Читать книгу The Tom Wills Picture Show - Martin Flanagan - Страница 14

“God, God, God”. A tormented Horatio Wills is marching up and down a paddock, arms clasped behind his back, Bible in his hands. “Only you who know everything understands”. He looks towards the Grampians/Gariwerd, magnificent and blue and strange to him. He looks towards the blacks camp. They’ve all gone. “Only you know, Lord!” shouts Horatio to the heavens. “Only you know!” He looks back towards the house and sees a boy, Tom, running towards him.

“Are they back?” cries Tom in an excited voice. “Are the blacks back?”

“No,” says Horatio. “No, they’ve gone away”.

Tom is disappointed. “I have no-one to play with”.

Horatio is touched, wants to help. “Next week I’ll pack up the dray and we’ll go over to the McGoverns. You can play with William”.

“William’s games are boring. The blacks’ game are fun”.

Horatio looks back, knowing and troubled, at the empty space that was the camp of the blacks.

Aboriginal mother and child

Mounted Police attack Blacks, by Godfrey Mundy 1852.