Doc’s letter to the Prime Minister worked. Mister Curtin made the soldiers give back his aeroplane. Not many more than four days after the cyclone, Fox Moth returned.
‘Doc has wings again,’ Fred said. ‘Now maybe things can get back to normal.’
But things didn’t.
After the cyclone people smelt more frightened than ever. I heard them making new plans to evacuate and hated that word even more.
Doc’s newspaper told us that Japanese submarines had been seen off the coast. I didn’t know what submarines were but they sounded bad. I stayed close to Doc’s leg.
‘Don’t worry,’ Doc said, stroking my ears. ‘If a submarine comes, I’ll look after you.’
Doc was evacuating more patients inland to Marble Bar in case Japanese bombers flew along the coast and some of his patients were nervous about flying. It was my job to keep them calm. Doc lifted me into the cabin between Fox Moth’s wings and I nuzzled everyone before take-off. Once we were in the air, I licked the hands of the most frightened people until they settled.
After climbing into the sky, Fox Moth followed the beach while Doc searched for the railway line that stretched away from the coast. We followed those train tracks inland past scrubby hills with trees that looked as small as Lee Wah’s vegetables, until at last we saw the shiny roof of Marble Bar Hospital.
On the way home, Doc let me sit with him in the hole on top of Fox Moth, instead of in the cabin between the top and bottom wings. That was my favourite place. If I balanced carefully I could look over the side and let my ears flap in the breeze. As we soared into the sky, cool air blew across my nostrils and I shivered. Sometimes Doc flew behind an emu family and we watched their shaggy feathers bounce as they darted away. Other times, Doc told me stories about the land and about a steam train called the Spinifex Flyer.
‘She runs across those tracks below,’ Doc said.
Sometimes we saw Spinifex Flyer racing along or stopping at the Shaw River for a drink. Doc flew lower to buzz the train and the people on board cheered. If I barked, they cheered even louder.
We spent more and more time inland. At first I was glad to fly away from noisy Port Hedland. While Doc was working inside the Marble Bar Hospital, I sniffed each dusty building in town, searching for my Elsie. I couldn’t smell her, but two mean dogs smelt me.
I’d grown up with station dogs, so didn’t scare easily, but these dogs were vicious. Their owner was a grey-faced miner. When he came to town, the man chained his dogs outside the Ironclad Hotel. Hot chains made the mean dogs even meaner. They rattled their collars until they broke free, and if I was near, they chased me, growling and snapping. The miner laughed when he saw me quick-hopping away from his dogs.
Before the cyclone I’d been a fast runner. With a missing leg, I was slower, so I learnt to dart from side to side. As I scampered back to the hospital, zigging back and forth, I confused the big dogs for a while, then they worked together to herd me. Some days I reached the verandah just in time to squeeze under the hospital floorboards, panting and trembling. Other times I was too slow and they bit me.
One afternoon Doc found a gash on my rump. He warned the miner to keep his dogs away, but Doc wasn’t always around. Some days he had to leave me behind. I huddled under the hospital where the mean dogs couldn’t reach me, waiting a long time before I could come out for a drink. There were cockroaches and rats under the hospital. Rats and roaches didn’t bother me, but I was lonely without Doc.
Thinking of Elsie helped pass the time. I remembered the soft touch of her hand and the funny bonnets she used to tie onto my head. Then I wondered where she was and whether she was missing me. When Doc returned, I didn’t leave his side. He was my only link to Stan and my past life as Elsie’s Princess.
Doc always took me on his flights to Port Hedland. Things were changing there too. Nurse Edith was leaving to look after soldiers in Perth and Doc flew us back for a goodbye meal. I saw Matron wipe away a tear when no one else was looking, so I nuzzled her toes until she smiled. After lunch, Doc and his friend Len sat on the hospital steps to share the latest news.
‘I reckon it’s only a matter of time until the Japs strike again,’ Len warned.
Doc made a ssh sound and led his friend into the yard. I followed, then rested my nose on my front paw as I listened to Len’s plans.
