Following the rough track towards Barrabine, he kept an eye out for any humpies in the bush, somewhere the woman could have lived. Every mile or so he stopped and sniffed for campfire smoke, but he didn’t come across anything that gave him any indication of life.
The road got smoother closer to the town, and just as the sun was setting he parked in front of one of the three pubs and turned off the engine, sitting there in silence. He kept wondering who the woman was and why life had got on top of her to the point she thought death was the easier option. He couldn’t get the image of her body swaying from the tree branch out of his mind and he was finding it hard to concentrate on what he was doing.
He rubbed his face hard, as if trying to scrub away the memory.
Gathering himself, he sniffed at his hands to make sure they didn’t smell and walked into the pub. He looked around to see if there was anyone he knew at the bar, but he didn’t expect there to be. Barrabine was a transient community; people came and went on the whim of gold fever. And they died easily here too.
He heard his name called out and turned around.
‘Paddy, how yer goin’, mate?’ A man with curly red hair came over to him, his hand outstretched. ‘Let me buy you a beer.’
‘G’day, Rocco. Didn’t expect to be seeing you here. Where was the last time I saw you? About fifty miles north, wasn’t it?’
‘Last night here, mate,’ Rocco answered, looking sad. ‘The missus is crook and I got to get her to Perth, so the doc says. Don’t want to leave, I love this place, but she can’t cope without me.’
‘Sorry to hear that,’ Paddy answered, his thoughts immediately flying back to the woman he’d buried today. If she’d had family who had cared for her as much as Rocco cared for his wife, maybe she wouldn’t have died the way she did.
‘Yeah, even sold me lease. Don’t reckon I’ll be back.’ His face was grim and Paddy could see it was hurting him to leave.
‘Hard decision to make. Don’t envy you having to live in the city. Full of bloody cars and people walking too fast.’
Rocco looked at him solemnly. ‘I hope it don’t kill me up there.’
Paddy patted him on the back. ‘You’ll be right, mate. Be settled in no time. First find yourself a local watering hole and then everything’ll fall into place.’
‘Maybe you’re right. Anyway, what’s your news?’
‘Not much. On my way to the Ballarat goldfields. Hoping for better luck over there. Now tell me, do you know of anyone living about twenty miles out to the north-west of here?’ Paddy asked him as they moved towards the bar. He took a roll of notes out of his pocket and peeled one off.
Rocco took in the roll and whistled softly. ‘You have a win somewhere?’
‘I bloody wish! Doesn’t matter how hard I look, I don’t seem to be able to find any of the yellow stuff. Beer, please, love,’ he said, turning his attention to the barmaid. ‘And one for my mate here.’ He turned back to Rocco. ‘Nah, I sold some of my gear so I could get across to Victoria and have a crack over there. My grandfather left me a lease and I thought I’d have a go at that.’
‘Victoria, hey? I met a bloke from there the other day. Said there’s still lots in the ground, so you might be lucky.’ Rocco clapped him on back. ‘Why you asking about people living out north-west?’
‘Had to bury a woman today.’ As he said the words, she flashed in front of him again. The slow gentle sway, the crow on her shoulder. The ants. He took a long pull on his beer to wash away the vision. ‘Want to find her family and let them know where she is.’
‘Shit, really?’ Rocco’s face became sad. ‘Snakebite or something?’
‘Or something. She was hanging in a tree.’
‘Holy Mother of Mary. She killed herself?’
‘Looked like it.’
Rocco crossed himself, shock clear on his face. Paddy appreciated that—not because he wanted Rocco to be upset but because it showed he hadn’t become immune to the fragility of life. When men failed to react to shocking stories, that’s when the harshness of the goldfields had claimed their humanity.
Death was commonplace out here and everyone knew it. Look at the man who’d been killed last month—a mine had collapsed on him and by the time the blokes from nearby mines had managed to get him up, he’d suffocated. Then there was the child who’d cut himself on a piece of tin and died from blood poisoning, and the woman who’d died in childbirth. It was harsh and tough and really, Paddy thought, nothing should surprise anyone, but they should always feel the tragedy of it.
‘You know of anyone out there?’ he asked again.
‘Nope. Didn’t think there were any leases pegged out that way yet. I know there’s been some fellas exploring, but…’ He trailed off. ‘If you go and ask at the mines office, they’ll be able to tell you if anything’s been pegged and who the owners are.’
‘I might do that. Thanks, Rocco. I’d want to know where she was if she were my family. They mightn’t even know she’s gone.’
Rocco brightened as another man gave him a secret nod. ‘You want to have a bit of fun tonight?’ he asked, lowering his voice.
Paddy wiped the condensation from his glass of beer. ‘What’d you have in mind?’ he asked, thinking of the roll in his pocket.
‘Just a little gambling. Away from prying eyes.’
Paddy raised his glass to him. ‘Here I was thinking you meant the ladies!’
‘Well, you could do that if you want, you being single ’n all, but two-up’s
