 Thornhill was also shocked to see his son, Dick playing with the Aboriginal people, and he beat up Dick.As Thornhill and his family stake their claim on a patch of ground by the river, the battle lines between old and new inhabitants are drawn.Soon after, Saggity, a friend of Smasher Sullivan was killed after a raid on his farm by Aborigines, it is Saggity's death that leads to the battle with the Aborigines.