‘We have to get more women out to remote cattle stations, away from the coast,’ he said. ‘I need you to increase the flights out of Hedland.’
‘When do you want me to start?’
‘The sooner the better.’
‘What if the women won’t go?’ Doc asked.
‘Tell them they have to.’
I snapped at a mosquito whining around Doc’s ankles. He ruffled my fur and whispered, ‘Thanks, Flynn.’
The next morning, women gathered at the hospital. There were a lot more than four and they were all shapes and sizes. Ladies with babies in their tummies were the first to leave, and as long as my fur didn’t make anyone sneeze, I travelled in the cabin to guard them.
We took the ladies out to Wallareenya. I knew the station Missus there. We’d met when she came into town to see Matron. Missus Kerr had tickled my ears and her hands smelt so good that I danced for her. Then I twirled in circles. Missus Kerr laughed and told me that I was ‘marvellous’. That made me like her even more.
The trip to Wallareenya wasn’t far. We took three big-belly ladies and a boy on the first flight. I listened to the hearts of babies beating through the women’s stretched skin and remembered my own gentle mother. Those warm puppy days felt like forever ago.
Missus Kerr met us at the airstrip and drove us to the Wallareenya homestead in an old truck. While the ladies sipped tea and nibbled pikelets, Doc checked the shearers’ mattresses spread on the verandah. He said he wanted to make sure each one was clean. I sniffed the bedding. They smelt of sweat and mutton fat. I’d be very happy to sleep on one.
Before we left, Doc thanked Missus Kerr and gave her a bag of medicine in case any babies came early.
‘Can you manage a few more women?’ he asked. ‘There are dozens waiting to evacuate.’
‘As many as you need, Doc. If you bring the ladies to me, I’ll organise transport to Nullagine or Mulga Downs in our old truck. Then we’ll find a way to get them to the railway station at Meekatharra.’
‘Will you evacuate also?’
‘Maybe, when I know all the mothers are safely on their way.’
‘Don’t leave it too late,’ Doc warned.
Missus Kerr shrugged. ‘The stock need water whether or not the Japanese invade, and with the men away, someone has to keep the bores open.’ The big woman smiled and patted Doc’s arm. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be all right.’ I wagged my tail and Missus Kerr gave me a cuddle. ‘What about this wee mite?’ she asked. ‘Shall I keep Flynn here as well?’
My tail stopped wagging. I moved closer to Doc. They both laughed as I sat on his boot.
‘Maybe not yet,’ Doc replied. ‘She keeps my patients calm in the plane.’
Missus Kerr tickled my chin. ‘You’re a marvellous dog, Flynn, just marvellous! Stay safe and come back soon to visit me.’
I licked her leg. It was warm and salty.
‘C’mon, Marvellous,’ Doc said as he lifted me into the sitting hole on top of Fox Moth.
The day was clear and our trip back to Hedland was smooth. As Doc dipped Moth’s wings, he pointed to dark patterns on the land and told me that they were rivers. I peered down. There was no water glistening.
‘They’re dry now,’ Doc explained, ‘but in the wet, they’ll fill quickly.’
I remembered the river coming down on Elsie’s station, and woofed so that Doc would keep talking.
‘See the way the river spreads out, Flynn?’ I turned and looked down. ‘The blood in your body is like that, with veins and arteries that make the same patterns as those waterways.’
Looking below made me dizzy and Doc was using too many strange words. I leant against him and closed my eyes. Doc scratched my chin and hummed. Now that he had his plane back, Doc smelt peaceful. He let Moth do a few tricks and I howled in delight as she looped back and forth above the shining railway tracks.
Len met us at the airstrip.
‘How are the women?’ he asked.
‘Fine,’ Doc replied. ‘Mrs Kerr said she can accommodate more, so I’ll take another group after lunch.’
I stayed close to Doc. I didn’t want to be left behind.
Doc hardly ever stopped for a break. When he did, I peered into his eyes and saw memories of burnt arms and legs and faces. I nuzzled his feet, trying to help him forget. When that didn’t work, I rolled onto my back, asking for a tummy tickle. I loved it when I was able to make Doc laugh.
