“You may have shaved off your beard, but I’d know you anywhere.”
The swagman continued to look blank.
“Look here,” said James.
“Get going, and look quick about it.”
“James,” said Mr. Forman.
“Are you sure? This is a sundowner … and . “
“I tell you, I know. He’s tried to disguise himself .. but there’s something about him I’d recognize anywhere. He’s come back to scrounge a meal and a bed, and he’ll be off with what he’s managed to steal before daybreak.”
“Look here, young man,” spluttered the swagman.
“Never seen you before in me life. I ain’t got a notion what you’re talking about.”
James moved menacingly towards him and Mr. Forman made an attempt to restrain him.
One of the aborigines who lived on the property came up, and James said: “Do you know this man?”
“Lost hair,” was the reply.
“Same man without hair, eh?” said James.
The aborigine nodded.
“Man thief,” he said.
“Take Missus watch.”
“Here, you dirty little Abo,” shouted the man.
“Get out,” hissed James, ‘before I get rough. You might like to return the watch you stole first. “
The man’s face was ugly.
“Turn me out, would you? All right. I’ll spread it. Go back to where you belong. And a curse on your land.”
With that he started to walk away.
James would have gone after him, but his father held him back.
“It’s best,” he said.
“No point in getting into a fight.”
“He had the watch.”
“You wouldn’t get it back. I don’t suppose there could have been a mistake?”
“No, there was not. He had a way with him. Besides, the aborigine recognized him. There’s only one way to treat his sort. Never give him a chance to cheat again. He’ll know better than to pay a return visit to this property.”
“I just don’t like turning a sundowner away,” said Mr. Forman.
“It’s the unwritten law here. Sundowners are supposed to be sure of food and a night’s lodging.”
“Not thieves,” said James.
“How could you let a man like that into the place when he’s already shown what he is?”
“You’re right, son, but I can’t help wishing it hadn’t happened.”
“Forget him,” said James.
Mr. Forman turned to me.
“Well, what did you think of that, Carmel?”
“I thought James was going to knock him down.”
“Came pretty near to it,” said James.
“Come on, let’s get the horses in. I’m starving, if you’re not.”
There was a certain gloom over the house that evening. The encounter with the dishonest man had created an unpleasantness. Mr. Forman could not forget it was the custom of the country to treat such travellers as guests.
I was very tired when I went to bed, as I usually was after hours spent in the fresh air. It must have been about three o’clock in the morning when I was awakened by the sound of voices. There was a red glow in the room.
I leaped out of bed and went to the window. I saw that some of the outbuildings were ablaze. They were fortunately a little distance from the house. People were running across the grass and shouting to each other. I could not distinguish who they were, but I thought James and his father were among them.
I hastily put on some clothes and dashed to the stairs. The entire household was awake. I saw Gertie . white and frightened.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded.
“Some of the buildings are on fire,” she shouted.
And we dashed out.
For a few seconds, I stared in horror. The outbuildings were a mass of flames. Fortunately, the fire had not yet reached the stables.
“Come on,” said Gertie, and we ran towards the blaze.
It was dawn before the fire was under control. We sat in the kitchen and Mrs. Forman made cups of tea. The men were talking about the damage that had been done. Mr. and Mrs. Forman looked stricken; and I had never seen such deep and frustrated anger as I saw in James. I knew that the work of years had been destroyed in one short night.
They were too stunned to talk very much. That would come later. Mrs. Forman seemed glad to busy herself with the tea and Mr. Forman sat silent, with a perplexed frown on his brow.
As soon as it was daylight, Mr. Forman and James went out to assess the damage, but we already knew how devastating it would be, and were not surprised by the verdict.
When Mr. Forman came back into the house with James, he said: “Ruined.
I don’t know what we shall do. “
“We’ll get by, you’ll see,” said James.
“We’ll be held back a bit, but we’ll manage.”
I felt inadequate, and that, not being one of the family, I must be in the way. Perhaps I ought to leave, for there was nothing I could do to help.
“You’re not in the way,” said Gertie.
“But it’s not going to be much fun here. Why don’t you go back to Sydney and come back when we’ve sorted things out a bit?”
It was agreed that that was what I should do, and James rode back with me.
As we went back, he seemed more ready to talk about the disaster than he had when he was with his family.
“You know who did it, of course,” he said.
“You think the sundowner …”
“If I could get my hands on him …”
“Don’t, James,” I said.
“It will be for the law to punish him. But you can’t be absolutely sure that he was the one.”
“Who else? He knew where to start it so that it could get well under way before we were aware of it. We know the fire was started deliberately. He had a grudge. He was there, wasn’t he? He’s a villain, that one. I think my father wished that we’d let him stay.
He’s asking himself what is the loss of a gold watch compared with all that damage. “
“You couldn’t have let him stay.”
“I don’t know. Imagine how I feel! It’s my fault, in a way.”
“No, James,” I said.
“You know that’s nonsense. You worry too much. I believe you go on blaming yourself for what happened in Suez that time.”
“That was a pretty awful thing to have done, too. Heaven knows what might have happened to you two girls.”
“Well, we came through it, and you’ll come through this.”
“We’ll manage somehow, yes. But it has made a difference. We shall have to sort things out. We’ve lost such a lot. I reckon it will take us a year, maybe two, to get back to where we were before the fire.”
“Oh, it was so wicked!”
“If I had him here …”
“I’m glad you haven’t, James. It’s bad luck. You’ll get over it. You and your sister and family. You aren’t the sort to let it defeat you.”
“I hope so. You know, I had set my heart on going to Lightning Ridge.
I can’t go now. You see that. “
I nodded.
“I was going to leave in the New Year.”
“Oh, James, I’m so sorry. I know it meant a lot to you.”
“I don’t want to farm, Carmel. I don’t think I ever did. I suppose I don’t see myself getting old in a place like this. I thought I could settle at first and, leaving England and going off … well, it all seems so exciting when you are young. Then, when I heard what could be done here … gold … opals. It was gold that I thought of first, and then I got set on these opals. You see, it became a dream. I knew it could be. And now … now …”
“It’s only a temporary setback, James. In a year or so, you’ll be back to normal, and then you will be able to go and try your luck.”
“You’re a comfort, Carmel.”
“I’m glad to be that.”
We rode on in silence for a while; and when we came in sight of the harbour, he said: “Carmel, you’ll come again soon?”