the baby wakes, and tell her to wear a clean frock.” She yelled as her husband went on to the verandah.

Birrawong came when she was called and tried to cover herself from the boss’s gaze as she walked past him into the house. Genoa Jack rolled himself in his blanket and his black eyes stared into the darkness.

Booraby’s lips moved silently and he struck the spear with the palm leaf and rubbed it across his brow and over his groin, again across his brow and then the tip of the spear and at the last plaited the palm to the end of the shaft.