Short and Sweet Part 26

She got talking to the woman sitting next to her, who'd come here with her husband and six children, the oldest a lad of sixteen, the youngest only three years old.

*It's for them I came,' Elsie looked down fondly at the little girl sleeping on her lap. *I don't mind what I have to do, but Mick and me want to give them a better start in life than we had.'

They all wanted that, Maggie thought.

Peter and Jenny were leaning on the rail of the truck now, talking away excitedly to the children next to them.

*Keep an eye on your sister, Peter,' Maggie called.

*I'm all right!' Jenny protested.

Peter gave his mother a wink and she knew he'd do it. He was a responsible lad.

Bill was sitting quietly, staring into s.p.a.ce. His skin had gone red and he kept rubbing his right temple. She left him to his thoughts and continued to chat with Elsie.

The trucks slowed down. *We're here!' called their driver.

*This can't be Northcliffe!' someone exclaimed.

*It is, mate.'

*This isn't a town,' Mick protested.

*It will be one day,' the driver said. *That's why you lot are here, to build it.'

The settlers stared round in shock at the bare patch of cleared land in the middle of a forest. There was only one building, with a sign proclaiming it a general store. It was little more than a tin shed. Next to it was a tent. To one side of the open land were some rough fences covered in hessian.

Disappointment seared through Maggie and she clutched Bill's hand. She'd expected a church, one or two shops, people to talk to.

Jenny pressed against her. *Is this really it, Mum?'

She forced a smile, for the children's sake. *Yes. Fancy seeing a town before it's built. We'll remember today, won't we, when this is a proper street?'

The children looked at her doubtfully.

Bill scowled and opened his mouth, but when she frowned at him, he contented himself with muttering something under his breath.

*If you folk want to go to the lavatory, that's it over there!' the driver called.

Peter went with his father to the side of the cloth-covered fences labelled *Men'.

Jenny and her mother went to the women's side. Behind the rough fence, they found a trench with a pole across it to sit on. Beside it was a shovel and some sand.

Maggie and her daughter both did what they had to. Out of courtesy she avoided looking at the other women.

One young, newly-married la.s.s stood there sobbing, saying she couldn't go in a place like this. Maggie didn't try to comfort her. She needed all her strength for herself and her family at the moment.

*Bit rough, isn't it?' Elsie whispered as they walked back. *Why didn't they put two poles, one to lean back against?'

*Because it's easier for men and I don't suppose they think what it's like for women and children,' Maggie replied.

By the time they got back to the truck, a man from the store had provided a bucket of cold water to wash their hands in, an enamel bucket of hot, black tea and some thick chunks of bread spread with jam but no b.u.t.ter.

*Can't stop for long, so eat up quickly,' their driver called. *Have to get you settled in by nightfall. We'll leave again in half an hour. Food will be provided for the first few weeks, but you ladies might want to buy a few extras. Your group's land is nearly three miles from town.'

Maggie turned to Bill. *I'll need some money.'

*I don't want you wasting it on luxuries.'

She held back her anger a just. Ever since the war, he'd been very parsimonious, doling out money from his wages when she needed something. During the war she'd worked and had her own money. It had been hard to stay at home again and be dependent on someone else, so she'd done a little sewing to earn pin money, just alterations for friends and neighbours.

She bought a pound of fresh figs and a melon, both cheap at this time of year. Fruit was good for children and she loved it too. She'd never even seen fresh figs before, or tasted a melon.

Then they set off again, jolting along an even rougher track. Everyone commented excitedly when they saw three kangaroos hopping through the trees. They were bigger than Maggie had expected.

*Don't get too near the big males,' the driver called. *They can rip you apart with those front claws.'

Jenny was tired and had come to sit by her mother.

*I'm longing to get to our new house, aren't you?' Maggie said to Bill, threading her arm in his.

*Yes. There's nowhere like home. Look at that lad of ours.'

Peter was still standing by the rail, his face lit up by excitement. Maggie wished she could stand with him.

