Taking Sean in his arms, he walked away from the wagonette a little. ‘This is where your Grandma and Grandpa are buried, Sean.’ The piece of ground to which he gestured was indistinguishable from the rest of the ridge. A few pieces of quartz lay strewn among grass tussocks.

Paddy went to the far end of the stones and picked up two pieces of wood. They were nailed together.

‘That’s the cross we made for Ma and Pa’s grave,’ Toby said, and bent to replace the stones which had been kicked out of place by wandering cattle. Then he and Paddy went to the wagonette, lowered the tailgate and used two planks of wood to slide the heavy container onto the ground. Toby handed Paddy a nail iron and his brother set about prying the lid off, working his way carefully around the outside.

‘It’s a beauty’, Paddy whispered when the lid came away. His fingers traced the outline of each letter chiselled into a polished granite headstone.

Toby retrieved two spades from the wagonette and they spent the next half-hour digging the headstone into the ground, ensuring the earth was packed tight around it. Finally, they were finished, and the brothers stood back to admire their handiwork.

Toby felt he had kept the promise he’d made on this very spot. He had brought a family back to the place that had been so important to his mother and father. His father had always said that this was a family place and a place like this needed a family to make it thrive and prosper the way it ought to.

Well, Pa, he thought, there’s a family here again, an O’Rourke family. I know you’d be proud.

The dark was growing and the stars coming out as Toby and Patrick O’Rourke got everyone loaded back onto the wagonette. Toby urged the horse into motion then slipped his arm behind Annie’s back.

‘Look!’ Annie pointed into the night sky above the homestead where a bright firmament of stars shone. ‘That’s the Southern Cross.’ Her hand instantly traced the outline, found the Pointers and dropped to the horizon. ‘South,’ she said.

‘Yes,’ Toby answered, noting that Annie’s finger pointed at the homestead. ‘The Southern Cross is showing us the way home.’

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

There are many people who have offered their generous assistance on the path to bring Blood in the Dust to publication. If I have forgotten anyone, please forgive me.