Warrigal's Way by Warrigal Anderson Page B

and to come over there when I’d done my shopping. I headed up the main street with the money burning a hole in my pocket.
    A great big double cone ice-cream was the first thing, then a bar of chocolate. I saw a shop selling cakes, little dainty ones that reminded me of Nana Rose, and I felt a bit sad and homesick when I thought of her, but I didn’t know how to find her, or Uncle Manny or Uncle Fred.
    I brought myself back to the present, and walked up the street looking in the shop windows. In the saddler’s I saw this bag. It was a fair size—about a foot by a foot and six inches wide—with a long strap. It would carry books or a lunch, a coat, or whatever other junk I wanted, and was cheaper than a saddle bag. You could carry it over your shoulder or strap it to the saddle.
    â€œHow much?” I asked the bloke.
    â€œTwelve and six,” he told me.
    â€œAww, I dunno. Don’t look worth that much. I’ll give you eight and six,” I said.
    â€œAww, I might come down to ten bob, but I’ll be robbing meself,” the shop bloke reckoned, with a smile on his face and gleaming eyes.
    â€œI can go to nine and six, but then I’ve had it,” I told the man.
    â€œDone,” he said, taking my money and giving me the bag.
    I was happy and totally amazed. Mike had been teaching me how to bargain like this as we went about our work. I thought it was some sort of a game.
    â€œIt is,” Mike told me, “but you’ll find shopkeepers like to bargain too, makes things more interesting.” And here, it bloody works. Wait till I tell Mike.
    â€œSee you again, young feller.”
    â€œYes, thanks very much,” I said with a grin and a wave as I went out the door, bag slung over my shoulder.
    I brought a couple of big handkerchiefs, and another couple of pairs of socks, had a banana milkshake and then went to meet the boys. I stood a while at my favourite spot on the bridge, and took the blue boat with the white top for a sail, in my mind, pickin’ bananas off trees in bunches, coconuts for a change, loaves of bread off the bread tree—I was getting right into this—tins of tropical fruit salad off the fruit salad tree. I had Danny for my first mate and our crew was all the princesses we had rescued, dozens of them—we didn’t muck around.
    â€œHey dreamer! Hey!” I came out of my daydream with Hugh shaking my shoulder. “Come on, tie up your boat and come ashore,” he said in my ear. “Are you going or coming to see the boys?” he asked me. “Hey, that’s a great bag.” I felt good straightaway. A bit of praise from the boss never hurts.
    â€œYeah, it cost me nine bob. I bargained with this man just like Mike taught me. He wanted twelve and six for it.”
    â€œAnd you bargained him down to nine bob, eh? That was well done. Proud of you, mate.”
    I walked with him down to the pub, three feet off the ground with pride.
    â€œWe’re gunna have a few beers. What are you gunna do?” Hugh asked me as I put my gear in the car.
    â€œI’m gunna do some fishing. You wanta pick me up at the wharf when you’re ready to go?”
    He said he would and went into the pub, as I headed for the corner shop for a line and hooks, sinker and bait. I went back to the car and got my bag and Hugh’s folding knife that he kept in the car, and wandered off down to the wharf, picking up two pies and a bottle of soda squash on the way.
    The fishing was great. The tide was coming in and the bream were committing suicide. I had about twelve on a gill line and a couple of cod, all a good pound and a half.
    When the boys pulled up and tooted, and I showed them my catch, Ted was full of praise. “That’s great, mate. Last night in town and we can have a big feed of fish before we go. Be a while before we see fish again, so we might as well have a good lash at it.”
    The others agreed. I noticed that