ARTHUR......a prediction written in 1984 :)
CHAPTER 1
Arthur sat motionless, hunger gnawing at his stomach waiting for tucker to arrive at the Gilgai hole. A nearby sandhill had a few nervous rabbits. The sling shot (shanghai) he held seemed ineffectual. Though one good
shot would get a feed for him. So like thousands of Australians, he had bolted for the protection of the scrub to escape from the bombing and strafing. He had been born in the hard west
effectively. A jerky movement c
approached the water hole for a drink. Moving a few yards at a time, staying perfectly still between moves.
The tension built up Arthur could taste the Rabbit in his mind, he brought up the shanghai up to chest height, in slow motion, squeezing the lead sinker in it`s leather caster. Rabbit drops his head to drink. Shanghai into line slowly. Rabbit stiffens nervously and the lead bowls him over. Bounding forward on cramped legs Arthur grabs the rabbit by his back legs and flogs his head against a stump. Pulling out his pocket knife he opened the animal marking blade and proceeded to trim the rabbit for skin removal. Once done he stood on the back legs and pulled the skin over rabbits head from his tail. Gutting it he hung it on a limb to drain. He was so hungry he ate raw the heart liver and kidneys. Soon he had a small fire going under a Wilga tree the dense dark green foliage hiding most of the smoke from view overhead. He burned rabbit a little in his hurry to eat. He boiled up the billy made from an empty milo tin, with its
improvised wire handle. As it came to the boil he threw in a handful of tea. He took it off the fire and left it to settle the tea leaves awhile. Rabbit was burnt enough on the improvised spit, so he began tearing meat off and eating his fill "Just like K
CHAPTER 2
If you make a copy from this site
send me a dollar its alright
Don Johnson
3 south stn rd Booval 4304 Ipswich Queensland Australia
Hearing a motor he quickly buried the fire in loose red loam and cursed himself for not having a gun. Running through the tall timber he came within sight of the road and stopped to peer through the under growth. A Holden car came racing zigzagging down the highway. Then a small guided rocket from the helicopter slammed the petrol tank and the car cart wheeled off the road ablaze. When it came to rest the chopper hovered overhead like a bird of prey and stitched the wreck with machine gun fire. One short burst was enough for the man and woman inside. The chopper moved off. Arthur shocked by the fresh carnage stood a moment, then ran to the car but it was too late for the middle aged couple. The crows would eat well again.
As the fire started to flare again he looked for a weapon in the wreck of a car, he found an old .303 rifle near the back seat.
Pulling it out Arthur jumped back as the fire took hold and he was forced back to take cover as some ammunition started
detonating. He checked the magazine a ten round job quite full,
" Better than nothing" he mused. Looking back down the road he saw a few bottles in the table drain, beer stubbies, full ones. "Must have been thrown out as the car
turned over" he thought. He drank one to settle himself down. The hot beer not how he liked it, ice cold, but good enough. Moving back to cover he shook his head sadly. The dead cold war suddenly flared to life in late 1999. It started in the
cities, leaving the remainder defenceless. The Indonesian army sensing an easy victory had landed troops, and fought battles with the ragged survivors.
CHAPTER 3
Getting back to the ute. he checked the rifle action and bore, it looked ok. So leaving a bullet in the barrel, he switched on his C.B. radio. Hearing a few voices he thought "There`s a few Aussies alive anyhow"
switching on the linear amp. he said "how you doing there mate". Then one voice came back, "We`s doing a bit of slope butchering, we just ambushed a small convoy, shot the shit out of them, gotta go catch you later if your still kicking." " Where are you?" Arthur asked. "Toowoomba ranges mate" came the
reply "We can`t talk long they might monitor the channel." Arthur called "Take care" and switched to another channel listening for other Guerilla groups. He mused "With a few C.B. radios groups could be organised into a militia. Learning to live off the land essential for their training. Some farmers must
have CB`s to be talking to me." He felt lonely now, here he was out in south west
He went downtown to get Simone at the bakery but didn't find her there, she had left in her car. So he looked around town for her, and then came back to the empty house. He asked a neighbour, old Jack Smith "Where did they go?" "They`ve pulled out mate you can`t blame em, don`t know where to though, they took three cars loaded to the hilt," Jack said looking up searching the sky. "What are you going to do?" Arthur asked the frail old man. "I`m too old to run far, I will stay and take a few chink`s with me, I`ve got me old Army three oh to pot a few, way you go mate." Arthur watched as Jack picked up his rifle and walked out into the yard, he was shooting at the aircraft as Arthur left in the ute. He had asked the old fellow, "Are you coming with us mate? I`m leaving now". The old man waved him on. The aircraft were strafing the town as Arthur drove away at high speed on to the Moonie highway. Looking back he saw the fighter planes diving on the town." Well " he thought talking to the ute "Just you and me old oil burner." He put his foot down on the go pedal and weaved through the burning vehicles that were scattered down the road. He saw no sign of his friends the Simpson family, or blond Simone. He saw another aircraft coming for him and ran off the road to hide in the thick scrub, under some Belah trees.
