You are Leung Wei Shing?
I intend starting a Chinese print edition
to serve the Chinese population.
The seam is drying out.
We've been pushed out of the good claims.
- They won't. - ... and see we've been skimming the take.
I will be meeting our new surveyor to discuss his findings.
She's not afraid to take things to extremes. She's here for you.
Burn like this, can't let it dry out.
- How'd it happen? - Heat.
Patrick fuckin' Thomas is it now?
It's a white woman.
- There's been a woman murdered. - She's cut right open.
Where's she from? Does anyone know her?
What do you think will happen if the 'gwailou'
find a murdered white woman in Chinese clothes
Ah...
The wise man is one who knows what he doesn't know.
I think we might have something.
Scar face, red hair?
Our opium man says he has a match.
Where?
Mr Chen. Bang on time.
- Is this it? - Just came in from Melbourne.
Thought I'd give you the honours.
Chinese letters for the press.
Second-hand, but I was assured the problems were repairable.
Six shillings, week in advance.
Get him out of here!
You!
We have to find him and shut him up.
Maybe the 'gwailou' didn't see you.
He saw me.
- If he hasn't said anything... - I need to know who he is.
Scar up his face, ear missing, red hair.
Keep looking.
Dingoes, skinned and cut!
Watch it! Get out of the way!
Filthy Chow.
And here in these far-flung lands filled with savages,
and worse...
diseases
in which occur total cessation of all apparent function and vitality,
such as to give rise to the most calamitous of extremes
ever befallen to the lot of mere mortality.
To be buried alive.
The boundaries which divide life from death are shadowy and vague.
Who's to say where one ends...
... and the other begins?
But fear has no place for the forward-thinking.
Because today I bring, but for a small sum...
... the safety casket.
Watch out! Make way for the body.
Get back!
- It's the blacks! - Who else would do this?
Someone should arrest them!
Mr Shing.
An unexpected good fortune. Just who I was on my way to see.
- My luck is boundless. - A word.
I wanted to make sure our agreement from last night remains intact.
Extortion is the word, I believe.
- You have the text? - For what?
Your advertisement.
I haven't given it any thought.
A product, a service, public notice.
In London, there are publications where men advertise for wives.
"Snappy dresser, sense of humour."
You may have to embellish somewhat, increase your appeal.
No matter your plan, payment over 12 months is £52.
I'll pay by the week.
- I'd prefer a sizeable... - To bleed me dry, yes.
And exactly what tone of publication am I to be associated with?
The paper's going through a transitional phase.
But I thought a piece about last night's murder.
My understanding is it was quite brutal.
People like a mystery and some blood.
I don't see the shame in giving it to them.
So, if you'll excuse me...
... I have work to do.
Murder stories are the gutter press. Albert would never have allowed...
Albert's dead.
I think we can fix most.
Carve replacements for what's missing.
- It will take time. - Good.
I want a print run as soon as we can.
Week in advance.
I told you it's over here.
Watch this, yeah?
You know, takes an animal...
to cut a woman up.
How many animals around this camp can hold a knife?
Can you?
Bam!
Ha!
What is this?
You don't trust my numbers?
I wouldn't take it personally.
Next step is to check the accounts. You have a bookkeeper?
- My brother. - A brother?
Oh, and I was to meet our new surveyor, Yong, this morning.
He failed to attend.
His habit is to meet with the camp's bookkeeper upon arrival.
Yong might have trouble making this meeting.
- Being three feet under the ground. - I'll figure something out.
I have an idea. Meet me later. I'll deal with Sun.
I always want to see you, little brother. And English.
I don't need to practise.
I was thinking about what you said to me yesterday.
I should have more fun.
When was the last time we had a drink together? Huh?
You're always too busy.
A person can't change? I mean, we're in a new land.
We work enough here,
buy a house in Melbourne, start a business.
Cheung Lei wants to see the books. How are the accounts?
The numbers add up, if that's what you mean.
But it doesn't matter when she sees
how much gold we're actually getting out.
Talk to the men you trust. Tell them to work slower.
And keep the numbers down.
And if they won't?
Convince them.
Also...
she may ask whether you had told me where Yong was prospecting.
You should say no.
Why?
Well, he seems to have gone missing.
Nothing. And it's not your problem.
Mrs Albert Roberts, Ballarat Star. I'm here because of the growing...
Never heard of it.
It's new. I'm here because of the growing public interest
in the body that was found last night in the bush.
I wondered if I might look at the victim.
May I help, Mrs... ?
Roberts. Ballarat Star.
I see.
I'm Dr Grayson.
Well, I've only made a cursory examination so far.
Incision from the bottom of the sternum to the edge of the pelvic floor.
Blood already congealed, so it happened some time after death.
Bone fractures. Significant blow to the side of the skull.
A beating would be my guess, though an extreme one.
Who is she?
