The Ghosts of August, page 10
‘You must hide,’ Solomon said. ‘They kill you.’
It was then that Ben finally recognised the hopeless situation he was in. Alone, deep in German territory without local support he would not survive for long. He would likely die either from a Mauser bullet or simply of hunger or malaria.
As if sensing Ben’s despair Solomon said, ‘Jacob will help you. He a good man and hate Germans who took our land.’ Ben turned to see Jacob hovering in the doorway of the hut. He was grateful for this lifeline, but his concern now was for Caroline’s fate; had she been arrested for aiding him – or worse?
No matter the odds against him, it was time for Ben to wage war on the German island of Neu-Pommern.
ELEVEN
Ben and Jacob retreated to the inland hills to seek sanctuary. As a Tolai man, Jacob was more easily able to move about and seek supplies from sympathetic villagers.
With little other than his rifle and a limited supply of bullets, Ben knew he was not in a position to engage in a firefight with the armed native police if they came in strength for him, and his only forlorn hope was that his government might have a plan to attack Rabaul. Ben would spend his nights gazing at the starry sky, wondering where Caroline was at that very moment. His greatest desire was to survive and find her.
The days passed. Ben had grown a small beard which itched, but shaving was not an option as he had run out of razor blades. His whole body was covered in tropical sores and insect bites, and he had lost weight.
One night, after they’d eaten a meal of sticky sago porridge that Jacob had prepared, Ben noticed that Jacob was squatting by the fire, gazing at the small flames. Ben could see that he was concerned about something.
‘What worries you, old chap?’ Ben asked, returning the bolt to his rifle after lightly oiling it.
‘I think I bugger up,’ Jacob replied. ‘There was a chief who warned me that a man in the village has a brother in the native police. He tells me that there is a reward for your capture.’
Ben experienced a chill, but he was not surprised. Betrayal was something he knew might occur. ‘What do you think?’ Ben asked, and Jacob shrugged his shoulders. He was only armed with a machete and no match against the German Mauser rifles. Ben hoped that if they had been betrayed, the police would have difficulty finding them in the rugged terrain.
Ben was wrong.
*
Josiah, Marian and David were invited to a Sunday lunch with their eldest daughter and sister, Judith, and her husband, Dr Maurice Cohen, a well-respected surgeon who practised in the prestigious surgeries of Macquarie Street. Judith’s children were staying with her sister, Rose, and her husband for the day.
Josiah always felt a twinge of guilt when he was with his devout daughter, as he was not a frequent visitor to their synagogue. He had at least ensured his two boys had their bar mitzvah when they were younger. The pressure of managing the family enterprises kept him busy but he kept his conscience free with generous donations to the local Jewish community.
David was wearing his army uniform. Josiah knew he had been assigned to a newly formed unit, the Australian Naval and Expeditionary Force. But the talk at the lunch focused on Ben, as nothing had been heard of him since Sam had been forced to sail from Rabaul many weeks earlier. Josiah attempted to reassure his family that he thought Ben would be safe and unharmed; at worst, he might be a prisoner of the Germans, but as a civilian, he should be in no danger. The Germans appeared to respect the rules governing war.
‘But what of the stories we are hearing of the German atrocities in Belgium?’ Judith asked.
‘I am sure the stories are exaggerated,’ Josiah replied. ‘It is the way of war to demonise our opponents.’ His explanation did not seem to reassure his daughter, who frowned.
It was Maurice who changed the subject. He was a balding man in his mid-thirties who wore spectacles. Maurice was always known to Josiah as his quieter son-in-law, but Josiah knew this had much to do with his studious nature. Josiah always thought that Maurice would have made a good rabbi. ‘What is this new unit you are with?’ Maurice asked David.
‘I am afraid it is all a bit hush-hush,’ David replied, pausing in lifting his spoon of delicious soup.
‘I understand,’ Maurice replied. ‘I suppose I will know more when I get my uniform.’
A stunned silence followed, and all eyes went to Maurice at the end of the table.
‘Maurice, what are you talking about?’ Judith exploded. ‘What uniform?’
Without looking at his wife Maurice replied, ‘I have been accepted as a surgeon in the Australian army, and I will be reporting to Victoria Barracks next week.’
An expression of horror crossed Judith’s face. ‘But you have a thriving practice and a family,’ she said. ‘You did not discuss this with me. You would desert us?’
‘I knew that it would be useless to attempt to convince you why I feel it is my duty to enlist for King and Country. I have organised for my partner in the practice to continue while I am away. It was not an easy decision – I am fully aware of my responsibilities to you and our children – but it appears the war will be over soon, and then I will return to you all.’
Josiah was stunned by his shy son-in-law’s decision but understood why he had taken it. The army would need every medical practitioner they could get hold of in the event of a modern war, and surgeons most of all. He also knew that Maurice had been correct in not discussing the decision with Judith, as she was a very strong woman and the real ruler of her family. Maybe Maurice had taken a giant step in asserting himself, Josiah mused.
Judith immediately pushed her chair away from the table and stormed out of their dining room, leaving a silence behind. Marian put down her napkin, excused herself and hurried after her daughter.
