‘Horses know what’s good for them. They’ll have headed straight to their stables,’ Caleb said with more confidence than he felt. Even a horse at full flight would be hard put to outrun that fire. If they had not reached the river in time, they too would be dead.

Danny scrambled onto the shore just as a tree came crashing down, its top still ablaze. Adelaide screamed but Danny had jumped clear. Caleb held out his hand and helped Adelaide to pick a careful way to the dry, tumbled pebbles of the shore.

The boy began pulling at some scrubby bushes above the high-water mark.

‘There’s an old mine here,’ he said. ‘Looks like a rockfall blocking the entrance.’

‘Danny, be careful. It may not be safe. You know what old mines are like,’ Adelaide said as the boy crawled into the opening of the adit.

Danny pulled at the broken rocks to widen the opening to the adit. ‘I think we can get in now,’ he said, turning to the two bedraggled figures behind him. ‘Just one more rock—’ He gave a sharp cry, pulling back his right hand and jumping to his feet.

‘Danny!’ Adelaide screamed as she caught the flick of a dark brown tail disappearing under another pile of rocks.

The boy stood transfixed, his mouth open in a silent scream, his right hand clutched to his chest.

Caleb was by his side. ‘Give me your hand.’

Danny, his eyes wide in horror, complied, and Caleb’s breath stopped at the sight of the two puncture marks, clearly discernible despite the mud that smeared Danny’s hand. He remembered the tiger snake that had attacked his boot and the cold hand of fear tightened around his heart. ‘Did you see it?’ he asked, forcing his voice to remain neutral.

‘Yes. It was a tiger snake,’ Danny said between white lips. ‘Not a big one.’

‘That’s good,’ Caleb said, and helped the boy to the ground. ‘I want you to lie down and be very, very still.’ He looked at Adelaide. She stared back at him, her eyes wide with horror. She knew, they both knew, what the bite of a tiger snake could do to a small boy. He held out his hand to her. ‘Adelaide, your belt, please.’

Adelaide pulled the narrow leather belt from her trousers, bunching the loose fabric in one hand as Caleb wound the leather strap tightly around Danny’s forearm, using a stick to tighten the ligature.

‘A knife,’ he muttered, more to himself.

‘In my satchel,’ Danny said.

Caleb took the bag from around Danny’s shoulders and unbuckled it. The bag contained an assortment of odds and ends, some of which could be useful. He found a length of light rope, a better tourniquet than the belt, which he tossed back to Adelaide.

‘Danny, hold your hand very still. Adelaide, can you help hold it steady?’