"
As he spoke the two moleskin-trousered, cotton-shirted little figures
passed in front of the hut. "There they go," he said. "Two real
good gins. Now, as man to man, you wouldn't arst me to turn them
loose, would you?"
Carew looked rather embarrassed, and smoked some time before
answering.
"Well, of course," he said at last, "they'd put up with a good
deal from you, bein' an Australian, don't you know. Fashion just
now to make a lot of fuss over Australian chappies, whatever they
do. But two black women--rather a large order. You might get
married over there, and then these two black ladies--"
He was interrupted by a startled exclamation from Considine. "Married!"
he said. "Married! I forgot all about my wife. I am married!"
"What!" said Charlie. "Are you married?"
"Yairs. Married. Yairs! Should just think I was."
"Not to a lubra, I suppose?"
"Lubra, no! A hot-tempered faggot of a woman I met at Pike's pub.
I lived with her three weeks and left her there. I haven't seen
her this six years."
"Did you and she have some er--differences, then?" said Carew.
"Differences? No I We had fights--plenty fights. You see, it was
this way. I hadn't long got these two gins; and just before the
rains the wild geese come down in thousands to breed, and the blacks
all clear out and camp by the lagoons, and kill geese and eat eggs
and young ones all day long, till they near bust.
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