Jack & Harry (44 page)

Tom Cooper had stood and held his hand out to Warri. ‘You win, old timer, I never woulda thought of that.'

Sergeant Carter drove out to see the boys, bringing news from Iris that Bruno was progressing well in Adelaide. He apparently didn't have much recollection of the cave-in or the ordeal except that he still became irrationally agitated at night if there was no light in the room. A phobia, the doctor advised, that might stay with him for life. He did remember the opal he had found prior to the cave-in and asked every day if it was safe. The doctors reckoned that within a couple of weeks he would be fit enough to leave hospital.

‘You fellas think about the Anzac Day march?' The sergeant reminded them of his previous conversation. ‘It's on next week.'

‘Yeah we'll come along I guess. Be a bit of a break from diggin', anyhow.'

‘That's for sure, Jack. No need to ask you I suppose, Paddy.'

‘I'll be there to be sure, Ron. Wouldn't be missin' it for quids.'

‘Yeah, I bet you wouldn't,' the sergeant said, tongue in cheek.

‘Shaun said for you boys to stay at his place the night before. Tub up and get dressed so we can be at the dawn service. It'll be an early start so no use driving in that morning.' He turned to Paddy ‘You can bunk at my place, Paddy. The company will do me good and Iris said she'd cook tea for all of us at her joint so you won't have to put up with my burnt snags.'

Paddy's face lit up when Iris's name was mentioned and for the rest of the day he whistled happily, working with renewed vigour.

Jack began to put two and two together. ‘Iris, eh, Paddy?' he said that night over the campfire.

‘What's that ye're sayin' there, young Jack.'

‘Iris. I said Iris. You a bit keen on her, Paddy?'

‘Now I don't know what'd be givin' yer that idea now.'

‘Hmm, just a thought.' He grinned at Harry who began to understand the reasons now for Paddy's little sojourns into town at night.

‘Aaah, she's a fine lookin' woman an' all that's for sure. Not exactly a colleen you know, no … but close enough I should think. A fine heart it is that she's been blessed with, a fine heart indeed.' He looked dreamily into the coals.

Ishmael Mohammed Hassan arrived on April twenty-four, the day before Anzac. He came up to the claim on his camel and on command the beast dropped to its knees, allowing Ishmo to jump lightly to the ground, his shirt tails whipped by the fierce wind making his thin legs look like skeletal bones beneath the threadbare fabric.

‘Ishmo!' Reynold was the first to greet him. ‘Yu come see Jack 'n Harry? They down the mine, I get 'em.' He ran into the dugout to find the boys he knew would be digging down in the drive with Paddy.

When Jack and Harry came out into the sunlight they saw Ishmo standing before them, a huge smile on his bearded face and his hands on his head. ‘You dig big.' He pointed to the dugout mouth ‘You make the home, yes?'

‘It's good to see you, Ishmo.' Jack was happy to see their old friend again.

‘We've been waitin' for you to turn up, Ishmo.' Harry walked to where the Afghan was standing. ‘Have we got a lot to tell you!'

The Afghan looked about him in wonder at the mine entrance with its timber door and heavy chain, the bed base sieve, sorting table and the Land Rover parked near the corrugated iron shed.

‘You do so much of the work. Good yes?' His face was beaming. ‘Ishmo not dig this good.'

‘Come inside outta the heat, Ishmo.' Jack pointed to the dugout and walked toward the entrance, motioning for the Afghan to follow. ‘You wanna drink?' He handed a waterbag to him.

Taking a swig from the bag and placing the stopper back in the neck he handed it back to Jack. ‘I call out on Bruno but no see him.' There was a concerned look on his face. ‘Bruno always dig, dig. No dig today.'

They told him about the accident, explaining that Bruno was in hospital in Adelaide as they watched the tall man's face crease with concern for his friend. They assured him that the latest news was good and that Bruno should be back on the fields in a week or so.

They then said that they had found some opal and Jack went into the drive returning with a bag containing their cash. ‘Now, Ishmo,' he said placing the bag on the table, ‘we owe you some money.'

The Afghan held up his hands shrugging his shoulders and holding his arms to them palms outward. ‘What for you owe Ishmo money, no, no. You do so much work to this place Ishmo should be pay you.'

‘But we had a deal Ishmo, we work the claim and share what we find with you. We put some aside for ya.' Harry pulled a drum up to the table.

‘Yes, yes. Deal yes, but no, no, no owe Ishmo.' He shook his head from side to side. ‘What deal we decide?'

‘Well …' Harry thought for a second. ‘We didn't agree on no actual amount, Ishmo.'

‘Exactly, yes? No amount we work out. Ishmo now say you do work and dig mine so good that Ishmo have to pay you.'

