumma dyin’, you look out that Alfie, ‘e be big man for ‘is people.’
‘You shoutin’ again, cranky Franky.’
‘And you’re gettin’ cheeky Feed them babies. Your job’s to feed babies an’ mine is to cut wood.’
‘And stare at fence.’
‘Hmm.’
‘That Mrs Ruddock left another one of them pies.’
‘Oh Christ, it’ll kill me.’
‘S’alright, Frank, I gave it to chooks.’
‘The chooks?’
‘Stink that tucker.’
‘Yeah, don’t it. What she put in it ya reckon?’
‘Kunang by smell.’
‘Yeah, it’s crook alright.’
‘I make big plum damper an’ cook good stew, real good stew.’
‘Mutton?’
‘Maybe.’
‘We haven’t got any mutton.’
‘Maybe possum.’
‘Possum?’
‘Keep shirt on, Frank, you see, plenny good tucker. You see. Anyway Betty busy now, can’t talk alia day. Time you look at fence.’
‘You’re gettin’ cheeky, Betty, I thought you were a quiet girl.’
‘Maybe, maybe not, eh.’
*
‘Frank, Frank, bunitjan. Quick. Quick.’
‘What’s wrong? Who’s yellin’.
‘Bunitjan.’
‘Strewth. That you, Betty? Quick, get the babies.’
‘I got ‘em, you get Alfie.’
‘Yeah, Alfie, quick, there’s a fire. Alf, Alf, where are you? Alf, quick there’s smoke everywhere. Alfie!’
‘Frank, Alfie out here already.’
‘Alf, Jesus, I thought you were – ’
‘It’s alright, Grandpa. I heard somethin’ and I got up and then I saw wong ong gul and thought it was . . . an’ then I saw Mr Pearson.’
‘Pearson? Betty, come back here, no use chuckin’ buckets of water, it’s gone. Alfie’s roof caved in when I was in there. She’s gone. Whole bloody house gone. Pearson?’
‘I’m sure it was him . . . up the side of the house.’
‘Inside our fence?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Funny place to be at two o’clock.’
‘I’m sure of it, Grandpa. He ran away when he saw me at the back door.’
‘Well that’s it then. We’ve lost everything . . . only one good thing about it, Claudie’s not here to see it. Woulda broken her heart . . . she loved this place, havin’ her own house.’
‘Come on, Grandpa, the sparks are on ya shirt an’ hair.’
‘What are we gunna do now, Alf? Eh, what are we gunna do? They’ve fixed us now, good an’ proper. Middle of the night, just the clothes we’re standin’ in.’
‘Mrs Ruddock might let us . . . ’
‘Not on your life, her old man wouldn’t be in it, an’ there’s more of us to consider now, Alf . . . you know what I mean. They’ve got a real good excuse now.’
‘What about Mr Tomkins then?’
‘On Angliss’s property? No, Alf, Angliss is down on Arnie like a ton of bricks, blames him for all the drovers clearin’ out, reckons Arnie’s mixed up in the whole thing . . . no I reckon . . . I don’t know what I reckon.’
‘Frank, lookit here. Johnny Lee comin’ cross street.’
‘Yeah, with all the other vultures lookin’ for a party. Got nothin’ better to do, you people?’
‘Blimey, Frank, just come over to see if we could lend a hand.’
‘Thanks, Ruddock, very good of you.’
‘Not very gracious, Frank.’
‘Not your house they burnt down, is it?’
‘Pretty strong words, Frank.’
‘Be more than strong words in a minute, I can tell you.’
‘I was just goin’ to offer you the shed to sleep in . . . ’
‘I bet you were. My family doesn’t sleep in sheds.’
‘I suppose it’ll be the Windsor then will it, Frank?’
‘Come here, I’ll wring your bloody . . . ’
‘Frank, shh now.’
‘Go on all you people, go back home, we’ll look after ourselves, not that . . . ’
‘Frank, shh now, listen, Johnny Lee here, he ask us sleep his place.’
‘Johnny.’
‘Plenny room, Mr Palmer, you sleep at Johnny’s, I make cup of tea, soup, Johnny got plenny soup. Quick now, Mr Palmer, get babies inside. It’s not good for you to have all these people staring.’
‘Oh, Johnny, thank you. A country full of Christians and it’s up to a Chinaman to offer me his roof.’
‘You always kind to Johnny, Mr Palmer. Always say hullo.’
‘Not much to ask is it, Johnny?’
‘Come on quick, come inside, have a cup of tea in Johnny’s house.’
‘Well there’s all of us, see Johnny. You know the kids . . . and there’s Betty.’
