Once more he tried to head towards the river. He tossed his head again, refusing to move further. ‘We must go this way,’ she told him, in her own language this time.

He stamped. She could feel that his muscles suddenly tensed, ready to run. What made him stubborn so suddenly? Something made her look behind.

A man sat on a horse on the ridge above them. She did not recognise him — he was not from Overflow, nor had she seen him visit there. As she looked, another two men, also on horseback, joined the first. Behind them, brown-and-white cattle shoved and jostled.

She did not need time to think. The horse had carried her this far, but that had been his choice. Nor, if they had to gallop far in this rough country, was she sure she could stay upon his back. She would slow him down.

The horse had taken her to freedom. He deserved his best chance to be free now.

Where there were three men there might be more. They would have guns. They could shoot her easily at this distance, but probably they would not shoot the horse, for he was valuable, not like native girls. But they might, perhaps, try driving him into a trap . . .

She slid from his back with her sack, slapped his haunch to reinforce that he must go, thanked him, in the true language, as he lunged away from her then galloped, his hooves striking sparks on the flint as he vanished over the ridge.

He at least was free.

She turned to meet the men.

She could have run. She could have tried to hide. But the three men were above her, and so would almost certainly see wherever she went. Once she could have hid by standing still, becoming one among the trees. But to do that you had to still your mind and body and she could not do that now. It had been too long since she had tried, too many rooms. She was not even sure who she was now, this Rose who had escaped from Overflow.

Three men on horseback. She fingered the knife in her pocket. They might take her for a young native stockman. There was a good chance they would. She could say she worked at Drinkwater, and hope these men had not come from there. If they realised she was female, if they used their guns, she would not be able to fight them all. Even if they did not have guns or knives, she knew she had little chance of survival if they set on her.

But she had let herself be chained before. This time she would fight and keep fighting, and not stop, until no more fight was possible.