CHAPTER 4
Hours later after dark he proceeded south west down the highway driving without lights in the moonlight. He finally stopped about daylight and parked off the road under the Wilga tree in a hidden position.
He slept on the seat for some hours until hunger pangs woke him up. He had taken stock of his options having no weapons to kill a rabbit he decided to make a shanghai. Made one as Arthur had learned to as a boy. He cut the rubbers out of a blown car tube. Got a small fork off a tree limb and used the tongue of an old boot as the lead sinker holder. Soon he was ready to plonk a bunny after a few practice shots to get his eye back in. He picked up a few sinkers and went to get a feed of rabbit.
CHAPTER 5
He jerked back to the present on hearing a movement nearby. He switched off the C.B. radio to stop the noise and c
A voice came to him "Hey mat don`t shoot me mate, you seen the budgery fellah wid the bottle of rum?" Now up walked a half caste Aborigine wearing shorts and a big grin. Arthur said "There`s a hot stubby over there mate if you want it, tear it into you."
" Right" says he and he tears the bottle top off with his teeth
and downs it in a few gulps. Burping he said "The names Jack, I`m
lated to Shilling Jackson, distant cousin mate." Picking up the remains of Arthur`s rabbit he looked for Arthur`s nod and ate every piece of meat left. "Better than stinking Goanna " he says between mouthfuls " Porcupine is good tucker though, what did you git him with, Rabbit trap?" Seeing Arthur`s shanghai held up, he said "Quieter than old three oh eh." Arthur said "What no spears or boomerangs yet mate?"
" She`s a lost art mat," said Jack with a frown on his brow" I couldn't use em anyhow, us Boori`s do ok up the donga though mat, how`s the cricket going." Arthur grimaced and replied "No bloody good mate, we`s the ashes. Where you headed Jack."
"Don`t care " Jack grins and says "We could run a bit of fence wire over the road and get us some guns hey, do a bit of slope butchering mate." Pulling a long length of wire out of a boundary fence, they twisted the end until it broke and snigged it to the road edge. Putting the other end over the road they tied it to a suitable tree. They waited for a customer. A truck load of yellow troops arrived and stopped and quickly deployed. One of them spotted Arthur and they started to shoot in his direction. Jack and Arthur ran for their lives with hot lead cutting
branches and leaves all around their running path. The scrub got thicker and a hundred yards in, they turned right sharply and ran to a hollow in a dry creek bed. Here Lignum bushes flourished, dark green masses of tangled wire like plants eight feet high. The two looked for and found an entrance to a wild pigs lair half hidden, and they crawled and squirmed in out of sight.
The army men came running their way looked at the acres of Lignum, and gave up the chase, l
The crashing and shooting continued for some minutes, so the two waited until after dark to return to the hidden ute. Jack led by a hundred yards, walking lightly, stopping often, to listen. Near the road they found a dead Roo, well stitched with bullets.
Cutting meat off the h
CHAPTER 6
After an hours driving they came to within sight of a service station, a lonely outpost set among the gum trees. After hiding the ute off the road Arthur crept forward alone to look for much needed oil for the old ute, that was now oil starved and clattery. There were no lights to be seen and it was deathly quiet. As he crept up to the back door of the workshop in the pitch dark. The smell of death invaded his nostrils. As he entered the back door he tripped over a body in the pitch dark and almost fell down a service bay pit scattering oil drums. He cursed softly thinking. "I`m dead meat too." Jumping up Arthur clutched the rifle hard and waited, staring into the darkness.
seconds passed, nothing happened for sometime so he checked the room, using a match light. The man`s body was starting to smell. He was marked with bayonet holes and had been castrated and mutilated. "How about it Ralph can I help myself to some oil? sure go ahead mate "
Arthur mused. Stepping to the front he checked the petrol bowser only a dollar a litre, cheap. He struck a match and quickly put it out the signal to Jack to come to the front with the ute. When it stopped at the bowser he opened the bonnet and topped up the oil. They pumped petrol into the petrol tank. Then they filled an empty forty four gallon
drum from the shed and placed it in the back of the ute. They loaded some drums of oil she`d need more the old ford. He was thankful that the 240 volt power still worked." Come on come on" urges Jack "We`ll get c
among the big box trees their round green leaves glinting like metal in the sunshine. Leaving the car they returned to watch the place padding silently through the red sandy loam. Finally they came to where they could watch the buildings hidden among the regrowth about 100 yards distant and upwind.