Some simpleton got herself into trouble, I can only assume.
Annie Thomas, actually.
Husband just confirmed.
Either way, she was out there a good day before being found.
- Husband didn't report her missing? - Maybe he didn't care.
Pretty one like that...
You'd think he'd be missing something.
- Have some respect. - Respect?
You know...
I've seen that top before.
Down at the George.
Husband or not, only women in that place is whores.
So mind your fat gob there, sweetheart.
This is your idea?
Dingoes.
Chinese surveyor on his own...
Things can go wrong. We need to frighten her.
- Never heard of them killing anybody. - Build a new camp.
Just make it look real and keep her far away from the seam.
Hattie...
- No fish today? - Dead lady from the other night.
- I remember. - Name's Annie.
- Husband's a digger. I know him. - Poor man.
- How is he? - Type not to mess with.
Her body was moved from the Chinese trail.
Don't suppose you'd know how that came about?
Can't understand why you'd think that.
Look on your face when she came in last night.
I appreciate you coming to me first,
but I'm not sure what you expect me to do...
White woman gets killed, fingers point to blacks.
There's blood coming.
White people aren't going to listen to me any more than you.
If there's proof...
- What proof? - Hoofprints.
Fresh from when she died. I followed them out past Blue Rock.
Only ones out that country are Aboriginals and outlaws.
He was an outlaw.
- I need to think. - Thinking's not doing!
I'll be at the river bend.
Do something, or I will.
Mr Shing!
Fine morning.
Apart from the... you know, horrific murder.
- I hope you have a suspect. - Not my job.
Husband, maybe.
Autopsy should tell them more. Time of death, weapon.
Well, I would certainly love to hear more, but, uh...
Of course.
Keep up the good work.
Weesel.
- What was in this spot? - Pleasant O'Quinn.
Gold thief.
Hmm.
You were right.
Your outlaw.
How do you know it's him?
One of my people saw him near the tracks around the time she died.
A white man murdered that woman.
That's where the blame needs to go.
- You said you wanted to do something. - I'm not killing anybody.
Neither of us would survive doing that, even an outlaw.
But a white man does it... that's a different story.
What white man?
The husband.
The type not to be messed with, you said.
Just needs someone to point him in the right direction.
I came here to help you.
Skin might be different,
but we are the same, you and me.
Both do what we have to for our people.
Right now...
... this is what it takes.
Not now, girl.
I know who it was killed your missus.
How?
I went out to where she died. Took a look about.
Hoofprints. Bullets in the trees.
Men who made those are ones who killed her.
Woman died the way she did...
... English will take their pound of flesh.
Blacks, Irish... doesn't matter.
Just takes someone to do what's right.
Then we do.
Been a while since I was out hunting outlaws.
How many men would you say you shot down in California?
- Seventeen's where we lost count. - Are you selling me a dog?
- Seventeen men? - That's right.
Have you come to learn much of the land during your stay?
I happen to have a keen interest
in native flora and fauna...
if you're also of a curious mind.
For example, right there,
what you're seeing is the 'Melia azedarach',
commonly known as white cedar.
It's reliable nourishment if you ever find yourself in a bind.
Or if you want to spend a week dying in a pool of your own shit.
- Shit your pants. - Fuck off.
No women in here. Except for a job.
What if I was?
Talk to Bertha.
Ooh. Tipping the velvet's extra, honey.
But you can have a Mother Goose.
Or a night pedal.
No, I wanted to know about a woman who may have been here.
Curly brown hair, might have had a yellow dress.
The one they found last night?
Rosie!
Woman they found. Came in to talk to you, wasn't it?
Who's asking?
If you're trying to get me soused, it ain't needed.
There's no secrets here. Well, except professional.
Annie worked here too?
Her? No.
Real romantic, that one.
Like want a poem read before she'd spread type.
Then how did you know her?
I'm printing it either way.
Just depends if your name's part of it or not.
Look, I only met her a couple of times.
Maybe a month ago.
She was seeing someone.
And from the way she talked, it was... someone that she loved.
But I never saw him here.
To be frank, woman never made a big impression.
Except, said that she was...
'enfant'.
Pregnant?
Figured I was the type to know what to do about it.
So I sent her to Grayson.
The doctor?
Much a lizard as a gent if I had to pin it down, but...
it's half a quid for a pennyroyal and it's better than any...
One dose, a little blood. Week later you're back in the saddle.
And she went to him?
Never came back.
Place looks dead to me.
Well, that there is a disappointment.
Shit!
My arse has turned blue.
There goes 18.
Oh! Come on!
Take cover!
Don't you run, girl!
- Throw me a gun! - Earle!
Let 'em come!
Come on, 18!
Where's Hattie?
She's that way!
I don't know, I don't know.
Ohh!
I think you got one!
Stop!
Agh, agh... agh!
I'm hit!
- I'm hit! - You okay?
Where? Where?
