No Sugar

by Jack Davis

  NEAL: Jesus, they’ll be miles away. Why didn’t you say something last night?

  MATRON: I thought she might have been somewhere else.

  NEAL: [yelling] Billy!

  MATRON: Apparently you told her she was going to work at the hospital and stay in the nurses’ quarters.

  NEAL: Who told you that? [Yelling] Billy!

  BILLY: [off] Comin’, boss.

  MATRON: It seems she was terrified at the prospect of working in the hospital.

  NEAL: They’re all scared of the dead.

  MATRON: I think she was scared of the living.

  BILLY enters, buttoning up his jacket.

  NEAL: Two runaways, Billy! You know Joe Millimurra, Northam native?

  BILLY: Yeah, boss.

  NEAL: And Mary Dargurru?

  BILLY: That one Dargurru, my countryman. [Pointing with his chin] She got go back Oombulgarri.

  NEAL: You better get movin’! They’ll be at the railway line by now.

  BILLY: Ne’mine boss. I find ’em. Take ’em whip?

  NEAL: Yes, take your whip, and pick up some tucker from the store. Here!

  He throws a stick of tobacco onto the floor. BILLY picks it up.

  BILLY: Thanks, boss.

  BILLY exits. MATRON turns to follow him.

  MATRON: As matron in charge of the hospital, I thought it was my job to allocate nursing aides.

  NEAL: I was only trying to help you.

  MATRON: Or yourself.

  She exits. NEAL collapses into his chair.

  SCENE NINE

  A clearing near the railway line at Mooloombeeni, early morning. MARY is curled up asleep under a blanket. JOE appears with a billy can of water and his hat full of quandongs. He gently wakes MARY. She wakes in fright.

  JOE: Look, quandongs.

  MARY: Oooh, my feet still hurt.

  JOE: Let’s have a look.

  JOE washes and rubs her feet. She flinches.

  They’re a bit skinned. [Nodding at the quandongs] Eat ’em.

  MARY: Oh, that feels good. [She bites into a quandong.] Aagh! They’re sour!

  JOE: They’re nice with sugar on ’em.

  MARY jumps up and begins to vomit. JOE supports her. A magpie warbles.

  You all right?

  MARY: Gawd! Oh! I’ve never been sick like that in my life before.

  She retches again.

  JOE: You’ll be all right once we get on the rattler. We’ll get a nice cosy truck.

  JOE sits her down and puts a blanket around her. She rests against him and recovers. A magpie squawks and JOE, immediately on his guard, jumps up and grabs his doak. BILLY KIMBERLEY appears and rushes at him with a stockwhip in one hand and handcuffs in the other. JOE dodges him. MARY is sick again as BILLY advances slowly and menacingly on JOE.

  BILLY: You two fella, silly fella. Everyone run away. Wait here for the choo choo. [Swinging the whip at JOE]

  Choo, choo, choo, choo.

  JOE dodges the whip and threatens him with the doak.

  JOE: Go back, old man. I don’t want to hurt you.

  BILLY: [pointing with his chin to MARY] She got to come back, she my countryman.

  MARY vomits. BILLY drops the handcuffs and the two men crouch and circle each other.

  JOE: She’s comin’ with me.

  BILLY: She give girl. Mitjer Neal says she gotta come back.

  JOE: Fuck Mr Neal!

  BILLY: You bad boy, Tjenna Guppi gunna git you!

  JOE: And fuck the Tjenna Guppi too!

  JOE grabs the end of the whip and wrenches it from BILLY, sending him tumbling forward. JOE leaps on him and twists the whip around his neck. MARY staggers across to them. The train whistle blows in the distance.

  MARY: Joe, Joe you choking him!

  JOE: I’ll kill the old bastard!

  MARY: Get up off him. Please! Please, for my sake!

  JOE: Gimme them handcuffs! Handcuffs, quick!

  MARY throws him the handcuffs. JOE handcuffs BILLY’s hands in front of him, releases the whip and throws it down. He starts to go through BILLY’s pockets.

  [To MARY] You run, run, ru–un flat out to the hill! I’ll catch you up!

  MARY starts to pick up their possessions.

  Leave them! Just run… Run!

  MARY runs, hopping painfully on bruised and lacerated feet. JOE finds the keys to the handcuffs and throws them away. He picks up their gear.

  You shouldn’t fight young fella, old man. Here, tucker.

  JOE thrusts quandongs into BILLY’s pockets, pushes his hat down over his head, and runs after MARY.