CHAPTER 7
After a few hours a convoy of troop carriers roared through going west and a staff car stopped and the driver waited while the Officer looked the buildings over. Taking careful aim Arthur shot the driver through the head. "Good shot" said Jack. The Officer brought up a light machine gun and fired a long burst in Arthur`s direction, keeping his head down. Arthur fired a shot at him again and Jack rushed the officer from the side. When Jack was a few yards away, the Officer turned towards him quickly. The rock Jack had thrown hit him on the arm and he dropped his gun. As he scrabbled for it, Jack grabbed him from behind and cut his throat with a pocket knife. Jack placed his knee at the back of the Officer`s neck he pulled back breaking his neck like a sheep's. After collecting the weapons they drove off in the Holden staff car and planted it in among the grey scrub mulga trees a few miles up the road. They camped in the car that night and early next morning Jack awoke early, and decided to go for the ute while Arthur slept. They had spoken of it the night before. So Jack walked back a few miles to where the ute was hidden. As he climbed into it, a section of soldiers surrounded him death threatening from several rifles. He was dragged from the vehicle and clubbed with rifle butts and kicked viciously, managing to go into a magpie smother protecting his head and genitals from damage. Arthur woke and went in search of his mate. As he approached the area he climbed a tall Box tree.
Arthur peered through the round shiny green leaves, like a Koala bear at feeding time. Seeing his friend in trouble he searched his mind for a rescue plan. About
About 150 yards from the camp where Jack was held he set up the gear. He wired the light machine gun to a tree pointing it at the
enemy. While doing so a plastic water container was mounted on a limb above the billycan. The can, that was connected over a limb to a cord running to the trigger of the gun. As the billy got heavy enough it would pull the trigger of the machine gun. He cut a small hole in the water container with his pocket knife and left on a circular route to get behind the camp, where Jack lay in the open tied securely. While he was moving into position, being very careful he almost bumped into an old man Kangaroo. The big red around seven feet tall battle scarred all over, looked at this puny man for a few seconds and ambled slowly away like a man on crutches. He was an old outcast roo who lived on his own, now too old to care.
CHAPTER 8
When he was in position Arthur waited for the gun fire and decided his movements in advance. He had just convinced himself it wasn`t working, when the gun opened up. The soldiers dived behind trees and looked about in fear. Their officer gave orders and the troops left the area, the machine gunner and his mate fired at the area while the rest of the troop circled in a flanking movement.
As they went from sight Arthur saw that there was one guard left to watch the prisoner. The machine gunner was fifty yards away intent on pinning down the enemy with his shooting. Arthur crept forward, his nerves trembled as sudden
death was all around. Sneaking forward he had almost reached the guard watching the prisoner and was six feet away when the yellow man turned quickly bringing up his gun. Arthur jumped forward and clubbed him over the top of the head using the wood encased barrel of the threeo rifle. The guard dropped silently to ground quite dead. Arthur soon
freed Jack using his pocket knife. He jerked him to his feet and half carried his bruised body a few hundred yards until he had to drop him as exh
Arthur drank his fill of the foul tasting bore water and then he moved off, looking back he saw Jack following dripping a watery trail. Arthur said sarcasticly "Leave them some tracks why don`t you you useless bastard." Jack grinned broadly and said "A dry joke old mate, where are the porcupines now. I`m a bit nibbely, floggings make you hungry." Galahs started screeching loudly half a mile away (Bush telegraph) so they broke into a run and moved off camp pretty fast. A mile or so down the track they rested and could still hear the followers. Waiting awhile they saw it was cattle coming down to drink at the water, the noise stopped when they were gone. Finding an old rusty square kerosene drum, which had served campers long ago as a water bucket, they cut small holes in the sides and bottom using a pocket knife. Jack located a dead sheep by the smell on the breeze. Arthur cut a piece of meat off it and fixed it in the bottom of the yabby trap with some rusty wire. Walking back to the bore drain further from the road Jack put it in the drain and left it for the yabbys. When Jack came back a few hours later to check it was full of back peddling yabbies all feasting on the meat. Pulling the drum out quickly he had fifteen olive drab green Yabbys all jumping about and flourishing their claws menacingly, to put into an improvised cooking tin for supper. Carrying some water away in a rusty milk tin they soon boiled up a meal on an almost smokeless fire of dead fallen box wood. After a good meal they were more safety conscious and covered the fire with red soil.
