Nancy gazed out the window. ‘Yeah, well, we’ve got a choice. Get rid of more sheep — a bloodline that goes right back to old Drinkwater himself, and Matilda too — or see the ground become really compacted. It’s not just lack of feed. This country wasn’t made for too many sheep’s feet, and sheep shouldn’t be crowded on a single paddock for years at a time. But if we keep them moving, it’ll be okay. They can put on weight with the silage each time we get back here, then get moving for a while again. Not good for them to be penned too long.’

And you will still be on your country, thought Jed, the land you love, the land you know. ‘So you won’t be far away?’

‘No. We’ll come back and stay in the house for a few days now and then, check it’s okay, light the fires to keep the chimneys clear and drive out the damp. Let the boys know their home is still there.’

Jed watched her, then finally asked the question she had never dared put before, partly because she was frightened of the answer, partly in case Nancy might have to admit she did not have an answer. And Nancy always did have answers . . .

‘How bad is it going to get?’

How long could gum trees brown off, but still come back? What if the pools dried up completely, and the Gibber’s Creek reservoir? They would have to bring water down from Sydney or from Canberra to fill the tanks. But they wouldn’t leave. Like Nancy, Jed would not leave this land now . . .

‘I don’t know. Worse than this, I think, but not for as long as the Federation drought. I can’t be sure. But the trees are leafless, not dying. They haven’t given up. That means there’ll be rain again.’ She managed a smile. ‘People give up more easily than trees. Some people anyway. And some trees. Sorry, I’m too tired to make sense.’

‘You’ve been spending too much time with us at the hospital,’ said Jed, guilt stricken.

‘No, it’s not that. Didn’t have much else to do till now.’ Nancy didn’t even try to smile this time. ‘We only made the decision yesterday. Could you check the house for me every few days and give us a hand when we bring the sheep back?’

‘Of course. Nancy, are you going to be okay?’ For Nancy needed to be at Overflow with a depth almost impossible to understand.

‘You know, I’m pretty sure I will be. It’s not as though I’m leaving the land around here, just camping out in it for a while. In fact, I’m going to be even better. I still have dreams,’ she admitted. ‘Including bad ones.’

‘Me too.’