 But no sooner had he fixed that than themoon came
out and the blacks began a corroboree.
Then he raised his ashen-grey face and gave Sambo a
look ofhopeless misery. Cabellpushed his plate away and went to the
door.
Now he raised a howl that brought uphalf a dozen
hulking brutes, armed to the teeth. He slipped into a worldmore kindly and
convincing.
By the time they reached thebrow of the hill she
was letting out whinnies of alarm.
The night was still again, still with the silence
that is athousand little noises.
Rainand sun alternately drenched and baked them.
Sambo dismounted, walked ahead a little way, and gingerly picked upsomething from
the ground.
Along the riverit was as soft as a down bed, on the
hillsides higher than a man ona horse.
Sambo threw up his head and sniffed the air, too.
Figures moved against the glare of a big fire. When it hadpassed he spent a frenzied
hour trying to stop the noise of waterdripping from the roof.
Hisgesture printed the shadow of a long arm on the
grey mud wall ofthe storeroom.
Sambo dismounted, walked ahead a little way, and
gingerly picked upsomething from the ground.
Little spurts of anger kept drawing his heavy black
browstogether.
Again, he dreamt of McGovern, prompted by Gurseys
nightmarechatter. Thebright green shoots of the bamboos were up more than six feet.
Even Cranky Tom looked youthful in comparison. Cabell gave them thesodden remains of
a damper, some old clay pipes and tobacco.
Sothe hunt went on for half an hour till there were
more dead bodiesthan live ducks.
So the blacks got safely into the gullies of the
overlappingranges. Mobfrom the west sides off their camp, he said,
yawning.
Thehorses galloped about in their paddock and were
restless all night.
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