Loveday.
Oh, Nora, whatlotsof sheep! And the hills, how beautiful they are. The air is as clear as crystal and the sky seems so big.
Gordon.
You notice that? Isn’t the sky the same size in England, Miss Loveday?
Loveday.
No! The sky in England seems closer down on us than it is here. Our sky, even when it is blue, is as though all the smoke from all the chimneys had got on to it and weighed it down a bit.
Gordon.
Everything is big here; and mostly beautiful. It makes big ideas come into one’s head to be so solitary on these wide hills. Big ideas hover but they won’t settle down into words, so one doesn’t know clearly what they are.
Loveday.
(Smiling encouragingly.) What are they about, the big ideas?
Gordon.
Well, of course at present, about the war. The war is so huge one needs to be away from it, like we are here, to see how big it is.
Loveday.
Yes. I felt that on the voyage out, passing over those miles and miles of clean, shining blue sea. I’d worked my hardest in a tiny corner till I had broken down, in London you know, but I didn’t realise what I had been working at till I was far away on the sea. Then I began to ache and ache to find some way of doing more for it than I had done. (Whimsically.) And as I am on the sick list I seem able to do nothing at all.
Gordon.
But youhavedone something. I’ve done nothing yet.
Loveday.
“Your sheep——.”
Gordon.
(Smiling.) Wool and mutton are useful, I help produce those, but I must do more, Robert and I will both do more when we see clearly what we ought to do.
Loveday.
That’s a Briton’s attitude.
Gordon.
I’ve thought of joining an Expeditionary Force, but they haven’t called for us yet—and, anyway, I don’t know if thatisthe best one can do—to leave all these sheep we are raising, you know. Theyareneeded.
(The beautiful note of the bell bird is heard calling through the wood.)
Loveday.
(Clasping her hands.) What is that? Oh, what is that lovely note?
RobertandGordon.
(Together.) That is the bell bird.
Loveday.
Is it wild?
Nora.
Of course, it is quite common.
Loveday.
How clear and sweet! It is the voice of New Zealand herself, calling to her sisters all over the world, to wake, wake and sing the triumphal song of the Empire. That song will cross the waves in a thousandhearts and echo in the very centre of our lands.
Nora.
Don’t be a romantic goose, Loveday. The bell bird is as common as thrushes are in England.
Loveday.
You have so much beauty around you, has it become common to you?
Robert.
Of course not, only we don’t say much about it. You at home don’t pour out poetry over every thrush that sits on a haw-hedge.
Loveday.
I would if I could! (Smiling.) But I’ll try not to make you think metoogreat a goose. This beautiful country has gone to my head perhaps. Everything here seems perfect!
(Noises without of an arrival on horseback, shepherds’ voices, dogs barking, etc.
RobertandGordonlook over their shoulders and exchange a knowing grin.)
Robert.
I think I hear the voice ofonein perfection!
(Enter John Varlie.He is a florid man, with rather bulging eyes, a clean shaven face, with a noticeable but small triangular scar on the right cheek, one eyelid slightly more closed than the other. He wears American clothes and speaks with a strong American accent. He is accompanied by the shepherds and dogs.)
Varlie.
Waal, boys! Here we are again. I have just delivered your new shearing gear down at your homestead and they told me down in the valley I should strike your trail up here, so I flicked up my grey mare to keep you from feelin’ lonesome without me.
Robert.
(Amiably.) Halloo, Varlie. We aren’t lonesome to-day.
Varlie.
(Looking from one to the other.) The ladies! I just can’t quit now though Iguess I’m as little wanted as a bug in a blanket.
Robert.
Not a wet blanket anyway.
Gordon.
You’re welcome. We’ll show you off. Miss Loveday Lewisham is fresh out from home and wants to see all the native sights. Miss Loveday, this is Mr. John Varlie, the universal provider. A regular conjurer who wafts the appliances of civilisation into our rude wilderness.