The next morning Doc needed to visit the Derby Leprosarium. I never knew why I couldn’t go to that place, but I sensed Doc’s sadness every time he visited. Doc said I could spend the day with Fred and Lee Wah. He let me walk some of the way to the airstrip, then he sent me back.
‘I’ll see you this evening,’ he called. ‘Look after everyone until then.’
I’d dug up an old bone and just settled down behind the bougainvillea to gnaw, when Fred rushed into the yard.
‘Matron,’ he called. ‘Come quickly. Doc’s plane has crashed.’
Fox Moth had fallen from the sky.
I ran after Fred, barking as he helped the Army doctor carry Doc into the hospital. Blood covered Doc’s arms and face.
‘I’m fine,’ Doc protested, as Matron cleaned his cuts.
‘It’s a miracle that you walked away from the wreck,’ she replied.
‘And thank goodness you weren’t on board, Flynn,’ Doc told me as Matron kept fussing. ‘You’ve already had enough adventures to last a lifetime.’
Doc wasn’t badly broken but Fox Moth was. Someone had accidentally put water in her petrol. She had to go away to be fixed.
‘How will I get to my patients?’ Doc grumbled as he limped around the hospital. ‘What if there’s an emergency?’
Fred warned me to keep out of Doc’s way.
‘He’s grumpy when he’s grounded,’ Fred said, but before long Doc found another plane.
The plane was called Swallow and I liked her better. She was smaller than Fox Moth, which was silly because real swallows are bigger than moths. Flying in Swallow was like being on the back of a bird, a bird fast enough to outfly any swooping eagle.
I was frightened the first time Doc filled Swallow’s belly tank with petrol. What if he fell from the sky again? I sniffed the petrol can until my eyes stung. Then I sniffed Swallow’s belly. It was okay. There was no water. Doc would be safe.
There were two sitting holes on Swallow’s back; one for me and one for Doc. Best of all there was no top wing above us.
‘I hope I can trust you not to wriggle,’ Doc said.
I woofed. Elsie had taught me to ‘stay’ when I was a pup, and I felt important sitting up on top in a seat of my own. Whenever Doc took me to the airstrip I danced in circles, but as soon as I was in my special place, I held my ears high and sat as still as a cornered rat.
Doc needed to fly to Mount Goldsworthy. A stockman called Old Lanky had shattered the bones in his arm. Everett said Lanky’s mates had strapped the arm as best they could, but that it needed urgent attention.
‘They’ve cleared an airstrip for you, Doc,’ he added.
It was a short flight. I leant on the inside edge of Swallow to balance and enjoy the ear-flapping breeze. When Swallow drifted through a cloud puff I gave a howl of joy. With nothing above us, it felt like we were part of the sky.
The airstrip was rough and a wind gust tossed Swallow to the side. I felt Doc tense and remembered the blood covering his body after the crash, but Doc steadied little Swallow and we landed safely. Our patient was waiting in the shade of a bloodwood tree, surrounded by his mates. My nostrils twitched. The stockmen smelt of horses, cattle and saltbush. They reminded me of Dave and Stan.
Swallow rolled to a stop and Doc lifted me out of the plane. I hopped towards the men, wagging my tail.
‘What’s happened to your dog?’ a tall man called.
‘She was caught in the cyclone,’ Doc replied. ‘Got tangled in a roll of barbed wire. What’s happened to you, Old Lanky?’
‘I’m settling in a new mare and she’s skittish.’
Lanky’s mates explained how the tall man had been crushed between his frightened horse and the cattle.
‘Ever flown in a Swallow?’ Doc asked as he checked Lanky’s injuries.
‘Never flown in nothing,’ Old Lanky muttered, ‘and I don’t want to! If you set the arm and sew up me cuts, I’ll be grateful.’
‘You need at least ten stitches –’
‘That’s okay, Doc, just do your best. The boys are nagging at me, but I don’t reckon the arm is as bad as they say.’
‘I can see bone, Lanky, and you have a gash on the back of your head. You need to be in hospital so I can treat you properly.’
