He repeated the encouraging words
moreloudly.
Impatiently heblackened the indictment, as though
he saw his silent listenerswavering against him.
But hesaw her face staring up from among the
pillows and groaned. Hes hardly ever sober enough to sit on a horse, let alone carry
amortgage.
And he tramped harder to escape from his thoughts.
She dabbed her nose, and went ondefiantly.
The point of the sarcasm must have missed her. But
the wordssounded peevish and unavailing against her stony silence.
He began to fight the dingoes with the
poison-cartand pushed them back into the ranges. Loneliness oppressed him; people
nearlydrove him out of his wits. Ill be ten thousand miles away, he persisted. He
was left with his men, Sambo,Herb and Andy .
Ill be ten thousand miles away, he
persisted.
Heawakened to start off tramping again, the pebbles
still clicking inhis tired brain.
For him their painful intimacy served purposes even
more complex.
Knock downthe first cut-throat who looks at
them.
Impulsive acts of generosity sprang from the
samesource. Knock downthe first cut-throat who looks at them. For him their painful
intimacy served purposes even more complex.
He repeated the encouraging words
moreloudly.
She dabbed her nose, and went ondefiantly. Oh,
Emma, if I was like you it might be different. I told you my plan, he knew that it
was not a plan,but only a pious faith in a miracle. They came to buy rams from him
and seemedunaware that a terrible disgrace hung over Cabells Reach.
For him their painful intimacy served purposes even
more complex. On such daysEmma and Cabell came closer together.
Their attitude to an early settler from whom they
could expect agood tip was flattering.
He was up with the kookaburra and out all day among
the cattle. Then his eyes reopened to the crudity of the Australian scene. YOU
deserted yourwife when you came out here, and left her to starve to death. He comes
in at night,she was saying between snuffles and sobs, and always asks the sameold
thing.
I dont ask you anything about England, younotice.
He repeated the encouraging words moreloudly.
The Colonel winced now, choked up a laugh, and
licked his lips.