Gwyneth was weary and saddened by all that had happened, and she sat there deep in thought long after Sal had driven away. But as she settled into the cushions with Wally at her feet in his basket and Coco in his cage beside her she became aware of the noisy activity down the street and her formidable strength and avid curiosity returned.

There was always something to watch in Morgan’s Reach and, with so many people milling about, things could prove to be even more interesting than usual.

*

He’d returned to the cave and gathered up his belongings while the rain thundered down through the trees. But he’d reasoned that it could be some time before Ben Freeman returned to his house above the cave so had huddled into his greatcoat, taken another pill and fallen asleep.

He’d been snapped awake by the sound of motor engines and the tooting of horns coming from the valley and had known it was time to leave. The ashes in the fire had gone cold, and so had the billy tea. He’d thrown the dregs away and stuffed the billy and tin mug into his kitbag. But as he’d rolled up the blankets he’d found the old pair of binoculars that Danny must have left behind.

The glass was cracked in one side, the strap broken, the outer casing scratched and battered. He’d thought long and hard about what to do, and then had dropped them in his deep coat pocket. Danny would get them back when he’d finished with them.

Then, with a deep sigh, he’d steeled himself for the long walk through the bush.

It had stopped raining now, but the music of the bush continued to play as he walked beneath the dripping trees. Birds sang in the sweet, fresh air, and insects hummed and buzzed and ticked as his boots scuffed through the leaves that carpeted the bush floor. The scent of wet earth and eucalyptus rose to greet him and, as the hillside steepened and he had to ease his pace, his boots scraped against the hidden black rocks that were so sacred to Django and his people.

He’d been walking for about an hour, circumventing Morgan’s Reach until he was high above the northern end of the broad main road. The effect of the pills was already wearing off and, as he came to a large flat rock that jutted out from the hillside, he sat down to rest. He could see right down the main street quite clearly, for a broad firebreak had been cut through the trees, and a beam of late sunlight glinted in the puddles and on the roofs.