The trucks stopped at a clearing which was surrounded by what looked like waste land. Many huge trees had been felled, their trunks and branches still lying on the ground. Everyone stared round in puzzlement.

*Why are we stopping here?' Mick asked.

*This is it,' the driver replied. *The land your group has been allocated. The government's cleared some of it, to start you off, and you'll be paid by the acre to clear the rest. That's how you earn your living at the beginning.'

*They didn't tell us how big some of the trees would be or how thickly the forest grew,' another man said.

*You don't have to fell them if they're above a certain circ.u.mference, just the smaller ones.'

A man strode towards them from behind a pile of crates to one side, waving and smiling. He was tall, about forty, looking strong and capable. *I'm Ted Riley, your group's foreman. Welcome to your new home.'

Bill jumped down from the truck. *This can't be it. Where are we supposed to live? They said there would be houses provided.'

*We build temporary huts ourselves first, then later teams of carpenters come round and build proper houses. For now, there are tents.' Ted moved over to the truck. *Can I help you down, ladies?'

Maggie scrambled down into Bill's arms and he clung to her for a minute.

*I'm sorry,' he whispered. *I didn't think you'd have to rough it like this.'

*I'll be fine.'

Most of the children jumped down without anyone's help. Peter came to stand by his father, who absent-mindedly laid a hand on his shoulder as they waited. Jenny pressed close to her mother. She'd been very clingy for the whole trip.

When they were all standing in a circle, Ted said, *We'll need to work quickly to erect the tents before nightfall. We'll start building the temporary huts after we've set up camp.' He jerked his head towards a pile of corrugated iron sheets and timber. *They sent the materials for the huts before the tents. Stupid, but that's the authorities in Perth for you!'

*You men will be paid a daily rate for your labour,' he went on, *and tomorrow morning we'll draw lots for which block of land each family gets. That's the fairest way. We'll all eat together at first, and the ladies can do the lighter work and the cooking.' He looked round the silent group. *Things will get done more quickly if the older children pitch in, too.'

*What about school?' one woman asked.

*Can't build schools till you've got houses. It won't hurt the kids to miss a few months' schooling.'

A few youngsters cheered and were shushed by their parents.

*We also need to build two sets of latrines today, one for men, one for women. We want to keep the place clean, don't we? We'll put hessian fences round them for privacy, but we can't take time for a roof just now. Anyone have any experience of digging latrines and putting up tents?'

That made Bill and the other men chuckle. Most of them were ex-soldiers.

*Just a little experience,' one man said. *Four years' worth during the war.'

*There you are then, they sent me some real experts.'

Ted's joking had lifted the mood, but as people worked under his direction, Maggie saw how they kept glancing at the surrounding forest, which dwarfed everything. Could they really clear that? It'd be hard going.

By nightfall the Spencers were in their own tent, and for once the children didn't protest about being sent to bed as soon as it grew dark. Stretcher beds had been supplied and set up on the bare earth. For bedding, they each had a heavy bush rug known as a *bluey' and were using rolled towels as pillows.

All the basic items supplied were to be paid for gradually, Ted said, including the horse and cart, the six cows and necessary equipment like cream separators, which would all be sent later, after they'd cleared the land and built cow and dairy sheds.

So much work lay ahead, Maggie thought as she snuggled down on her narrow canvas bed. Well, you could only take one day at a time.

It was surprisingly cold at night, considering how warm the day had been. She could hear animal noises outside, frogs croaking in a nearby stream, which Ted called *the creek', and all sorts of rustling sounds and calls, though she couldn't have said what sort of animals were making them.

*Goodnight,' she said into the darkness, but got no answer, even though she could tell Bill wasn't asleep by the way he was breathing.

Her last thought was that the following morning they were to draw lots for the blocks of land and then start building the temporary huts out of corrugated iron. She hoped theirs would be a pretty block, hoped they'd be happy there, hoped the children would thrive in Australia a and that her Bill would continue to get better.

It wouldn't be her fault if they failed.

Part Two.

Maggie was woken early by birds calling and twittering nearby. It took her a few moments to remember they were in Australia now. Excitement ran through her. Today the foreman would give each settler family in the group the land the government had a.s.signed for setting up dairy farms.

