Red Dog: True Blue Page #2

---

you come with me

to the northern plateau.

What about me?

You look for the loose chickens.

Who's gonna drive?

I won again!

Hello.

Where did you come from?

OK, OK, don't worry.

I'll get you down.

Oh, you're a mess.

Do you have a name? No?

I'm gonna call you Blue.

Because you're blue.

Blue! You're red!

You're red!

I have a good feeling about us.

I think we're gonna be

best mates.

Shhh.

Where'd you put him?

I know you're not asleep.

You even know whose that is?

He's nobody's dog, Grandad.

I found him. His name's Blue.

Looks more red to me.

His name is Blue,

his colour is red.

- That makes sense to you'?

- Yes.

He's from Gujarala.

Durack's cousin's visiting

from Wyndham.

The pup's from his b*tch.

I'll talk to him.

Thank you! Thank you, sir.

On one condition.

Dogs don't sleep in the house.

Where's my bloody shaving cream?

Oi! Oi!

Mad!

Nah, that's

strychnine poisoning.

Plain as day, Jimmy.

Are you a vet now?

No, but I bloody well know

strychnine poisoning

when I see it.

- Could be rabies.

- Don't think so.

Look at the foam on his mouth.

Marlunghu.

A What?

That fella,

he's a trickster marlunghu.

He is.

OK, come on, boy. Come on!

Honey, hi

Mmm, honey, ho

Well, how are you?

You alright

Babe, I can fix you up

Well, come on,

let's see what we can do... r

There you go.

Would you like some jam

with that? It's the melon one.

Whoa, boy! That was fast.

You know,

if we could figure out a way

to make money from fast eating,

we could get mighty rich.

Ready?

Don't be a scaredy-cat.

It's probably like

all the other caves.

Nothing big, nothing scary.

You see this, Blue?

You go first.

OK.

I'll go first.

No big deal.

Blue, you gotta get in here

and see this.

It's amazing.

We can use this as a hide-out.

We'll be the Ned Kelly

of the Pilbara.

I'll be Ned, that is.

And you'll be my best mate,

Joe Byrne,

scourge of the North West.

We'll bury our gold in here

and have orgies.

It's an awful snug place

for orgies, I reckon.

Not exactly sure what they are,

but I know all true robbers...

Jeez!

Don't do that!

What's that?

What is it, Blue?

Let's get out of here!

That was scary, Blue.

You're late.

Sorry about that.

Can you keep a secret?

Only me and Blue know.

Well, I can keep a secret

if a dog can.

He doesn't like

to be called that.

A dog?

We found a cave

in Gregory's Rock.

That's not a place

for whitefellas.

- You know it?

- Of course I know it.

That's Mukkine's Cave.

Only Bunaga men go there.

Manguny place, that is.

Dreamtime.

How do you know it's Dreamtime?

'Cause I've been there.

On Walkabout.

Is walking about hard?

I mean, all that walking...

Don't be daft. I didn't walk.

I took me ute.

Well, did you notice anything

strange in the cave?

What did you see?

There was a white stone

in the pool.

I tried to get it,

but Blue started barking

at something fierce,

something I couldn't see.

What?

That's not very good.

What do you know of Mukkine?

Nothing.

Mukkine was a great ngarluma,

a magic man.

Many years ago,

he shot this humbug constable

who chained all of Mukkine's

mob by their necks

and pegged them to this tree.

Mukkine shot him dead.

Plenty of coppers came from

all over just to kill Mukkine.

But Mukkine made fools

of all of those coppers.

They needed a blackfella

to track a blackfella,

and they got one.

Parker Knight from Roebourne.

Parker Knight, he shot Mukkine,

but you can't kill a Maban man

unless you take his spirit.

So as Mukkine lay bleeding,

he put his spirit

into that water,

into Yirramala pool,

in that cave.

That's what Blue saw

and was barking at.

Mukkine's spirit.

I tell you true.

That white stone

that you found in the pool,

that's Mukkine's stone.

That holds his power.

A weapon, it is.

He points that thing at you

and you die. Cursed.

And now that he knows you,

he might take his stone

and he'll come looking.

Why would he come

looking for me?

- You stole his land.

- I didn't steal nothing.

Your family, Mr Hudson, you

whitefellas take everything.

I don't want no spirit

coming after me and Blue.

You're gonna need a token

for protection.

This is it.

Very strong magic, this one.

What's in the tin?

His name's Ted.

He's our pet.

Blue has a pet?

Well, yeah.

- Trade.

- Done.

Yahoooo!

Crazy wadjbala bloke.

On, yeah!

18-10.

We skipped the light fandango

Turned cartwheels

cross the floor...

I was feeling

kinda seasick...

The crowd called out for...

Would you shut up?!

The room was humming

harder...

What do you think you're doing?!

He won't shut up.

When I sing, he won't shut up.

Must be the dumbest dog

I've ever met.

Hey, what are you talking

about? He's smarter than me.

That's not a recommendation.

Can he do any tricks?

Can he sit?

He's already sitting.

No, like sit down,

shake hands, roll over.

No? Nothing?

What about play dead?

Can he play dead?

Hey. Hey, Blue.

Can you be dead?

We'll start off with

a few of the easy ones

to shut him up.

Like sit. You know how to sit.

Everybody knows how to sit.

Ready, set, sit.

OK, OK. You probably don't

understand the process.

I give a command, you perform

it. That's what a trick is.

I'll show you how it works.

You give me a command

and then I'll do it.

Then we can switch places. OK?

Go ahead. Give a command.

See? Easy. Try something else.

Jimmy! Another plate.

We're going to be having

company.

Michael, this is Mr Hancock.

Ah.

So, you're Cate's boy?

- Yes, sir.

- Yeah.

Well, I remember your mum

when she was

no more than, Oh, yea high.

She had the prettiest smile.

Comb your hair.

Oh. Allowing dogs

in the house now?

Oh, Blue has privileges.

You're getting soft.

Mr Hancock here

is up at Mulga Downs.

When he's up at Mulga Downs,

which isn't so much these days,

he has other,

more important interests.

What are your other

interests, sir?

Allow me.

Now, that -

that is the future of this land.

Not that mob of wild shorthorns

in the bush out yonder.

Your grandpa thinks

he's a futurist

'cause he got rid of his horses

and now he musters with

motorbikes and helicopters.

But I call a spade a spade,

and you can't make a spade

without that there.

- What is it'?

- Iron ore.

We have iron ore

on the property, Grandpa?

Not enough.

But if you go

180 miles thataway,

they're building the biggest

mine on the planet,

Mount Tom Price.

And then they're gonna run

the railroad

straight through

your grandpa's property

to get to Dampier.

- Is that good?

- No.

Isn't it our land?

I can't stop it.

Not if it's in the public's

bloody interest.

- You could sell it.

- Ha!

Taylor Pete said

it isn't even our land.

Taylor Pete?

This is our land.

I have the deed to prove it.

But it was their land.

Haven't you got

anything stronger

to go with this tucker, Ronald?

Take your meal into your room.

Yes, sir.

I've neglected

the boy's education.

Oh, he'd be off to school

in the big smoke

soon enough, wouldn't he?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes