Unit XI

THE RAINBOW BIRD

Vance Palmer
SECTION 1
Pre-reading activity
It is always a pleasure to remember how in your childhood days you ran after the colourful butterflies,
how you wanted to keep pets and spend most of your time in their company, and how you developed
an attachment to the birds and animals.
Here is a story depicting a small girl's love and concern for a colourful Australian bird befittingly
called the rainbow bird.

Focusing questions :
As you read the first section of the story, focus on finding answers to these questions :
i) What does this section of the story tell us about Maggie's preoccupation with the bird ?
ii) How does the story-teller show the contrast between the real world of the school and the world
of Maggie's dreams ?

The Text
1. All afternoon as she bent over her slate, Maggie's mind had been filled with
vision of the bird. Blue-green shot with gold, its tail an arrow. Her hair fell over
her intense, grape-dark eyes; she hardly knew what she was writing. It was the
same every day now. The hands crawled down the cracked face of the clock with
aggravating slowness; the teacher's voice droned on and on like a blowfly against
the windowpane; the other children squirmed in their seats and folded paper
darts to throw across the room. But all she lived for was the moment when she
would again see the coloured shape skim from its cavern in the earth, making
her catch her breath as if its wings had brushed across her heart.
2. As soon as school was out she flashed a look at Don, racing down to the bottom
fence and along through the bushes that covered the side of the hill. Don was a
little behind, limping because of his sore toe; flushed and breathless Maggie had
reached the bottom of the gully before he emerged from the undergrowth. One
stocking had fallen over her ankle and her hat was at the back of her neck held
by the elastic around her throat, but she cared for nothing but getting away.
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From the bottom of the playground she could hear the other girls calling her.
"Wait on, Maggie! We're coming too."
She tried to shut their voices from her ears ! None of them must find out her
Ul4^

secret. She hated their empty faces, their coldly-mocking eyes; they made fun of
her because she carried beetles' wings and cowries about in her matchbox to
stare at under the desk.
"Come on, Don," she called back impatiently, "they'll all be on us soon."
He growled as he caught up with her.
r-oo

"It's all right for you- you got boots on. This prickly grass hurts like blazes.
Why didn't you go down the road ?"
"This is nearly half-a-mile shorter.... Come on."
They panted up the other hill and across a cleared paddock that lay between
them and the beach. Before the eyes of both of them was the deep cleft left by
the store-truck when it was bogged months before, and the little round hole with
a heap of sand in front of it. Such a tiny tunnel in the side of the rut that no one
would notice unless he saw the bird fly out. They had come on it together when
they were looking for mushrooms; there had been a sudden burr of wings almost
beneath their feet, a shimmer of opal in the sunbright air, and then a stillness as
the bird settled on the she-oak thirty yards away, making their hearts turn over
with the sheer beauty of its bronze and luminous green.
11. A rainbow-bird! And it had come from that rounded tunnel in the sandy earth
where the couch-grass was growing over the old rut. Don had wanted to put his
hand in and feel if there were any young ones, but Maggie had caught his arm,
her eyes desperate.
12. "No, don't! She's watching. She'll go away and never come back- never."
13. She wanted just to stand and let her eyes have their fill. That stretch of cropped
turf, with the she-oak on a sandy rise above the beach and the miraculous bird
shining out of the greeny-grey branches! It was only rarely they surprised her in
the nest, for she usually seemed to feel the pattering vibration of their feet along
the ground and slip out unobserved. But they never had to look far for her. There
in the she-oak she shone, flame-bright and radiant, as if she had just dropped
from the blue sky. And sometimes they saw her make skimming through the air
after flies, taking long, sweeping curves and pausing at the top of the curve, a
skater on wings, a maker of jewelled patterns, body light as thistledown, every
feather blazing with fire and colour. The vision came back to Maggie each night
before she closed her eyes in sleep. It belonged to a different world from the
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school, the dusty road, the yard behind the store that was filled with rusty tins
and broken cases.
14. "That girl !" her mother said, hearing her mutter on the pillow. "It's a bird now."

