No Sugar by Jack Davis Page B

no one sees you come in, the condition you were in—fine example.
    NEAL : I’ve got to get away from the place now and again.
    MATRON : What about me? I was at the quarantine camp from dawn till dusk again yesterday.
    NEAL : Done them all?
    MATRON : Yes, eventually.
    NEAL : How many have got it?
    MATRON : Scabies? Mrs Mason and her three youngsters.
    NEAL : Yes.
    MATRON : That’s all, just the four of them. I’ve isolated them, put them on sulphur and regular bathing.
    NEAL : Four of ’em, only cases of skin disease? Only four?
    MATRON : Yes, Alf. I can recognise a case of scabies when I see one.
    NEAL : And you’ve examined the lot of them?
    MATRON : Yes, I haven’t been going up the Long Pool for a picnic.
    NEAL : Are you telling me out of eighty-nine dumped on me, only four of them have got the bloody disease?
    She puts the record book in front of him.
    Good God, woman, what’s the bloody game? Eighty-nine natives in a bloody quarantine camp I’ve just busted me gut to get ready on time, and there’s nothing bloody well wrong with ’em?
    MATRON : Alf, there’s no need to lose your temper and no need for bad language. They should be cleared up in a few days.
    NEAL : The whole job’s a waste of time. They could have been treated in Northam.
    MATRON : The only health hazard in the camp are the dogs.
    NEAL : What dogs?
    MATRON : There’s about fifty of them, and a good many in less than healthy condition.
    NEAL : How did the dogs get here?
    MATRON : With the road party, apparently.
    NEAL : No one told me anything about dogs.
    MATRON : One per family.
    She exits.
    NEAL : That’s one too many. [ Calling ] Billy! Billy!
    He unlocks the armoury cupboard and gets a rifle and ammunition.
    BILLY : [ off ] Yeah, comin’ boss.
    NEAL counts out the ammunition. BILLY enters.
    Yeah, Boss?
    NEAL : Get the horses and a length of rope, Billy.
    BILLY : Yeah, boss.
    NEAL takes a rifle and ammunition. They exit.
SCENE SIX
    A clearing in the pine plantation. Moore River Native Settlement, night. A camp fire burns. JIMMY and SAM are painted for a corroboree. JIMMY mixes wilgi in tobacco tin lids, while SAM separates inji sticks from clapsticks. JOE arrives with an armful of firewood and pokes at the fire.
    JOE : They comin’ now.
    BILLY : [ off ] Get no rain this place summertime.
    BILLY and BLUEY enter and remove their shirts.
    JIMMY : Eh? Where you fellas been?
    BLUEY : Aw, we been pushing truck for Mr Neal.
    BILLY : He goin’ Mogumber.
    BLUEY : [ miming taking a drink ] Doin’ this fella.
    JOE : He’ll be minditj tomorrow.
    BLUEY and BILLY paint themselves with wilgi.
    BILLY : My word you fellas pr-retty fellas.
    BLUEY : Wee-ah , plenty wilgi .
    BILLY : Eh? You know my country, must be walk two, three days for this much. Your country got plenty.
    JIMMY strikes up a rhythm on the clapsticks. BLUEY joins him.
    JIMMY : [ singing ]
    Tjinnung nitjakoorliny?
    Karra, karra, karra, karra,
    Moyambat a-nyinaliny a-nyinaliny,
    Baal nitja koorliny moyambat a-moyambat moyambat,
    Moyambat nitja koorliny moyambat.
    Kalkanna yirra nyinny kalkanna,
    Yirra nyinniny, yirra nyinniny,
    Moyambat a-kalkanna moyambat a-kilkanna
    Yirra nyinniny, yirra nyinniny, yirra nyinniny,
    Karra koorliny kalkanna karra karra koorliny kalkanna.
    Karra koorliny, karra koorliny, karra koorliny,
    Woolah!
    BLUEY : Eh, what that one?
    JIMMY : That’s my grandfather song. [ Miming with his hands ] He singin’ for the karra , you know, crabs, to come up the river and for the fish to jump up high so he can catch them in the fish traps.
    SAM : [ pointing to BILLY ’s body paint ] Eh! Eh! Old man, what’s that one?
    BILLY : This one bungarra , an’ he lookin’ for berry bush. But he know that fella eagle watchin’ him and he know that fella is cunnin’ fella. He watchin’ and lookin’ for that eagle, that way, this way, that way, this way.
    He rolls over a log, disappearing