DANGER AT HAND
After the races, Swamp Creek settled down into its usual quiet ways, and
the excitement quickly subsided.
Most of the inhabitants won a trifle over Neptune's victory and were
therefore gratified at the result of the cup.
Willie Dennis was none the worse for the blow he had received, but his
father was desperately angry, and no steps appeared to have been taken
by the police to ascertain who committed the outrage.
'They are a dunderheaded, sleepy lot,' he said to Sal; 'and Doonan
appears to be no better than the others.'
'It is not his fault,' she replied. 'I know who did it, and so do you.
It was Abe Dalton. I could see it in his face when I tackled him at the
races. The coward shrank from me.'
'I think he is the man,' said Jim; 'but we have no proof. I am going
over to Barragong with Dr Tom. We shall not be away more than two or
three days. You can look after things here. Willie will be able to
attend to the hands, and see Neptune and the other horses are properly
exercised. I will tell Silas Dixon to keep a watchful eye on everything,
but I do not think there is anything to fear, and you will not be
molested.'
'I am not afraid,' she said; 'and I can use a revolver as well as most
men.'
'Yes, you are a good shot,' he answered her. 'I hope there will be no
occasion for shooting.'
He rode over with Dr Tom Sheridan on a long-promised visit to Adye
Dauntsey.
Jim Dennis was a regular stay-at-home, and never cared to be long away
from Wanabeen.
The police magistrate, however, knew how to entertain such visitors, and
he possessed a fund of anecdote, and had gone through a wide and varied
experience, which enabled him to relate many stories of interest
connected with the district.
Abe Dalton was not slow to learn that Jim Dennis was absent from
Wanabeen, and he thought it would be a good time to attempt to get
possession of Sal during his absence.
He laid his plans accordingly, and four of his men were allotted to
undertake the task.
There were, however, in the blacks' camp at Barker's Creek, women who
had come to loathe and hate Dalton and all his belongings, and who
sometimes managed to escape the vigilance of his men and get away
unseen, when they would visit Sal at Wanabeen, or search out their own
tribe. They were bound to return to the Creek, or it would have gone ill
with those remaining behind.
Dalton's men took but little heed of the blacks, talking freely in front
of them, and it came to their knowledge that Sal was in some danger, so
they determined to warn her. The nature of the danger they failed to
understand, but that it existed they were certain.
At night one of the gins slipped away unobserved and walked to Wanabeen,
where she arrived at daybreak. These blacks knew the country well, and
had they been treated in a decent manner would not have been slow to
appreciate kindness.
Sal was always willing to give them a helping hand, and tried to
persuade them not to go back to Barker's Creek when they came to
Wanabeen, but without avail. They regarded her with a sort of awe,
knowing her to be partially one of themselves and yet far superior. They
could not understand how a woman who had once been in their tribe became
as she was.
When Sal went outside she saw the black gin waiting on the steps of the
verandah. She welcomed her and gave her food, and then questioned her.
She gathered that some danger threatened her from Dalton's gang, and
that Jim's absence from Wanabeen was known at Barker's Creek.
She thought but little of herself, all her anxiety was for Willie and
Jim Dennis's property.
Where was Constable Doonan? That was her first thought, for she knew he
would help her, and the arm of the law was strong. In such a district it
was a hard matter to know where the mounted police are to be found.
Constable Doonan was stationed at Swamp Creek, but he might not be
there, and there was no time to lose.
She thought for a few moments, and then sent Willie to tell Dixon she
wanted him. She knew she could trust Silas Dixon, although he was a
surly, misanthropical sort of man.
Dixon came, and growled out something about being interfered with in his
work, and that he wished the boss was at home and there was no women to
meddle with him.
'So do I wish he was here,' said Sal, 'for danger is at hand. You must
ride to Swamp Creek and seek out Constable Doonan, and if he is not
there you must find him.'
'Easier said than done,' was his answer.
'But you must find him, Silas. There is danger!' And she related what
the black gin from Barker's Creek had said.
'Whew,' whistled Silas, 'Dalton's lot, eh! They have left us alone for a
good number of years, and now the scoundrels are breaking out again.
I'll go, and I'll find Doonan. I owe Dalton one, as many another good
man round here does.'
'Lose no time about it, find him as quickly as possible,' said Sal;
'and, mind, not a word to Willie about it.'
'He'd better know. That lad's useful. He's as good as a man, bless yer
heart.'
'Tell him, then. Do as you think best,' said Sal.
Willie had been riding Neptune in an early morning spin, and when he
returned Silas said to him,--
'I know you'll not be frightened, Willie, at what I'm going to tell you.
