Illegal Immigrants

Chapter 1

It was mid morning when Len nosed his barge up on the beach and stepped ashore on the warm white sand. He took his rifle and his cane knife then carefully looked around his eyes peeled for crocodiles and wild pig. Satisfied it was safe he let Bluey his old blue cattle dog off the lead and started out over the sand towards the big tree on the edge of the river mouth.

After a few hours exploring Len returned happy that he had found the abandoned remnants of an old galvanized iron igloo and concrete airstrip built by the Americans in the forties during the Second World War. Len knew from talking to locals that the Americans surveyed an area for water before they stationed their troops in remote areas. After talking to those old locals about the facilities provided for the American airmen he knew it wouldn't be long before he found the well or the bore that they would have drilled to provide one of the basic necessities in the remote tropics.

With a safe river anchorage protected from the Gulf Cyclones by the sand banks and a high red cliff face, he decided that he may have found a perfect location to establish his new camp. Tired after his survey he waded through the incoming tide climbed on his barge lit a smoke boiled the Billy and thought back over the last days.

More than a week had passed since he had left the gulf town that had been his home port for years. He had made up his mind to move after a night of rape and violence when the local aborigine kids burnt homes and destroyed all the vehicles in the council yard. Before he left he met the elders and councilors in the main street outside the store and told them a few home truths in a way that left them standing in stunned silence as he headed back to the wharf.

With all his possessions including his old blitz truck crammed on his sixty foot landing barge and towing his dinghies crowded with crab pots and nets he had spent days easing his way up thought the shallows and sand banks of a dozen Gulf Rivers and streams looking for a place to set up a new camp.

A bush Parson who had spent years in the north had told him of the many wartime airstrips that dotted the Gulf. He said that in most cases the strips were constructed quite close to the mouths of the big tidal rivers providing deep water access for the American troops. Len had never forgotten the Parsons words and had set out to find an old strip when he left town. To his surprise the one near his camp was covered by light undergrowth that would not take much to clear. He recalled as he planned his camp how the parson had said that it was on the cards that the strips could eventually be partly reopened for a growing outstation movement populated by aborigine families that wanted to move their kids away from the grog soaked towns and reserves.

"I hope they don't reopen this one. We don't want any neighbors," Len told Bluey as he moved the barge up the beach on the high tide. Days passed quickly as he unloaded his gear and moved it to high ground. With everything including the old blitz truck finally unloaded and covered with tarps he started to build his camp. Working from daylight to dark he struggled to create a temporary place from which to build a long term home.

He worked knowing that all of his construction work was temporary until he found the bore the Americans would have sunk years ago. Without water this site could only be a temporary home. So he was over the moon when he finally found the wartime well under an overgrown steel cover near the big Fig tree. To his delight the water was cool and sweet having filtered its way up through the white coastal sand.

Now that he had a constant supply of fresh water he started to build more permanent structures. With his generator operating he piped water to fill his tanks and provide fish processing facilities. With his nets set and the ability to store his processed fish he started on the job of building a place to live. The biggest job working on his own was to construct a camp centre with a high roof to house his kitchen and living area. Len spent a lot of time on the foundations knowing his structures had to withstand the powerful winds that whipped across the gulf as well as provide protection from the harsh tropical sun and the torrential rains. With his camp growing and his nets working the gulf flats he erected a mast and established radio contact with the fisherman's co-op to keep in touch with market prices.

The work was hard on his own. Things that should have taken hours took days forcing Len to reduce the time spent building to concentrate on fishing. The sandy coastal flats had not been fished for years and the quality and quantity of his daily catch created added work as he prepared them for the market.

When his barge's freezers could hold no more fish it was time to return to sell his catch in the town he had left so abruptly. Even with his freezers full Len found it hard to head back to town. His new camp was still very basic but it was peaceful and quiet free from the pressures of town life.

