Uncle Richard tapped his nose and winced. ‘A chap in the hotel last night. Said he’d been part of the bushranger’s gang.’

‘But bushrangers are dangerous. He’d shoot us if he finds out we know where his gold is hidden,’ Danny said.

‘This chap said he’s not around at the moment. He’s gone to visit his sick mother in Melbourne.’

It had never occurred to Danny that bushrangers may have sick mothers. ‘So he’s not a really bad bushranger.’

‘Oh no. He’s a bit like Robin Hood. He gives everything away to people who need it. So I think we will be quite safe, but this is very, very secret. You can’t tell anyone.’

‘Not even Mama?’

‘Not even Mama or Netty,’ Uncle Richard said.

‘When are we going to go?’

‘I have a few things to do this evening, but I thought if we set out bright and early tomorrow, we can be home for tea.’

‘But I have to go to school,’ Danny protested.

Uncle Richard leaned in. ‘You can pretend to go to school. I’ll meet you on the Aberfeldy Road. Just north of the market garden, there’s a stand of trees. I’ll be there with a couple of horses for us. You can ride?’

‘Yes, Caleb taught me.’

Uncle Richard smiled, but his eyes didn’t look like they were smiling. ‘That’s good to hear,’ he said. ‘I will see you tomorrow.’

Danny nodded and slipped off the wall. He’d never done anything wantonly naughty before and now he was contemplating keeping a secret from Mama and skipping school.

‘What do we do if we find the gold?’ he asked.

‘We would have to be honest and give it to the police,’ Uncle Richard said. ‘But there’s a big reward and we can split it between us. You can buy your mama a lovely present.’ He clapped a hand on Danny’s shoulder and put the other one to his lips. ‘But just remember it’s our secret.’

The emergency at the Italian settlement had taken Caleb out of town at first light and it had gone dark by the time Caleb rode back into town in the soft evening light.

At the livery stable, Sones took Shadow from him. ‘You look done in,’ the stableman remarked. ‘How’s the lass?’

‘She’s a fighter,’ Caleb said. He had decided nothing in this world was worse than watching a two-year-old child in pain and having limited means to ameliorate it.

Sones pulled the saddle from Shadow’s back. ‘There’s a bad fire developing north of us,’ he said. ‘Maidment came back from Melbourne this morning and went straight out to see how far it’s got and if we’re going to be in its path. Reckon it’s tracking the ridges down the Aberfeldy Road. Could catch Blue Sailor.’

‘What about Pretty Sally?’