Varlie.
Miss Lewisham, I’m proud to make your acquaintance. Say, cut that Hyde. I’m no conjurer. I’m a plain business man, and only doing what any other business man could do if he had the brains.
Robert.
That’s it. It takes a Yankee to think of selling the goods we want in this part of the British Empire.
Loveday.
What do you want?
Varlie.
(Slapping his leg.) What I’ve got here, Miss Lewisham.
Nora.
(A little spitefully.) I often thought you used your brains to make them think they wanted to buy what you wanted to sell.
Varlie.
Aw—come now, Miss Nora. You’re real cute, but you don’t think I could monkey with British brains?
Nora.
(Lightly.) Well, the British brains inmyneighbourhood are not fair game for you. (Looks atRobert.) They don’t know what they ought to want (looks atGordon) or they want what they can’t get.
Varlie.
Well, they all ought to havethis! (Produces sample tin opener from his pocket. TheShepherdslook eagerly on.) Is there a tin of food stuff around? Sure-ly?
Roto.
Here you are, Boss.
(Runs to the shelter and returns with one.)
Varlie.
Now this tin opener won’t only save your breath, but it’ll let the recording angel have a holiday. See that? (Has slit the tin round rapidly and easily.) Can you beat that with any tin opener you ever set eyes on?
1st Shep.
Noa. That’ll be a useful kind—if they all work as easy.
2nd Shep.
Aye.
Gordon.
Bully for you.
Varlie.
How many will you take? You chaps ought to have one each. And the ladies! There will be a day when the ladies are alone to get the supper, none of you handy Herculeses around. With this opener, getting the supper is as easy as smiling. Now then! Only sixpence each. Finest American non-rusting steel.
Nora.
Fancy wasting your time with such a trifle, Mr. Varlie.
Varlie.
Don’t fret. I ain’t wastin’ my time. I came around your homestead with the big dump of machinery. And I am like the elephant’s trunk, calculated to pull up a tree or pick up a pin. (Laughter.) I’m picking up more than you think, maybe.
Loveday.
(Smiling and counting the people.) One, two, three, why there are six of us, if we have one each all round! You don’t mean to tell me that you have six tin openers in your pocket?
Varlie.
Yep. ’N I’ve got a pack horse over there with sixty on it, and sixty dozen in Dunedin, and sixty thousand where they came from! Now, you’ll have one, Miss?
Loveday.
Yes, I will.
Varlie.
Bully. Andyou—
(Gordontakes it half laughing.)
Gordon.
All right.
Varlie.
Andyou—
Robert.
Not I. My jack knife has a claw that’s good enough for me.
Varlie.
Now, Mr. Hyde, just let me....
(LeadsRobertaside and tries to persuade him. Meanwhile there is a clatter without as of several horses arriving. ARecruiting Officerand two or threeYoung Men, all in khakiENTERas if just from horseback after a long ride.
Varliesteps aside whispering with1st Shepherd.)
Re. Off.
Hey, lads. They told me I should find a covey of you here. Fine! I’m glad we struck your camp. Whew! We’re dead thirsty! Have you got any tea?
Gordon.
Sure. Those kettles are boiling. We’ll have tea in a jiffy.
Robert.
Where are you going?
Re. Off.
Zig-zagging cross country to the outlying stations.
(Varlieaside, whispering with1st Shepherd. The word “Germany” is overheard.)
1st Shep.
(Indignantly.) Are you askin’ who around here sympathises with Germany?
Varlie.
(Annoyed.) No, no, you fool! You ain’t got me square! (Shuts up note-book with a snap and turns away.)
1st Shep.
Are you square?
Varlie.
(Tipping him.) Here’s to prove it. (TheShepherdtakes the money, but looks rather distrustfully atVarlie. They separate.)
Nora.
(ToRecruiting Officer.) My! But you look fine! That’s the first khaki we’ve seen round here.
Re. Off.