CHAPTER 9
As they moved off Arthur said "We used to burn green Sandlewood leaves on the camp fire, on the road droving, to keep the sandflies back, the leaves made heavy smoke." Jack asked with a l
"Rum" says Jack taking a swallow from the offered bottle, doubling over and breathing hard he gasped "Flaming overproof, I`ll watch it`s bite in future." Arthur took a small drink and handed the bottle back. "Joe Mc`cormack " say`s the oldster putting out his hand to shake
their hands "Still three of us alive eh." Arthur became serious and said "We ought to saddle up a few horses and stay inland from the main roads. We would have a better chance of surviving if we went bush." Joe thought for some time finally he answered Arthur. " There are four horses in the horse paddock just over there" and he pointed as he spoke.
He continued as Jack walked off, "Bridles in the shed out back " Jack took a bridle with him c
You dipped some water from a boredrain or river and boiled up your quartpot, the water was that cloudy usually you didn`t need milk flavouring in your tea. Out of the saddle bag would come a few slices of bread and a few raw chops.
Meat to be grilled on the fire on a improvised griller made from fencing wire doubled back on itself. " There`s a small ground tank near the back of this place that has no road to it could be a good camp site" says Joe. "How far " said Jack. Joe answered him" 5 miles or so, it`s in thick scrub. There`s six rabbit traps under the tankstand get em
will you Jack? ." They mounted the horses and started to move off, the chestnut horse that Arthur rode started to pigroot with him. Joe l
CHAPTER 10
Moving unerringly through the trackless mulga scrub Joe led the party for an hour, then he stopped and called a conference with the others. Looking at Jack he said to him,
"Slip forward mate and check out the camp site just through there, check the area mate, we`ll wait here for you ok." Jack nodded and moved lithely off on foot and was gone for some minutes. He was back after a time and said "I hope you have a rope, there is an old cow bogged in the dam at the waters edge, we`ll have to pull her out, she`s pretty weak." "Boggy bloody claypan!" Joe muttered. They went to the dam and tied their horses up to trees. They managed to get the old cow out by pulling her by her tail and rolling her eventually onto firm ground, she struggled up and walked away unsteadily. Joe spoke of her softly. " Poor old bitch she wont last the winter out, she`s reared me about nine calves." They hobbled the horses and slept the day away.
CHAPTER 11
As dusk came they were up and had a quartpot of tea each and corn meat on damper to fill their bellies. The horses were c
The young woman knelt by her friend silently for a moment, then she screamed "You killed her, you bastards!" Jack kicked the door in and shot the big Indonesian, he fell back clasping his chest dying. A second man pointed a rifle at Jack, and a shotgun held by Joe roared from the doorway killing the second man.
The last fellow was trying to get his pants on and died as Jack clubbed him savagely with his rifle butt. Arthur looked in and said "You did em in boys." Joe called "Come on Clair " she looked, up and ran to him. He held her and consoled her. Arthur moved in and collected the weapons. Back outside they mounted the horses and rode off. Clair rode doubling with Joe "They killed my friend" she muttered. Jack pointed at Arthur and said" He`s a bandido with all these weapons strapped on him." " They will be handy" Arthur mumbled "Hey Clair can you shoot." Yes she said " I used to go roo shooting with my husband, he shot it out with the yellow mongrels, he killed four of them before he died." Joe said proudly "He died game mate." Clair called a halt and
borrowed Jack`s horse, she cantered back to her house to collect a few things. Once inside Clair went to the bedroom and after bundling up some clothes, she looked in the wardrobe and picked up her husbands hunting rifle a .243. The rifle had a big power scope and a hair trigger. Taking a few boxes of bullets she put them in the saddle bag on the horse. Stepping up into the saddle she said " We`ll get even with them Bill darling" as she leaned and picked up the heavy rifle. When she returned Arthur looked at her in amazement.
She spoke to them saying "This 243 is spot on target at a thousand yards Bill used it in the open country on roos and pigs." They rode back to the camp.
CHAPTER 12
Early next morning Arthur said to Joe "You got any killers in this paddock mate we need some meat, any mutton?" " Sorry" said Joe with a half smile "You`ll have to steal one off my neighbour he`s dead now and don`t care, it`s traditional anyhow to eat the neighbours' meat." So Jack and Arthur took up a new trade sheep duffing from the departed. "Might as well get a few spares" Arthur called to Jack. Then they spilt up in the thick scrub and mustered whatever sheep they found back into the south eastern corner adjoining Joe`s place. later they opened the fence at the strainer post untying the wires there, they soon had twenty sheep driven through the fence. The sheep had balked at the opening and eventually jumped through the new gateway. "Where`s Joe`s dam from here " Arthur asked testing Jack. Jack pointed the way and Arthur agreed with a nod to his friend. An hour later they arrived at the camp coming past the rifle barrels of the two defenders. Joe immediately killed a sheep and hoisted it up on a gallows using a rope over a high limb and a piece of green wood passed through the sheep`s back hamstrings.
