track he looked down at Faraway to see Sunday was already lowering the
dinghy.
‘We heard you comin,’ Boss,’ Sunday
called out excitedly even before the dinghy reached the shore. ‘You
come quick. Navy fella come to steal Faraway. ’
Joe took the secondment notice down from the
mast as soon as he boarded. He read it quickly then went below.
Koko sat nervously in the main cabin. Sunday and Monday squatted at
the top of the companionway anxiously peering down.
‘What are you going to do, Joe?’ Koko asked.’
You said last night you had an idea.’
Joe sighed. ‘Up until five minutes ago, I
thought we could just shove off and head for Queensland. I was
going to join up in Cairns or Townsville. I reckoned if you have to
be interned it would be better to turn yourself in there. At least
you would have made it safely to an internment camp. Or if you
wanted to, you could have sat out the war somewhere with people you
know, perhaps at the mission on Croker or Elcho Island, or
somewhere like that.’
‘The Navy came a day too soon.’ Koko said
sadly, then he added resignedly, ‘I’ll come with you when you go
ashore, Joe. I’ll give myself up to Sergeant Maxwell.’
No one spoke for some time while Koko
pondered his fate and Joe re-read the secondment notice. The
silence was broken by Sunday. ‘Someone comin’, boss. Someone
comin’.’
Joe bounded up the companionway. An Army
truck was driving through the scrub. As it drew closer Joe saw a
five pointed star on the bonnet and knew it was American. The truck
drove down close to the shore then the driver jumped out, cupped
his hands to his mouth and called out across the water.
‘Is this the boat named Faraway ?’
‘Yes it is.’ Joe shouted back.
‘Are you Joe Brodie?’
‘Yes.’
‘ Got something for you, sir.
Compliments of Captain Rivers.’
‘ What is it?’
‘ Gasoline, sir.’
Joe looked on in amazement as the driver
walked to the back of the truck, opened the tailgate, rolled a
forty-four-gallon drum off onto the ground, then drove away without
saying another word.
*
‘ You can’t be serious,’ Faith said
incredulously. ‘You can’t just sail off for Queensland when the
Navy’s already commandeered the boat.’
Joe picked up another box from the kitchen
floor to carry out to the motorbike. ‘Yes I can, Faith. And I’m
going to. The Navy’s not taking possession until first light
tomorrow. Now I’ve got fuel, we’ll be miles over the horizon by
then.’
‘ But there must be severe penalties for
doing something like that.’
‘ Like what?’ Joe said. ‘As far as I’m
concerned, when I came back to the boat there was no crew aboard
and I didn’t see any notice nailed to the mast.’
But what about Sunday and Monday. They’ll
question them.’
‘No they won’t. They’ll be gone too. They’re
from Croker Island. I told them I’d take them home.’
‘And what am I supposed to do? I can’t tell
Sergeant Maxwell and Mary that I won’t be on the train now.’
Joe reached out and took Faith’s hands in
his. ‘I know,’ he said gently. ‘That would give the game away. So
you’ll have to go with Mary and the children. I’m sorry. But it’s
probably best this way. And I’ll write to you at Uncle Richard’s in
Brisbane as soon as I can.’
‘ And what about you? What are you going
to tell Sergeant Maxwell?’
‘I’ll say I’m not leaving until I’ve taken
everything I want off the boat and the Navy have signed off on the
secondment and taken formal possession.’ Joe grimaced. ‘He’ll
probably see me running around with boxes on the bike anyway. With
any luck he’ll think I’m taking gear off the boat not putting it
on.’
*
The train from Larrimah arrived just after
midday carrying equipment and munitions for the Army. All the
wagons were open flat-tops except an old guard’s van at the end of
the train which was loaded with foodstuffs. It was late afternoon
before soldiers had unloaded
dinghy.
‘We heard you comin,’ Boss,’ Sunday
called out excitedly even before the dinghy reached the shore. ‘You
come quick. Navy fella come to steal Faraway. ’
Joe took the secondment notice down from the
mast as soon as he boarded. He read it quickly then went below.
Koko sat nervously in the main cabin. Sunday and Monday squatted at
the top of the companionway anxiously peering down.
‘What are you going to do, Joe?’ Koko asked.’
You said last night you had an idea.’
Joe sighed. ‘Up until five minutes ago, I
thought we could just shove off and head for Queensland. I was
going to join up in Cairns or Townsville. I reckoned if you have to
be interned it would be better to turn yourself in there. At least
you would have made it safely to an internment camp. Or if you
wanted to, you could have sat out the war somewhere with people you
know, perhaps at the mission on Croker or Elcho Island, or
somewhere like that.’
‘The Navy came a day too soon.’ Koko said
sadly, then he added resignedly, ‘I’ll come with you when you go
ashore, Joe. I’ll give myself up to Sergeant Maxwell.’
No one spoke for some time while Koko
pondered his fate and Joe re-read the secondment notice. The
silence was broken by Sunday. ‘Someone comin’, boss. Someone
comin’.’
Joe bounded up the companionway. An Army
truck was driving through the scrub. As it drew closer Joe saw a
five pointed star on the bonnet and knew it was American. The truck
drove down close to the shore then the driver jumped out, cupped
his hands to his mouth and called out across the water.
‘Is this the boat named Faraway ?’
‘Yes it is.’ Joe shouted back.
‘Are you Joe Brodie?’
‘Yes.’
‘ Got something for you, sir.
Compliments of Captain Rivers.’
‘ What is it?’
‘ Gasoline, sir.’
Joe looked on in amazement as the driver
walked to the back of the truck, opened the tailgate, rolled a
forty-four-gallon drum off onto the ground, then drove away without
saying another word.
*
‘ You can’t be serious,’ Faith said
incredulously. ‘You can’t just sail off for Queensland when the
Navy’s already commandeered the boat.’
Joe picked up another box from the kitchen
floor to carry out to the motorbike. ‘Yes I can, Faith. And I’m
going to. The Navy’s not taking possession until first light
tomorrow. Now I’ve got fuel, we’ll be miles over the horizon by
then.’
‘ But there must be severe penalties for
doing something like that.’
‘ Like what?’ Joe said. ‘As far as I’m
concerned, when I came back to the boat there was no crew aboard
and I didn’t see any notice nailed to the mast.’
But what about Sunday and Monday. They’ll
question them.’
‘No they won’t. They’ll be gone too. They’re
from Croker Island. I told them I’d take them home.’
‘And what am I supposed to do? I can’t tell
Sergeant Maxwell and Mary that I won’t be on the train now.’
Joe reached out and took Faith’s hands in
his. ‘I know,’ he said gently. ‘That would give the game away. So
you’ll have to go with Mary and the children. I’m sorry. But it’s
probably best this way. And I’ll write to you at Uncle Richard’s in
Brisbane as soon as I can.’
‘ And what about you? What are you going
to tell Sergeant Maxwell?’
‘I’ll say I’m not leaving until I’ve taken
everything I want off the boat and the Navy have signed off on the
secondment and taken formal possession.’ Joe grimaced. ‘He’ll
probably see me running around with boxes on the bike anyway. With
any luck he’ll think I’m taking gear off the boat not putting it
on.’
*
The train from Larrimah arrived just after
midday carrying equipment and munitions for the Army. All the
wagons were open flat-tops except an old guard’s van at the end of
the train which was loaded with foodstuffs. It was late afternoon
before soldiers had unloaded
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