It’ll not be the last, Miss. Khaki breeds khaki.
Roto.
(Chuckles. Suddenly, toRobert.) He is the colour of a rabbit, Boss, that’s why.
Robert.
Shut up, you fool. This is serious.
Loveday.
(Laughs.) Rabbits? (She looks mischievously atRobert.)
Gordon.
Sit down and have tea first, and then tell us all about it.
Re. Off.
Thanks. (To hisMen.) You may sit down too, lads. We’ve ridden hard. But first water the horses.
(One of hisMENgoes out with pails, assisted byRoto. Splashing and champing sounds are heard. In a few minutesTHEYreturn and sit with the rest.)
Robert.
Are you recruiting?
Re. Off.
You’ve hit it, my lad. (Takes off his hat and wipes his forehead.)
Nora.
Let’s see your hat. It is smart.
Re. Off.
(Flattered, passes it.) There, miss.
(Noraleans over toLovedayand they examine it together.Noratakes off her own and coquettishly tries it on, catchesRobert’seye, he smiles and looks away; catchesGordon’seye, he gazes admiringly at her, she tosses her head and takes the hat off. Mugs of tea are handed round, the men drink thirstily.)
Varlie.
(Remaining, eagerly listening, leans over toRecruiting Officer.) Say, stranger, are you getting along well with your job?
Re. Off.
(Keenly.) And who are you?
Varlie.
Waal, I guess it can’t be hard for you to lay your finger on the name of my country.
Re. Off.
I asked you.
Varlie.
I’m an Amurrican.
Re. Off.
Passports all right?
Varlie.
(Affecting laziness, drawing them out.) I should say.
(Recruiting Officerexamines them, looks at him keenly, and passes them back.)
Robert.
He’sall right, Officer! We have had him around the station many a time.
Nora.
He’s the only man with brains enough to sell us the things we want.
Robert.
He has brains enough to sell us the things wedon’twant.
Re. Off.
Brains are always suspicious.
Robert.
Oh, I say! That’s beingtooBritish!He’sall right.Somestraight men have brains.
Gordon.
And lots of straight men are muddled headed enough to think that wasting peoples time making a lot of truck nobody wants is good for trade.
Re. Off.
Pardon. This tea’s good. Have you more, Missy?
Nora.
As much asyouwant—Officer! Is that what I should call you?
Re. Off.
That’ll do for me fine, Missy.
Nora.
Fill up the kettle, Roto.
Re. Off.
Now my men. ’tenshun. (All three rise.) We’ll have our meeting.
(Rotoreturns, and he and theShepherdscrowd eagerly behind the others listening.)
Loveday.
But we seem like friends now, are you going to give us a formal speech?
Re. Off.
When we speak of our King and Country we stand up to it like men, Miss.
Loveday.
Thensodo we.
(She springs up. All rise and stand round theRecruiting Officerwho is flanked by his own men.)
Re. Off.
God Save the King.
All.
God Save the King.
(A fleeting sneer is seen onVarlie’sface, but he shouts louder than any.)
Re. Off.
(Oratorically.) We have lived in New Zealand, some for years, some of us all our lives, and we know what New Zealand means to us. And most of us also know the Old Dart, know her and love her.
Several.
Hear, hear!
Loveday.
(Whispering.) The Old Dart, what’s that?
Robert.
(Smiling down on her.) That’s England, Great Britain, our pet name for the Old Country.
Re. Off.
Now the Old Dart’s in trouble, fighting for her life—and, my lads, it’s not only her life, it’sourlife, too, she’s fighting for. Like a mother fightin’ for her young. And, she’s not only fightin for her young, which is us, she is fightin’ for the world! for decency, and truth, for liberty.
All.
(Increasingly enthusiastic.) Hear, hear! That’s right. Bravo.
Re. Off.
She’s fightin’ for liberty, fightin’ so that promises shall be kept between nations as decent men keep ’em between each other.
