And he was Clancy of the Overflow. One day he’d go back there, because it was his country, the very heart of him, even if he needed to be away from it now, till his memories seeped away some more. One day Rose would find a young drover, a good man who’d save his money, buy a farm, maybe wherever the McKenzies ended up, unless they died in the saddle, somewhere Rose would have company, a house of her own, children and acceptance without the memories of her slavery.

Clancy of the Overflow loved her, but he could offer her none of those things. And surely she could never love a man who’d kept her imprisoned. And yet she’d saved him anyway, the man who watched her lying on a mattress on the floor with a manacle on her ankle and done nothing — nothing — to help her. Who had not even realised she had a need, no, a right to be free until that moment when she had freed herself.

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Drop Scones (pikelets)

Mix 9oz SR flour or plain flour with a little wood ash water, 2 eggs, 13fl oz buttermilk

Heat a pan; grease with butter. Make sure the pan is HOT before you add the butter. Pour in spoonfuls. Turn over and brown on the other side when bubbles appear on the top. The bottom should be brown. If it’s black, lift the pan further off the heat; if it’s still pale lower the pan so it’s hotter.

Fried pies: add the pie filling after you have poured in the batter. Top with a little more batter just before you flip them over. Good fillings: stewed or thinly sliced apple, peach, apricot, sweetened pumpkin or cold meat chopped fine with onion.

CHARTERS TOWERS, QUEENSLAND, 1886

ROSE

They eventually took the mob as far as Charters Towers, stopping for months when they found good feed and water, even doubling back the way they’d come sometimes, going as slowly as they could so the animals could eat and fatten on the way. The other two drives Rose had known had been much faster, but green was even more precious now, and McKenzie wouldn’t move on while there was pick for the beasts and water. They’d had summer rain this far north, not much, but enough to make property owners hope it would continue. Cattle prices should be good, especially for fat cattle, though how good they wouldn’t know till the sale.

They made camp about ten miles out, or so McKenzie thought, close enough to walk the mob in without exhausting them, far enough away for folks not to bother them. It wasn’t much of a creek, but drovers before them had carved out a pool. Once again they took small mobs down to drink.