Glossary
[The numbers refer to the paragraphs in which the words I expressions occur]
1 blowfly : an insect that deposits its eggs or larvae on carrion; excrement,
etc. or in the wounds of living animals
squirmed twisted the body as in pain or discomfort
dart arrow
skim thin layer or film formed on a liquid
cavern deep hollow place in rocks
a narrow channel made by rain water
beetle an insect with hard, horny forewings
LAbJ

cowries highly polished , usually brightly coloured shells

7 growl to utter a deep rough sound like a dog
blazes flames of fire
10 paddock small grassfield
D9

cleft crack
bogged sunk and stuck fast in a marsh or quagmire
rut furrow made by wheels on soft ground
DO

burr whisper or murmur

shimmer a slightly shaking shine
opal type of white stone with changing colours in it
she-oak variety of oak tree
13 thistledown the tufted feathery parachutes of thistle seeds

Questions for discussion

1. Why was Maggie unmindful in the classroom the whole of the afternoon ?
'The hands crawled down the cracked face of the clock with aggravating slowness;...."' What
rj

does this expression suggest ?

3. Why did Maggie avoid other girls of the class ?
4. What did Maggie do when the school was over ?
How did Maggie feel at the sight of the rainbow- bird ? What vision came to her each night
'r.

before she closed her eyes in sleep ?

6. Which lines present a contrast between the world of the bird and the world of the school ? What
do they signify ?
7. "Il's a bird now". In which context does Maggie's mother say so ? Why 'now' ? Does it imply
that Maggie had other obsessions earlier ? Which ones ? (See paragraph 5)
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SECTION 2
Pre-reading activity
Before reading the next part of the story, try to predict what would happen next.

The Text

15. They hurried across the road, past the spindle-legged house with no fence around
it, past the red-roofed cottage where there were bathing-suits hung out to dry.
Surely this afternoon the little birds would be out in front of the nest ! The day
before when they had lain with their ears close to the ground they had heard
something thin but distinct, a cheeping and twittering. It had come to them through
the warm earth, thrilling them with intense life. Those bits of living colour down
there in the dark-how wonderful it would be when they came out into the light !
16. Maggie pulled up suddenly in the final run, clutching at Don's arm.
17. "Wait!... Someone's there... Don't go on yet."
18. Breathing hard, Don stood staring at the big, dark figure on the slope
overlooking the sea.
19. "It's Peter Riley watching if the mullet are coming in."
"No, it isn't. It's Cafferty. I know his hat."
20. "Yes, Cafferty the Honey Man."
The man was standing almost on the nest, looking down into the she-oak by the
beach, his body still as a wooden stump, his eyes intent as their own. He moved
slightly to the right; they saw he had a gun at his side. Horror laid an icy hand on
the girl's heart. What was he doing with a gun there ?
21. Suddenly she started to run.
"Come on! I believe he's found the nest. I believe..."
22. Her slim legs twinkled like beams of light over the turf, her print frock blew up
over her heated face, and Don found it hard to keep up with her. She was out of
breath when she reached Cafferty and her eyes were points of fire. He was too
occupied to notice her, he was shifting the gun in his hands and watching the
she-oak tree. She saw a lump in the pocket of his shirt, a stain of blood.
23. Words came thickly from her throat.
"What're you doing with that gun ?"
"Eh ?" he said, hardly looking round.
"You - You've been shooting something... What's that in your pocket ?"
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24. Cafferty let his eyes rest on her solidly, a slow grin parting his lips.
"Guess."
"It's notIt's a bird."
25. "Right. Right, first shot. Most people'd have thought it was a rabbit. Ever see
one of those coloured bee-eaters, little girl ? Her mate's somewhere about. I'll
get him, too, before long."
26. He took the crumpled bird from his pocket and dangled it before her proudly.
Through a blur she saw the ruffled bronze and emerald of its plumage, the film
over its eyes, the drop of blood oozing from its beak. Then she threw herself on
the turf.
27. "Beast ! That's what you areA b-beast."
28. Cafferty looked from her small, sobbing figure to that of the boy, a sheepish
bewilderment in his eyes. He was a hulking, slow-witted fellow, who lived in a
humpy on the other side of the creek, surrounded by his hives and a thick growth
of tea-tree.
"What's the trouble ?" he asked "That bird is it ?"
29. Don had no reply. He was confused, half-ashamed of his sister.
30. "Lord, you don't want to worry about vermin like that," said Cafferty. "Death on
bees, them things are- hanging round the hives and licking 'em up as they come
out. And they are not satisfied with robbing you like that, the little devils; they'll
go through a flying swarm and take out the queen. It's a fact. Dinkum... I'd like
to wipe the lot of ' em off the face of the earth."
31. He went over to the tiny opening of the tunnel and bruised the soft earth down
over the face of it with his heavy boot. There was a dull passion in his absorbed
eyes, a sense of warring against evil.
32. "No, you don't want to trouble about the likes of them, unless it's to go after
them with a shanghai. There's sixpence a head waiting for any you fetch me. Tell
the other youngsters that - a tanner a head. I'm going to clear the lot of'em out
this winter."
33. Shouldering his gun he moved off down the beach, a lumbering heaviness in his
gait. Maggie was still stretched prone on the turf, her face in her arms, and Don
watched her awhile, awkward and ill-at-ease. But the superiority of one who has
not given himself away was slowly asserting itself. Picking up the dead bird that
Cafferty had thrown on the grass he fingered it clumsily, wondering if there
were any bees in its crop. It was still warm, but its plumage was ruffled and
streaky, and it didn't look nearly so wonderful as when it had shot into the air,
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the light on its wings. Death on bees, the Honey Man had said. He began to feel
contempt for it.
34. "Come on, Mag! He's gone now. And the other kids'll be coming along soon.
35. She rose from the grass, tossing back her hair and looking at the bird with
reddened eyes.
"Chuck it away."
"Why ? I'm going to take it home and skin it."
"Chuck it away !" she stormed.
36. He hesitated a moment, and then obeyed her. They trailed over the grass toward
the store, Don swinging his bag and whistling td show he didn‟t care. There must
be a lot of rainbow-birds about, and if the Honey Man kept his promise............................
Sixpence a head ! He could go out with the other boys on Saturday mornings,
looking all along the sandy banks. But he wouldn't use a shanghai - no fear ! His
new Bayard was three times as good.