(A murmur of assent.)
You know if your neighbours were all the time to lie to you over everything they promised to do, you would never be able to keep going with them. Like a man, you’d have to up and show ’em what’s what. And that’s what the Old Dart is doing, and it is a big fight. But it is going on in Europe, which is more than 10,000 miles away from us. You may ask what has it all to do withus?
RobertandGordon.
Not us. We know. Wedon’task what it has to do with us!
Re. Off.
(Hesitates as if thrown off his track.) Then you don’t need my speech. (Suddenly brightens and smiles appealingly.)Don’t spoil my speech lads. Pretend to ask so you can hear it. It will make you feel real grand.
RobertandGordon.
Fire away then. Hear, hear!
Roto.
(Excited.) That’s it, Mister. Give it us.
Re. Off.
(Continues more eloquently.) Now we are New Zealanders, and we live in this free and happy land, you may ask, what has all this trouble in Europe to do with us?
Robert,Gordonand theShepherds.
Hear! Hear! We do, we do ask!
Re. Off.
(Very effectively.) But I answer you lads, what language do we speak? English! What race are we? Britons! Why, lads, the British over there aren’t as British as we are; They are English and Scotch and Irish and Welsh—but what are we? All these British strains mixed! Most of us have some Scotch blood and some English blood and some Irish blood mixed in our veins, many of us have been to other parts of Britain and got a touch of Canada, or Australia, or South Africa into us. I say lads we aremoreBritish than the folks in the Old Dart. We are a fine blend of all the flavours of different Britons, we are the very essence of Britain! We are epitomes of Empire.
All.
(Enthusiastic.) Hurray, that’s right. Hear, hear! Go it!
Roto.
(Particularly enthusiastic.) We are, we are, hear, hear, Boss!
1st Shep.
(DiggingRotoin the ribs.) Ho, Ho!
Re. Off.
Do I need to tell you it’s a righteous war?
Gordon.
We know that!
Robert.
Shut up, let him give us his speech!
Re. Off.
(Smiling.) I wasn’t going into that. I don’t have to tell our lads it’s a righteous war. I only asked it like a rhetorical question this time.
Roto.
Go on, Boss, go on. You speak most as fine as a Maori chief.
Re. Off.
Now, if Britons are engaged in this war,weare engaged, for are we not the Britons of the British? We are. And lads, I will tell you, in the words of our own Prime Minister, Mr. Massey himself, I say to you that “All that we have and are is staked upon the issue of the war!”
All.
(Tremendous enthusiasm.) Hear, hear, bravo, hurrah!
(A roar of sound drowns the actual words.Varlieshouts, but has a slight sneering smile on his lips as he watches the generous enthusiasm of the others.)
Re. Off.
Now lads, you know we are free Britons in this country. We expect every New Zealander will do his duty because he’s glad, aye and proud to do it. You are all only waiting to be told what to do. We have no compulsion. But when you know what we are going to do, you’ll all want to join in.
Shepherds.
Tell us Mister.
Re. Off.
We are a small nation. Only about a million souls of us altogether, counting women and children. Now that’s very small as nations go. But what are we going to do? We are going to put a larger number of troops in the field thanthe British had in the great battle of Waterloo!
(Allat first incredulous, then wildly enthusiastic.)
Re. Off.
Aye, Aye, lads. Well may you shout. That’s what comes of being New Zealand Britons. But we are going to do more. We are going to do what the experts tell us is the most possible that any nationcando; in three years we are going to have ten per cent. of our total population in the field! That’s the maximum, the absolute scientific limit of what any nationcanput in. And that means from our little country we shall send one hundred thousand men to the field.
All.
Hurray, hurray!
Loveday.
(Glowing.) How splendid, how splendid you are!
Re. Off.
That’s it Missy, that’s how New Zealand women take it.
Robert.
She’s English, she’s just visiting from home!
Re. Off.
