But for more than an hour they battled in
silence, unable to go either backwards or forwards. When finally the
storm passed over, leaving them with parched throats and red-rimmed,
aching eyes and blistered skin, it was dusk--the swift dusk of the
sub-tropics.
Marcella wanted to stay and wash the dust away in the creek; Louis,
remembering the food shortage, insisted on pushing on. But when darkness
fell they were going blindly in the direction they guessed to be right
for they could see nothing of the five trees. Louis got depressed.
Marcella felt tired enough to be depressed too, but had to keep his
spirits up. She was just going to suggest that they should give up and
rest supperless for the night when they heard a faint "coo-ee," and even
more faintly the plodding sound of a horse's steps. Louis excitedly gave
an answering shout, and in a few minutes they saw a horse looming
through the darkness.
"What a good job I've found you," came a boy's voice, and they saw a
small figure standing beside them, reaching about to the horse's
shoulder.
"Were you looking for us?" said Marcella. "And are we found? We don't
seem to be anywhere."
"I was looking for the sheep. I came across twenty back there,
suffocated with the dust. I don't know what he'll say when he knows! But
it's a good thing I found you, else you'd have gone on all night.
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