Rabbit and Horrie decided to take turns watching over Sadie that night. But they soon learned that trying to sleep was useless. They both sat by Sadie’s side all during the night. If she was hot, they applied a damp cloth to her forehead. If she was cold, they covered her with a blanket. I think they might have said a prayer or two, also. Dale sent out word to his people of what had happened to Sadie. Sometime during the night, the ngangkari showed up. The nganghari cure illnesses through healing rituals that may involve magic. He used his mapanpa by singing a healing song and massaging her scalp. Just about daybreak, Sadie opened her eyes and they were clear. I hate to say this but what she saw was two rough, tough as nails , take care of any situation men crying. “I had the weirdest dreams,” she said. “I dreamed that we went with Lewis and Clark on their expedition. I dreamed that we went to another planet and saved the citizens.” “There were other dreams but I can’t recall them.” “My leg is a bit sore but I think I can stand with a little help.” “I sure am hungry, guys. What's for brekkie?”
"Good to see you are much better this morning missus. Dont like blowing my own trumpet but my sucking out some of the poison sure helped you. You did mention that to the quack Horrie. May have helped in his diagnosis." With this Rabbit set up the fire to make Sadie the biggest damper she could eat.
I told Dr Sturgis all we did Rabbit and he said we did well so kudos to us. Those anti-venom shots are not cheap but really worth it if one's life in danger. By the way, another bid came in this morning for our mining claim at $300k which is wonderful. Let's take today off to make sure our Sadie is fully recovered. Thanks for the Damper, it's lovely.
Sadie ate her fill of the delicious damper then lay down to rest for a while. She dozed off and on for the rest of the day. Horrie and Rabbit did busy work that they didn't usually have time to do. Dale and his friends camped nearby just in case they were needed. The next morning, her leg was much improved. “Let’s go fossicking!” she said. So away we went. The first couple of hours proved fruitless. Then Rabbit’s metal detector started clicking loudly. “Look,” he said, “I see something that looks like rust.” Rabbit and Horrie quickly got their picks and started digging.
Wow! Things are looking up with this offer and the missus recovering. As Rabbit continued the detector buzzed louder. His heart jumped. Could the rust color be gold.. if not he hoped nickel instead. He and Horrie dug franticly and soon hit the rust colored object.....
Horrie poured water over the rock to clean the red dust off it. It was a big gold nugget which Sadie confirmed. 'Crikey' said Horrie 'that's a big one!'
'That's a good sign there's more gold here abouts. Well found Rabbit, it was a bit deep but the Wombat II metal detectors give us an advantage from times past, even recent. Let's keep looking about this area for a while, eh? I'll note this spot with my satellite phone's gps.' Walking along metal detecting looking for gold nuggets Horrie rambles on about Nickel. "You both know of course that our huge state of remote Western Australia has most of the country's Nickel and Nickel mines. Five big mines like the Murrin Murrin mine east of Leonora far out in desert country. Nickel mines are scattered all over the state so deposits could well be found anywhere, even this remote place 3 days drive back to the bitumen. Perhaps signs in the fractured cliffs on the breakaways showing layers of strata like that breakaway over there? Fancy a wander over there Sadie with your trained eye? What does your nose say Rabbit? Can you smell Nickel? We can detect for Gold as we go. Even like this big one I drove past 5 months ago near Payne's Find," says Horrie showing this pic on his smart phone. How's this one of our combined kitchen/dining area? See also the breakway in the background? They're all over the place and dangerous to climb with their loose rock and gravel.
Rabbit's got gold fever. Horrie do we lay a claim for my find or explore further. I'd prefer we did it pronto.. save anyone else doing it ahead of us. Those breakaways look just the ticket for some good old fashioned fossicking. Let's go find us some more of the glittering stuff. Missus are you now well and able to join us.. as we need you, being a rock expert.......