The stockman grunted.
‘It’s a short flight. I’ll strap your arm and Flynn here will keep an eye on you while we’re in the air.’
Old Lanky scowled at me.
‘Strange looking nurse,’ he snapped as a sudden gust blew off his hat.
Lanky’s voice was gruff, but not mean. I felt safe with him.
Doc licked a finger and held it in the air.
‘I don’t like the way this wind is shifting,’ he murmured. ‘I don’t suppose you blokes have something I could use as a wind sock?’
One of the men grinned. ‘How about this?’
He held up a roll of the paper that humans use to wipe their tail area. A long trail unwound and floated into the air.
‘Perfect,’ Doc said. ‘If you stand on your truck and hold it high, I’ll be able to see which way the wind is blowing.’
Doc helped the injured stockman climb into Swallow’s front seat. Then he lifted me in. I curled myself around Lanky’s big feet. The smell coming from them was impressive. I took a few deep breaths of the man’s scent and licked one dusty ankle. Old Lanky growled.
As Swallow rolled down the airstrip I heard the men shout, ‘Good luck.’ Doc eased the aeroplane into the sky and Lanky gave a small moan as we took off. I nuzzled his leathery leg. A rough hand reached down to clutch my fur. Lanky’s grip tightened as Doc spun Swallow in a tight circle. I decided I should jump onto the stockman’s lap to help him feel safe. He chuckled and scratched my ear.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the cool air. Then I smelt smoke. I raised my nose and peered over the side of Swallow. While we’d been on the ground, a bushfire had started. Flames leapt across the scrubby hills. The plane pitched as Doc tried to avoid the smoke. I felt Lanky’s body tense.
‘Hold on,’ Doc shouted. ‘We’ll need to fly around this.’
Doc turned Swallow but the smoke was spreading. I peered down again. The flames frightened me. I blinked as they flickered higher. The plane bounced and Lanky’s fingers clutched my fur.
‘Sorry about the turbulence,’ Doc called from behind. ‘I’m going to fly higher. I need to get us out of this smoke. Don’t worry, we’ll climb above ten thousand feet, but only for a few minutes. If you feel breathless, take a few swigs of oxygen. There’s a cylinder beside you.’
‘What about the dog?’
‘If she starts drifting, share the oxygen or blow into her nostrils.’
‘Are you serious?’
Doc didn’t answer. He was peering at the smoke and pulling levers.
Lanky reached for the oxygen bottle with his good hand and took a couple of gulps. I pressed my nose into his belly, careful to keep clear of his injuries. Old Lanky seemed happy to have me closer. I felt his heart thudding and he didn’t push me away.
As the plane shuddered upwards, the stockman clutched his broken arm.
‘We’ll have to go higher,’ Doc called. ‘Use the oxygen. I’ll take us lower in a few minutes.’
I began feeling dizzy. Was the plane spinning?
‘Keep an eye on the dog,’ Doc yelled.
I felt Lanky’s gnarly hand grab my muzzle. Then he held a mask over my nose. The dizzy feeling stopped as Lanky and I took turns with the oxygen mask.
Doc flew over the smoke then brought Swallow closer to the ground. I panted, gulping in the sweeter air. Lanky patted my head.
‘Well, that was an adventure,’ he said. ‘Me old pearl-diving mates would give me what for, if they knew I’d been buddy-breathing with a ruddy dog.’ He chuckled, scratching my neck. ‘You’ve given me a bonzer story to tell around the camp fire, little Flynn!’
I wagged my tail, licked his rough cheek and leant against Lanky’s belly as Doc swooped a mob of roos on the Hedland airstrip before landing.
At the end of each day, after the sandflies settled and before the mosquitoes began whining, Doc sat in the yard reading his newspaper. Whenever he found an exciting part, Doc clicked his tongue and made strange, impatient noises.
‘Listen to this, Flynn …’ Doc said as he read on and on about air strength in something called the Pacific.
I nudged Doc’s leg, hoping for a tummy tickle as his eyes skimmed the page. Even when I didn’t understand the words, I liked listening to his voice.