  BILLY: Thas awright, thas awright. Gudeeah politjman git you bye and bye, you see.

  BILLY picks up his whip with his handcuffed hands, pokes it in his belt and walks off slowly. The train thunders past.

  SCENE TEN

  The Superintendent’s Office, Moore River, day. BILLY, still handcuffed, limps past the Long Pool Camp followed by DAVID, CISSIE and TOPSY, all shouting ‘Black crow, black crow’. MR NEAL reads the paper at his desk as BILLY approaches.

  BILLY: Mitjer Neal, Mitjer Neal! Eh boss!

  NEAL: Come in.

  BILLY enters.

  Jesus, what the bloody hell happened?!

  BILLY: He bin chuck me off my ’orse and he bin knock me silly fella with a waddi.

  MATRON walks in briskly with an arm full of linen. She stops in her tracks when she sees BILLY.

  MATRON: Goodness me, what happened?

  NEAL: Well, he never caught Millimurra, Millimurra caught him.

  MATRON: [putting the linen on NEAL’s desk] Oh, you poor man, where’s the keys?

  NEAL: Listen, Billy, where did you catch up with them?

  BILLY: I bin find ’em Moolambeenee.

  NEAL: Where were they heading?

  BILLY: And that fella bin say he gunna hang me from Christmas tree like that.

  He demonstrates.

  Eh boss, you bin take ’em off handcuffs now?

  MATRON: Where are the keys?

  NEAL: All right, which way did they go?

  BILLY: They bin run along train line. Train comin’, whoo, whoo!

  NEAL: All right, which— way— was— the— train— going?

  BILLY: Goin’ along train line.

  NEAL: I know that, you blithering stone-age idiot!

  MATRON: [pointing left and then right] Billy, was the train going that way or that way?

  BILLY: [pointing with his chin to her left] He bin go that way, Kaggardu.

  NEAL: You bloody fool of a man! What did you let him jump the bloody train for?

  BILLY: He bin knock me silly fella, with a big stone. [Indicating his back and then ribs] He bin kill ’em me here, here, and in the guts. Aw, he bad fella. [Desperately, almost in tears] Eh boss, you bin take ’em off handcuffs now?

  NEAL: [to MATRON] Get the keys out of his pocket.

  BILLY: No key, boss.

  NEAL: Where are they?

  MATRON starts to find quandongs.

  BILLY: Dunno, boss… that one, he bin—

  NEAL: [interrupting] You bloody incompetent savage. Where are the fuckin’ keys?

  BILLY: He bin chuck ’em away. He bad boy that one!

  MATRON has a handful of quandongs but no keys. NEAL puts his hat on and prepares to leave.

  NEAL: Come on, looks like a blacksmith’s job.

  MATRON: Then you’d better send him down to the hospital. I’ll examine him and give him some dinner.

  MATRON looks at them and at the quandongs.

  BILLY: They good tucker, missus.

  She laughs.

  NEAL: I can’t see anything funny about this.

  MATRON: I know you can’t.

  NEAL and BILLY walk off. MATRON bites on a quandong but it’s bitterly sour. She picks up the linen and leaves.

  END OF ACT TWO

  ACT THREE, NORTHAM

  SCENE ONE

  Government Well Aboriginal Reserve, Northam, day. A few burnt out relics of the camp
remain. JOE and MARY stare about blankly.

  JOE: Grass ain’t burnt.

  MARY: What d’ya mean?

  JOE: Manatj… [Bitterly] Burned everything, those bastards! [He looks at the rubble.] We camped just ’ere.

  He leads MARY to the spot.

  [Pointing up and off] See them rocks up there? Me and Cissie used to slide down them on pieces of tin when we was little. Magpies used to nest in that white gum tree.

  MARY: Probably still do.

  JOE: Yeah, s’pose so.

  He sifts through the rubble and unearths a rabbit trap.

  One a’ Dad’s.

  He finds a wine bottle.

  One of Uncle Jimmy’s.

  He puts it down carefully and continues the search.

  MARY: Where did you get water?

  JOE: Soak, down the creek.

  MARY: Good kaep?

  JOE: Sometimes. Mum used to always growl about it. She used to reckon it was harder than Uncle Jimmy’s head. She’d be real upset if she saw the place now. Gran too. ’Specially Gran.

  He sees something, off.

  Oh, no!

  He drags on the burnt remains of DAVID’s bike.

  MARY: Whose was that?