‘I not blind, Mr Palmer, very good eyes. Quick, come inside. They kill us, Mr Palmer, if they could. That what Johnny reckon. They reckon only Englishmen, I hear ‘em sing it, too right, no more Chinee man, no more blackpella . . . you come inside, Mr Palmer, too late care what English think.’
*
‘Stop giggling, Pearson, you’re a bloody idiot.’
‘Wasn’t me, Snodgrass. It was the lads, got a bit carried away.’
‘Oh, yeah, that’d be right. S’pose you was tryin’ to talk reason was you?’
‘Too right.’
‘Well I hope you’re ready to explain it to Sir William.’
‘And what about you? It was you put us up to it.’
‘Who mentioned fire, Pearson? Who ever mentioned burnin’ down people’s houses?’
‘An’ who mentioned any willing lads would get a case of rum, eh?’
‘You’ll get your bloody grog.’
‘Anyway, that gin was sleepin’ there.’
‘Jealous?’
‘Look who’s talkin’, you dipped ya wick there too ‘far as I remember.’
‘What rubbish, Pearson. Still no reason to burn the house. There were three children in it.’
‘They got out.’
‘More good luck than good management. Look out, here comes Angliss now. Piss off, I don’t think you bein’ here is going to help.’
‘Don’t go, Mr Pearson. I’d like a word.’
‘With me, Sir William?’
‘The same. People down the street are talking of your handiwork.’
‘Wasn’t me, Sir William. It was the lads . . . I was trying to talk reason to ‘em, wasn’t I, Snodgrass?’
‘Listen, Bill, I don’t know how it happened, Pearson gets carried away . . . ’
‘It wasn’t me, it was . . . ’
‘Shut up and piss off, Bill, I think we’d be better off inside. Perhaps a drop of something pleasant?’
‘And what about our rum?’
‘Piss off. The man’s a weasel. I’m sorry about the fire. I’ve just been rousing at Pearson myself. I’d lay London to a brick it was him. I said nothing about fires, believe me. As you advised, I just said to put the frights up a few to get them out of the way for a while.’
‘Well, I’m sure that has been achieved. It’d be wise to call a meeting in the meantime and just urge people’s discretion, if you know what I mean. People ran up to me in the street blabbing about Pearson and the fire. We’ve got to distance the Loyal Society from this business or we’ll have people pointing the finger in our direction.’
‘I’ll call a meeting at once.’
‘And perhaps make the main business, say . . . you know, selecting school children to be presented to His Highness, that sort of thing, a ladies auxiliary to do the afternoon tea . . . a . . . a choir from the church. Look as busy as we can, you know. I was hoping we’d be able to arrange things a little more discreetly than this.’
‘I’ll see to it, Bill.’
‘Perhaps send a letter of condolence to Palmer . . . you know about his wife . . . ’
‘Claudie?’
‘Yes, that’s right. And perhaps offer some blankets and supplies following the fire.’
‘I’ll fix something up out of the hotel stores.’
‘I’ll see you right for it all, Snodgrass.’
‘It’ll be put to rights, Bill, don’t you worry about that. The blacks will have cleared out and we’ll smell like roses.’
‘Better that than ashes I can assure you.’
*
‘It was good of Mr Lee to put us up after the fire, Grandpa.’
‘Too right it was, Alf. Johnny’s a gentleman.’
‘Lucky the cart wasn’t right up against the house.’
‘Yes, things could have been worse.’
‘You’ve fixed up the tarpaulin like a palace. I love it here, Grandpa. We can camp wherever we like, always get a view of the creek or the hills . . . ’
‘Live like gypsies you mean.’
‘No, it’s beaut, Grandpa. I love bein’ out in the bush.’
‘No good for the babies though.’
‘Betty comes over every day . . . and you’ve still got your jobs, the fencin’ an’ so forth.’
‘What there is of it these days.’
‘Ar, come on, Grandpa, Mr Tomkins has just offered you the job of doin’ Angliss’s whole west boundary. That’s miles of fencin’.’
‘Yeah, Arnie’s a good man. Him an’ Vera been very good to us.’
‘An’ I can help you with the fence.’
‘No fear you can’t, Alf, you’re stayin’ at school. Claudie’d turn over in her grave at the very thought. No, hell no, Alf, you’re stayin’ at school. No good purpose will be served by you endin’ up like your grandpa. No real job, no house – ’
‘That was an accident.’
‘That was no accident, you know better than that, Alf. It was you seen ‘em up the side of the house.’
‘What I mean is it’s not your fault. You couldn’t help it.’
‘I’m just glad Claudie couldn’t see it, she’d die if – ’
‘She’d know it wasn’t your fault.’