I don't know.
It certainly felt as if...
for a moment...
Where's Hattie?
I saw one of them go after her. That way.
Shit!
What'd you do that for?
God... oh, God!
Help me!
Hey, you got to help!
I wrote my ma.
Bought a claim
and... I was gonna...
I didn't mean to.
What?
She ran.
The woman?
Never hurt her.
She...
had a black with her.
Guide.
I clipped him. Then I saw the other one.
Who? Saw who?
Chinaman... Chinaman.
I... I wrote my ma.
Did I tell you?
Yeah, you told me.
You okay?
I got him.
I thought you didn't even know I had a brother.
My family were farmers.
We ran.
No burial.
Bodies left to rot in the field.
No reason. No lesson.
It must be nice to have a brother so close.
He spent most of his time in the north when he was young.
It was coming here
that gave us the chance to better know each other again.
And you?
A woman in your position...
There must be a story.
I have had to learn ways to be...
effective.
Just up here.
Something doesn't feel right.
I can see blood. Go see what else you can find.
It's safe.
Dingoes.
Mostly safe, but they're territorial.
Yong must have set up camp near one of their dens.
- Dingoes? - I've seen them take kangaroos.
- Anything? - Not even bones.
It occurs to me...
I must see to another matter on our return,
if you think we'll be safe.
That's why we're here.
To make sure you're safe.
- Mrs Roberts. - Sorry to barge in.
I had more questions about Annie Thomas.
I see.
I thought we could start
with some of your medical interests more generally.
You've come to the right place. I lecture professionally.
- And those? - Ah... the jars.
The early embryo.
Cow, sheep, turtle.
And, of course, human.
European, Negroid.
I've found celestial hard to procure.
All alike in the early stages.
In humans, you can see the gill slits,
your very living flesh,
once that of a fish.
As was mine.
In us all, the primal drives of the animal
eat...
breed...
kill.
And Annie Thomas?
Thought it odd this morning
that you wouldn't mention that you knew her previously.
I've never met the woman.
- She came to you for a service. - Our conversation's finished.
- I don't care about the legality, only... - We'll not be meeting again.
Good day.
You'll excuse the arrangement.
Better to be some distance from the camp.
What is this?
Death by a thousand cuts.
The key is where to start.
A finger?
Or a toe?
But then you can't go back to something smaller.
Imagine the shame.
The nose.
You can take 13 or 14 pieces
with some...
care.
Who is he?
Stole from us in Gold Mountain.
Thought coming here he would avoid punishment.
A headman, once.
Like yourself.
More charming, perhaps.
Smarter.
You asked before how it was to be a woman in my position
only child, and a daughter, no less.
Unnoticed, unseen, unwanted.
My father's concubine forced to care for the useless girl.
A chore they especially resented was to read me a bedtime story.
You know them?
All the same. Someone falls in love, but they have...
disguised themselves to be something they're not.
Afraid to show their true self in case they are... rejected.
For a long time, I found myself not being seen for what I was.
It was... unpleasant.
I will not ask again.
So, if I may go...
You are the headman.
It's not weak, you know.
What?
To feel bad over doing what you did.
To that boy.
People die. Nothing new.
Cry now and there'd be no time left in a day.
What are you out here for?
Why aren't you with your people?
Don't have any.
I come from Lutruwita.
Mother from there.
Father a whitefella. Sealer.
Raped her. That's how I came.
Later she had my brothers.
Gone now.
Bunjil wanted me to live.
That's what my mother would say.
Rest of that mob...
Like I said...
people die, nothing new.
I'm not even sure it's special anymore.
You wanted to know about my arm.
We had our little girl two year after I got in.
Evelyn, we called her.
Hair like Annie's, even when she was born.
Took slow to walking, but she could talk.
Died when the diggers were striking against the crown.
Fire got started.
Tents set close.
She was screaming.
I tried to get her out.
There was a man,
one of the leaders...
The fire was his fault.
So I hurt him.
Bad.
His friends called us traitors.
So we ran.
Took different names.
Other things don't change so easy.
I saw that little girl in Annie every single day.
Her face, her hair...
the way she talked.
Came a time I couldn't look at her.
Couldn't listen.
And now...
Never thought I'd miss pain.
So you hold on to that hurt you got inside you there.
Over that boy and what you did.
It means the bastards haven't turned you into one of them.
Custom we have is to ask before we enter people's house.
Wasn't them. Those kids we killed.
It was. I was with one when he died.
Said there was more to it.
- Said he saw a Chinaman. - A dying man can lie, too.
That was in her things.
"To Annie, with all my love."
Just wanted to let you know, since we're looking out for one another.
So alike and all.
How did it go?
Good! See, all it takes is motivation.
When you put your mind to something, then everything can be...
I just, uh...
I still need to review the books one more time.
- Synced and corrected by chamallow - - www.addic7ed.com -