I think we need to explore further for gold Rabbit, but Sadie's the expert in that regard. Likewise in looking for Nickel, she's the expert knowing the signs to look for. That nugget you found is worth about $30k I guess by its weight. Nuggets are worth more in their natural state than melting them down.
Let's thoroughly cover this area looking for nuggets. I want to find one bigger than Rabbit's. After we do that, we can look for nickel deposits. Y'all will have to take the lead on that as I have no actual experience in that area. Book learning will only help so much.
Then missus I will find one bigger than yours, said Rabbit with a cheeky chuckle and we will all be rich and even richer when we sell the claim. Rabbit has gold fever.. chuckles again........
As the day wore on we started finding more gold nuggets which involved lots of digging as the new detectors kept picking up ones that were buried a bit deep. Sadie did find a biggish one just a bit smaller than Rabbit's but had a lovely shape to it. Horrie wasn't so lucky but found a fair few of small and medium sized nuggets.
So another long, hardworking day has come to an end. We have a respectable amount of gold to show for our efforts. I didn’t find a nugget bigger than Rabbit’s but I’m happy with what I found. After all, we are going to share and share alike, aren’t we? As the sun sank slowly in the west, we sat around the campfire and talked about our plans for tomorrow. Will we go look for nickel? Sounds good to me.
Yes we are missus. Tho I have mostly fossicked alone in the past, this is now a partnership so we divvy up the findings in an equal way. Gotta say I have enjoyed doing it with others now I am older and not as fit as I was... Also enjoying our growing bounty. Horrie have you contacted the people re claims as I am getting worried someone will bloody well gazump us...
Around the campfire Rabbit regaled his new friends with another of his bush yarns. ‘It concerns a fellow by the name of Hamilton who lived along the western line of NSW. If someone gets too excited in an argument his opponent will say ‘Hold on Hamilton’! And this story is sort of the origin of that saying. There’s also another saying ‘Mean as hungry Tyson’ that refers to a historical character called Harry Tyson, a multi-millionaire cattle station owner. Now Tyson was as mean as a cut snake. I s’pose you have to be if you’re gonna be a millionaire. He was so mean he wouldn’t even let his dog drink out of a mirage. Hamilton was a very handsome feller; he was a bit Tom Jonesy, a bit loutish, a bit of a fancy boy, certainly did with the girls. But he fell on hard times so took to the road for work. While humping his bluey through a Harry Tyson property he called in at the homestead and asked, ‘Do you want any horse-breaking done?’ So Tyson said, ‘No, I have Abos to do me horse breaking. Don’t have to pay ‘em much’. He said, ‘D’you want any shearing done?’ He said, ‘No, I’ve Japanese to do the shearing’. So Hamilton said, ‘Have you got any rabbitting?’ ‘Cos he noticed an awful lot of rabbits about the place. Rabbits were so thick on Tyson’s place ‘cos he hadn’t hired any rabbiters for years. The rabbiters told Hamilton on his way that rabbitting on Tyson’s place you had to put your hand in the burrow and pull some rabbits up before you could get your ferrets in. Anyway, Hamilton said, ‘Have you got any rabbitting?’ Well, Tyson looked at him and said, ‘How much?’ ‘Well,’ said Hamilton, ‘I’ll tell you what, I‘ll clear your rabbits for ten pounds a paddock’. Well, of course, that was ridiculous, ‘cos Tyson’s paddocks were huge, and he knew it was six months work, but still he could never resist a bargain like that. So he said, ‘All right, I’ll try you for one paddock. But only for one, mind you’. So Hamilton said, ‘Yeah, all right’. So early next morning Hamilton harnessed a horse, got up on the sulky with a crowbar, a shovel and some traps, and set off for Tyson’s back paddock. He come back lunchtime, he said, ‘Well, your paddock’s clear, boss, I want me ten pounds’. So Tyson thought that’s bloody impossible. He went driving out to see what it was like. He went to his back paddock. No sign of a rabbit anywhere, not a trace.'