From the Old Dart? Our men’ll follow you back Missy, all of us would like to, only the years have passed over some, and that ties ’em. When the years press on your shoulders you can’t carry the knapsack too! And I see some of you chaps are too old.
1st Shep.
(Groans.) I am, curse the day I was born.
Re. Off.
But all of you, every one of you has your part to play. If you can’t fight you cansave. That’s what the people of New Zealand haven’t realised yet. How many of our patriots have reduced their consumption of petrol or of beer by a single gallon because of their patriotism? Yetthat is what they must do. That’s what we all must do.
Men must fightAnd women must saveThe path of glory for Britons to pave.
(LovedayandGordonstand a little apart and are talking.)
Gordon.
Ah, this stirs one! I wonder ifthisis what I ought to do?
Loveday.
(Smilingly shakes her head.) I don’t know.
Gordon.
A man has only one life. That’s all hecangive to his country.
Loveday.
But the thousands of sheep you raise may be even more useful! (mischievously). It is a question you know—is one man as much use to his country as his ten thousand sheep?
Gordon.
Old men can raise sheep.
Re. Off.
(Louder, catching all eyes.) And now to come to the fighting element. I’ve just said, all of you can dosomething. But those of you who can fight are wanted now. Have you seen this paper? (Takes official set of questions out of his pocket.)
Men.
(Shaking their heads.) No. What is it?
Re. Off.
Then I’ll read it to you. It is addressed to all men between nineteen and forty-five. Which of you are between nineteen and forty-five?
Gordon.
(Looks across atLovedayand says to her alone.) That’s a direct message to me.
(Gordon,Robert,Rotoand the2nd Shepherdstand out, each saying “I am!”)
Re. Off.
(SlappingRotoon the shoulder.) How old are you?
Roto.
(Quickly.) Forty-five, Mister.
Re. Off.
Open your mouth.
(Rotoopens and shows browned teeth.)
Re. Off.
(Laughing.) Forty-five, with that hair and those teeth!
Roto.
(Protesting.) I am, I am. My hair gone pale when I was nearly drowned in the Rotorua hot spring.
Re. Off.
Get out.
Roto.
(Persistently.) I’m strong man. I’m young man, see my muscle. Feel my arm.
Re. Off.
You are not a Pakeha. You can’t fight with the Pakeha.
Loveday.
(ToNora.) What is Pakeha? What does he mean?
Nora.
Pakeha are white men, Englishmen.
Roto.
(Protesting.) My father was a Queen-Maori.
Re. Off.
Was he? That’s good.
Loveday.
Whatever is a Queen-Maori?
Re. Off.
In the great war, missy, the Maori war, the Maoris who fought on the side of the English, under Queen Victoria, you know, they were called Queen-Maoris.
Roto.
My father fought with Pakeha then, why not me to-day? Take me. I am strong like the branches of the Kauri pine. I am hard as my hei-tiki. My father was a Queen-Maori. I will be a Queen-Maori and fight for you. Take me.
Re. Off.
You are too old. You are sixty years old if you are a minute.
Roto.
No, no.
Re. Off.
(To the1st Shepherd.) He is on your station, isn’t he? How old is he?
1st Shep.
Well, we don’t know exactly. But it is about six years ago since we had a feast and a good drink because he said it was his fiftieth birthday.
Re. Off.
There! Stand aside my man. If you are so strong you must do the work the young men leave behind them.
(Rotoprotests, and expresses chagrin but says no more.)
Re. Off.
(ToGordonnot noticing his lameness as he stands with the others.) How old are you, sir?
Gordon.
Twenty-nine.
Re. Off.
(ToRobert.) And you, sir?
Robert.
Thirty-one.
Re. Off.
Good! (To2nd Shepherd.) And you?
2nd Shep.
Forty-two.
Re. Off.
H’m. You look more.
2nd Shep.
I’m forty-two (glares.)
Re. Off.