  JOE: Bastards! They reckon they was gunna look after everything we left behind.

  MARY: Never mind, it’s all over now.

  JOE: It’ll never be over!

  He throws the bike down viciously.

  MARY: Come on, dubakieny.

  JOE picks up a rabbit trap and inspects it. He is pleased with it and they walk off.

  SCENE TWO

  A street in Northam, day. JOE and MARY carry their swag, billy can and the rabbit trap. SERGEANT CARROL approaches.

  SERGEANT: Hey… You’re one of the Millimurras, aren’t you?… Joe?

  JOE: Yeah.

  SERGEANT: What are you doin’ back in Northam?

  JOE: We’re livin’ here.

  SERGEANT: Who’s this?

  JOE: Me missus.

  SERGEANT: Where are you staying?

  JOE: Not at the Shamrock, that’s for sure!

  SERGEANT: You can’t camp at Government Well.

  JOE: What did you burn everything for?

  SERGEANT: We’re simply following orders.

  JOE: What, to burn a push bike? I thought you were meant to look after our stuff till we come back.

  SERGEANT: Look! I don’t know nothing about no push bike.

  JOE: What about rations?

  SERGEANT: I can’t help you there. Since all the natives have shifted out, Northam is no longer a ration depot.

  JOE: We never shifted out, we was booted out. Anyway, what happened to the horses?

  SERGEANT: They were in terrible nick. We had to shoot one, the other one’s down at Martin’s, I think.

  JOE: Trust him to grab one.

  SERGEANT: He didn’t grab it, it just wandered onto his property.

  MARY grabs JOE’s sleeve and tries to lead him away.

  MARY: Come on, Joe!

  SERGEANT: Where’s the rest of your lot? Not here, I hope.

  JOE: You oughta know where they are, you dragged ’em there.

  SERGEANT: All right, all right. Look, I don’t care where they are so long as they’re not here. Just make yourself scarce and don’t go campin’ anywhere you’re not s’posed to be—and that includes Government Well.

  JOE: Yeah, you made sure of that!

  The policeman exits. JOE watches him go. MARY tugs at him and they exit.

  SCENE THREE

  Northam Police Station, day. SERGEANT CARROL enters. At the Protector of Aborigines’ Office, Perth, MISS DUNN steps in briskly and settles to typing. SERGEANT CARROL picks up the phone.

  SERGEANT: Hello. Hello, operator, a Perth number: B-M-nine-seven-oh-seven. Nine-seven-oh-seven. Yes, thanks Sybil, can’t complain. Yourself?

  He hangs up as MR NEVILLE enters his office, carrying a briefcase.

  NEVILLE: Good morning, Miss Dunn. You’re bright and early.

  MISS DUNN: Good morning, Mr Neville. I thought I’d get a few pages of your Royal Commission submission typed before the telephone starts for the day.

  Her telephone rings. She answers it.

  Hello, Aborigines Department… yes… [To NEVILLE] It’s Sergeant Carrol, Northam.

  The phone rings in the police station. SERGEANT CARROL answers it.

  NEVILLE: Thank you. Would you mind having a look at the mail when you have a moment?

  NEVILLE goes to his desk and takes the call. MISS DUNN hangs up.

  SERGEANT: Hello, Northam Police. Hello.

  NEVILLE: Hello. Hello, Sergeant. Neville, Aborigines.

  SERGEANT: Hello.

  NEVILLE: Hello, Sergeant. Are you on the line?

  SERGEANT: Hello, Mr Neville. It’s a crook line.

  NEVILLE: There’s an appalling cracking noise, but I can hear you. Did you find out how many—

  SERGEANT: [interrupting] As far as I can ascertain, the only natives here are Joe Millimurra and girl who he claims is his wife—Mary, I think. They’re not actually camped in the town.

  NEVILLE: Dargurru.

  SERGEANT: Pardon?

  NEVILLE: The girl. Mary Dargurru. Rhymes with kangaroo. D-A-R-G-U-double R-U.

  The SERGEANT fumbles for a pencil and writes on the desk.

  SERGEANT:… Double R, U. Yeah… Haven’t had any bother with them. Millimurra’s working at Lockyers, they’re not collecting rations.

  NEVILLE: Well, I’ve had two letters from the Town Clerk. The Council’s still adamant that no natives remain in the Northam area.

  SERGEANT: I know, I had a yarn with the Town Clerk last week; they’re putting something into this Royal Commission, apparently.