‘No, Alf, there’s the one thing you didn’t know about your grandma, she was scared stiff of goin’ back to bein’ as poor as she was when she was a girl. It would have killed her, Alf, and she warned me that all this blackfella business would end up cornin’ back to haunt us. If she could see this now, Alf, she’d just look at me an’ then she’d – ’
‘Oh come on, Grandpa. We can start again.’
‘You might, Alf, not me.’
‘Look, we’ve got the horse and cart, we’ve still got the boat, we can earn our living . . . ’
‘You’ve gotta go to school . . . ’
‘I will, Grandpa, but we can start again. Johnny Lee wants me to work for him after school pickin’ caulis an’ spuds, every little bit counts, an’ soon enough Woori can . . . ’
‘He’s still a baby.’
‘But it won’t be long . . . ’
‘And I’ll be an old man.’
‘You’re not old, Grandpa. No one can swing an axe like you.’
‘But time’s on the march, Alf – ’
‘An’ so’s Betty, look here she comes across the paddock.’
‘Well, at least she’ll be able to care for the babies. That’s one thing we don’t have to worry about.’
‘And there’ll be a stew on the fire when we get home.’
‘Yeah, there’s always plenty of stew.’
‘I don’t mind that possum.’
‘Yeah, it’s alright once or twice.’
‘Well let’s go out in the boat again. It’s weeks since we had whiting or crays.’
‘Yeah, maybe.’
‘It’ll be alright, Grandpa. And look where we are. In summer there’ll be yabbies in the creek and look at the waterhole . . . it’s beautiful. Budgerigars everywhere, miners in the trees, king parrots, hawks . . . I love it here.’
‘Waxing lyrical, Alf.’
‘But it’s true, anyway here’s Betty to boss us about.’
‘You’re right, she is, isn’t she? I thought she was such a quiet thing.’
‘Not when it’s just us blackfellas.’
‘Speak for yourself.’
‘Alright Parwung.’
‘Careful, Alf, I might be old, but I can still – ’
‘You fellas still chewin’ the fat?’
‘Men at our leisure, Betty, lords of all we survey.’
‘Yueh, look like lords to me too. You got them bobup out of bed?’
‘No, Elizabeth we was waitin’ for you.’
‘Don’t you Elizabeth me, cranky Franky. You goin’ to school, Alf?’
‘Yes, Betty.’
‘You call me Aunty, now, burron. An’ make sure you get to school. I promise you Grandma I chase you off to school every day. An’ Frank, I saw ol’ Arnie headin’ off to that west fence. He be waitin’ for you ‘fore long. An’ doan look like that, for your own good I tell you.’
‘Yes, Betty. What did we do to deserve such wonderful care.’
‘You musta be saint longa this time, Frank. Time you pull britches up ol’ man, what you doin’ lookin’ like sad sack with all these bobup needin’ to be look after?’
‘I’m goin’, I’m goin’. I’ll be back on dark.’
‘There be nice stew on fire, Frank, got tarook an’ cress an’ all.’
‘Yeah, possum too I suppose.’
‘Yueh, good fat possum.’
‘We was thinkin’ of some whiting.’
‘Tomorrow you fish. Today you go fence an’ tonight big pot possum when you get ‘ome.’
‘Home?’
‘What wrong this creek?’
‘No, it’s good.’
‘You want ‘nother house, cranky Franky, you better get off your mum and help Arnie with fence.’
‘Well there you are. There’s the lesson according to Black Betty.’
‘Too right. Plenny black an’ plenny right. An’ who you turn nose ‘bout black. You doan know ‘bout black woman, Mista Brindle, maybe not too bad, maybe you find out bye an’ bye.’
‘You’re gettin’ a bit cheeky, Betty.’
‘Cheeky eh? You not see cheeky, you not see nuthin’. Anyway ‘bout time you go fence ol’ man.’
*
‘You, Alfie, what you doin’ mopin’ aroun’. You got school, eh?’
‘Yes, Aunt.’
‘What you doin’ chuckin’ sticks in creek, eh?’
‘Just . . . thinkin’, Aunt.’
‘Thinkin’? You guli man now, eh?’
‘Yes, Aunt.’
‘Time to think, eh?’
‘Yep.’
‘Alright. Do you know me, boy?’
‘No, Aunt.’
‘I’m your Aunt Adpin, Pongeetch Nubiyt proper way. You not see before?’
‘No, Aunt.’
‘Neither them other peoples. Come from way up Yorta Yorta way.’
‘Yes, Aunt.’
‘You know why I come?’
‘No, Aunt.’
‘I come see you.’
‘Me?’
‘Yueh. You see your mumma?’