It was David who spoke first. ‘Morrie, welcome to the army. We truly appreciate your sacrifice.’
Maurice nodded his head, but Josiah could see he was a troubled man. Josiah knew that when they all departed, Maurice would have to face his wife, and Josiah was glad that they would not be there for the confrontation.
When Marian returned, she addressed Maurice sitting forlornly at the end of the table. ‘I think that we should depart, as I suspect you will need to sort things out in the family before you report for duty.’ Her declaration was issued in a cold voice. It was obvious whose side she was on.
Maurice nodded grimly as the others stood, and David walked over to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. ‘The army will look after you and you will be back home before you know it.’
Josiah knew this was a feeble promise, but hoped it would comfort Maurice. Then Josiah glanced at David, who he alone knew would likely be involved in the action being planned to defend Australian interests in the Pacific in the coming weeks.
It was a gloomy, silent drive in Josiah’s automobile back to the Steele mansion. Josiah suspected that he was about to be given a very stern talking to by Marian.
*
The jungle had become a green hell for Ben. Day in and day out all he knew was the forest and scrub around him. He greatly appreciated the company of Jacob when he returned from his forays to fetch food. But being separated from Caroline was agony, and not knowing where she was – or what fate may have befallen her – was worse still. At times he would climb to the top of a ridge or climb a tree to give him a view of the sea just a relatively short distance from his hide-out, only to view a blue emptiness. Despair was a creeping disease that sapped the body and soul, and it grew ever worse when after the five weeks he had counted since the outbreak of war it appeared no one was coming to his rescue.
In the sixth week Ben’s despair hit its lowest point. Jacob was two days overdue to return to their camp. Ben could only conclude that something had happened and that he would probably never see the young man again. He looked at his rifle leaning against a tree, and for a fleeting moment he had a dark thought that he quickly shook off. No, if he was going to die, he would leave the shelter of the hills and return to the plantation where, if the police came again, he would stand and fight until he was taken down by a bullet.
Ben gathered his meagre kit, slung his rifle over his shoulder and took a deep breath to reassure himself. He was going down to confront the Germans and go out fighting. After all, it was the sacrifice any soldier knew he could face on the battlefield. In the shadow of the great trees, Ben set out on his final mission, fully aware that the odds were stacked against him.
*
It was a beautiful late spring day when Lieutenant David Steele stood at the front of his platoon at the Moore Park showgrounds. Military bands stood ready with their drums and trumpets, and the contingent of approximately six thousand soldiers and sailors of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force prepared to step off to the cheers of the civilian population who had gathered to farewell them for overseas service in the name of King and Country. They were not bound for Europe but for the Pacific, in defence of Australia’s east coast and Pacific interests.
The order was issued and the men, arms sloped with gleaming, long bayonets attached to their rifles, stepped off with heads held high under slouch hats. They swung into leafy Randwick Road and marched until they reached Oxford Street, which was lined with shops and two-storeyed office buildings. People crowded the footpaths, cheering and sometimes dashing into the parade to place miniature Union Jack and Australian flags in the barrels of the soldiers’ rifles. Men wearing straw boater hats and ladies in long dresses roared their acknowledgement to the proud young men who had been selected for active service overseas. They would show the people of Australia and England that they were more than a match for the dastardly Germans, who some now referred to as Huns after the invasion of Belgium.
From Oxford Street they marched down College Street, passing St Mary’s Cathedral, and then along Macquarie Street, where David made a point of glancing up at his brother-in-law’s medical suite. He was cheered to see Maurice and Judith peering down at the parade.
David could hear the crowd singing ‘Advance Australia Fair’ and also ‘God Save the King’ with enthusiasm, and felt a surge of pride. As the echo of six thousand pairs of hobnailed boots striking the hard surface of the city streets rang out, David looked ahead to their final destination at Fort Macquarie, where he knew his family planned to be.
*
Marian and Josiah stood side by side as the parade passed by them. When they saw David at the head of his men, Marian gasped. He looked so dashing, and yet she knew that he was marching to war. For Josiah, the sight of the military parade brought a rush of memories from the time when he too had marched along the same streets to embark for the Sudan. Only the uniforms and rifles had changed since then; the faces were the same, those of young men anticipating an adventure and confident in their ability to fight. The idea of being maimed or killed was far from their thoughts.
‘Will we have the opportunity to personally farewell our dear boy?’ Marian asked.
Josiah shook his head. ‘We made our farewells yesterday at Moore Park,’ he replied as more columns of soldiers and sailors marched past them to the beat of the military bands. ‘They will begin embarking from Circular Quay to travel to Cockatoo Island, where their troop transport, the Berrima, will take them aboard. If we go home now, we will be able to view the ship from our garden as she steams for the Heads. I am sure David will be at the railings to seek out his home.’
Marian agreed, and with some difficulty they extracted themselves from the packed crowds and made their way back to Josiah’s automobile.
