We Travelled By Night

Without Prejudice

We travelled by night. The days were too hot and relief came only in the shade of some gum trees that had a canopy of leaves and cockatoos. Approaching the tree of white still cover, no matter how stealthily, would cause the cockatoos, en masse, to flutter upwards in panic. A cloud of white and yellow sulphur crest beating their wings against the sky. A delight to watch, an element of beauty in an otherwise ugly landscape.

We were terrified he and the men would come after us. On horseback. This time would not be just a beating with sticks. We soothed the children and allowed them to doze in the stultifying heat under the cool tree. A creek lay a few feet off and I felt like rolling my entire body in the cool mud. It was a creek in the wet but now in the middle of Summer it had slowed to a trickle. A mini water fall chattered over small rocks and we gathered the surprisingly cold water and doused ourselves with handfuls of it.