The decision was made for him when his radio contacts told him a new southern buyer had flown in to buy fish prawns and crabs from the gulf fisherman. When he could wait no longer he locked down his camp fire and waited to the last minute until he could catch the top of the tide and take a shortcut across the flats back to town.

On reaching the town wharf he was disappointed to see a number of large company owned Gulf trawlers tied up ahead of him making it impossible for him to keep to his plan of unloading and returning to camp on the same day.

Leaving Bluey aboard to guard his catch he drifted down the wharf and set out to walk along the five mile track to the town and its community supermarket. He was walking slowly in the mid morning heat when a new four wheel drive utility groaned to a halt beside him.

"Want a lift into town friend?" a woman called as he looked around to see a large happy faced brunette winding down the window of the Ute. You'll roast in this heat," she cried as she swung the door open. "You're bloody right," Len said as he jumped at the chance of a lift. Once they were moving the woman took one hand from the wheel and shoved it out in a gesture that meant shake hands. "I'm Glady, I'm a new teacher at the school and I also double as a nurse at the clinic. Who are you? I haven't seen you before."

"I'm Len Evans, I used ton live here until a couple of months ago," Len replied. "I decided to give this place away after the kids destroyed most of the community property." Glady looked him over, "oh are you the one I heard about when I arrived last week. They are still talking about the way you gave the women elders on the council a serve. If I'm right you accused them of closing a blind eye to the rapes and violence."

"The teachers who were here before me cheered when they were told you publicly attacked the men calling them a mob of drunken bludgers who were ruining their kids lives by letting them wag it from school. Non locals say you generally said what everyone who works here knows to be true before you told them they could take their community and shove it. You were off to live on your own. Is that about it?" Len smiled "yes it wasn't my best performance, I didn't miss them but it wont do any good they will just buy another six pack."

Glady pulled up in front of the Council offices, "what are you doing back here if you hate the place so much?" she asked with a wicked grin. Len decided he liked Glady. "I'm tied up down in the creek waiting to unload a freezer load of fillets. I have to keep coming back to the co-op because I order my stores by phone from a catalogue and they send them up from the south on the fuel freighter. I pick them up, fill up with fuel and pay my bills when I get cashed up from selling my fillets."

"I'm here until tomorrow afternoon because we have to wait for the fuel barge to arrive and pump its load into the storage tanks. If you and the other new teachers are tired of drinking with each other in the confines of that school house bring them down to the wharf tonight and give me a call. I'll give you a feed of fresh seafood in return for a little conversation."

Len was sitting on the deck enjoying the cool evening breeze when he saw Gladys utility and another car approaching. It took him two trips in the tiny pram dinghy before the eight teachers were settled on the rear deck. "They all wanted to meet you," Glady explained. "Some want to argue with you over the town's future others just want to get out of the house and hear a new voice or a new point of view."

Len realised how much he had missed female companionship as he argued and joked with the young women teachers. They all kissed him on the cheek as they introduce themselves, telling him he was the best thing that had happened since they arrived with Gladys a week ago.

"What makes my visit so special?" he growled as he poured their drinks and laid out some prawns and crabs on the table. "A fit single sober white man without a pot belly is a bit of a novelty," a short curly headed girl who told him to call her Kim said as she slumped back on his bunk.

Gladys laughed, "Don't kid yourself. I don't think any of us came up here expecting to meet an eligible bachelor. What we didn't know was that we would have to lock ourselves up each evening in a school house fenced with razor wire to escape the drunken violence. We never leave our compound at night it's too dangerous. We didn't decide to visit you tonight until we asked the police sergeant to keep an eye out and let us back into the compound when we get back."

"I am surprised that the government sent young women up here," Len said when they grew quiet. "We volunteered," Kim called, "it helps your future promotion chances if you take a difficult school early in your career. Now you know why we're here what's your story."

"There's not much to me, what you see is what you get. I`m a forty year old fisherman. I came to this town nearly twenty years ago as a twenty-one year old public servant when the department ran the reserve. I loved the gulf and its people but didn't like the department or what it was doing so I jumped at the chance to buy out an old timer who had to go south for health reasons."