‘The fighting in the Coral Sea is going well,’ Doc told me.
Fred left his chores and came to join Doc as I rolled over, showing Doc my tummy.
‘What’s the latest?’ Fred asked.
Doc flicked the newspaper. ‘They say We shall need every ounce of our present and potential strength to beat the Sons of Heaven because five months of this war have already proved that their country ranks among the great air Powers of the world. They have first-rate planes, excellent pilots, a shrewd directive and an uncommonly good sense of co-operation and tactics. They have known for years the value of air strength in the Pacific.’
‘Blind Freddy knew that,’ Fred muttered. ‘Unlike our leaders …’
Who was Blind Freddy I wondered as Doc kept reading about aircraft-carriers and seaplanes.
I gnawed a flea bite and yawned. When was someone going to pat me?
‘Their Zeroes are jolly impressive,’ Fred said. ‘Anyone who saw them strafe Broome says their manoeuvrability is first rate.’
‘They certainly gave our Wirraways a run for their money in Rabaul. I wouldn’t want to meet a Zero when I’m up in Swallow.’
‘Indeed not!’
Doc smoothed the paper and his voice became softer. ‘It is with air power that we shall beat him,’ Doc read, ‘but we won’t do it by underrating his ability or strength.’
‘Hear, hear!’ Fred called. He shook his fist at the sky. ‘What do you think, Flynn?’
I leapt up and barked.
‘I think she wants her dinner,’ Doc said.
Fred smiled. ‘Come on then.’
He led me to the kitchen and gave me a big bowl of scraps.
Human months or weeks passed (I could never work out the difference). The place called Darwin was bombed again and the submarines that everyone had worried about sneaked into Sydney Harbour, wherever that was. I remembered Elsie’s maps and wished she was here to explain how far away the places were.
Another ship sank and a lot of soldiers died. It was a Japanese ship but there were Australians called POWs on board. The ship was sunk by Americans, even though they were our friends. It didn’t make sense and trying to understand made my head spin. The ship was called Montevideo Maru and whenever Matron heard those strange-sounding words, her eyes filled with tears.
Most of Doc’s patients had been moved to Marble Bar, so we spent more time inland. Marble Bar was hotter than a camp oven and I missed Port Hedland’s breeze. The inland hospital had a matron called Joan and two nurses, Doreen and Bonnie. They were all kind, especially Bonnie, who saved me treats from her lunch.
Some of Doc’s patients refused to move inland to Marble Bar – maybe they knew about the heat – so Doc and I still flew between hospitals. Doc was busy at both places. Everyone had questions for him or wanted his advice.
‘What should we do about Mr Thomson’s eye?’
‘Can we airlift Mrs Hart before the baby arrives?’
‘We’ve almost run out of iodine.’
‘I’m worried about the rations, there’s hardly any water.’
‘Can you go to the Comet Mine to settle a mining dispute?’
Doc wasn’t just a doctor. In Marble Bar, he also visited a big stone building on the hill. Policeman Gordon brought people to Doc. Sometimes they had ropes around their hands. People told Doc stories until he made a decision. Then Mr Gordon went away and came back with another roped person.
The stone building was cool inside. While Doc was busy, I lay by the front door, keeping watch in case the mean dogs escaped their chains.
When we were at Marble Bar, I missed Lee Wah and Fred. The Marble Bar nurses were kind, but with so many patients, they were too busy to sit with me, or notice the mean dogs sniffing about.
One day a young boy came in from the desert with his family. The boy was called Arunta and his hand was huge. Arunta’s father showed Joan two holes on his skin.
‘Scorpion,’ he muttered.
‘Lucky you got to us in time,’ Joan said.
Joan said she needed to drain the poison immediately. She cut Arunta’s hand, gave him medicine and put him to bed. I smelt the boy’s fever-sweat and heard his body shaking. While the nurses cared for Arunta, his family set up camp behind the hospital. The father’s dog had golden eyes like mine. When the moon was high, we prowled through the prickly spinifex behind the hospital. Then, after Doreen and Bonnie were asleep, I led the desert dog inside the hospital. He dozed beneath Arunta’s bed until first light.