  NEVILLE: Well, you’d better apprehend them, anyway.

  SERGEANT: What about warrants?

  NEVILLE: Dargurru’s a minor, and Millimurra’s guilty of absconding with her: it carries a mandatory six months. You can hold him on the existing warrant; the girl can be sent down here under escort. I’ll organise to have her met at Midland. Can you pick them up today?

  SERGEANT: Yeah, I suppose so.

  NEVILLE: Good, and let me know if any more natives return to the district. I’ve written to the Town Clerk letting him know that any Northam natives released from the settlement have undertaken not to return to the Northam District.

  SERGEANT: Good-oh, Mr Neville.

  NEVILLE: And let me know which train you’re putting the girl on.

  SERGEANT: Good-oh, sir.

  NEVILLE: Thankyou, Sergeant.

  They hang up as MISS DUNN puts a thick pile of typing on NEVILLE’s desk.

  MISS DUNN: That’s the section on settlements completed.

  NEVILLE: [taking a pile of notes from his briefcase] Oh thankyou. Here’s the next lot, keep you busy for a while. Did you get a chance to do the mail?

  MISS DUNN: Yes; a couple of accounts and a letter from the Western Australian Historical Association.

  NEVILLE: What do they want?

  MISS DUNN: They’d like you to present a paper at their next meeting. Shall I write and tell them you’re too busy at present?

  NEVILLE: No, I’m very interested; I’ll reply myself.

  He begins drafting a reply while she commences typing. CONSTABLE KERR enters the police station and begins to remove his hat and coat.

  SERGEANT: Leave them on, your coming with me.

  CONSTABLE: Where’s the fire?

  SERGEANT: Picking up a couple of natives, Joe Millimurra and Mary…

  He reads the desk and copies the name onto a scrap of paper.

  Darg… something.

  CONSTABLE: What for?

  SERGEANT: Absconding. Council, George Withnall and Ray Brew and so on have been getting on the Chief Protector’s back. [Starting to search] Do you know where those warrants for their removal are?

  CONSTABLE: Haven’t seen them for months. What’s the panic? They’ve been here for weeks.

  SER
GEANT: Oh, you know all this Royal Commission business. Some mob of do-gooder women are kicking up about them being shifted out before the election.

  He finds the warrants.

  You can stop looking now, Constable… [reading] ‘Lawrence’… ‘Lawson’… ‘Millimurra’. Come on. Royal Commission on Natives; they had one about thirty years ago. A waste of bloody time, like the bloody referendum; they’ll just stick it in some government filing cabinet and forget about it.

  SCENE FOUR

  A street in Northam, day. JOE is approached by SERGEANT CARROL and CONSTABLE KERR.

  SERGEANT: G’day, Joe. Where’s the girl?

  JOE: What girl?

  CONSTABLE: Don’t be smart, just answer the question.

  JOE: Don’t have to be smart to answer your questions.

  SERGEANT: Where is she?

  JOE: What do you want her for?

  CONSTABLE: Listen, you cheeky bla—

  SERGEANT: [interrupting] I’ll handle this. Come on, Joe, where is she?

  JOE: Out at Lockyers.

  SERGEANT: You are under arrest under Section Twelve of the Aborigines Act for absconding from the Moore River Settlement with, urn…

  He takes the piece of paper out of his pocket and peruses it.

  JOE: What for? We’re not livin’ in town.

  SERGEANT:… With Mary Dargurru.

  JOE: Why are youse worryin’ about us now? We been back in Northam for nearly two months.

  SERGEANT: Because Mr Neville only contacted me this morning.

  JOE: What about Mary?

  SERGEANT: The girl? She’ll be returned to the settlement.

  JOE: Back to that bastard.

  SERGEANT: What do you mean by that?

  JOE: It’s my business.

  CONSTABLE: Hold out your hands.

  He produces handcuffs.

  JOE: You ain’t puttin’ them on me.

  CONSTABLE: Are you resisting arrest?

  JOE: No I’m not… I just don’t want them things on me.

  SERGEANT: [to the CONSTABLE] Don’t worry about them. If he runs he’ll only get an extra couple of months.

  JOE: I’m not gunna run.

  SERGEANT: Take him down the lock-up.

  JOE: Sergeant, will you tell Mary where I am? She’s out at Lockyers, on the York Road.

  SERGEANT: Yeah, I know. I’ll tell her.

  The SERGEANT exits.

  CONSTABLE: Come on, get movin’.