No Sugar (5 page)

SERGEANT
: [
to the
CONSTABLE
] See what he wants.

The
CONSTABLE
walks to the cellblock doorway.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] Sergeant!

CONSTABLE
: What do you want?

JIMMY
: Tell your boss the
koomp
bucket's got a hole in it.

CONSTABLE
: [
to the
SERGEANT
] He reckons the piss bucket's got a hole in it.

SERGEANT
: Bullshit; he can't aim straight.

CONSTABLE
: There's nothing wrong with it, you not aimin' straight.

The
CONSTABLE
returns to the bench.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] I'm aiming straight, all right. I'm a good shot. I can knock a rabbit's eye out at a hundred yards, and I
could
blow the sergeant's head off with a three-oh-three at six hundred, bloody oath.

SAM
: Eh,
gnoolya
,
dubakieny
.

SERGEANT
: Listen, Munday, if you know what's good for you, you'll shut up.

JIMMY
: Him, he don't care. He's happy he's got us here. Fuck 'em! Fuck 'em! Fuck 'em all!

He hurls the bucket against the wall.

SAM
:
Gnoolya
, you flamin' idiot.

SERGEANT
: [
to the
CONSTABLE
] That's government property. Stop him.

The
CONSTABLE
goes to
JIMMY
's cell carrying a baton.

CONSTABLE
: Put that down!

SAM
: Stop it,
gnoolya
, steady down, steady down!

JIMMY
puts the bucket down and turns around as if to urinate in it. The
CONSTABLE
returns to the bench.

SERGEANT
: Damage to government property, to whit, one shit bucket. Add it to the charge sheet.

The
CONSTABLE
gets out the charge sheet. Silence.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] I don't give two hoots of a lamb's tail. Never mind, Serge, I'll sing you a song. I'll sing you a hymn, if you like. [
Singing
]

‘Hail, Queen of Heaven, the ocean star,

Guide of the wanderer here below,

Thrown on life's surge, we claim thy care:

Save us from peril and from woe.

Mother of Christ, star of the sea,

Pray for the wanderer, pray for—'

[
He stops abruptly
.]

No hymns. No good to you, you're a proper
mummari
. Proper
mummari
, fuckin' both of youse. [
Singing
]

‘When its springtime in the Rockies,

I'm comin' back to you…'

SERGEANT
: I think I preferred the mouth organ.

SAM
: See you gettin' six months tomorrow,
gnoolya
.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] Six months! I can do that on me fuckin' head.

SERGEANT
: I'll see what we can do.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] Yeah, you would. [
Singing
]

‘Mammy, Mammy,

How I love you, How I love you,

My dear old Mammy…'

SERGEANT
: Oh, gawd!

JIMMY
: [
singing
]

I'd walk a million miles

For one of your smiles,

My Ma-a-a-ammy.'

[
Calling
] Hey Serge, Serge.

SERGEANT
: [
to the
CONSTABLE
] Ignore him.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] I seen that talkin' picture at the Palace, sittin' right up the front, the roped off section for blackfellas. Al Jolson makin' out he was black, poor white bastard.

SAM
: Eh,
dubakieny
,
wahnginy
.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] Sergeant! Sergeant!

CONSTABLE
: [
to the
SERGEANT
] Jesus, I wish he'd shut up.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] Eh, Sergeant! You bin, you bin out to Gubment Well and told Mum and Milly me and Sam in here?… Eh? No, you wouldn't think of that.

SERGEANT
: [
standing, to the
CONSTABLE
] I'll leave you to it. I'm going to interview a few publicans.

CONSTABLE
: Had enough?

The
SERGEANT
exits towards the main street.

JIMMY
: [
calling
] Fuck you, you white bastard, fuck you. [
Singing feebly
]

‘I don't give a damn for any damn man,

That don't give a damn for me.'

The courthouse at Northam, morning. The
SERGEANT
stands near the
JP
, a local cocky, who sits at the bench.

JP
: What have we got?

SERGEANT
: Not much.

JP
: Good, I'm in a hurry.

SERGEANT
: Two natives. One supplying.

JP
: All right, let's get moving. I've got to get to a bank auction in Wongamine; tryin' to pick up a cheap binder.

SERGEANT
: [
calling
] Francis James Brown.

FRANK
enters and goes to the dock. The
SERGEANT
passes the
JP
a paper bag. The
JP
pulls the port bottle out of it and looks at it curiously.

Evidence

The JP examines it and sniffs it.

JP
: Are Munday and, ah, what's-his-name, natives within the meaning of the Aborigines Act?

SERGEANT
: Yes, sir.

JP
: What do you plead?

FRANK
: Guilty with an explanation, sir.

JP
: If you're guilty I can't see much point in an explanation.

FRANK
: I'd still like to say something, sir.

SERGEANT
: The accused has been warned on two previous occasions about associating with natives.

JP
: All right, make it brief.

FRANK
: I arrived in Northam a few days ago, and I was broke and I didn't have anything to eat for two days and I ran into Jimmy in the park and he—

JP
: [
interrupting, to the
SERGEANT
] Who?