Glossary
[The numbers indicate the paragraphs in which the words expressions occur.]
15 cheeping chirping of a young bird
17 mullet kind of sea fish
22 turf surface of land matted with roots of grass
26 dangled hung in the air
ruffled wrinkled
plumage a natural covering of feathers
sheepish embarrassed
hulking bulky, heavy and clumsy
humpy (Australian) any crude aborigine hut or shelter
creek a water course smaller than a river
30 vermin harmful small-sized disgusting insects, difficult to control.
Dinkum (Australian) a swear meaning ‟genuinely or honestly speaking'
32 shanghai drug applied to make somebody unconscious
33 lumbering moving clumsily or heavily
crop throat of a bird

Questions for discussion

1. Whom did Maggie and Don meet near the sl e-oak ? What was he doing there ?
How was Maggie shocked at the sight of the Honey Man ? Comment briefly on how her feeling
ri

of excitement and joy changed suddenly to one of fear, anger and hatred for the man.
[Note : 'Horror laid an icy hand on the girl's heart.' Try to understand the significance of this
statement.]
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3. "Beast ! That's what you are ... A b-beast." How do these words characterize the feelings of
the small girl when she finds that her world of joy and wonder had been destroyed ?
4. Why did Cafferty swear to wipe the rainbow-birds off the face of the earth ?
5. 'There was a dull passion in his absorbed eyes, a sense of warring against evil.' How does this
sentence portray the attitude of the Honey Man ? What contrast do you mark between the world
of Maggie and the world of Cafferty ?
What difference do you mark between the attitudes of Maggie and Don ? Does Don support
Cafferty ?.
Explain, You'll now come to the last part of the story. While reading it, try to find answers to
the following questions :
i) What happens to the Honey Man after the bird is killed ?
ii) How does Maggie look at the happening ?

