Mike Dixon

n the following day they continued northwards at a
O more leisurely pace. David started to relax. The
growing distance from Canberra had a therapeutic effect.
The further he got from the source of their problems the
faster his worries slipped away. He was almost in a holiday
mood when they came upon a bush track near the resort
town of Port Douglas. It led to the beach and they went
down it.
Tim was soon displaying the driving skills he had learnt
in the army. The track ran over sand and he coaxed the vehicle
along, getting up momentum on the firmer sections
and coasting over the soft parts. They slithered from side to
side but kept going. Glancing in the rear mirror, David no-
ticed a vehicle behind them. It was a Landcruiser like their
own but without a trailer. The driver lacked Tim‟s skills and
was soon bogged down.
David grabbed a pair of binoculars.
„I think we‟re being followed.‟
„Stop worrying!‟
„No. I‟ve seen them before.‟
„Jesus! Don‟t you ever relax?‟
„Tim, I‟ve seen „em three times now. One wears a floppy
hat and the other‟s got a baseball cap. I think we should
find out who they are. Like go back and offer to pull „em out
… get a good look at them.‟
„Mate! If we stop now, we‟ll be grounded like they are.‟
Tim changed gear. „It‟s getting late. I want to get in a bit of
fossicking while it‟s still light enough to see what‟s going
on.‟
They continued for a while then a gap appeared in the
bushes. Tim swung the wheel, squeezed between two coconut
palms and came to a halt on a long stretch of beach. He
jumped down and threw out his arms.
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