He gutted it and skinned it and took out the liver and kidneys. He gave them to Clair to cook up a meal for the musterer`s. The camp was set back about 100 yards from the dam in the thickest low scrub Mulga.
Joe offered to go to the homestead to get a saddle so Clair could ride brownie in comfort. So she said " I`ll ride brownie bareback, no trouble we didn`t have saddles when I was little and I learnt to ride that way." They had a hearty meal of lamb chops liver and kidney all cooked in the kidney fat supplied by the sheep concerned.
CHAPTER 13
After the four had rested up with their quartpots of tea, Arthur asked Jack "What do you reckon mate shall we pay back them slopes for the other day, give em a bit of a touch up?" Jack l
Jack and Arthur ran forward and finished off the injured driver. Checking in the back they found some weapons that were not damaged and two small crates of ammunition. As they moved off the Crows were assembling fat shiny black birds they fed very well these days. They packed the new gear onto their horses and headed south coming around in a wide circle in the thick scrub, to return to their base. They crossed the road and heard movement and froze listening intently they went to cover setting up an ambush. Joe and Clair appeared. Arthur called out to them and they stopped abruptly their hands bringing up guns. " What you been doing? " Jack called to them and they relaxed a bit, recognizing their new friends. Joe explained to the others what had happened after they'd left "Well" he said " Clair wanted to try her rifle out on the Indo`s, she climbed a tree beside the road, a big box tree. She shot up a staff car she got both an officer and the driver one shot each, they didn`t know what hit them. She got the officer at long range hundreds of yards away, the driver speeded on down the road to her and she got him at close range. She`s deadly with that thing. " Right" said Arthur "Let`s go" The overcast sky poured rain on the little group drenching them, they followed old Joe who led them back to the camp site. After unsaddling the horses Joe built a good fire under a wilga tree and the four huddled around it to dry out eating damper slices fried in the campoven in kidney fat.
" Yes" said Joe " Bread and fat just like the last depression."
f
"Good tucker " Arthur said between mouthfuls of boiled sheep ribs. Jack looked about and said "We better put the fire out or they might get us from the air, what do you reckon?"
The fire had been put out buried under red earth for some minutes when there came the sound of an approaching gunship helicopter.
A machine gun chattered occasionally. " Don`t move " yelled Joe and the chopper passed over and kept going in a big circle. "They are looking for us" he muttered. Jack spoke saying "We were lucky it was dark or we might be dead, we better camouflage this place better, with this lot about." So they started to place bushes over the gear and to place gear under low trees to be safer.
CHAPTER 14
Next morning they rolled out of their swags early and saw that Joe was gone. Near his swag he`d scratched a message on the ground "Gone back to the house, to get a few things." Clair knew nothing about it so they waited. Then they heard the sound of a galloping horse to the west of their position. Arthur spoke quietly saying "Stay here you two, I`ll go for a look." He moved off at the run his rifle cocked and extended in front of him . Jack and Clair exchanged glances ? and watched their perimeter for a possible attack. A high pitched sound came to them , the whine of several trail bikes. Arthur hearing the noise, took cover at the edge of a clearing. He was winded and was catching his breath when a bike broke cover almost on top of him. Arthur pointed the rifle barrel at the rider and shot him out of the saddle with a short burst .
To his left another two riders lay their bikes down quickly and started to fire at his position. He dived into a hollow and lay still, now he was in a gilgai hole a small crater left by a tree when it was uprooted by a bulldozer . He waited patiently for the hunters to come to him staying perfectly still. The two moved forward hurriedly. Arthur watched them approach till they had no cover. Then with a long burst of the gun he fired back from his natural trench cover . The two were dead in seconds, surprise showing on their faces as they fell. There was firing further on and Joe stumbled out of the scrub into sight and fell near
Arthur . He was dying and said between gasps "They shot my horse the bastards, but I got two of them. " Arthur spoke to him urgently! "How many of them followed you mate." "Seven" says Joe and he grimaced and was gone. Two bikes roared past at some distance heading back to the road their sound fading away .
CHAPTER 15
Arthur returned to camp and they had a hurried discussion about where to go , it was decided to leave the area as the hunt would be on for them now. Clair didn`t cry, she quietly muttered " We`ll get even for
you Joe old friend." So the horses were c
He was searching with every sense extended, hearing the grasshoppers and small lizards in his wake loud in his ears, as he carefully moved through the gum forrest . Jack returned and altered their course as there were patrols about and they
welcomed the moonless night as it gave them an edge. They changed direction to head back to the highway . Then taking a chance they crossed over the road and went through a convenient gate .
