They Found a Cave (18 page)

‘Thank you,' said Jandie, concealing a smile. She knew that all telegrams were public property in a place like Valleeroo. ‘Yes,' she told them, ‘it's from Mother, of course. All is well.' Then she turned again to Mr. Bentley. ‘We were just about to drink a loyal toast,' she said. ‘Will you join us?'

Nigel filled an extra glass and took it round; then he lifted his own.

‘The King!' he said.

‘The King!' repeated Mr. Bentley, and there was silence for a few moments while many thoughts went overseas.

Then Jandie gave them ‘Absent friends', which brought on the singing of Auld Lang Syne, and immediately after there was the astonishing sight of Cherry on her feet about to propose a toast.

‘Gosh, Cherry!' murmured Nippy, but she ignored him.

‘I—I'd like us to—to drink to the
New Country
,' she gasped, and sat down with a bump.

Still feeling a little stunned by this, the party could only gape when Tas rose slowly in his place.

‘Well…all these toasts an' things…' said he, going a fiery red, ‘I reckon you might as well shove in…well, I mean…I reckon…here, come on!
The Old Country.
'

‘That's right,' said Mr. Bentley, and repeated the words in a booming bass which reminded Cherry of the way he had come in unexpectedly with the refrain they had been singing when they had come home to Capra Cave.

‘Let's sing Mr. Bentley the Raiding Song,' suggested Brick.

But Mr. Bentley said he had to leave. He told them not to mind him, he'd go out the verandah way, and again wished them the season's greetings.

At the door he turned, and checked Nigel in full song. ‘Sorry, son, I forgot the one for you,' and he tossed over a telegram.

‘That's not a cable,' Jandie puzzled, looking at the envelope.

‘No, I can't think…' Nigel was turning it over in his hands as though afraid to slit it.

‘Shall I?' offered Nippy, consumed with curiosity, while Cherry searched among nut shells and fruit peelings for a clean knife.

‘No, thanks.' Nigel ripped it with his finger, and slowly and in a dazed sort of way read it aloud to them:—

 

‘
Definite offer five hundred pounds for your discovery bringing scientific party to inspect next week happy Christmas to all M. D. Williams.
'

 

‘And who,' enquired Jandie, ‘is this M. D. Williams?'

‘It's Mad Dad, of course,' they shouted. ‘Good old Mad Dad!'

‘My hat! Five hundred pounds for those old bones?' Nippy wondered aloud.

Nigel still looked dazed. ‘S'pose you don't know,' he asked Jandie, ‘how much it costs to bring two people here by air?'

She shook her head. Her eyes were very bright.

‘Five hundred pounds for those! Why if it was Fluffles, now—but those old bones,' began Nippy, when Nigel sprang up and seized him.

‘If you say “old bones” once more,' he threatened, grabbing up the carving knife with his free hand, ‘one more mention to me of “old bones”, Nippy, and…'

‘Hurray! Let's have a battle!' someone yelled, and a shower of nuts and raisins crossed the table.

‘No, thank you,' said Jandie mildly. ‘You are back in civilization now. This is the end of the cave stuff, please.'

 

 

 

 

The Commandant

Jessica Anderson

Introduced by Carmen Callil

Homesickness

Murray Bail

Introduced by Peter Conrad

Sydney Bridge Upside Down

David Ballantyne

Introduced by Kate De Goldi

Bush Studies

Barbara Baynton

Introduced by Helen Garner

A Difficult Young Man

Martin Boyd

Introduced by Sonya Hartnett

The Cardboard Crown

Martin Boyd

Introduced by Brenda Niall

The Australian Ugliness

Robin Boyd

Introduced by Christos Tsiolkas

All the Green Year

Don Charlwood

Introduced by Michael McGirr

They Found a Cave

Nan Chauncy

Introduced by John Marsden

The Even More Complete

Book of Australian Verse

John Clarke

Introduced by John Clarke

Diary of a Bad Year

J. M. Coetzee

Introduced by Peter Goldsworthy

Wake in Fright

Kenneth Cook

Introduced by Peter Temple

The Dying Trade

Peter Corris

Introduced by Charles Waterstreet

They're a Weird Mob

Nino Culotta

Introduced by Jacinta Tynan

The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke

C. J. Dennis

Introduced by Jack Thompson

Careful, He Might Hear You

Sumner Locke Elliott

Introduced by Robyn Nevin

Terra Australis

Matthew Flinders

Introduced by Tim Flannery

My Brilliant Career

Miles Franklin

Introduced by Jennifer Byrne

The Fringe Dwellers

Nene Gare

Introduced by Melissa Lucashenko

Cosmo Cosmolino

Helen Garner

Introduced by Ramona Koval

Dark Places

Kate Grenville

Introduced by Louise Adler

The Long Prospect

Elizabeth Harrower

Introduced by Fiona McGregor

The Watch Tower

Elizabeth Harrower

Introduced by Joan London

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

Fergus Hume

Introduced by Simon Caterson

The Glass Canoe

David Ireland

Introduced by Nicolas Rothwell

A Woman of the Future

David Ireland

Introduced by Kate Jennings

Eat Me

Linda Jaivin

Introduced by Krissy Kneen

The Jerilderie Letter

Ned Kelly

Introduced by Alex McDermott

Bring Larks and Heroes

Thomas Keneally

Introduced by Geordie Williamson

Strine

Afferbeck Lauder

Introduced by John Clarke

Stiff

Shane Maloney

Introduced by Lindsay Tanner

The Middle Parts of Fortune

Frederic Manning

Introduced by Simon Caterson

Selected Stories

Katherine Mansfield

Introduced by Emily Perkins

The Home Girls

Olga Masters

Introduced by Geordie Williamson

The Scarecrow

Ronald Hugh Morrieson

Introduced by Craig Sherborne

The Dig Tree

Sarah Murgatroyd

Introduced by Geoffrey Blainey

The Plains

Gerald Murnane

Introduced by Wayne Macauley

The Odd Angry Shot

William Nagle

Introduced by Paul Ham

Life and Adventures 1776–1801

John Nicol

Introduced by Tim Flannery

Death in Brunswick

Boyd Oxlade

Introduced by Shane Maloney

Swords and Crowns and Rings

Ruth Park

Introduced by Alice Pung

The Watcher in the Garden

Joan Phipson

Introduced by Margo Lanagan

Maurice Guest

Henry Handel Richardson

Introduced by Carmen Callil

The Getting of Wisdom

Henry Handel Richardson

Introduced by Germaine Greer

The Fortunes of Richard Mahony

Henry Handel Richardson

Introduced by Peter Craven

Hills End

Ivan Southall

Introduced by James Moloney

The Women in Black

Madeleine St John

Introduced by Bruce Beresford

An Iron Rose

Peter Temple

Introduced by Les Carlyon

1788

Watkin Tench

Introduced by Tim Flannery

Happy Valley

Patrick White

Introduced by Peter Craven

I Own the Racecourse!

Patricia Wrightson

Introduced by Kate Constable

textclassics.com.au