Little Lost Girl

rocks and water in this sheltered bay, combined with wisps of smoke from headlands on the north side of the harbour, was his first real view of this strange land. To the east

r pilot directed them around the headland to a s

a warm day to come. His home, in Barnyards village, Scotland, would be damp and misty on a day like today, but some of his heart yearned for its comfortable familiarity. Hi

tled for space to tie up on these crowded wharves. Extending from shore was a forest of masts an

some houses, newly built. As he watched a small boat headed out from that shore and rowed steadily across the gap, before disappearing around th

lated the view across the sparking water. It was so different from work in his poor country village in Sc

parents in their small hillside cottage. Not much future there. Still he missed the small grave for John, little Archibald's twin brother. They had dug

tiated for a man with a cart to haul his furniture, tools

to the town. He found a boarding house with a spare room in George Stre

ter England and Scotland, yet there were crowds pushing along George Street, and lots of redcoat soldiers and

ee levels, to little more than timber hovels, particularly on the side streets. Gradually he came towards Semi-Circular Quay, where

l trying to make a life for themselves and seeking their own advantage. Everything seemed to cost a lot, but it was definit

he water for four months. They loaded their luggage onto a cart and were

d them and wrote their

, aged 27, Black Smith, Pres

, Dressmaker, Presbyter

aged four and Ar

ost saturnine, man and his pretty, fair haired wife, with the sunlight smile,

use while Archibald went off, needing to look for

ctions on a scrap of paper and walked the half mile there. Sure enough, anyone who could work metal was wanted, lots

d he would like to go to church on Sun

ian Church then. I will see you there on Sunday morning and introduce you to the other

th his Scottish brogue and manner; a grizzled man, now moving into his fifties, with years of hard living starting to sh

town, but his years in the forge in Barnyards had given him stamina and a capacity for hard work. Often he was last to leave, his prid

gest, a boy around Archibald's age, had disappeared on a voyage five years ago. So it felt like they were adopted as a new set of children, with James and Archibald Junior as favourite grandchildren, spoiled and their antics much love

he Engineering Works, but Sydney Town was crowded and good places were hard to fi

broached the subject. "Have you made

ng hours of work, it would be hard to move too far away. Still, it was getting hard to live with an exuberant two and four year old in two small rooms and there was no place for children to play in

ater in that new suburb they call Balmain. We know ye don't have the money yet, but we know you will soon, the way you

dvance you the money to buy a block of land over there. You can pay me back from your wages over the next yea

busily in the kitchen. He came quietly up behind her and put his arms around her waist. She ju

usy, are they for our breakfast?" he

ese are for lunch. Yesterday, while you were at work, Mary and I made plans for a picni

oat waiting. James and Archibald Junior perched on the front, Tom a

boys, at this, their first outing away from Sydney Town and on a r

Balmain. Until now it had been only a distant grey-green rocky shore and a name. For a minute, after they pushed off, he and Tom bent their backs to the oars.

ng and said, "Rest up a second, Arch

ng into a view of masts and sheds, with the land rising up behind them to the town. Ahead was a low scrubby peninsula of land, Balmain. It was a place wit

re you can see that fine house and the gun battery, that's Dawes Point; on the other side of it is Semi-Circular Quay and th

started work on a new town centre about a mile back. There is a rough cart track from the wharf going up there but now the convicts are building a better road. It must be hard going f

h to withstand a wild winter storm. They left the wharf and went in single file up the path. It was a narrow way, winding between gaps

ir home was winter; grey rain, heather covered hills swathed in mists which swept up from the firth, and hard frost

es and dead grass. Prickling them on the path were sharp grasses, spiky twisted leaves and odd shaped twiste

arvelled at every new discovery, the ants and beetles on the path, bright feathered birds called parrots which swept through the trees with a raucous squawk. H

n the late morning heat. A raucous laughing sound erupted from high above in the trees

o each other in that strange laughing sound. Soon it will be so familiar you will barely notice. They are great birds for killing snakes; that is something you will have to watch out for in this hot weather with the two lads.

e novices. As they reached the crest of the path there was a sudden thump-thump in front. Running alongside the path, heading across a cleari

while little Arch and James s

around here, mostly kangaroos live further out, on the other sid

and others with pegs to mark boundaries. Tom led them east, along the ridge, where the best view across the water to Syd

should be nearby. Soon Tom found a peg in the ground, showing the corner of one. It was level ground with a low

and took his hand. "Isn't this

I thought you might like, sheltered just behind the ridge and with a great view from t

es of wonder. "Do you think we could buy one of these? It is beautiful; I love the way the lig

himself say. "Well, I think that is what Tom here is saying, that these ones are for sale and he will stand us the money

ion as they came rushing over pointing. "Da, D

led light of the bushes at the edge of the clearing. Then his eyes clicked into sharp focus. There was a huge lizard, more than a yard

nes really like them to eat, especially when they are good and fat like this one. Now that most

From where they sat at the edge of the ridge they could watch the boats come from Cockle Bay around the poin

till morning. "Ah, " said Tom, "the blessed relief of that first breath of the afternoon sea breeze. Norma

"Well, what do you think? Do yo

their debt. It cut against his Scottish ways to take what he had not already earned. But

o tiny you could hold one in each of your palms. One hopped over, standing next to him. It looked up, surveyed him intently with tiny eyes and bobbed its head three times, as if saying this was a good place for

own house. In fact, when we have a quiet day, I could get a few of the boys to come over to help. I reckon if we all get to it we will soon have something bu

Vey came in, "Well, right then, it's all settled. Not that you said yes, too proud f

do was stumble

kitchen and wash house out the back, and a shaded verandah at the side, where they could sit and look across the water to the windmills on Millers Point. It se

king aloud. "Perhaps I will grow some pink and yellow roses to ramble over the outside, a bit of the