They kept travelling west parallel to the road and camped for the night not far from a boredrain which flowed under the road into their paddock .
CHAPTER 16
They were camped in a belah scrub the belah suckers were a thick dull green barrier and made good cover on the ground the big trees covered them from the air above. When they had rested awhile Arthur decided to check out the area , and walked off alone. A few miles west he found an abandoned station homestead , above the roof he saw a big antenna mounted. After checking the house for a while he went inside and found his way to a radio room. Where the owner had used a C B radio, battery powered by a 12 volt battery on the floor. A battery charger still attached to it, though the power was not working now .
QSL cards covered the walls from contacts the owner had made
with friends overseas by the radio. He switched on the radio a Si
He put in a "Breaker" and when one voice answered him he asked
" How bad are the slopes your way ?" The voice replied "Sam here mate, plenty of the bastards here." "What`s your 10 20" Arthur asked. "Round Dalby " Sam returned "We have formed groups of seven or so and we hit the Indos. independently, he doesn`t leave town much around here , where are you ?" Arthur smiled and said "We are a little group near Westmar, we give em hell too." "Keep shifting " says Sam " don`t let them pin you down mate."
Catch you later" calls Arthur and he switched the radio off. He walked through the house but found nothing he wanted . He was about to leave when there came the sound of an aircraft very close. He looked out the kitchen window and saw a Helicopter landing an old Iroquois , captured equipment of the R.A.A F.
Airforce . Arthur was getting ready to fight a group of
men when he saw it was only a pilot alone coming to the house.
As the pilot approached the house and came in the front door.
Arthur left by the back door and circled around the house and set up an ambush in the chopper. He waited fifteen minutes and the pilot returned with an armful of clothes . When the pilot came back aboard Arthur poked him in the back with his gun barrel and
took the pilots pistol from his belt . Then he forced the big swarthy Russian to walk ahead of him back to the hidden camp.
On the journey he discovered that Ivan Vicskorski spoke some English and was a Pole in the Russian army . When he delivered him at the camp. Clair and Jack sprang forward ready to kill him
if this enemy moved an inch.
Arthur cooled them down saying "This fellow is our ticket out of the area, he can fly us south west to a safer place." When he finished Ivan spoke up "I take you flying to safe place yes?"
So the horses were unsaddled and turned loose on this stock property. So they loaded the pilot up with gear to make the trip back to the helicopter . After an hour or so the gear was loaded into the old helicopter . Ivan lifted off and asked Arthur "Which way my friend." Arthur pointed and the chopper moved off in a south westerly direction a few hundred feet above the tree level. After an hour , Arthur gestured up, and the helicopter rose up to eight thousand feet . After looking for landmarks he spotted the Ballonne river . Ahead of them was the town of Dirranbandi about 20 miles away , Arthur looked about , he knew the area fairly well, he was content with his lot. He ordered the chopper down about 3 miles from a bridge over the Ballonne north of the
township. The chopper was camouflaged with bushes and hidden by natural cover from the air . Ivan was very friendly , it seems he was forced into the army , and was happy to desert .
CHAPTER 17
After following the river for a mile or so the came to a deserted station homestead. Jack moved in and checked it out and shortly gave the all clear, from a window. The little group sat down to a meal of tinned meat and vegetables, cold. With no fire in the stove any aircraft would think it was a deserted property.
Security minded Arthur convinced them "no" fire he repeated
constantly .
After his stomach had settled down Jack went for a walk, along the waters edge. He soon spotted a bit of wire that
was attached to an illegal fish trap hidden from sight in the brown water. He pulled and a cage trap of bird netting wire came up with a rush of escaping water. The trap had a cone entrance at one end and held several yellowbelly who had managed to get in to eat some old
offal tied into the trap . The fish jumped about to try to escape . But Jack an old hand at this game picked them up his f
The fish were gutted and scaled by Arthur and Clair cooked then golden brown in big fillets , at supper time they all ate
heartily. Ivan asked "What do you do with the bones?" "Eat them" Jack said with a loud l
Arthur t
and had Ivan digging in the garden looking for worms .
These lines were heavy duty and had a wire trace the last foot
before the shark hook to stop old cod sawing off the line with his many tiny teeth ." What`s they look like" asked Ivan ? "Sort of like fresh water Groper , go to a couple of hundred pounds sometimes " Jack replied.
"That's why we need the heavy line ! "The men went back to the river and found a deep hole where there was bound to be a big fellow lurking so Ivan was assured .
