Arthur Upfield - The Bone is Pointed

Now Malluc walked round and round his patient, stepping absurdly high, alternately stretching out a hand towards Bony and then jerking it smartly to himself. Meanwhile he recited in the Kalchut language:

“I am the medicine man of the Kalchut Nation.

“I am the great healer of the Kalchut Nation.

“I am the master of all good magic, and no evil magic can touch me.

“I am the child ofTatuchi andMaliche, the all powerful ones who dwell in the sky, who never were born, who never can die. They came down upon the earth. They saw Malluc, of the Kalchut Nation, and they said they would make Malluc of the Kalchut Nation a great medicine man. They took me into the bush and killed me with a magic spear. They cut me open and took out my insides and threw them away. They each took from their inside enough to give me new insides, and before they joined me together they putAtnongara stones among my new insides so that I could project them into the bodies of sick people.” (Meaning to inject an anti-toxin.)

“So hear me, you little bones and you eagle’s claws.

“I take you out from the insides of him who lies sick on the ground.

“No use for you to run about his insides like fish looking for a hole in the ground. I suck you out. Iunsing you of the evil magic sung into you.

“I see you, little bones and eagle’s claws.

“I am the medicine man of the Kalchut Nation.

“Like water running down a gully bag magic runs from me.”

Suddenly Malluc ceased his prancing walk and arm jerking, and he fell upon his knees beside Bony and rolled him over on to his chest. He then applied his mouth to the small of Bony’s back and began vigorously to suck. For many minutes this sucking continued, until venting a gurgling cry, Malluc sprang to his feet, went to Bony’s head, and stooped, forcing Bony to look at him. And Bony saw him spit to the ground a small, pointed bone.

At the end of a full hour’s sucking Malluc had “drawn from Bony’s insides” six little bones and two eagle’s claws, and, having rolled Bony upon his left side the better to observe, he pushed the bones and the claws on to a piece of bark with his nose stick. Then, taking the bark and stick some way away, he dug a hole with the stick and carefully buried the bark and the bones and the eagle’s claws. That done, he pushed the stick into position through his nose.

Thus was the show completed.

Smiling triumphantly, Malluc returned to his patient.

“Yougoodoh, bimeby,” he assured Bony. “No little bones and eagle’s claws in your insides now. You drink blackfellermed’cine, and bimeby, one-two days, you walkaboutgoodoh.”

Fetching the steaming brew in the billycan, he squatted beside his patient and again assured him of certain return to health and strength. Now and then he blew upon the grey liquid in the billy, often testing the temperature with a finger. Satisfied at last, he offered the billy to his patient, saying:

“You drink-em-down.”

Bony obeyed. The warm, thick liquid coursed down his gullet, entered his stomach. There it began to radiate a softly glowing heat. Bony could feel the heat creeping all about his “insides,” creeping upward to his shoulders and down his arms to his hands, downward into his legs to reach the toes. Malluc squatted over him, watching. The glow brought sweat bubbles to Bony’s face and arms and legs. It was so delicious that Bony sighed often with sheer ecstasy. And then Malluc lifted him nearer the fire, and entered the tent to bring out his day clothes and dress him in them.

Malluc remained with his patient a further two hours, leaving only when assured that Bony could stand and walk, albeit falteringly.

“Yougoodoh now,” he said, immensely pleased with himself and his patient. Bony held out his hands and Malluc took them, gripped them lightly, and then began to spoil everything by donning the old suit of dungarees. He turned, when on his horse, and waved a cheerful farewell.

Bony trembled with weakness and yet wanted to shout aloud that he was freed of the pointing bone.

Blake arrived at the camp about noon. His worry concerning Bony was accentuated by the delay of Superintendent Browne’s arrival, a delay caused by a forced landing near Windorah. His mind, however, was relieved to a great degree when he saw a decided improvement in Bony. Having heard the car approaching Bony had the tea billy on the fire.

“Well, how are things to-day?” asked the sergeant when, escorted by the excited dogs, he carried his tucker box from car to tree shade.

“I am feeling much better, Sergeant,” replied Bony. “I awoke this morning conscious of a change. And then, I have been receiving medical attention.”

“Good! Dr Linden come to see you?”

“No, Dr Malluc, M.O. K.”

“Malluc! What do the initials stand for?”

“Medical Officer to the Kalchut. He performed a surgical operation on me and was able to remove from my insides, as he called my-er, insides, six pointed bones and two eagle’s claws.”

“And you feel better, eh?”

“I feel much better. The pains have left me and my mind is freed of the dreadful depression. Of course, I am excessively weak. I am like a man up from a sick bed where he has been lying for six months. I think to-day that I could drink tea.”

“What about a pint of meat extract? Do you more good than tea. Then I’ve brought a chicken and fresh bread, and butter kept hard with wet cloths.”

“Yes, the meat extract, now, and perhaps a little slice of bread and butter.”

During the meal Blake craftily watched Bony, and was delighted when it became evident that the sickness really had been conquered.

“What’s behind Dr Malluc’s visit, d’you think?” he asked.

Without comment, Bony gave him Gordon’s letter, and then he described the visit of the Kalchut medicine man.

“Gordon, in his letter, refers to my illness as the Barcoo sickness,” Bony pointed out. “But Malluc tells me that little bones and eagle’s claws were darting about in my insides like blackfish, and he then produces six little bones and two eagle’s claws to prove it. He knew, therefore, before he came what was wrong with me and he provided himself with the claws and the bones.”

“It looks as though Gordon didn’t know of the boning.”

“I believe that he did not.”

“And yet you think Gordon was mixed up in Anderson’s-”

Bony was sitting on his petrol case, and now he leaned forward to stare at Blake.

“Let us assume a hypothetical case,” he said. “You know Gordon, and you knew Anderson. Supposing Gordon slew Anderson in self-defence, when Anderson was striving to tie him to a tree and flog him as Inky Boy was flogged, what would you do?”

“Seek a warrant for his arrest on a charge of manslaughter.”

“Exactly. And why would you do that?”

“It would be my duty.”

“Again, exactly. You are the senior police-officer stationed at Opal Town. But, Blake, I am no longer an inspector attached to the Criminal Investigation Branch. Therefore, in such a case, I might not act as you would act in duty bound. Now then, let us assume that you were retired from the Force, and then learned the facts of our hypothetical case, what would you do, knowing Gordon and having known Anderson?”

“We’re getting into deep water, don’t you think?” Blake prevaricated.

“By no means-as yet. What about my question?”

“I might do nothing about it,” answered Blake, after further hesitation.

“I think there would be no might about it, Blake. I have for some time been thinking that a little good has come forth from what Colonel Spendor calls the sack. As a member of the Police Force I should be bound to maintain the machinery of the law set in motion by Old Lacy when he wrote his letters to the Chief Commissioner. As an ordinary citizen I can commit a merely minor sin against society by declining to set the machinery of the law in motion. In its way the law is a fearful thing. Once its machinery is started there is no stopping the machine. As you would be bound to maintain the machinery in running order, I shall confide in you no further. When we are old, and should we meet, I will then relate the details of this case. What you know of it will permit you to guess with some accuracy those details which I am withholding from you.”