One of the blacks from Barker's Creek's here, and she tells Sal there's
to be ructions around Wanabeen.'
'When?' said Willie, quietly.
'While the boss is away, sure,' said Silas.
'What'll we do?'
'I'm going for Doonan. If he is here they'll get pepper,' said Silas.
'I'll go with you.'
Then, as the lad thought for a moment or two, he added,--
'If I go there will be no one with Sal, but we shall not be long away.'
Silas smiled.
'I thought he was as good as a man,' he muttered to himself. 'He's a
chip off Jim Dennis, if ever there was one. Whoa up, you beggar! You
just missed me.'
The latter part of these remarks were meant for Neptune, who had lashed
out at Silas with both heels.
Willie laughed as he said,--
'He's beaten Abe Dalton once, and he'd do it again if he could only get
one home like that.'
'When can you come?' asked Silas.
'I'll have a snack and be with you quick,' replied Willie.
Neptune having been installed in his box and properly looked after,
Willie went inside to refresh himself.
'He's told you,' said Sal.
'Yes,' said Willie, consuming a square meal with considerable rapidity,
'he's told me.'
'And you'll go with him?'
'Rather.'
'And when you see Constable Doonan what will you say?' asked Sal.
'Leave that to me. I'll fetch him quick enough.'
'You will be able to find him?'
'I know where he is.'
'Where?'
'Just outside of Barker's Creek, on the watch.'
'What for?' asked Sal.
'Business, so he said,' answered Willie, 'whatever that means.'
The lad finished his meal and left the room.
They were quickly mounted, Silas and the boy, and rode off in the
direction of Barker's Creek, for Willie had told him where he had seen
Doonan.
'You "copt" him there this morning. You must have given Neptune a rare
good spin,' said Silas.
'He wants it,' said Willie. 'Long and strong work he wants. That won him
the cup. Do you know how I felt, Silas, when he was winning?'
'No, lad, but I'd like to.'
They were riding at a good pace, and the old hand thought, 'What a seat
the boy has! He can beat me with all my knack of doing it.'
'I felt just like shooting through the sky on a comet,' said Willie.
'As fast as that?'
'Yes; and when we passed the box I had no idea what had won or where I
was. Neptune went over the ground at a tremendous rate.'
'But you were bad, ill, and you had no idea what you were doing. That's
the yarn they tell me,' said Silas.
'I felt a bit queer, but I stuck on fast and sat still. That's the way
to ride Neptune. If I'd moved on him I believe he would have lost. That
knock on the head helped me, I _had_ to sit still.'
'There's someone over yonder,' said Silas. 'Your eyes are better than
mine. Who is it?'
'It is Doonan. Come on,' shouted the lad.
They rode at their horses' best pace, for Constable Doonan was well
ahead of them.
'I'll coo-ee,' said Silas, and he did, and the familiar sound carried
far, to Doonan's ears. The constable looked round, and as he did so
reined in his horse. He knew there must be something 'up' or they would
not have ridden after him at that pace.
He rode towards them.
'You two appear to be having a race,' he said.
They looked at each other.
'Tell him, Willie,' said Silas.
The lad was not long in explaining.
'I'll ride back with you,' said Doonan. 'They can have done no harm
yet.'
'Why are you around here?' said Silas.
'I want Seth Sharp,' said the constable.
'What for?'
'There's been murder done.'
'Who is it?'
'Ned Glenn.'
Willie and Silas looked at him in horror. They could not believe it. Ned
Glenn, the old coach-driver they had known for so many years!
'Dead--not Ned, surely!'
'It's right, lads; and he just had time to say it was Seth Sharp shot
him and that Dalton's lot were in it. Let me get hold of any of them,
that's all,' and the constable raised his clenched fist and looked
fierce.
The tears came into Willie's eyes. Ned Glenn was a real old friend, and
he could not bear to think of it.
'How did it happen?' said Silas.
'The coach was stuck up about three miles outside Swamp Creek. All I
know, and the others know, is that Ned was found lying on the ground
dying. Two horses were killed, and there were no passengers. What the
motive for the business was I don't know and cannot imagine. There was
no gold in the coach, and it is most likely Seth Sharp did it out of
revenge. You may remember, Silas, it was Ned Glenn who put him away?'
'So it was, so it was,' said Dixon.
'We must make haste,' was Willie's comment. 'Suppose Sharp was one of
the men sent over to our place?'
'He'll not venture there. He has put his neck in a halter this time,'
said Doonan; 'and Barker's Creek will have to be wiped out.'