Jack the fisherman baited the hook with fish guts and unwound about forty feet of line off off the line holder. Then swinging the line about his head he cast it bait and heavy sinker into the
middle of the river . He tied the end of the line to a springy tree root and put a spr
Balonne" he said convincingly , "You have to put them on as live bait to get the best results, the fish love em!"
Even when the fish weren`t biting brown frog tempted them as he was a luxury and rarely taken . So frog was cast upon the waters to tempt old cod. Arthur returned to the house and joined his new family they sat on the verandah and
drank rum from enameled tin mugs. Clair said "Ivan wants to learn about catching fish . And the two Aussies
CHAPTER 18
About daylight Jack wandered out to relieve the pressure on his bladder and looked at the set lines . He strolled down the bank to them and found one had a broken spr
muttered . The line was t
CHAPTER 19
Clair had found a battery powered radio and she was listening to the shortwave broadcast bands.
As she searched the dial she heard a few broadcasts some in Spanish others probably oriental then she picked up an American broadcaster Services radio off of the Australian coast" Hello Aussie listeners , we know you are fighting a Guerilla war against the Indonesian army , most of Europe and Russia is decimated the middle east also sadly America too
is radioactive. The only safe places left on the planet are in the southern hemisphere , our fleet and the Russian fleet are stalking each other but we may have an alliance soon . The Chinese are walking into
The eve of destruction . We will be joining you on the ground in your fight with the slopers , Guerilla warfare will beat them ,
here is the music . The song started and as they listened Jack said "Thats how it is mate." the music stopped and Clair turned off the radio to conserve the battery. " Well" she said
"We aren`t alone in the fight , the yanks will want to live here too when they stop fighting the rest of their enemy."
"Yes" Arthur said "We will get a bit of help from the yank navy
no doubt." The bombs that hit
that destroyed life and left buildings intact, no radioactivity
but there was a disease problem in the cities amongst the survivors. With all the dead bodies littering the empty streets,
the survivors were dieing like flies of disease for the lack of medical supplies.
So to were the occupying forces suffering from the many rampant diseases. Jack spoke to Ivan saying "What
started the war mate." Ivan scratched his head and replied
"We were told M.X. Missiles were l
we don`t know who sent them , it may have been fanatics involved
with the middle east , all the missile using countries l
population died on the first day, like Russian roulette with a bullet in every chamber , no winners!"
CHAPTER 20
Arthur decided to check out the town to the south of them
and went off alone on foot for a " Stroll" as he said. " Safer alone more chance of success?" He walked to the road edge and moved parallel to the road about 100 yards in amongst the low scrub heading to Dirranbandi , a few miles down the river in this black soil country. He sighted a station homestead amongst the Coolibah trees , he looked for signs of life and found none.
He looked towards the brown river with its big Teetrees along the bank, all quiet. In one of the sheds he found an old battered utility, a Holden a station work horse. It started first go and he drove it to where the petrol drums were stored and pumped
petrol into the near empty tank of the ute. An empty oil drum
was filled also as a reserve supply standing in the back behind the cab. He drove flat out down the road south in a reckless mood.
As he came into the town and followed the river around into the deserted town, he stopped and hid the car amongst some trees by the river. Arthur walked along below the river bank towards
the town. As he got closer he searched with all his senses being very c
the rifle tightly as he came up the bank near the water pumping
treatment plant, ready to shoot. There were no signs of life that he could see, so he walked towards the main town centre.
Suddenly a group of brown people stood up in the long grass
nearby at the side of the road. Arthur stopped and stared for some seconds . "Hey there." said a big man "What you doing mate
sneaking into town." "Any slopes about?" Arthur ventured .
"No" said George grinning widely, "We done em in mate!"
"We killed about six of them mate they were on the grog and we got them easy, now we got machine guns hey!" "We knew you were coming Bush telegraph hey, you scared some ducks up the river a while back , they flew this way mate we knew then you`s coming."
"How many fighters you got? " Arthur queried . George answered
"Bout a dozen when their sober , most have gone bush though hey."
George introduced his friends saying "I`m George thats Egg he`s Budd, thats Fred and the little feller is Sam , come and have a drink my shout hey." And the group walked to the old pub. Inside there were more lations sitting at the bar and a few white men sprawled about the pub drinking spirits, wine and beer from near empty bottles . "Don`t suppose you got any beer."
Arthur asked with a halfway grin." George frowned saying "Can you tap a keg old mate?, if so we got plenty to drink! we`l have a beer buddy" Arthur tapped a keg and set it up for George and his mates. They soon had a keg set up on the bar and eager drinkers coming to drink
it dry . Arthur got a jug full and wandered outside to drink it and George came out to talk some more . "What do you do for tucker ?" queried Arthur. "Oh we got an open account at the supermarket", said George with a smile "We live on canned food no trouble no worries no shortage , very cheap too mate."
