Arthur Upfield - No footprints in the bush

Presently Bony’s soft voice ceased. He had permitted no surmise of the other’s character and physical aspect to be betrayed by his eyes, and he did not know that Dr Whyte had been similarly employed. In the doctor, Bony had found strength. In Bony, the doctor discovered a combination of qualities which gripped his interest.

“You can count on me,” he told Bony. “I’d like to stay on and help make the world hereabouts do a spot of humming, but, as you say, and I agree with you, Flora will have to go to a place of much greater safety.”

“You appreciate the importance of the fact of McPherson being away on his own business, leaving me tied here in case Rex makes a move in Miss McPherson’s direction?”

“Of course. Why, Rex McPherson might even bomb the house. He must be mad, don’t you thing?”

“He’s an egoist who would be a danger to world peace if he was a national leader. I wonder now. Do you see this affair as McPherson apparently seesit. He wants to deal with it himself, to keep it a family secret.”

“Quite! And you being a policeman will have to follow the rails and let it become a public entertainment.”

Bony smiled.

“What would you do about it?” he asked.

“Keep it a family secret if it could be done,” the doctor answered. “It’s the McPherson family that’s suffered-excepting, of course, Sergeant Errey and his family, and I’ve no doubt that the old man will provide handsomely for Errey’s widow and the boy.”

“That is one reason why I would like to forget I am supposed to be a policeman, but it is not the more important of two reasons supporting my intention to report Errey’s murder as a car accident,” Bony went on. “I would rather not state the more important reason, but should you ever visit the homestead cemetery, and gaze upon the tomb of Tarlalin, you may be able to make a good guess. Now I’m off to bed.”

He rose and walked to the window.

“By the way. Would you be so kind as to take me up in your machine and show me a little of the Illprinka country-say tomorrow morning?”

“Certainly. I suppose there’s plenty of juice in store here?”

“I saw several forty-gallon drums all full.”

“Good! I’ll be with you in the morning. Good night!”

Burning Water called Bony at three o’clock, and by eight the aeroplane had been refuelled and was left standing surrounded by the ever-curious aborigines, whilst its pilot and Bony rode back on the truck to the house.

Flora was waiting for them to come for breakfast.

“Bony and I are going aloft for an hour or two,” the doctor told her, smiling into her eyes. “Then I must start for home and work. It’s going to blow late today or tomorrow, and it might blow so hard as to make the trip unpleasant.”

“Then you will be leaving this afternoon! Oh!”

The girl was dismayed. Bony was made hopeful and the doctor was gratified. He led the attack.

“Don’t worry, Flora, me gal! You’re coming with me. You’re looking peaked and the change will do you good.”

“Looking peaked!” she exclaimed and rose from the table to regardherself in the mirror above the mantelshelf. “Looking peaked, indeed. Why, you two have been conspiring.”

“We have agreed that a short holiday would do you a world of good,” Whyte said, helpinghimself to toast.“Convinced of it.”

“Indeed!”

“I have tried to, Miss McPherson,” Bony said gravely. “It concerns me that you are open to attack from a dangerous man who apparently will stop at nothing. Your uncle having gone off to carry out plans of his own, and Dr Whyte having to return to his patients, you are left in a not particularly secure position when Burning Water and I leave.”

Setting down his cup, he produced an excessively grimed sheet of paper smeared with what even Flora could see was blood.

“When last night I told the story of what had happened to your uncle. I did not remember this note he left in his car. I will read it to you because it will, I hope, convince you.

“It begins: ‘Dear Bony. Was bailed up at telephone break by Rex. Wanted me to speak into portable telephone box and get Flora out there alone. Look out for her. Get her away. Rex damaged my fingers and I can’t write more.’ It is signedD. M.”

“Let me see it, please.”

Bony rose and gravely placed the sheet on the table before her. She looked up at him after a swift glance at the note, saying: “That’s not uncle’s writing.”

“We must not omit the damage done to your uncle’s fingers,” Bony countered, and returned to his chair. “Now, please, listen to me for a minute.”

Swiftly he outlined the enormous difficulties of locating and arresting Rex McPherson, the dangers and hardships, the probable time that she would be almost defenceless.

“If you decide that you will not leave with Harry, then I will not be able to leave you alone here,” he said, slowly. “I think that those smoke signals have led your uncle on a wild-goose chase, and that he will fail in what he wishes to accomplish. In fact he and his party might well all be massacred. So, Miss McPherson, please go off on that holiday advised by your doctor and leave me free to stamp out a dangerous fire.”

“But I can look after myself,” Flora protested. “Rex wouldn’t dare come here.”

“He’ll dare anything.”

“Better give in and come to Birdsville with me,” pleaded Whyte.

“No. I am not going to run away.” Impulsively, she rose and passed round to stand close to Bony. “I know you can make me go away, Bony, but please don’t make me. I’ll promise not to be stupid or careless. You see, I fear Rex terribly, and if I ran away I’d begin to fearfear . Let me stay and fight it out with you and uncle. The Nevins could come in from the out-station and be with me. Tom Nevin would stand no nonsense from Rex, and besides his wife and children would be safer here. Please.”

Bony’s steady gaze wavered. Her intense earnestness defeated him, and he had not thought of bringing Nevin and his family in to the homestead.

“Women have ruled nations,” he said. “I can well understand how they did it. I’ll ask Nevin to come in today. If he will, you may stay. If he won’t, you will have to leave with Harry. Is that a bargain?”

“Yes. Nevin will come for me if not for you. And don’t worry about me, please. I’ll be all right.”

“You wouldn’t hesitate to shoot-if necessary?”

“I would not,” she answered, and he thought she had never looked more like those men on the canvases.

Nevin agreed to pack up and come in to the homestead. In fact, he seemed anxious to do so and promised to leave as soon as possible in order to complete the trip during daylight.

From the office Bony crossed to the blacks’ camp and roused Burning Water per medium of the elder wife.

“The doctor and I are going up this morning,” he told the chief. “It’s a thousand to one that Miss McPherson will want to come along and watch the take-off. I’ve telephoned to Nevin and he’s coming in at once with his family and as many of the blacks out there as can squeezethemselves on to the truck. I want you to come now to the ground, and after we have left to keep close to the girl until we get back.”

“You are wise, my brother and my son and my father. So was Illawalli when he made you a great one,” Burning Water said. “I’ll come with you. Some of the bucks are down with the plane?”

“They were when we refuelled it. Yes, they’ll still be there. I wonder where Itcheroo is this morning.”

Burning Water went back and spoke with the elder wife for a few moments. On his return he looked worried.

“Itcheroo went early into the bush,” he said. “Why not stamp out that dangerous fire before it becomes too fierce?”