Chapter 33

“I don’t want any drunk rapists!”

“That’s fairly explicit,” said Sam. “And I guess that you had an ... uh ... unpleasant encounter.”

“I screamed when Steve grabbed my arm. Tim stopped him.”

“She speaks truth,” added Frogmouth. “He is one of our topers.”

“We’ll have no drinkers here!” Jos exclaimed.

“Drink is not evil,” said Osprey. “Only excess is evil: over-eating, over drinking.”

“Well,” said Sam. “Let’s say we’ll exclude the known drunks. What about the general idea?”

“I like the idea of some new folks. I want to begin a family. And so do others, too. But not too many. Two dozen sounds OK to me. But make sure they work! No freeloaders!”

“Does that mean no aunties?” Wallaby asked.

“Hell, no! Aunties work. They show gins how to do things.”

“They take care of the babies!”

“Where will they live?” came a voice.

“We’ll build some new stuff.”

“I’ll work it out,” Zeke said. “I’ll help with layouts and with buildin’ stuff. Don’ want that drongo messin’ ‘bout with buildin’ permits!” There was scattered laughter.

“And I’ll supply the dosh for materials,” said Sam. “What do you say, Jos?”

“A dozen can come from Galjiba soon. We are under an hour from the spring. Masked Owl must return to Bathurst Island and speak with the Tiwi. Then a dozen will come here. How will that be?”

“Bunjil will arrange. It cannot cost much.”

“Perimeter Aviation has a Fairchild 12-seater in Darwin.”

“For charter?”

“That is what they do.”

“How long will you require to select your dozen and get them ready?”

“Two weeks. Maybe three.”

“Let us say a month from when you return to your island.”

Masked Owl nodded. “How can I pay you?”

“Pay the pilot here.”

“Kununurra airport?”

“Exactly.”

“Phone me when to get there.”

While they were talking there had been several questions, largely concerning the gender distribution of the immigrants.

“You will know many from Galjiba,” Boobook said. “You have been there to swim. In a few months, you will know none of the Tiwi. But as they come from afar, none of you is related to any of them. So neither they nor you need worry as to maternity.”

Masked Owl looked over the group – perhaps 100 people. “This has been a good meeting. With twice as many it will become more than twice as hard.”

“Yes. When I was at university a professor said that problems at a meeting were related to the square of the number of participants, not the number of attendees.”

“That is clever. Most at a meeting aren’t participants.”

“Jos is about to end this. I will take you to the airport tomorrow.”

“Air North at 15:00.”

“We should leave here after noon.”

They nodded to one another and Owl wandered off to find Ruth and Deborah. Sam shook his head.