"No worries "Arthur l
His peace was shattered with the windscreen the machine gun fire from near the road side broke every piece of glass in the ute. So he ducked and drove blindly he`d jerked the car towards the attackers and felt a few thumps as the car connected with flesh. So he raced on through the small regrowth gum scrub for thirty seconds, finally getting out of range in the middle of a paddock after much dodging of trees and bullets . The bullet riddled car came to a halt, he jumped from his seat taking his rifle with him and went to ground searching for any followers .
Two of the ambushers approached calling to each other quite sure they had got their prey now. At two hundred yards Arthur gave one a long burst and dropped him in his tracks. The other man went to ground and returned his fire . Arthur moved off fast running down a gully that took water to the river when it rained hard.
He stopped and listened he heard running sounds and brought up the gun and shot the man almost on top of himself. He walked in a big circle and approached the area where he was first fired on . He heard a few voices from the remaining hunters going further away. He found their vehicle and was almost shot by the alert driver. Arthur fired a long burst in return and stepping over
the dead driver, he started the truck and drove off at high speed south back to town . Back in town again he stopped at the pub and called out. George appeared saying " What you got there mate a new car?" Arthur told him of the incident and the Boori resistance movement moved off to do a bit of hunting.
They left walking along below the river bank level , stalking their prey. "Just like going pig shooting , only more sporting ." George said in parting. Arthur swam the river and walked for an hour and finally got back to near his home base. He had heard shooting from the other side of the water, he kept moving a mile or two past the small war before he crossed the river again. As he approached the house he was stopped by Jack who stepped from behind a gum tree to greet him . Jack looked him over saying "You been in a war mate?" Arthur grinned and said "Just a little one, your lations are finishing it off down south of here, did you hear it ?" It was late afternoon as they went into the house and sat down to the evening meal . Clair says "We have tinned vegies tinned corn meat and tinned stew sort of a goulash boys , eat hearty ." After a bit of conversation it was decided by the group that they needed a radio Transceiver to be in contact with the helicopter and any allies they might find on the airwaves.
CHAPTER 21
Jack and Ivan set off early next morning to ambush a radio vehicle if possible. They waited a few hours and some vehicles passed as Jack watched from his perch in the fork of a box tree . Finally a suitable four wheel drive approached antennae bristling ." Two people inside it." called Jack. Ivan said "I`ll stop them yes ." And he stepped out onto the road and put up his hand his uniform did the rest . The vehicle halted in a cloud of dust and the two soldiers climbed out.
Ivan drew his pistol and their smiles faded quickly. One of the soldiers brought his rifle up fast and Ivan shot him. The other ran and as he came past. Jack shot him through the head he fell dead in seconds . They dragged the bodies into the lignum bushes nearby and left them for the pigs and crows . They climbed into the vehicle and drove back down the road in some haste eager to get off this section of road and out of sight . At the station turnoff Jack slowed the vehicle and they drove up to the house with their prize .
CHAPTER 22
Early that morning Clair was asleep when the two men left on their mission, soon after they left Arthur heard her calling out in her sleep in the midst of a nightmare. Arthur walked into her room and patted her on the shoulder and spoke to her reassuringly. She awoke and gripped the hand that comforted her. She moved closer to where he sat on the edge of her bed and he stooped and kissed her on the forehead. Then her arms went around his neck and she gripped him in a hug and kissed him full on the lips.
While she clung to him he sensed her need and they began to caress each other in a very personal way . He fumbled with her blouse exposing her milk white full breasts so pale against her
suntanned body. After some frenzied activity they were both undressed. He lay against her for a few moments savouring the moment, before they kissed passionately and he entered her.
They thrashed about for an eternity making small animal cries in their excitement with this intense love making , finally they shuddered to stillness and slept entwined together still , the sleep of the exh
" I`m sorry Arthur I didn`t mean for that to happen , it`s not your f
"Stay back they have a big ambush set up waiting for you, company strength or more , heavy weapons mortars , pull back leave it to the fliers." " Ok " returned the
scout leader "Pulling back now ." Ivan smiled and turned the set off . "Well" said Jack "He`s an asset our Ivan , good on you little mate." After looking through the house they found some clothes to fit Ivan and he was decked out with jeans and a flannel shirt. When he changed clothes the three Aussies slapped him on the back saying "You`re an Aussie now mate , we have adopted you ." "Yes " said Arthur "We need all the migrants we can get now."