‘No, Aunt, I haven’t seen my mother for . . . nine years.’
‘Nine years, eh. Well, I seen your mumma.’
‘Aunt?’
‘Yueh, I bin see her up river way. She say to me, Aunt, you see my Alfie, you tellim . . . I sorry.’
‘Where is she, Aunt? I’d given up ever seein’ her again. She said she’d come an’ see me when she had enough money. She said . . . see, Grandma and Grandpa were waiting, too. Grandpa . . . you could see it in his face, he was hopin’ she’d come to Grandma’s funeral. Grandma, too . . . when she was really sick, I could hear her calling out at night . . . she was calling her name . . . where is she, Aunt, why doesn’t she . . .?’
‘Alfie, you listen your aunty now, your mumma got real sick, she be real sick . . . ’
‘She said she was workin’ up in . . . ’
‘Oh, she bein’ workin’ alright, but then she got sick. We look after your mumma . . . keep askin’, where your people, sister, where your country? That why I bin come, look for you, Alfie.’
‘Is she alright now?’
‘Oh, Alfie, sorry business true, your mumma die now. I bin lookin’ for you long time . . . alright, you cry now, Alfie, you cry, no one see guli man cryin’, all tear run down in creek, liddle bird drinkem up, look now, see, liddle green fella drinkem up tear . . . alright, we stay ‘ere while now, Alfie . . . I look over this way, alright, I not see guli man cry, alright, I look over an’ see bird make nest in riverbank, alright, you sit there, no school now, alright, you sit down an’ listen your aunt, alright, aunt tell you story ‘bout your mumma, ‘bout country all ‘roun’, ‘bout your cousin up on river, ‘bout how this country talkin’ to you. You come up river way, you askem Aunty Adpin, alright. You know adpin? Stick in hat, you know? You askem, I livin’ longa way longa river, I be your Grandpa’s aunty too, you wa fella, eh? You know crow? Well us mob we be gabadj, you know, we longa you people alright. That right, Alfie, long time you holdin’ them tears, eh, boy, long time you hold ‘em back, eh, yueh, well gone now, eh, well you listen your aunt story now. See now, look them liddle lizard. What you call that one?’
‘Lelon.’
‘Lelon, eh. Alright, ‘e be listenin’ too, eh. Now your mumma she come longa us peoples an’ she say aunt, I bin sick now an’ we say, alright you stay longa us, an’ we bin lookin’ for her people, you know. We bin askin’ her, where your people, now, all that thing, you know. An’ Alfie she say, I be shame, I be shame from my people. Why you be shame, we say, an’ she say, I bin leave my baby with granmumma, I bin work in town, I not see my boy longa time, I be shame. Ol’ Granny Kneebone, you know that lady? No, alright, Granny Kneebone she wise ol’ lady an’ she be say your mumma, you love that boy, your Alfie? Oh yueh, your mumma say, I bin love that boy, alright Granny Kneebone say, why not you go back for your burron, an’ your mumma say, I be shame, an’ Granny Kneebone say, you reckon you boy be shame on you, that boy be lovin’ his mumma. True, eh? That true one what Granny say. Granny Kneebone say, Aunty Adpin, you go find that boy, you bring that Alfie to ‘is mumma. She be love you true ways, Alfie, no humbug. She be shame job, plenny bad luck in city, Alfie, plenny bad fella knock ‘er ‘bout, but she never forget ‘er boy, she never forget her mumma an’ daddy, Aunty Kneebone say, eh you not be shame no more, you with you own people, you be our sister, that what granny say. But you mumma die. An’ you be sorry time, Alfie, that right, but you mumma love you, big one love for ‘er burron, an’ she say to Granny, tell him I love ‘im alia time, tell him grow up true way an’ listen to ‘is grandma and grandpa an’ all ‘is aunties an’ uncles, an’ all through big countries I say, you see that Alfie? An’ our peoples say to Aunty Adpin, oh, true one that Alfie, ‘e be true one alright, an’ I see Bunjil, an’ I say, you see Alfie, an’ Bunjil he show me track, an’ I say to goim, you seen that Alfie, an’ goim he twist ear an’ say, that way Aunty, an’ I see our own fella, that gabadj, an’ I say, gabadj, you seen that Alfie, an’ he say that boy, good fella, he be longa wa . . . see, your country, ‘e know you alright, ‘e be lookin’ after you, Alfie, ‘e be proud of brave guli fella, jus’ like your mumma, we tell ‘er, eh sister we say, you burron ‘e true one, ‘e be guli fella now, an’ we say to Da, eh, Da you lookin’ that Alfie now, ‘e mumma dyin’, you look out that Alfie, ‘e be big man for ‘is people.’