"I've been here and there around the gulf ever since." He stopped when Kim asked, "Are you married." Studying her athletic legs he groaned, "no I'm not married, never have been and living up her with very few available women probably will never get hitched." He scratched Bluey`s ear, "this is my mate he's less trouble than a wife."

Melanie a tall blonde waited until they settled down and started to eat the fish Len was cooking. "We have all heard how you blasted the men folk because kids were wagging it from school. You were spot on, only about ten percent of the total enrollment turn up each day." Glady joined in, "In the week I've been here I've seen more teachers and officials at school than I've seen kids." She waved her arm pointing to the other women. "We are here for a couple of terms and want to teach. If the parents won't send them how can we get the kids to come to school?"

Len continued cooking and took a swig of beer from his stubbie before answering. "I'm not a teacher but I can remember a few years ago when I helped a young copper who was here for six months like you to start a touch football competition. He was a football fanatic. He talked some of us who liked footy into helping him use the council equipment to clean all the rubbish off the sports ground and top dress it with sand. Then we got onto the local Member of Parliament and he had some footy gear sent up to the school."

"The young copper laid down some strict rules. The most important rule said if you don't attend school you can't play touch footy each afternoon. Within weeks the school ground was full of kids. Each afternoon when I was here to help we picked teams and played forty minute games it was so popular no one went home until it was too dark to play anymore."

Nancy the youngest at age 24 had sat close to him throughout the night teasing him whilst accusing him of being a racist redneck who didn't think aborigines could look after themselves. When he finished she sat up, her young body bumping against his. "They don't play any sport at all now. What happened?"

"When the young policeman's six months was up and he left there was no one to keep it going. I returned to my fishing and the next copper was an old bloke who wasn't interested in sport. " Len could feel their interest and went on, "these kids are natural athletes. If they get a chance many of them will go far but someone has to do it. Most parents and elders are too far gone on the grog to care about their kids."

Nancy took his arm and whispered, "I'm interested in the girls what about them." Len loved the feel of her young body as it bumped against his when the barge swung in the breeze. "They used to play touch footy but no one has ever done anything special for the girls. All the kids love to compete so maybe netball, basketball, or volleyball would take on but you need the gear and some one to organize it."

The teachers stayed later than they had planned as they sat and discussed how to introduce sport into the school. Nancy and a teacher named Barbara were the most enthusiastic they promised to call back after school. Kim who had drank the most and studied Len closely throughout the night kissed him on the lips before he rowed them ashore in the early hours of the morning.

"Let me know when you are next in port," she whispered. "They can get the basketball gear sent up and I'll leave it to you to help them." She kissed him again her hand rubbing the lump in his pants, "don't give these youngsters all your time you will have more fun with me."

Len woke up next morning to the swearing and cursing of a group of trawler skippers. "The silly old bastards missed the tide and won't get here until nightfall," an irate skipper called in response to his cry of "what's up?" It soon became clear that their boats would have to spend another day in port waiting for fuel because the fuel barge would have to wait for the next high tide to enter port.

Well there goes another days fishing Len thought as he checked his near empty tanks. With nothing to do but wait he took a light rod and walked away from the wharves. Casting and retrieving a small metal spoon he worked his way up along the beach to a sandy spit in the river where it divided and ran away to the north east. He had fished there before and knew that the channel came in close and was generally full of queen fish. They were good fighters but poor eating so he entertained himself spinning the flats and letting them go.

He was removing the hooks from a small queen fish when he heard a vehicle come down the track to the point. "Where are you?" a woman's voice called. "Over here," he cried as he gathered his gear and made his way through the long grass to find Kim leaning against a new four wheel drive.