Arunta’s arm swelled all the way to his elbow. Doc told his family that he needed to transfer Arunta to the larger hospital in Port Hedland to try different medicines. There was only room for Arunta (and me) in little Swallow, but Doc promised to send radio updates for his family. I was excited to be returning to Hedland, but worried for Arunta. His arm smelt nasty.
The flight to Hedland was smooth. Arunta was a quiet boy, not quite a man but almost. He had a kind energy and being with him made me feel warm and settled. Although I smelt Arunta’s pain, and his skin was burning hot, his good hand never stopped stroking my ears. All was well. As we flew closer I poked my nose into the air. I didn’t want to miss the first smell of the ocean. And maybe Lee Wah had saved a bone for me. My tongue drooled.
When I heard the engine change I knew Doc was getting ready to land. I stood up, even though it was tricky balancing on one leg. Then I heard another sound, the drone of engines coming towards us. The aeroplanes sounded different to Fox Moth, Swallow and Electra. I nosed the air, sensing danger, but not understanding. The engine sound grew louder. My before-the-branch-fell feeling returned and I howled. Doc stared into the distance. Then his breathing quickened. He swore and suddenly Swallow dipped. I wobbled and fell against Arunta’s arm. He flinched.
‘What’s happened?’ he asked.
‘Over there.’ Doc pointed. ‘See the planes!’
Arunta held a hand above his eyes and I smelt the boy’s fear.
‘Bombers!’
‘It’s a whole ruddy squadron!’
Everett’s voice babbled a warning over the radio. Doc jerked the controls.
‘We need to get higher,’ he shouted. ‘With the sun behind us, those Jap pilots might think we’re a Spitfire.’
Arunta’s good arm clutched my chest, squeezing the breath out of me as Swallow dipped and circled. The planes growled closer. I saw clouds puff up from the runway below.
‘They’re giving the airstrip a pasting!’ cried Doc.
Swallow climbed higher. She was straining. My ears hurt.
‘Hold on!’ Doc called.
There wasn’t enough air. I panted and felt Arunta’s shoulders droop. We needed the oxygen bottle. Arunta’s head flopped onto mine and as we drifted between sleep and waking, memories flowed between us. My golden eyes saw Arunta hunting … splashing in wet-season creeks with friends … then I saw Elsie …
Doc swerved down and flew in circles, checking the sky below. At last he yelled, ‘They’ve gone.’
As Swallow flew lower we all gulped air.
‘I’m sorry, Arunta. Are you all right?’
Arunta nodded.
‘And Flynn?’
‘She’s fine.’
‘Thank goodness. Now sit tight,’ Doc said, yanking his levers, ‘we’re going down and this will be a rough landing.’
‘What if they come back?’
‘Let’s hope they don’t. I’m the only doctor. They’ll need me.’
I felt Arunta shiver as Doc did a flyover. I looked below. Smoke covered the airstrip. Between clouds of dust I saw big holes in the runway. Was Fred down there under the smoke? And what about the hospital, had it been hit? I trembled as Doc flew over again.
‘Hold on!’ he called.
Grit prickled my eyes and Arunta coughed as Swallow lined up in front of the airstrip. We landed heavily. Swallow bounced and Arunta moaned. I turned to watch Doc steer around the ditches. He was frowning as he gripped the levers. As soon as we stopped, Doc jumped out.
‘Stay,’ Doc ordered, then he ran to help.
I wanted to follow Doc, to keep him safe, but Arunta also needed me. The boy was brave, but his skin felt dangerously hot. I nudged a water flask closer to his hand as men ran back and forth across the runway. One man told us shrapnel had hit a soldier’s head.
‘Killed him,’ the bloke said, shaking his own head. ‘The bombers dropped those daisy cutter bombs and shrapnel was flying everywhere.’
I peered around the smoky airstrip. Elsie liked flowers. I’d seen her pick daisies, but where were they and why were Japanese pilots cutting them?
