Australia Page #3

Please, missus! Quick!

I make us invisible.

[Gasps]

[Footsteps Departing]

[Gasps]

[Man Whistles In Distance]

- [Rooster Crows]

- [Man Shouting In Distance]

[Shouting Continues]

- Mrs. Boss.

- Oh! Oh. It's you.

- Last night, I show you-

- [Hoofbeats Approaching]

Hyah!

- where-

- [Whinnies]

Yeah.

She's a beautiful day, isn't she?

How was your sleep? Restful?

I wouldn't say so, no.

Yeah, now, the boys are-

the boys are just finishing up.

Gotta tell you, they're a pretty sorry mob

of cattle. Seems hardly worth the effort.

Ready to go, Lady Ashley?

[Whispers]

Billabong.

Mr. Fletcher...

tell me about the big,

fat cows that cross the river...

down at the "billabalong,"

or whatever you call it.

Near the billabong?

No, that's Carney property over there.

Our cattle don't cross the river.

- Apparently they do.

- Yeah?

Who-Who says they do?

That little boy there.

[Gate Creaks]

[Chuckles]

Oh, you mean the little half-caste fella?

[Chuckles]

Hey. Hey, little fella. Come here.

Come and tell Mr. Fletcher

what you told me last night.

Yeah, come on, Nullah.

- [Sarah] Yes.

- They're funny ones.

[Aboriginal Language]

Now...

did you see big, fat cattle

crossing Marmont River?

Or were they just Carney cattle on

the other side of the river having a drink?

[Aboriginal Language]

Them just Carney cattle, Mr. Fletcher.

- I been lookin' myself.

- Yeah?

Ah, you tell great, big,

tall stories, don't ya, eh?

[Sarah] It's all right, Mr. Fletcher.

I'm sure the boy just made a mistake.

[Neil] All right.

We best get going, Lady Ashley.

Sing Song. Take the little fella to the kitchen.

Give him a big feed of that tucker he likes.

- [Sarah] Forgive me, Mr. Fletcher.

- Look. I understand.

You barely slept.

- Wait, wait.

- Let me go.

[Chinese]

Yeah. Well, that old windmill

hasn't turned in years.

He's a sweet little boy.

I don't think he meant any harm.

Yeah, no, they're funny, little creamies.

They're all a bit soft in the head, yeah.

That's why the, uh, government

sends them to the mission.

They all tell bloody monstrous lies.

Yeah. And the next one, quick.

Come on. We haven't got all day.

[Nullah]

I no bloody liar!

He liar! He say this not work!

Fletcher liar!

- No! Leave him alone!

- Nullah!

- Fletcher!

- [Nullah] I curse you!

Leave him alone! Leave him alone!

- Please!

- Run! Run! Run, Nullah! Run!

I curse you!

Leave him alone!

[Sarah]

Mr. Fletcher!

- Leave him alone!

- Mr. Fletcher!

- [Nullah Sobbing]

- [Sarah] Get off my property.

You no longer work for me.

- [Sobbing]

- [Neil] If I go, my men go with me.

There won't be a single bloody beast in the

stockyard to start the drove in the morning.

You heard what I said.

Get off my property!

- Yeah?

- Go!

Now!

You're the boss.

Flynn, get in the car.

I'll give you a new job somewhere else.

Bunchemup, grab the gear.

Pack it up.

I'll see you in Desperation Creek

in a few days.

Bloody old fool.

- [Truck Door Closes]

- [Engine Starts]

Carney's gonna get this property.

Been a pleasure working for ya.

Real pleasure.

Yeah.

- [Men Whistling]

- [Horn Honking]

[Men Shouting]

[Whistling Continues]

[Nullah Narrating] That strange woman-

she fire'em that Fletcher.

He can't hurt Mama no more.

From that day on,

we call her... Mrs. Boss.

Why would Fletcher block the water pump?

I don't know. All crazy.

- White fella, blackfella- all crazy.

- Crazy.

- [Knocks]

- [Sarah] Mr. Flynn.

- Milady.

- Don't get up.

[Door Closes]

The truth, Mr. Flynn.

This, uh, ledger...

which, um, Fletcher had me keep

for the benefit of your husband...

is a tale of decline and ruin...

redolent of the great Gibbon.

There is, however, another...

kept for the benefit...

- ## [Piano]

- of Mr. Carney...

in which is recorded

all the unbranded...

fat cattle...

- siphoned off across the river and into his herd.

- ## [Woman Singing Aria]

And the boy.

He's Fletcher's son, isn't he?

As with all things Fletcher,

it's impossible to prove anything.

Still, if Carney's good Christian wife...

ever comes to the same conclusion

as yourself...

Fletcher's chances of marrying

their daughter would be dashed.

I'm going to the authorities,

and I will be telling them-

- Carney is the authority here.

- Are you suggesting...

I let him steal my cattle and buy my property

for a fraction of what it's worth?

I'm suggesting that you continue

to do what your husband set out to do.

Drove.

Drove the cattle to Darwin.

- ## [Continues]

- Would you mind?

- [Door Closes]

- I need a drink.

My lady, drove.

Drove the cattle to Darwin,

sell them to the army...

and you'll break Carney's monopoly.

Use the profits to put Faraway Downs

back on its feet.

You go back to London.

You're sitting pretty

for the rest of your life.

That's what Maitland

said he was doing.

And there's no reason

why you can't do the same.

## [Continues]

[Whimpers, Exhales]

There is just one small problem.

Having dismissed Fletcher,

there's no one to muster the cattle.

[Rumbling]

[Horse Whinnies]

Hyah! Hyah!

[Nullah]

Flynn! Mrs. Boss!

It's the Drover!

[Whinnies]

Drover! Drover!

- [Whinnies]

- Hyah!

- [Whinnies]

- Hyah!

Yeah, Drover! Yeah!

Teach me how to

break them brumbies!

- See any boys in there?

- No.

Goolaj, go see if they're

out in the top paddock.

- Mr. Drover!

- Just get the bloody brumbies in there.

- I'll find out what the hell's going on.

- Teach me to break them horses.

- Fill the water trough, son.

- I need to speak to you!

Where the hell are

all the bloody stockmen, eh?

- That's what I need to speak to you about.

- Where's Fletcher?

- We disagreed, and I dismissed him.

- Dismissed?

- Yes.

- Wa- Hang on. What about the cattle?

Well, it beggars belief,

but as he was leaving...

he deliberately let the cows out of

the, uh- I don't know-whatever you call it...

and they ran off!

Damn! Do you realize, woman,

what you've done?

Mr. Drover, do not take that tone with me.

Thank you very much!

- Don't take that tone with you, huh?

- No.

I'm asking you, woman,

do you know what you've done?

I won't get another drove this late in the season.

You've cost me my living.

- Can't you just round them up?

- Round them up, huh? Oh, round them up. Yeah!

- Yes. You just go get them.

- 1,500 head of cattle-

Oh!

Scattered over a million acres

with just me and my two men.

That's a great idea. Stupid cow.

Mr. Drover,

I was right to dismiss Mr. Fletcher...

on moral grounds.

Moral grounds?

You're at that again, are ya?

Let me guess.

He wanted to, uh, exploit you, did he?

- Fancy you, did he?

- What?

Stop it. I -

Is there any man in this

world who doesn't fancy you?

- Please.

- Huh?

Mr. Fletcher is working for Mr. Carney.

They were pushing the best

of the unbranded cattle...

across the river

onto Mr. Carney's property.

They were stealing!

- There's no surprises there.

- No, he's a bad man.

All right, all right.

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