Emily Gap, east of Alice Springs, an ancient ceremonial site of the Aranda Aborigines.
SILVER
© by J. (Max) March, Carnarvon, West Australia.
Skinny, three score and ten,
A gut of cast iron and muscles of wire.
Silver had seen it all come and go,
From iron to copper and tin.
But lead and silver was his thing.
He prospected the far outback;
Dead Finish, Soldiers Secret,
Top Camp and Wyloo.
And always insisted a mate
Is not known until you’ve eaten a bag of flour;
Just him and you alone.
He had a way with dynamite,
Dig a hole and blow it out,
Check the rubble and walls,
And blow it out again.
I came to his camp by chance this day,
He showed me the silver a rich black seam
About sixteen feet down, the best he said he’d ever found.
We boiled the billy and had a yarn, then back to work he went.
Down the ladder with all he needed,
Dynamite caps and fuses, and a rope
To pull the jack hammer out.
I watched him drill and load each hole,
With dynamite cap and fuse.
Six holes he loaded
And tied the fuse in a knot.
He tied the rope to the jack hammer and stood
With a box of matches in his bony hands.
I called Silver,
“Hell! You’re not going to light them
While you’re still down the hole?”
He looked up at me with a barb-wire grin,
“Maybe it’s not the way its done
But I’ve let loose a ton
Of this stuff – but don’t do the same
Unless you’ve been a long time in the game;
Now stand back, I’m ready to fire.”
I backed off then I heard
The ladder snap
A voice came up
“Bloody hell, my back’s cracked.”
I rushed to the shaft,
“Silver, grab the rope
And I’ll pull you out!”
“Listen mate, I can’t move
A leg or arm, my backs broke.”
The fuses were away and smoking.
“Silver, will water put
The bloody things out?
How long have we got
Before you’re blown out?”
“Six or eight minutes
Should be about the time!”
I rushed to the camp, grabbed the jerry of water
And leant over the shaft
“Silver, I’ll turn the tap on,
And if you can see where the water’s going
Direct me to move the flow;
Give it to me North South East or West,
I’ll get you out of this jam.”
“You’ve got about three minutes –
Then pull back while I go to hell!”
“Go to hell Silver; I’m staying here
Until this jerry can’s empty.”
“North, and North another two inches –
Okay you’re right on it –
The fuses spluttered and went out.
Silver yelled out, “Hey mate,
From here where I’m laying
I can see a new lead of silver ore!”
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