She laughed when she saw his surprised look. "Remember me?" she asked. "How could I forget your kisses and those great legs," he replied. Kim struck an exaggerated pose so he could admire her legs. "Flattery will get you everything you want old boy," she said with a smile. "They told me at the wharf that I would find you here. I brought a few coldies and thought you might like to join me in a quiet drink."

Kim looked around for a spot to sit, "the track was awful do many people come down here." Len took her hand and led her back down to the sandy beach, "it will be better down here," he said as he took her bag of stubbies. "I have only seen a few women fishing on this point in the early morning it's rare to see anyone down here in the afternoon."

"Good," whispered Kim when they reached the sand. "Let's not waste time. If I don't get a cuddle I'll go mad. That bloody town is full of drunks and no hopers. You are the only decent prospect I've seen since I came to this god forsaken hole. I'm not a bloody Nympho or a sex fiend but I like a man in my life and in my bed regularly" She dropped down on the sand and looked around. "This is nice. Come here and give me a kiss. You just gave me enough last night to wet my appetite."

The sun was setting when they were forced to scrabble back into their clothes to protect their bodies from a swarm of mosquitoes. Kim slapped Len when he stood and watched her large soft breasts bouncing as she struggled to shake the sand out of her clothes. "Its all right for you, you don't have anyone to see the bites on your bum. The girls at the house will ask a lot of questions if they see my backside spotted with mosquito bites." He leant over and swatted some mosquitoes on her white backside and groaned. "It's a nice arse; I hope I see more of it."

As she drove him back to the road near the wharves they laughed happily recalling how they had been forced on a couple of occasions to run down to the waters edge and wash the sand from their bodies. "No more sandy beaches it makes it too rough," Kim laughed as he kissed her goodbye. "Despite the sand and the mossies it was great. I can't wait to do it again. But we will do it in comfort. Clean up that bunk on your barge. We will use it next time."

Len was day dreaming recalling the feel of Kim's large soft tits and the taste of her hot moist pussy when his barge rounded the bluff for the last two mile run across the flats to his camp. He had never met a woman like Kim before she was everything a man dreamed of when he dreamed of a lover. No frills no fuss just a mature woman who knew what she wanted and made it happen.

She had taken control from the minute she pulled him down on the sand. Her hot moist mouth and hands keeping him excited long after he had first filled her pussy with his cum. He shook his head recalling how she had made his old cock stand up again and again when he felt he could not last any longer. "What a mouth," he groaned as he straightened his hard cock in his shorts.

Surprised by a movement on the beach he grabbed his binoculars to get a closer look at an open wooden boat that was scurrying away to the west. It was obvious that the three or four men in the boat had been in his camp when they were disturbed by the noise and the sight of his big slow barge coming round the bluff.

He gave a Cooee and a wave, then shook his head when he realised that they were intent on getting away and he would have little chance of catching them. As the barge made its way slowly across the flats Len tried to think who would have been in his camp and why they would run away. He reasoned that they wouldn't have been local fishermen and women because locals would have stayed to meet him and have a yarn.

As the barge reached the mooring inside the river mouth he looked around trying to see if the strangers had done any damage. When upturned boxes of scattered provisions and gear caught his eye he took his rifle and let Bluey off his lead so he could take a closer look. He was startled when Bluey took off into the scrub barking and did not come back when he was called. Then he laughed when he saw tracks that could only have been made by wild pigs and wallabies.

He was picking up and straightening gear that had been overturned and thrown around when Bluey returned. "Well old fellow, you and I will have to keep an eye out from now on; we've had lots of visitors not all of them welcome and not all of them pigs and wallabies." It was dark when Len finished restoring order to his gear and was satisfied that other than some rum and whiskey and a little food he had lost very little from his camp.

With the generator running the lights drew hordes of mosquitoes and sand flies forcing Len to sling a mosquito net over his bed and throw some water buffalo dung on the fire before dragging Bluey into the hut. "They will bloody eat you alive tonight," he told Bluey when he whined to get out. "Forget the bloody animal's mate they will still be here tomorrow."