SERGEANT
: James Munday. He was one of the natives arrested along with the accused.

JP
: [
to
FRANK
] All right, get on with it.

FRANK
: Well, he was a real mate to me. He took me to his home and gave me a meal of—

JP
: [
interrupting, to the
SERGEANT
] His what?

SERGEANT
: His camp at Government Well.

FRANK
: He gave me a meal of—

JP
: [
interrupting
] Look, I'm not interested in what you had for dinner. If you've got an explanation, just tell me what it is.

FRANK
: [
nervously
] And he even lent me a razor; I hadn't had a shave in several days. He and his family were very kind to me and when he asked me to pick up a bottle of wine for him, I felt obliged to do it.

JP
: Were you aware that you were breaking the law?

FRANK
: Yes sir, but I didn't—

JP
: [
interrupting
] Is there any previous record?

SERGEANT
: No.

FRANK
: I've never been in trouble before. I am an ex-serviceman and I settled at Lake Yealering.

JP
: All right, I don't need your life story. I understand the difficulty of the situation you were in, but it's my duty to protect natives and half-castes from alcohol. In view of this, I sentence you to six weeks imprisonment with hard labour.

FRANK
steps down.

SERGEANT
: [
calling
] Samuel Nathaniel Millimurra and James Emmanuel Munday.

Pause. No one appears.

[
Calling
] Samuel Nathaniel Millimurra and James Emmanuel Munday.

The
JP
looks at his fob watch.
SAM
enters alone.

JP
: [
to the
SERGEANT
] Where's the other one?

SERGEANT
: Don't know. [
Yelling
] James Emmanuel Munday. Come on, Jimmy. Get a move on.

JIMMY
enters, tying a bit of binder twine around his trousers, and stands next to
SAM
.

JP
: I hope you're not making a mockery of the court by delaying proceedings.

JIMMY
: Sorry, sir, I was on the shit bucket… toilet… Got a guts ache, sir.

SAM
nudges him.

SERGEANT
: The two accused were apprehended in Bernard Park yesterday at approximately nine-twenty p.m. They were both under the influence of liquor. Munday was in possession of one bottle of wine, three parts empty. [
Indicating
] That is the bottle there, sir. Upon being placed in separate cells, Munday became noisy and abusive. At one stage he damaged a toilet bucket. He threatened me and used indecent language. He threatened to ‘blow my head off.'

JIMMY
: I did not.

SERGEANT
: Silence in the court.

JIMMY
: [
to the
JP
] What I said was that if I had a—

SERGEANT
: [
interrupting
] Silence!

JIMMY
: [
to the
JP
] But he's telling it wrong. What I said was, that—

JP
: [
interrupting
] Order, order. Now you be quiet, Munday, you'll get your chance shortly.

JIMMY
: But all I was gunna say was that what—

JP
: [
interrupting
] Shut up, you bloody idiot, or I'll charge you with contempt of court.

SAM
: Yes, sir.

JP
: [
indicating
JIMMY
] Not you, him. [
To the
SERGEANT
] Are there any previous records?

SERGEANT
: Munday has several previous convictions for the same offence and one of unlawful disposal of government rations.

JP
: And Millimurra?

SERGEANT
: One, drinking, when in the company of Munday.

JP
: Are they related?

SAM
: He's my
gnoolya
, sir.

JP
: He's your what?

SERGEANT
: They're brothers-in-law. Millimurra's married to—

JP
: [
interrupting
] All right. I see this is your sixth offence related to alcohol. On the last occasion you were sentenced to fourteen days imprisonment. This time your sentence is three months imprisonment with hard labour.

He stands.

All right…

SERGEANT
: What about Millimurra, sir?

JP
: Ah, fine of twenty-five shillings. Any costs?

SERGEANT
: Two and sixpence.

JP
: And two and six costs, in default seven days imprisonment.

SERGEANT
: He'll need time to pay.

JP
: All right, fourteen days. Stand down.

The
JP
hurries out.

Government well, Northam, early morning. It is winter,
GRAN
builds a fire.
SAM
carries water and
DAVID
gets ready for school.
CISSIE
huddles near the fire, wrapped in a blanket.
MILLY
fries fat in a camp oven.

MILLY
: Cissie, I want you to write that letter to Uncle Jimmy 'fore you go.

SAM
: What's to eat?

CISSIE
: Oh, Mumma.

MILLY
: [
to
SAM
] Damper there, dip in the camp oven.

SAM
: Me
gnoolya
's better off than I am, bet he's not eating bread 'n fat for breakfast.

GRAN
: Joe be back directly with a
wilbra
.

DAVID
: [
to
CISSIE
] You want to hurry up. I ain't waitin' for you.

CISSIE
doesn't move.
JOE
appears, wet and dejected, with empty rabbit traps.

GRAN
: Rabbits
wah
?

JOE
: Open. These ain't worth settin'. Bloody rabbits only look at 'em and they snap off.