sound. At least there was some
petrol in the tank. Later he returned to carry several empty boxes
from the shed. The children had finished eating and Faith sent them
all out to play in the backyard where she could keep an eye on them
through the kitchen window.
‘What was the idea you spoke to Koko about
last night?’ Faith asked as she laid a plate of food on the table.
‘And what are the beer crates for?’
‘ I’m not going to get on that train
today, Faith.’ Joe said as he sat down to eat. ‘I’m going to
sail Faraway to
Queensland . I can join up in
Cairns or Townsville just as easy as in Adelaide River or
Katherine. And I’ll feel better having Faraway’s deck under my feet until the day I
enlist and get the serviceman’s debt moratorium.’
Faith gasped. ‘But it’s too dangerous, Joe.
There are Japanese airplanes and submarines all along the coast
these days. I know, I’ve talked to sailors off the ships at the
hospital. Don’t you realize how lucky you were to get back in
yesterday? Anyway, you said you’ve got no petrol for the
engine.’
‘HMS Beagle didn’t even have an engine when
she brought Charles Darwin here,’ Joe said defensively. ‘Besides,
these days I only use mine to get in and out of anchorages when
there’s no wind.’
‘Why would you go to Queensland? Western
Australia is closer.’
‘This time of the year the most favorable
winds are from the north-east. We should get to Cape York before
the trade winds are right on the nose.’
‘We,’ Faith sat
down quickly beside her brother and grabbed his arm. ’My God, Joe,
you’re not thinking of taking Koko with you are you?’
‘Yes, I am.’ Joe slammed his knife and fork
down noisily on the table. ‘This damn town has gone mad. And after
today, there’ll be no-one left here but strangers. There’ll only be
a few Yanks and a bunch of servicemen from the southern states who
think Darwin is a Godforsaken, malaria ridden hole they’ve been
sent to in order to kill Japs. As far as they’re concerned Koko’s
just another Japanese. Well, he’s my friend and after what’s
happened to Aki, I can’t just leave him here.’
Faith knew Joe’s mind was made up. She nodded
at the empty boxes on the floor. ‘So they’re to take whatever you
need to the boat, I suppose.’
Joe nodded. ‘I might as well take anything I
can use. As soon as we’re gone the looters will only take it
anyway.’
‘Well, you’d better get more boxes from the
shed,’ Faith said resolutely. ‘Because I’m going with you.’
‘You can’t,’ Joe protested. ‘You said
yourself, it’s too dangerous.’
They were interrupted by a knock on the front
door. When Joe went to answer it he found Sergeant Maxwell pacing
the porch outside.
‘Joe, I’ve just been over to Myilly Point.
There’s no sign of Aki or Koko. Any idea where they may be?’
‘No, I haven’t, George.’ Joe was surprised
how easily the lie rolled off his lips.
Maxwell shook his head. ‘God, I hope they
haven’t tried to go into hiding.’ The policeman took off his
broad-brimmed hat and ran a hand through his hair. ‘Sometimes I
hate this job, Joe.’ He was half way to his ute when he turned
around and called out. ‘We expect the train about midday. I’ll come
over with Mary around two this afternoon for Faith and the
kids.’
Joe walked back into the kitchen. Faith
looked at him disapprovingly.
‘I heard what Sergeant Maxwell said, Joe.
It’s hard to lie to our friends. I don’t know how you can do
it.’
‘It would be harder to betray Koko,’ Joe said
grimly. He picked up a box from the floor. ‘If you’re coming with
us, Faith, we’d better start putting a few things together.’
An hour later Joe left the house
for Faraway with two boxes,
filled to overflowing, perched precariously on the petrol tank
between his arms. He had to slow right down as he picked his way
across the scrub land near the mangroves. When he eased the bike
over the railway
petrol in the tank. Later he returned to carry several empty boxes
from the shed. The children had finished eating and Faith sent them
all out to play in the backyard where she could keep an eye on them
through the kitchen window.
‘What was the idea you spoke to Koko about
last night?’ Faith asked as she laid a plate of food on the table.
‘And what are the beer crates for?’
‘ I’m not going to get on that train
today, Faith.’ Joe said as he sat down to eat. ‘I’m going to
sail Faraway to
Queensland . I can join up in
Cairns or Townsville just as easy as in Adelaide River or
Katherine. And I’ll feel better having Faraway’s deck under my feet until the day I
enlist and get the serviceman’s debt moratorium.’
Faith gasped. ‘But it’s too dangerous, Joe.
There are Japanese airplanes and submarines all along the coast
these days. I know, I’ve talked to sailors off the ships at the
hospital. Don’t you realize how lucky you were to get back in
yesterday? Anyway, you said you’ve got no petrol for the
engine.’
‘HMS Beagle didn’t even have an engine when
she brought Charles Darwin here,’ Joe said defensively. ‘Besides,
these days I only use mine to get in and out of anchorages when
there’s no wind.’
‘Why would you go to Queensland? Western
Australia is closer.’
‘This time of the year the most favorable
winds are from the north-east. We should get to Cape York before
the trade winds are right on the nose.’
‘We,’ Faith sat
down quickly beside her brother and grabbed his arm. ’My God, Joe,
you’re not thinking of taking Koko with you are you?’
‘Yes, I am.’ Joe slammed his knife and fork
down noisily on the table. ‘This damn town has gone mad. And after
today, there’ll be no-one left here but strangers. There’ll only be
a few Yanks and a bunch of servicemen from the southern states who
think Darwin is a Godforsaken, malaria ridden hole they’ve been
sent to in order to kill Japs. As far as they’re concerned Koko’s
just another Japanese. Well, he’s my friend and after what’s
happened to Aki, I can’t just leave him here.’
Faith knew Joe’s mind was made up. She nodded
at the empty boxes on the floor. ‘So they’re to take whatever you
need to the boat, I suppose.’
Joe nodded. ‘I might as well take anything I
can use. As soon as we’re gone the looters will only take it
anyway.’
‘Well, you’d better get more boxes from the
shed,’ Faith said resolutely. ‘Because I’m going with you.’
‘You can’t,’ Joe protested. ‘You said
yourself, it’s too dangerous.’
They were interrupted by a knock on the front
door. When Joe went to answer it he found Sergeant Maxwell pacing
the porch outside.
‘Joe, I’ve just been over to Myilly Point.
There’s no sign of Aki or Koko. Any idea where they may be?’
‘No, I haven’t, George.’ Joe was surprised
how easily the lie rolled off his lips.
Maxwell shook his head. ‘God, I hope they
haven’t tried to go into hiding.’ The policeman took off his
broad-brimmed hat and ran a hand through his hair. ‘Sometimes I
hate this job, Joe.’ He was half way to his ute when he turned
around and called out. ‘We expect the train about midday. I’ll come
over with Mary around two this afternoon for Faith and the
kids.’
Joe walked back into the kitchen. Faith
looked at him disapprovingly.
‘I heard what Sergeant Maxwell said, Joe.
It’s hard to lie to our friends. I don’t know how you can do
it.’
‘It would be harder to betray Koko,’ Joe said
grimly. He picked up a box from the floor. ‘If you’re coming with
us, Faith, we’d better start putting a few things together.’
An hour later Joe left the house
for Faraway with two boxes,
filled to overflowing, perched precariously on the petrol tank
between his arms. He had to slow right down as he picked his way
across the scrub land near the mangroves. When he eased the bike
over the railway
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