SCENE ONE
The lights snap up.
Late afternoon.
DROVERâS WIFE, heavily pregnant, aims her Martini Henry, single-shot rifle, at a badly injured Aboriginal man, YADAKA, lying on the ground. There is an iron collar around his neck.
DROVERâS WIFE: Donât you move, ya black bastard!
He doesnât.
Oh, no ya donât. Youâre not dyinâ here! Get up and get goinâ!
Beat.
Get up. Get goinâ.
He doesnât move.
She lifts his torn and tattered shirt with the rifle, and there is a very infected stab wound on his lower back.
[Under her breath] Good God.
Beat.
She winces with a labour pain. Takes some deep breaths, bringing the contraction under control.
Not now please.
[To her stomach] A few more days. Just to be sure.
She looks towards YADAKA.
Just not now.
She has a thought and looks around.
[In a loud whisper] Alligator?
Alligator!
No dog comes running.
Bloody mongrel dog.
There is a noise, she turns to see THOMAS MCNEALY, a swagman.
MCNEALY: I have been called so on many occasions. Sorry Iâm not, the dog, you require.
She aims her rifle at him. He quickly looks at YADAKA.
He dead, missus?
DROVERâS WIFE: You will be if ya donât state ya business, sundowner.
MCNEALY: Thomas McNealy, my lady.
DROVERâS WIFE: Ainât no lady, just a droverâs wife. State ya business.
MCNEALY: Looks like ya mightâve scored yaâself a reward.
DROVERâS WIFE: Whatâre ya on âbout?
MCNEALY: Felon on the run. Crimes committed. Murder, missus, murder. Murderer. Here on ya door step.
DROVERâS WIFE: Murder? Who?
MCNEALY: Whereâve ya been, lady?
DROVERâS WIFE: Mindinâ me business. Whose murder?
MCNEALY: Whole district on the lookout; be crawlinâ with troopers any second now.
DROVERâS WIFE: Who was murdered?
MCNEALY: A white woman like you. On her own with her children. Mountain country.
DROVERâS WIFE: Who?!
MCNEALY: A one Mrs Ulla Hossnaggle and her wee ones. A couple of days back now. Other side of the range.
DROVERâS WIFE is taken aback by this.
Niggers. Myall Abos. Savage bastards, just like him. Might be him. Wears the collar.
Horrific. Rape, strangulation, the boys sodomised, and the girl drowned âŠ
Life slipping away from piercinâ sapphire blue [eyes] âŠ
So Iâm told. The lengths people go to for detail. Me, faint at the sight of blood I do.
Broad daylight, brazen bastard. Those wee children.
I think of yours, the wee girl, so cute.
She steps closer, her grip firm on her rifle.
DROVERâS WIFE: Whatâd ya know about my children?
MCNEALY: Now, good ladyâ
DROVERâS WIFE: My children? What do you know about my children!
MCNEALY: Well, ya know the swaggyâs trail, round and round we go.
But these parts, missus, hard to see whose cominâ. Mountain behind ya, dense flora in front of ya, and Iâd be lyinâ if I said I hadnât passed here a few times.
Kept my distance, looked in though.
Thatâs all. Truth, missus.
DROVERâS WIFE: I wouldnât trust ya as far as ...