My Life with Kangaroos: A Deaf Woman's Remarkable Story

12. The Bosses

131 12 The Bosses THE appearance of the large, imposing males on the scene was always a fascinating moment for me, but, quite apart from that, it was also enrichment as far as my studies were concerned. The very presence of these “giants” could virtually throw Pebbly Beach into an uproar. Their arrival precipitated a good deal of movement and disturbance in their groups, especially when the males went forth to take a look at the females. They regarded human beings with more or less indifference as long as they felt undisturbed in their activities . However, as soon as they were occupied with sampling some delicacy, they could be very pushy or even threatening, and then it was advisable to keep out of their way. At first I was very wary of them and rarely in their company. However, after a time I came to realize that they were peaceable. Thanks to my experience with animals and especially my knowledge of their body language, I was finally in a position even to dispense with Mrs. Schwallbach’s well-meant admonitions and spent quite a lot of relaxed time with them. WhenIreturnedtomyquartersfromanearlymorningwalk,which would take me through the bush and over the beach to the sea, the sun would appear in the deep-blue sky, warming the cool morning air. The huge, dark-green tops of the eucalyptus trees shimmered in the sunshine. They were like abstract pictures, standing as they did, with various “strokes” for tree trunks set against a pale green to gray background. The trees shone brightly and changed from a brilliant 9781563685590_My Life with Kangaroos.indd 131 4/8/13 11:04 AM 132 MY LIFE WITH KANGAROOS yellow one moment to a strong brown the next. A herd of kangaroos was grazing in the meadows surrounding the white huts, still wet with dew. The hut dwellers and vacation guests at the site were already up and about and had begun making their cooking fires. From every direction, clouds of smoke, laden with the delicious smell of toast, floated in the air. My empty stomach began to rumble. Kathrin, my traveling companion, was just about to turn the toast and lay fresh twigs on the fire. I laughed and rubbed my hands in pleasant anticipation of the breakfast to come. Suddenly my eyes opened wide in shock. Next to Kathrin was a large, dark muscular body. It was Papochka, one of our three giants, and he was eyeing Kathrin curiously . Evidently, like me, he had been drawn to the spot by the delicious smell of toast. I snatched my camera and secretly filmed the scene at the fireplace. In so doing, I didn’t bother to turn the toast, although it was my job to watch it. I could only manage to watch this large, impressive animal, half in fear and half in fascination and prepare for flight at any moment. However, the great male stood there without making a fuss as I turned my attention to the toast again. The slices, however, were more than a trifle well done. From this time on, if we wanted to warn someone about burning the toast, we’d say, “Watch out! There’s another toast à la Papochka on the way!” The animal received its name, by the way, from Mrs. Schwallbach. It comes from Russian and means something like “Our Little Father Boss,” a fitting title for one of the largest and most feared kangaroos along Pebbly Beach. George with the Flapping Ears GEORGE was second in the hierarchy of bosses at Pebbly Beach. He had deeply cloven ears that fluttered like two rags in a strong wind. Kathrin and I called him Flappy rather disrespectfully. “It’s a good thing that George isn’t a human being,” Kathrin remarked once, “so it’s not too much of a disadvantage for him!” However, how could one be absolutely sure? 9781563685590_My Life with Kangaroos.indd 132 4/8/13 11:04 AM The Bosses 133 It had poured rain all night long, and the following morning Mrs. Schwallbach had gone to our “minipowerhouse,” a small generator25 next to a number of oil cans in a tiny shed. She wanted to check it and refill the fuel canisters, but she was in for an unpleasant surprise : Flappy had sought shelter from the rain there and made himself comfortably at home. Mrs. Schwallbach didn’t dare enter the hut while...