Bacon and fresh tomatoes wont last long. So we will need to do some more shopping soon. For a change tomorrow I am going to make you two one of Rabbit's famous dampers with a special ingredient I use to give it that sweet yet unique taste other dampers dont....
Rabbit, I have a battery powered cold esky in which I keep certain foods like my bacon and steaks. I also have many tins of food and dried food like pasta and beans.... We should be fine for food for ages, even cold beer.
Rabbit, there's a lot of high tech gear on my 4wd I'd be happy to show you anytime. Sadie's got some of that gear too. Crikey, I've even got a 10kg Lithium Battery I charge up with my petrol generator. Lithium is the new gold too I reckon. Here, I've got a piece to show you. This is it isn't it Sadie? But this is what we're after. Gold nuggets. A nicely shaped one is worth more. Anyway, time we got going. There's Gold in them there hills.
That's purty stuff, Horrie. I have a solar charger for my camper. It works very well in this sunny part of the world. Well, we didn't find anything of value from that dig. Maybe we'll have better luck on down the road. Head'em up, move'em out!
Sadie, your solar powered battery looks amazing. Think I'll get one too soon! So off we go again winding our way towards the area I'm hopeful about. Mid morning we stop for a cuppa and we see some smoke rising up not too far ahead. "Doubt it's a wild fire" said Horrie, more like a camp fire." Next thing we see some 3 raggedy looking Aboriginie males walking towards us, two carrying rifles and the young one wearing an Eagles' football jumper.
"All this hi tech fancy stuff of today. You two dont know what it means to ruff it. I could bake my damper in the camp stove but I prefer to do it the way our forefathers did . in the ashes of an open fire. Neither of you have asked me what the secret ingredient is for Rabbits damper".. An hour later Rabbit produced a bulky golden brown damper that the three of us tucked into washed down with a mug of hot billy tea. "So Rabbit what is your secret ingredient as it sure tastes delish," said a satisfied Sadie. "Bout time someone asked. I add a dash of meleuluca honey in place of sugar". Rabbit looked up as the three indigenous males walked towards them. "Quick Horrie the rifles... these abbos dont look all that friendly."
"It's ok Rabbit, I know them, they're good lads from the local Wajarri people." says Horrie who calls out to them "Hiya Lads, how's ya going? Barndi? Hey little Lionel, sorry about your Eagle's AFL footy team being so weak and useless! Still can't catch a trick, eh" The two young bucks shoulder their rifles and smile widely as little Lionel retorts. "You're the little one Mr Horace Littleproud. You must be so Proud to be so Little!" at which point the three Aboriginals burst out laughing. Horrie then introduces Sadie and Rabbit to young Lionel, Ernie and Dale and offer them each a cup of very sweet tea and to keep the sugar bag. Horrie even gives a new football to young Lionel and soon it's being kicked about with Lionel standing next to Horrie showing he's now taller than him gesturing. Back to the second cup of very sweet tea and 2 chilled packets of chocolate biscuits chatter starts:
I'll make you fellars one of my famous dampers if you intend staying. Your ancestors introduced the hot ashes concept for cooking a damper. We whites only copied the process, adding one or two differences. Mine has a special ingredient that I dont know whether you people use or not... meleuluca honey. I picked up this from an old mate from Broken Hill years ago. He made his own honey concoction from the Meleuluca sap whereas I use a commercially processed bottle these days. Before Lionel, Dale and Ernie left they thanked Rabbit for the damper, saying it was "so fluffy and tasted great" and that they will be using M. honey in their dampers when they go on their annual walkabout....
Whilst chatting to the three Aboriginies they told us that they were out hunting for a Kangaroo to take home to their little tribe about 10km from here. No luck so far. They did mention though that they'd seen a small 4wd yesterday hereabouts. Dale reckoned it was headed south like us. Ernie gave Sadie an Aura Spirit Quartz on a leather thong. "That's for good luck Missus." Dale thanked Rabbit for the lovely damper and recipe. "Got any of that meleuluca honey spare?" he asked with a big smile. "Swap ya for some dried witchetty grubs." Horrie gave them some more supplies when they left wishing them luck hunting.
That damper was scrumpididdyumptious, Rabbit. And you said you couldn’t cook! I thanked Ernie for my Aura Spirit Quartz. I’ll always treasure it. It’s heart shaped, too. I collect heart shaped rocks. Now let’s load up and travel on down the road.
For the first time since they headed off on their adventure two days previously the three prospectors encountered no drama. But they did find the first semi precious metal. Silver/mineral stones....
That evening after pasta mince with melted cheese was being washed down with a cold tinnie for the blokes and a white wine for Sadie, Rabbit was again in a story telling mood so he regaled us with the tale of the Speeway, some say a mythical sheep station 'back o' Burke' or 'west of the sunset' a bloody long way from civilization anyway says Rabbit. On the Speewah crows fly backwards to keep the dust out of their eyes, dust storms are so thick that rabbits dig warrens in them, and the station cook needs a motorbike to ride around his kitchen. Crooked Mick, who would eat two sheep for lunch and pick his teeth with small trees, lived on the Speewah and is the hero of many of the Speewah tales.....
Now that's a tall story Rabbit. Very entertaining! So on we pressed with only rough outlines of old overgrown tracks. My Bull Bar flattened the bush growths but it looked like the track had been used recently making lighter work for my 4wd. There was also a freshly broken side mirror ripped off by a tree. By mid afternoon we got to the old moonish landscape dotted with numerous old mine shafts all close together. "Fancy checking out this old area with our metal detectors for any missed nuggets? Even climbing down a few of those shafts to see what the old timers may have missed, or more safely just detecting their tailings around each shaft. Don't fall in though, some are deep. Best stay in radio contact or close. This one looks really deep.
I have stayed away from abandoned mine shafts ever since I was almost crushed to death once. So will leave that for you Horrie. I will help you in any way I can..
Rabbit is a good yarner as well as a good cook. Yes, let's go over the area with our detectors. Maybe we will get lucky. I kinda agree with Rabbit about going down the shafts, though. Horrie, you go first and if you make it back, I'll go with you next time. Just as long as I can see some daylight. If you don't make it back, who do you want your things sent to?