Men appeared through the smoke. One of them was Doc. He told us it was too late to help the daisy-cut man, but that other people had wounds that needed stitching.
My nose was battered with smells of panic and fear. The worst was a sizzled flesh smell. It reminded me of Hendrik’s wounds and stockmen using the branding iron on cattle. Rivette came to mind, but I shook my coat. After the cyclone I’d stopped thinking about her. The only one I wanted to remember was my Elsie. I whimpered. Would I ever find her again?
Soldiers ran past Swallow. One bellowed orders. Others hurried to do what he said. A man dressed in an apron waved a spoon and shouted swear words at the sky.
‘You’ve filled my porridge with dust,’ he yelled.
I needed to pee, but sat as still as I could beside Arunta. The boy seemed dazed. He kept looking up at the sky. I couldn’t hear any more planes. We were safe for now and I licked Arunta’s leg, wishing I could tell him not to worry.
Arunta’s head slumped against the side of the plane. His breathing was heavy and I watched his eyelids flutter. Get help, my instincts barked. But Doc had told me to stay.
Arunta shuddered. I waited a moment longer, then leapt onto Swallow’s wing. Arunta needed my help.
Hopping onto the ground, I scurried around burning wreckage, scorching my paws as I sniffed for someone I knew. At last I smelt Fred. He was guarding the truck. I barked and twirled.
‘Flynn, you’re safe!’
He bent to lift me, but I danced backwards, just out of reach, hoping he’d understand.
‘What’s wrong, Flynn?’
I barked again and ran towards Swallow.
Fred was smart. He followed me to Arunta and knew what to do. Fred gave the boy water, lifted him from the plane and carried him to the truck. He spooned some kind of medicine into Arunta’s mouth. That helped him breathe more easily, then Fred blasted the truck’s horn, again and again.
Doc came back with two bleeding soldiers. He lifted me into the truck cabin and we sped away from the burning airstrip with its bitter smell of rubber.
It was more than four days since I’d been at the Hedland hospital. Matron and Molly were racing about preparing beds and bandages. I hurried around the yard weeing over all the places cats had sprayed. Then I scampered over to the verandah to greet patients. There was just Jock and Bluey for Matron to look after; the gentle fellows, with their cloudy eyes, never seemed to know what was going on. They didn’t want to go inland and Fred said they’d slept through the bombing.
After letting Jock give my ears a lovely scratch, I searched for Matron. She was in the morgue room. I tried to nose open the door but Fred shooed me away. He said she was busy with the daisy-cut man. I went to find Lee Wah instead. He did have a bone for me. A big bone with meat scraps still attached. I hid behind the bougainvillea to crunch quickly before anything else happened. As I gnawed gristle I thought about Arunta and the burning airstrip. I yelped, longing for Elsie and a quiet place where we could be together. A place where no one was frightened or hurt, somewhere I could eat slowly.
The day after the bombing, Doc made a big fuss over me.
‘Thank you for warning me about the bombers,’ he said, ruffling my ears. ‘You really are marvellous.’
My tail thumped but it was hard to be fully happy when everyone at the hospital smelt panicky. I tried to cheer them with twirls and tricks. Then something in Doc’s newspapers made everyone laugh.
‘Seems that we’re far more important than we know,’ Doc said.
‘Why’s that?’ Fred asked.
‘An official radio broadcast from Tokyo has said squadrons of Japanese planes attacked the airport and harbour at Port Hedland –’
‘I suppose three waves of three planes could be called a squadron.’
‘But listen to this,’ Doc continued. ‘The Tokyo radio said that Port Hedland next to Broome and Wyndham is the most important town in Western Australia.’
‘Well, that’s a first,’ Fred chuckled. ‘Us being more important than Perth!’
He and Doc laughed until tears ran down their faces. I danced around them, relieved that their fear smell had gone, but wondering what it all meant.
When Arunta’s arm stopped swelling we flew back to Marble Bar. As Arunta and his family walked into the spinifex, Arunta turned and smiled at me. I wagged my tail. Seeing him with his family made me happy, but also sad. Would I ever belong to a family of my own?