The boys were astounded, not knowing how to deal with the situation. They expected to share their finds at least fifty-fifty after paying expenses and wages to Paddy and Reynold.

‘Ishmo work camel, make little money long time. No spend, no reason. Ishmo not … how you say? … Rish, yes? But got money to live … care for camel. Camel only family Ishmo have but now you. Ishmo no ever dig mine, you dig, yes?'

Jack counted off two hundred pounds and handed it to the Afghan ‘Go on, Ishmo, at least take somethin'.'

‘Jack? Harry?' He waited till he had their complete attention. ‘Bruno, he trap in mine, yes? Ishmo not want to be trap, no dig ever.' He shook his head sadly. ‘Poor Bruno, good friend.'

Jack held out the money but Ishmo refused again to take it from him. ‘Please, Ishmo, it's only fair. We wouldn't have anythin' if it weren't for you. We'd have to noodle in the mullock heaps or try to prospect a claim for ourselves.'

‘Ishmo take money one condition only.'

‘What condition, Ishmo?' Harry asked.

‘Tomorrow you, me, we go to Mines of Department yes? Ishmo take two hundred pound, you take mine, yes? The last ‘yes' was not a question but an affirmation.

‘What do you mean, Ishmo?' Jack had a suspicion of what the Afghan was getting at.

‘Ishmo sell mine to Jack and sell to Harry. Two hundred pound. Deal, yes?'

‘It's worth a lot more than that, Ishmo.'

‘Not you no find more opal,' he said with wisdom. ‘And not you trap here one day. Two hundred, Ishmo sell to you. If you no want, then Ishmo sell anyway … to 'nother man maybe. You want?' He looked at them steadily, waiting for their answer.

Harry's eyes were wide with amazement. ‘Jack? What d'ya reckon?'

‘You sure about this, Ishmo?' Jack checked the offer again, finding it difficult to believe.

‘We go Mines of Department tomorrow. Deal, yes?'

Jack looked at Harry who nodded. ‘OK, deal. But on the condition that if we find more opal it's our choice if we want to give you a commission.'

Ishmo looked as if he was about to cry when he said softly …‘Is deal.'

The boys could not believe that they had left Perth with nothing more than a dream and a few bob in their pockets and now, six months later, they owned a working opal mine.

The six friends, Jack, Harry, Paddy, the police sergeant Ron Carter, Iris Smith, the nursing sister and the priest, Shaun Logan were sitting around the dining table at Iris's house having just eaten when Paddy reached into his coat pocket.

‘I've got an apology to be makin', lads.' He passed a buff-coloured envelope across the table. ‘Father O'Malley gave me this to pass on to you when I left Kalgoorlie but I dropped it into me Gladstone bag for safe keepin' and forgot all about it. It wasn't till I was lookin' for a clean shirt at Ron's place that I came across it. I'm real sorry.'

‘What's in it, Paddy?' Jack studied the envelope. It had nothing written on it.

‘I've not the faintest idea, lads. Open it up. I'm truly sorry, boys.' Paddy apologised again.

‘I'll clear the table.' Iris began to collect the empty plates. ‘You boys can read your mystery note.'

‘How about a little nip of that whisky, Paddy?' Shaun Logan pushed his chair back and stood up. ‘You feel like one, Ron?'

‘Wouldn't say no.' He stood and moved away from the table. ‘Let's go outside and have a smoke and let the boys read their letter in private eh? You need a hand with the dishes, Iris?'

‘No. You men go and have your smoke … there's not a lot to do. I'll join you in a bit.'

The three men left the room, Paddy brandishing the bottle of Irish whisky and Ron carrying three tumblers. Jack tore the end from the envelope and took a single sheet of paper from it. As he did so, a folded square of newspaper fell onto the table. Leaving it on the table he began to read the short note aloud.

‘Hope he hasn't used all them big words again, Jack.'

I will be asking Paddy to pass this on to you both. I've wanted to send it for some time now but, until recently, I didn't know where. I'm sure you will be interested in the newspaper article I clipped from the West Australian a couple of days after you left here in November last year. How you handle the news in it is up to you but I pray you will be sensible about it.

Your friend, Timothy O'Malley.

‘Look at
this
will ya?' The weedy man with watery eyes slapped the
Adelaide Advertiser
onto the pub bar in front of his two companions. ‘Read that, Andy.' He poked a finger at the open page.

‘Read what? … Where?' Andy slurred, finding it hard to focus, the alcohol blurring his vision. The three men had been drinking heavily all afternoon.

‘Oh, give it here, I'll read the damn thing.' The second man picked up the paper. ‘The Prime Minister, Robert Menzies stated …'

‘Not
that,
Cyril, you bloody idiot!' The watery-eyed man snatched the paper from him ‘This! … I'll do it then.' He glared at his companions.