Human Toll

Human Toll by Barbara Baynton is about peasant Australians Boshy and Nungi as they prepare to go to work when a snake crawls under their hut. Excerpt: “WHAT was this blocking the tallow-scoop? Boshy, secretly styled 'The Lag,' or 'One Eye,' bent to see. Leisurely he thrust down a groping hand and drew up, but not out, a fat clogged basil-belt. Hastily his other hand clawed it conferring, then with both he forced it back again into its greasy hidingplace of past long years.”