Arthur Upfield - No footprints in the bush

The race was over. Bony hauled back his horse, rage and disappointment a fire eating him alive. The plane was speeding away across the claypans. He saw its wheels leave the ground for a split second, saw them leave it again, seem to threaten to touch ground again, give up the attempt, rise and rise higher and higher. The machine climbed, came back to the east to fly by them at five hundred feet. Rex McPherson waved a gloved hand at them. They could see the white face of Flora McPherson on a level with the cockpit edge.

Base Operations

THE four men sat in the office: Bony, Dr Whyte, Nevin and Chief Burning Water. They had returned silently, and now they sat silently waiting for Bony to speak. Dr Whyte’s hands were clenching and unclenching on the table desk.

Itcheroo was dead, killed by the flashing hooves of the horse ridden by Blue Shirt. A mind had perished possessing secrets many scientists would give their all to know, secrets many doubtingThomases in the scientific world refuse to credit because they have been unable to get under the skin of the Australian aborigine. No other suffered injury in that mad race, and now the body of the Wantella man of magic was being taken, tied with a covering of tobacco bush leaves, to the tribal death tree where it would remain for three months. The final rites would be performed thatday, an arm bone was removed from the bundle and solemnly buried, rendering the spirit of Itcheroo no longer dangerous to the living.

“There is an old saying about worldly success to the effect that, ‘if a manrises like a rocket he probably falls like a stick.’ ” Bony said, and paused to light the cigarette he had made. “Another saying is that, ‘the higher one goes the harder one falls.’

“We are now confronted by a problem and we will fail in its solution if we are hasty, too ambitious, run when we should walk. That problem is not the capture of Rex McPherson. The problem is the ultimate safety of Miss McPherson. All other objectives must be set aside until our problem of the girl’s safety is finalized.

“It is not a problem that can be solved by an air force and a military or police ground force. It is one which can be solved only by the employment of subtlety, and the word I use is the correct one because it implies intelligent cunning. To locate and attack Rex McPherson with superior force would inevitably result in the death of his victim.

“Let us first settle the question why he abducted Miss McPherson. I believe I can settle it. He has been and still is determined to force his father to retire and hand the station over to him. To achieve this unlawful ambition he has stolen his father’s cattle, forged his father’s signature to cheques, killed his father’s stock-men, tortured his father with cane-grass splinters. So far he has failed. Therefore, he abducted Miss McPherson to ransom her for his father’s station property.

“Do not think that this ambition is the final goal. It is but a lever with which to remove opposition.

“Having obtained the lever Rex will want to put it into use. He knows that his father has started off with a party of the Wantella aborigines in search of his headquarters and of him, for the dead Itcheroo will have told him. Rex will lose no time in communicating his recent success to The McPherson, who will doubtless be given a period of time to make up his mind to capitulate.

“Rex knows we know of the abduction. He will be uneasy concerning how we will react, and we may therefore believe he will do everything he can to persuade his father to communicate with us with the object of preventing any resolute action against him. In addition to the station property, he will demand our neutrality in exchange for the person of Miss McPherson.”

“In that case he will have to have it,” Whyte snapped.

“But-” Nevin was about to object.

“I agree that nothing must be done to prevent Miss McPherson’s safe return,” Bony cut in. “Which is why I stressed the urgent need for subtlety. If Rex McPherson found himself cornered he would destroy his captive. But, Harry, we cannot sanction neutrality, nor could we sanction The McPherson’s surrender to the demand for his property. If the son’s crimes had been committed only against the father, then we might have consented to act as the father wished, but, following the murder of three aborigines and Sergeant Errey, we have no choice. If the son’s crimes had been confined to attacks on the father’s property, and if meeting his demands would end the aggression, then we could agree to terms. But there will be no end to the aggression until the aggressor is prevented for ever from being aggressive.”

“Giving in to the swine would get no one anywhere,” asserted Nevin. “I know the swine. And I know, too, that he would kill Miss McPherson if he thought he was cornered.”

“Well, what are we going to do?” demanded the flying doctor.

“This,” Bony began in explanation. “Good team work is essential for success. In effect if and when The McPherson is given the demands I have mentioned, he must enter into prolonged negotiations to gain time for us.

“Now this is my plan evolved from much thought and acceptance of all risks and chances. After dark you, Nevin, with the men’s cook, will take the two trucks to Shaw’s Lagoon for as much first grade petrol and oil as you can load. You must do the trip during the night hours, and you must be prepared to extinguish lights and stop at the first sign of attack by Rex McPherson in his aeroplane. Itcheroo being dead, I think you will have no trouble, but be advised to take half a dozen of Burning Water’s reliable bucks.

“On your return the oil supplies must be stored in a secret place to avoid destruction. And then tomorrow you and every available man must construct a well camouflaged hangar for Captain Loveacre’s aeroplane.

“You will know what has to be done about that, Harry. Meanwhile you must make all necessary preparations to receive Loveacre. You should get in touch with him as early as possible. He should reach St Albans sometime late tomorrow afternoon and be dissuaded from attempting to come on and arrive here in the dark.

“Tonight Burning Water and I will leave on foot for the Illprinka country to try and locate the headquarters of Rex McPherson. Our first objective will be the return to safety of Miss McPherson. We shall bother with nothing else until that is achieved. Once her safety is assured we can deal with Rex, but to do anything to reverse this procedure would I am afraid be fatal.

“Now let us clearly understand this vital point. The ground party, consisting of Burning Water and myself, will suffer certain handicaps. Our first objective is to be an area of cane-grass at the western extremity of the plain which is a hundred odd miles away. We will have to proceed with extreme caution in order to reach Rex McPherson’s headquarters unheralded and, by the employment of subtlety, rescue the girl from him.

“Having done that we will be confronted by a hundred odd miles of open country to safety, with a hundred Illprinka men and Rex in his plane behind us.

“It will be Captain Loveacre’s task to keep in touch with the ground party, but to avoid betraying it or its position through communicating with it, save if absolutely necessary. It will be his task to know where the ground party is from day to day without the ground party having to indicate itself. And it will be his task to be ready to pick up Miss McPherson as soon as possible after she is rescued. I trust you appreciate these several points, Harry?”

“I do,” Whyte replied. “I think the plan is sound.”

“It couldn’t be sounder,” added Nevin. “Intelligent cunning, as you said, Bony, is going to do the trick. After that trick is turned we then can get on with the clean-up.”