In the dim light inside the tent she could see her sleeping husband and children on their narrow stretcher beds. Bill's face was hidden beneath his forearm, Peter lay on his back, one hand dangling over the edge, and Jenny was on her side, a smile on her face.

Maggie went to use the women's latrine, nodding to their foreman as she pa.s.sed. Ted was already tending the communal fire, which had a huge blackened kettle hanging over the flames. She was dying for a cup of tea.

Once dressed, she helped the other women prepare breakfast, dividing up the remaining bread carefully and spreading jam thinly on it.

*They'll be delivering more bread from the shop today,' Ted said cheerfully, *and for the first week. After that you ladies must learn to make your own.'

When they'd cleared up, everyone a.s.sembled in a circle round him without needing to be told, families standing together, ready to draw lots for the blocks of land.

After they'd done that, the foreman walked them up and down the track, showing each family which land belonged to them. It took all morning.

Maggie was delighted to see a couple of tall karri trees on their block as they turned off the track, so huge she couldn't even put her arms round their smooth grey trunks.

*They're a couple of hundred years old at least,' Ted said.

*They'll look pretty guarding the gates,' Maggie said.

Ted shook his head. *You can't put the entrance under them. They're not called widowmakers for nothing. They drop branches without warning and the bigger ones weigh a ton.'

*This is a farm not a park,' Bill said. *I'm clearing the lot.'

She was fed up of him making all the decisions. *Not these two beauties, you aren't. It'll look horrible without some trees and anyway, the cows will need shade in hot weather.'

Ted clapped Bill on the shoulder. *She's right, mate. Anyway, trees like these are a b.u.g.g.e.r to knock down. You have to dynamite the stumps to get rid of them and that costs extra.' He winked at Maggie.

She changed the subject quickly. *Where shall we put the hut?'

*Has to be close to the next block, because you'll be sharing. Only big families get both rooms to themselves.'

In the evening they drew lots again, this time for whose hut would be built first. The Spencers came last of all, which was a big disappointment.

The next day, two men brought a milking cow in the back of a truck, provided by the authorities to help feed the group. They led it carefully down a ramp, gave Ted some food for it and left.

*You women will have to feed and milk her,' he said. *I'll show you how. Now, who wants to take charge of it?'

There was dead silence.

He laughed. *She doesn't bite, you know. Mrs Spencer, how about giving it a go?'

Maggie swallowed hard. *Oh. Well, all right, then.'

*Come and meet Dolly.' He slapped the cow on the rump. *The main thing is to keep everything to do with milking clean.'

*Of course.' As if she wouldn't do that automatically!

When they'd finished milking, he dipped a clean cup into the bucket of foaming, creamy liquid and solemnly handed it to Maggie. *You first. You've earned it. You made a good fist of that milking, for a beginner.'

She drank the whole cupful. *It's lovely.'

*Now, you'll need to milk her morning and night, then share the milk out between the families every day. Make sure she always has water and don't let her roam too far. Oh, and clean up after her as well.' He raised his voice to make sure the other women heard him. *The cow pats make good fertilizer and they'll be your reward for doing this job, Mrs Spencer. Get your kids to pile them up on your block and cover them with branches to keep the flies down.'

Maggie was left alone with her new charge. Dolly had lovely eyes and seemed placid enough. Timidly she patted her.

Bill joined her, but made no attempt to touch Dolly. *She's bigger than I expected, but I suppose the manure will come in useful.'

*Everything's bigger in Australia.'

For the next few days everyone worked from dawn to dusk, even the older children doing their share, mostly fetching and carrying for the men.

One or two of the women did the minimum they could get away with, leaving someone else to do the dirty ch.o.r.es, so Maggie and her new friend, Elsie, took it upon themselves to organize a roster sharing out all the jobs. Wood had to be fetched for the communal fire, water lugged in buckets from the creek and the group's food prepared from giant tins of corned beef or fruit or jam. And the women decided to do the washing together as well, in big tin baths.