Do You Dare? Bushranger's Boys by Alison Lloyd

Author:Alison Lloyd
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781742538532
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Published: 2014-01-14T05:00:00+00:00

9

‘I don’t like this,’ Alfie said as soon as they returned to the laundry. Jem knew he wasn’t talking about the washing. The swish of Mr Blain’s whip was still sounding in their ears.

‘Don’t growl at me, Jem. I’m telling you honest, because we’re mates. That wasn’t fair.’

‘It could’ve been worse,’ Jem argued. ‘Mr Blain went easy on him because the Captain wasn’t there. We did it to help Westwood and Horatio stay alive.’

Alfie dumped an armful of frilly cloth into the copper. He chewed his lip as he stirred it into the water.

‘I know that. But, Jem, can’t you see that stealing makes trouble? Don’t you know how bad it is to be on the wrong side of the law?’

‘Of course I know,’ said Jem. His dad didn’t talk about being a convict, but Jem had seen the scars criss-crossing his back. ‘Don’t carp at me, Alfie,’ he said irritably. He was feeling bad himself for what had happened to the stockman and he didn’t need Alfie to rub it in.

‘So how could they miss the stuff?’ Alfie demanded. ‘What have you done with it?’

‘Gone,’ said Jem. ‘Tommy took it. But we’ve got to move it up to the fort, first chance we get.’

Jem and Alfie did not get any time away from their chores until the next day. While Mrs Goods was baking they slunk around the back of the stables. Then they sprinted down to Tommy’s camp.

Tommy was watching an old man carving a wooden spear. Jem would have liked to watch too, but he felt uncomfortable with the Aborigines watching him, even though they smiled.

Tommy went to a hollow tree and pulled the bucket out. Jem brushed ants off the flour bag. It was emptier than before.

Tommy patted his bare stomach. ‘Good tucker.’

Jem was about to say ‘the flour wasn’t yours’, but then he thought, whose was it? May as well share it around.

Alfie tucked the cheese under his arm. Jem slung the bag over his shoulder. Tommy got a wooden coolamon full of water, and a bark package full of bush medicine that he said was to put on the horse’s leg. Then the three of them hurried along the bank of the creek, where they were half-hidden by the trees.

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