*
Aboard the troop ship David ensured that his men were allocated their assigned accommodation before granting them leave to go to the ship’s railings. Within minutes he could see his home overlooking the harbour and the two tiny specks he knew were his parents. He waved, but most of the soldiers manning the rails were also waving to the little boats and yachts following in the ship’s wake, so David knew it was doubtful that his parents would be able to pick him out. He felt glad that he had seen them, though, and waved anyway.
Then, as the sun began to descend behind the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney, the ship passed between the twin headlands and steered north into the rough swell of the Tasman Sea. Soon they would be joined by the mighty battle cruisers HMAS Australia and HMAS Melbourne, as well as other smaller warships and even a submarine, AE1, to provide protection against any German warships stationed in the Pacific Islands. David had been briefed that they would rendezvous just off New Guinea.
That evening David mingled with the naval and army officers in their designated mess area where the atmosphere was jovial, with just the slightest undercurrent of unexpressed fear for what might greet them when they landed on the German island of Neu-Pommern.
TWELVE
It was obvious that Caroline’s plantation was no longer functioning as a commercial interest when Ben arrived in the early morning. The once-manicured lawns were overgrown and the workers seemed to have disappeared.
With the rifle in his hands, Ben moved cautiously as he approached the main house and walked up the stairs. Once inside he could see that the house had been looted and guessed that the departing workers had helped themselves to cooking utensils, bedding and anything that might fetch a price at their local markets. But the looters had not attempted to destroy any property, and even a paper calendar remained on the wall in the kitchen. Needless to say, all foodstuffs were gone from the kitchen.
Ben examined the calendar, and from his careful recording of the days and weeks that had passed he could see that it was most probably around the 11th or 12th of September in the year 1914. He reflected that if he was right, it was his sister Rose’s birthday. She would be around twenty-five, he thought.
A movement in the house alerted Ben to the fact that he was not alone, and he brought the rifle up to his waist. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he strained to locate where he had heard what he thought were muffled footsteps.
Ben moved silently to the kitchen door to peer down the hallway.
‘God almighty!’ Ben swore when he saw Jacob walking towards him. Startled at the sight of Ben and his rifle, the young man froze.
‘Don’t shoot, masta!’ he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
Ben lowered the rifle and walked towards the frightened man.
‘Sorry, Jacob,’ he said. ‘What has happened here?’
‘Government take the mistress away and tell workers a German man will come to take over managing them soon.’
‘Where did they take the mistress?’ Ben asked.
‘To Rabaul, and put her on a boat to go to a place called Samoa. That is all I know.’
Samoa. Ben knew that was also part of the German empire in the Pacific and was relieved to at least have some idea where Caroline might be. But this knowledge did not help his present situation. He was starving and relatively weak from his weeks hiding in the jungle. When he glanced in a broken mirror left by the looters, he saw a wild man looking back, with a scraggly beard and long hair. He hardly recognised himself.
‘You did not return,’ Ben said gently. ‘I thought something might have happened to you.’
‘Police came and it was too dangerous. I was told by a man of the village they were watching me and would follow me. I am sorry, masta,’ Jacob replied. ‘But I have food for us.’
‘Good man,’ Ben said, slapping the Tolai man on the shoulder.
‘I will fetch, and we eat.’ Jacob smiled.
He hurried away, leaving Ben to roam the house, where he found a bath with water in it, as well as a bar of soap that had been overlooked by the looters. So, a German manager was to take over, Ben mused as he used his hunting knife to cut away his beard and then rummaged through his kitbag for his cutthroat razor. With water and soap he shaved away the stubble, using the broken mirror he had found to guide his hand. There was little he could do about his long hair for the moment. Stripping off his tattered shirt and long trousers, Ben immersed himself in the tub of tepid water, washing himself with the recovered soap, and for a moment he let himself relax.
‘Masta!’
Ben sat bolt upright in the bathtub. The urgency in Jacob’s cry from the yard was obvious. Ben quickly dried himself and dressed in his well-worn trousers and shirt, and snatched up his battered broad-brimmed hat and rifle. Joining him, Jacob said breathlessly, ‘German man and five police come. They are almost here.’
Ben grabbed his kitbag, which contained his spare rifle rounds, and cautiously stepped onto the veranda, facing the track from Rabaul. Sure enough, he spotted a portly man on a horse escorted by five native police break into the open about two hundred yards away. The men appeared relaxed and blithely unaware of Ben’s presence.
Ducking back inside the house, Ben knew he must make a quick decision. The German on the horse was dressed in civilian clothes and Ben guessed he must be the new administrator that Jacob had mentioned. But the native police were armed and in uniform. Ben now felt better for his attempts to clean himself but he was still ravenous.
So: fight or flee? Ben remembered his desperate oath to himself back on the ridge, that he would fight to the death, hoping his stand might eventually be known to his family. He now knew that Caroline was relatively safe. What he could not know was that the New Zealand army and navy had peacefully captured the German territory of Samoa almost two weeks earlier, when the German governor, realising that his meagre defence force was no match for the overwhelming force of New Zealanders, had surrendered without resistance.
Jacob was staring at Ben with the unspoken question: What do we do?