SECTION III
The Text
37. Maggie took no more notice of him than if he were merely a shadow behind her.
Their father was standing waiting for them at the bowser outside the store, and
Don had to go for orders on his pony. Maggie trudged upstairs to the room over
the shop and flung herself down on the bed. Darkness had fallen over her life.
Whenever she closed her eyes she could see the Honey Man's evil face, the
broken, tobacco-stained teeth revealed in a grin through the ragged growth of
beard. Hatred welled up in her as she thought of him squatting among the tea-
tree on the other side of the creek, his gun between his knees, his eyes watching
the leaves above. Devil ! Grinning devil ! If only forked lightning would leap
out of the sky and char him to ashes.
38. When the evening meal was over she went upstairs again without waiting to do
her homework. Her mother's voice followed at a distance, dying behind the closed
door :
39. "What's the matter with Maggie now ?... The way that girl lets herself get worked
up."
40. Lying awake, Maggie tried to imagine herself running down the slope and
stopping suddenly to see the rainbow-bird whirling round over three spots of
colour on the grass. But no ! She could only see the soft earth around the nest,
squashed by the Honey Man's boot, and the dead bird lying on the grass with a
drop of blood on its beak. Wonder and magic- they had gone out of everything.
And Don was swaggering round, pretending he didn't care.
41. A light rain had begun to fall, making hardly any sound upon the roof, dropping
with a faint insistent tinkle into the tanks. There were people coming and going
in the store below. Between broken drifts of sleep she heard voices running on
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and on, the telephones muffled burring, the occasional hoot of a car. But all
noises were muted, coming through a pad of distance, of woolly darkness. A
funeral, she thought vaguely They were burying the rainbow-bird.
42. Near morning, or so it seemed, she heard someone come upstairs, and there was
st a blare of light in her eyes. Her mother was bending over her with a candle.
43. "Not asleep yet, dear ? Have those people kept you awake ?"
44. The drowsy aftermath of feeling made Maggie's voice thick.
45. "N-no; it wasn't that. It was becauseWhy do they all come here now ?
46. Her mother tricked an end of the quilt in.
w "They brought Mr. Cafferty to the shop to wait for the ambulance. He had a little
V accident and had to be taken into the hospitalGo to sleep now."
Maggie's eyes were wide open.
"He's dead ?"
47. "Good gracious, no ! Nothing to worry about. He must have been dragging the
gun after as he climbed through the wirefence across the creek. But they found
him soon after it happened. Only in the thigh the wound was."
48. Through Maggie's mind flashed a sudden conviction. "He will die. I know he
will. Serve him right, too."
49. "You don't understand what you're talking about, child," said her mother in a
formal shocked voice. "Everyone's fond of the Honey Man and hopes he'll be all
right soon.... You've been lying awake too long. Go to sleep now."
50. She faded away, leaving Maggie to stare up at the ceiling in the dark. But the
vision of a world oppressed by a heavy, brutal heel had vanished. Her mind was
lit up again; everything had come right. She could see the cropped slope by the
sea, the overgrown wheel-rut, the small, round tunnel with the heap of sand in
front of it. And it was the man with the gun who was lying crumpled on the
grass. Above him sailed the rainbow-bird, lustrous, triumphant, her opal body
poised at the top of a curve, shimmering in the sunbright air.

Glossary
[The numbers indicate the paragraph in which the words/ expressions occur.]
37 bowser truck filled with a tank
trudge to walk with labour or effort
flung threw
40 swaggering round walking with a sense of superiority

w
i
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Questions for discussion

1. What ideas sweep Maggie's mind after she returned home and threw herself on the bed ? Do
you mark the difference between Maggie's feelings in Section 1 and those in Section III ?
(Note : 'Wonder and magic- they had gone out of everything.' This line is a key to the
understanding of the changed world of Maggie.)
What did Maggie imagine when she heard voices between broken drifts of sleep ?
How did she react when she was told that Cafferty had been injured ? Why did she think
'everything had come right'?
Do you find in her a vengeful attitude ? Does she feel that justice has been done ? What
4-

impression do you form about her from her reaction to the Honey Man's suffering ?
What change do you mark in her in the last paragraph ? Has there been a restoration of her
L/i

world of joy and wonder ? How did she imagine about the rainbow-bird and the Honey Man ?

Questions for Composition

1. How does the rainbow-bird create a world of wonder and magic for Maggie ?
Discuss how the story comes lull circle with the restoration of Maggie's world of joy and wonder.
Give an account of the contrasting attitudes of Maggie and the others around her to the rainbow-
bird.
Notes : - Vance Palmer (1885-1959) is an Australian short story writer who had considerable
reputation among the commonwealth literary figures. His writings are marked by an interesting
portrait of the phenomenal world with its amazing beauty and wonder. With his deft sketch of
manners and behaviour, especially the responses of the young and lender minds, some of his
stories are very impressively drawn. He excels in the study of "the innocence of the unself-
conscious years" and "the beginnings made towards discoveries and disappointments which
are an essential part of growing up." His narrative is very often enriched by an evocative use of
symbols.
The story in the beginning depicts the innocent joys of childhood days, a visionary world of
beauty and wonder. The rainbow-bird with its multiple shining colours has a magic spell on the
small girl. But the most painful part of the story is that the child's world of innocence, joy and
wonder does not last long; to the utmost shock and depression of the child it is totally demolished
with the killing of the rainbow-bird that represents for her the entire world of enthralling
beauty and splendour. The Honey Man for her is the Satan bent upon destroying God's beautiful
creation and design, though to others his motive is utilitarian and business-like. The accident
of the Honey Man, in her opinion, is retributive, and it signifies the ultimate triumph of good
over evil. With the grant of poetic and divine justice, there is a restoration of the earlier world
of magic and music, of course at the imaginative and psychic level of the child. The contrast
between the two worlds is quite transparent. The rainbow-bird has a symbolic significance;
most of the lines in the story with their allternative rhythm have a poetic effect and serve as
appropriate expressions of the child's shimmering world of beauty and wonder.