He kicked at the dust on the road as he wandered home to the post office along the main street. His heart gave a leap as he spotted the Shady Creek coach winding its precarious way down Little John’s Sleigh Ride towards the town. The coach meant the return of Amos Burrell, one of the few men in Danny’s life who had time for him. He had shown Danny how to tie knots and was teaching him the fundamentals of horsemanship.

His mother had let slip that Amos was ‘sweet’ on Netty. Danny didn’t quite know what that meant except that Amos spent a deal of his free time drinking tea in the kitchen of Danny’s home.

Danny broke into a purposeful stride, arriving at The Empress as the coach came to a halt, the two huge horses Dave and Mac, sweating and blowing from the difficult descent.

Amos raised his whip to his hat brim in greeting before he jumped down from his box. ‘’Ow’s it going, Dan?’ he called.

Danny grinned up at his friend.

‘Good afternoon, Mr Burrell.’ Netty greeted her suitor as she crossed the road from the post office.

Amos swept the hat from his head. ‘Afternoon, Miss Redley,’ he said.

Netty handed Danny a bowl with the offcuts of carrots to feed the horses. ‘Thought you’d be here,’ she said.

The coach horses, twitched their ears in anticipation as Danny approached them with the snacks in his outstretched hand. Their soft, hot lips snuffled the tasty morsels up as Amos opened the carriage door and his grateful passengers emerged onto the boardwalk outside the hotel.

Danny glanced at the arrivals without much interest. He recognised Mr and Mrs Russell. Mrs Russell never missed an opportunity to chide him for misdemeanours, whether his hair was untidy or he had misbuttoned his shirt. Mr Penrose from the mine smiled and waved at him. A tall, dark-haired man with a colourful waistcoat was the last to alight. He stood looking around as Amos climbed back onto the coach and started to hand down the baggage to the man from The Empress who served as everything from porter to odd-job man.

Danny cocked his head and considered the newcomer with interest. As he stretched his arms, no doubt glad to be free from the cramped quarters of the coach, the man’s jacket fell away, revealing a large handgun at his waist. The man smiled at Danny before pulling his jacket back over the weapon.

Danny returned the smile, a little uncertainly. Strangers in Maiden’s Creek were not unusual but they didn’t normally come armed. He wondered if the man could be a bushranger. He’d heard some of the boys at school talking about Captain Moonlight, who’d been seen in Aberfeldy, or so they had overheard someone telling their father.