and it wouldn’t fit. Shaw swore again and rapidly turned the jack handle. The car rose another few centimetres into the air. Now they could hear the engine of the Land Cruiser.
‘He’s coming back!’ said Katie.
Shaw shoved the spare wheel into place and Katie spun the nuts finger-tight. Swiftly Shaw shoved the wheel brace over the nuts and wrenched hard.
The Land Cruiser was half a kilometre away, visible now through the settling dust.
‘In, quick!’ shouted Shaw. They abandoned the damaged wheel but Shaw grabbed the jack and the handle, more as a weapon now. He took the driver’s seat and started the motor. The Land Cruiser was almost at the first turning from the track to the soak.
‘Go! Go!’ screamed Katie.
Shaw paused, hoping to lure the driver of the Land Cruiser into taking the first turning off the track towards the soak. That would have enabled them to go out the other way and turn to Yogabilla.
But the Land Cruiser didn’t pause; it came on down the track to the second turnoff.
‘For God’s sake go!’ shouted Katie. ‘What are you waiting for?’
‘When he comes down I’m going to race just ahead of him to the far turnoff,’ said Shaw, ‘then try to swing round there and go back to Yogabilla.’
But the Land Cruiser didn’t come down the turnoff. It went on down the track to the east.
‘What the hell is he doing?’ said Shaw.
The Land Cruiser was hidden by its own dust, but in a moment it became obvious that the dust was not moving.
‘He’s stopped,’ said Katie. ‘Get going, for God’s sake! That Aborigine said there was a house half an hour ahead.’
‘Yes…but…Look! He’s out of the truck!’
In the haze of dust settling around the Land Cruiser they could dimly see a moving figure, which seemed to be carrying something large and square.
‘He’s out of petrol,’ said Katie. ‘Don’t you see? He’s out of petrol and he’s gone down that side of the track to block it. See? He’s got the truck sideways across the track.’
‘Could we get past it, do you think?’
‘No,’ Katie was almost shouting. ‘Go up the track. Find that house!’
Half reluctantly Shaw let in the clutch and took off. He, more than Katie, knew what a battering the Honda was taking and how little chance it had of keeping going if the track deteriorated. But, if the house was there, half an hour away…
It was Katie who saw the shotgun. It was lying just to the left of the track, its barrel glistening in the sunlight.
‘Stop!’
Shaw obeyed, then wondered why he had, then understood as Katie slipped out of the car, picked up the shotgun and came back.
‘Is it loaded?’ Shaw asked as he took off again.
‘I don’t know. How do you tell?’
‘I don’t know. Leave it. Wait till we stop again. Don’t touch the trigger. My God—if it’s loaded we’ve got the bastard.’
He longed to examine the gun. It was a huge, old-fashioned weapon reaching very nearly from the floor to the roof of the Honda. It had two hammers, and they seemed to be uncocked, but neither Katie nor Shaw knew anything about guns.
They could see the soak, glittering just ahead with something dark in the middle of it.
‘That’s his motorbike,’ said Katie.
‘That’s him too,’ said Shaw after a moment. ‘Oh, Christ.’ He slowed down. The wheel marks of the Land Cruiser were still apparent in the mud.
‘We’ll sink in that, if we don’t go over it fast.’
‘Is he really dead?’
‘His head’s under the mud.’
Shaw stopped the Honda. ‘How far behind, do you think?’ he said.
‘Far enough for the moment. There might…there might be bullets on…in…there might be bullets.’
‘Yes,’ said Shaw. ‘Wait here. Get in the driving seat and keep the motor running.’
He got out of the car, into the sun and looked back along the track, where it dwindled into the heat haze. No dust. The Land Cruiser wasn’t moving yet.
He walked quickly to the soak. His shoes sank and for a panicky
‘He’s coming back!’ said Katie.
Shaw shoved the spare wheel into place and Katie spun the nuts finger-tight. Swiftly Shaw shoved the wheel brace over the nuts and wrenched hard.
The Land Cruiser was half a kilometre away, visible now through the settling dust.
‘In, quick!’ shouted Shaw. They abandoned the damaged wheel but Shaw grabbed the jack and the handle, more as a weapon now. He took the driver’s seat and started the motor. The Land Cruiser was almost at the first turning from the track to the soak.
‘Go! Go!’ screamed Katie.
Shaw paused, hoping to lure the driver of the Land Cruiser into taking the first turning off the track towards the soak. That would have enabled them to go out the other way and turn to Yogabilla.
But the Land Cruiser didn’t pause; it came on down the track to the second turnoff.
‘For God’s sake go!’ shouted Katie. ‘What are you waiting for?’
‘When he comes down I’m going to race just ahead of him to the far turnoff,’ said Shaw, ‘then try to swing round there and go back to Yogabilla.’
But the Land Cruiser didn’t come down the turnoff. It went on down the track to the east.
‘What the hell is he doing?’ said Shaw.
The Land Cruiser was hidden by its own dust, but in a moment it became obvious that the dust was not moving.
‘He’s stopped,’ said Katie. ‘Get going, for God’s sake! That Aborigine said there was a house half an hour ahead.’
‘Yes…but…Look! He’s out of the truck!’
In the haze of dust settling around the Land Cruiser they could dimly see a moving figure, which seemed to be carrying something large and square.
‘He’s out of petrol,’ said Katie. ‘Don’t you see? He’s out of petrol and he’s gone down that side of the track to block it. See? He’s got the truck sideways across the track.’
‘Could we get past it, do you think?’
‘No,’ Katie was almost shouting. ‘Go up the track. Find that house!’
Half reluctantly Shaw let in the clutch and took off. He, more than Katie, knew what a battering the Honda was taking and how little chance it had of keeping going if the track deteriorated. But, if the house was there, half an hour away…
It was Katie who saw the shotgun. It was lying just to the left of the track, its barrel glistening in the sunlight.
‘Stop!’
Shaw obeyed, then wondered why he had, then understood as Katie slipped out of the car, picked up the shotgun and came back.
‘Is it loaded?’ Shaw asked as he took off again.
‘I don’t know. How do you tell?’
‘I don’t know. Leave it. Wait till we stop again. Don’t touch the trigger. My God—if it’s loaded we’ve got the bastard.’
He longed to examine the gun. It was a huge, old-fashioned weapon reaching very nearly from the floor to the roof of the Honda. It had two hammers, and they seemed to be uncocked, but neither Katie nor Shaw knew anything about guns.
They could see the soak, glittering just ahead with something dark in the middle of it.
‘That’s his motorbike,’ said Katie.
‘That’s him too,’ said Shaw after a moment. ‘Oh, Christ.’ He slowed down. The wheel marks of the Land Cruiser were still apparent in the mud.
‘We’ll sink in that, if we don’t go over it fast.’
‘Is he really dead?’
‘His head’s under the mud.’
Shaw stopped the Honda. ‘How far behind, do you think?’ he said.
‘Far enough for the moment. There might…there might be bullets on…in…there might be bullets.’
‘Yes,’ said Shaw. ‘Wait here. Get in the driving seat and keep the motor running.’
He got out of the car, into the sun and looked back along the track, where it dwindled into the heat haze. No dust. The Land Cruiser wasn’t moving yet.
He walked quickly to the soak. His shoes sank and for a panicky
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