Tanya went looking for Derain on their return home. Once she'd found him, or he'd chosen to be found, she told him about the Newcastle initiative and asked whether he knew Eustace. 'He knows about the White Goddess.'
Derain shook his head. 'Ancestor very powerful, he might tell other group to find and look after this man you are tell me about. Maybe ancestor think that Derain have already too much to look after.'
Tanya decided Derain would probably never divulge whether he knew Eustace or not. 'I want you to come with me to Newcastle in the helicopter.'
'Helicopter, no, this will crash and then I'll not be able to look after White Goddess.'
Tanya laughed. 'I've been flying the machine for many years now, it won't crash. I need your help with something, with two things actually.'
After much careful persuasion, Tanya managed to get Derain into the machine. During the flight, he changed from holding his head saying, 'This very big noise machine crash,' to excitedly pointing out well-known landmarks.
On the way, Tanya told him they'd found some isolated people in Kurri-Kurri and that one of their people had been abducted, 'We will go there first. I want you to find out all you can about the gang in Barrington Tops, we need to try and rescue the girl.'
They landed and introductions were made. At the end of the visit Derain said, 'No need for big, bang-bang rescue. I bring girl back here. I need one person to go with me who the girl recognise. Maybe I need two week.'
On the short flight to Newcastle, Tanya explained the newly-established relationship with Thor and his people. 'That Thor, very bad man, do not like Aboriginal people.'
'You know him?'
There was a mumble from Derain which Tanya took to mean "yes".
'Derain think that he, Thor, might try something silly with our people in Newcastle. Then you go shoot them. That is best thing for that man, anyway.'
'No, we can't do that, Jason will marry Venus and we need Thor and his people to accept us. We don't want to fight with them. If they come to Newcastle, I want you to give them a very big fright, like ghosts or something. Something that will scare the shit out of them, and keep them away for a very long time. It'll become part of their storytelling through the ages.'
Derain grinned from ear to ear, 'I see White Goddess still very smart,' he tapped his head.
After landing, Tanya took Derain to meet Eustace, but there was no flicker of recognition between the two. 'Either they really don't know each other or they are both very good actors,' she told Joe later.
'Eustace has described his Aboriginal home, where he stayed all those years after the flood, in some detail,' said Joe. 'It bears no resemblance to Derain's place.'
'I have some concerns about what The Vikings may try to get up to here in Newcastle,' Tanya told Kim. 'He is worried we may become too powerful. Have you seen any sign of them?'
'Strangely enough, yes. We've caught glimpses of some people dressed like them in skins.'
'Brief Derain and leave it all to him. I don't want any violence though. It's important The Vikings stay onside.' Tanya smiled and then said mischievously, 'Hercules still fancies you, you know. A marriage between us and The Vikings would secure our relationship.'
Kim was about to respond angrily and then saw the amused expression on Tanya's face. 'Marriage with Billy Goat Gruff you mean?' She laughed. 'Two chances—Buckleys and none.'
Derain made his own way back to the settlers at Kurri-Kurri. 'One person come with me, a person girl recognise. We go through Barrington village, pick up girl, and go north before come back here. People there will think you people here have rescue girl and will jump on horse and try to kill you all. Maybe you can lay ambush for them.' He shrugged. 'I bring girl back here, we need two horse.' He left with the girl's mother Josie, who could ride and shoot as well as any of the men. She was armed with her own rifle and a handgun. Derain was unarmed. Jim handed Josie twenty handwritten notes which said -
We have taken back what belongs to us.
If you attempt anything against us in future
You will regret it bitterly.
We want peace, nothing more.
'Drop them all over the camp,' Jim continued. 'It may stop them taking action, but if not, and they come here, we'll destroy them. Derain and I have selected a place for an ambush.'
Josie looked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment and then nodded. 'Peace is better,' she mumbled.
It took three days for Derain and Josie to find the Barrington village in the very rugged and steep slopes of Barrington Tops. The camp was well hidden and far into the area. Increased rainfall had made the undergrowth thick and impenetrable at times.
'Wait here, I be back.' Derain told Josie.
Two hours later he returned. 'There is girl with rope tied round neck. Must be daughter Emilie. You must see.'
They tethered the horses firmly to a tree well out of sight of the camp and Josie accompanied Derain to the outskirts of the large, untidy bush camp. There were several scruffy huts, one log cabin, and a central building, perhaps their community centre. There were many tents which had seen better times. Ragged-looking people were wandering around in a disorganised fashion; some were engaged in cooking a meal. A paddock held more than fifty horses as far as Josie could make out. They could hear noises from cattle, but they were held some way from the camp.
'There,' said Derain, 'that is Emilie?'
Josie drew a sharp breath as a girl of about fifteen was dragged about, with a rope around her neck, by an older woman. The girl was absolutely filthy.
'Yes,' she said shakily.
Derain held her by the arm. 'Don't worry, I bring her back after dark.'
They had a small meal, without lighting a fire, and rolled up in the sleeping bags for a few hours. Just after midnight, Derain woke Josie and they packed up the camp.
'You lead horse quietly to other side of camp, just past horse paddock. I bring Emilie to you.'
Josie handed Derain the handwritten notes. 'Jim says we must drop these all over the camp, could you do that please.'
Derain shrugged, 'Jim told me, I think it will do no good.' He took the notes and crept off into the bush.
It took Josie an hour to lead the horses around the camp. She found a spot beyond the horse paddock as she had been directed. She waited for a few minutes when Derain suddenly appeared carrying what appeared to be a large bundle. Josie looked at the bundle. It was indeed the terrified Emilie.
Josie hugged her. 'Shh,' she whispered. 'You're safe now, but we must make no noise.'
'Go that way, I come soon,' Derain pointed, as he helped the pair onto Josie's horse.
'Where … ' but Derain had disappeared.
Josie moved as quickly as she was able in the dark, down the path indicated, leading both horses. She heard more horses neighing nervously and then the noise of cattle lowing and shouts from the camp. Derain silently appeared. His white teeth flashed a grin in the dark. 'I make all horse and cow run into camp, maybe keep all people busy for few hours. They never find us anyway.'
It took the Barringtons several hours to regain control and to gather the various animals into their respective paddocks.
'The girl has gone, she is nowhere to be seen,' shouted one of the women. A frantic search ensued during which several of the notes Derain had scattered were produced.
The leader went white with anger, 'Okay, saddle up, we're going to teach those bastards at Kurri-Kurri a lesson they'll never forget.'
'Be careful,' warned one of the women. 'This rescue took a lot of organisation and planning … '
All she got was a very hard slap in the face. 'Be quiet woman, those people are weak and disorganised. Anyway, they'll cease to exist when I've finished with them.'
'But they offered peace.'
She was ignored as forty-five men clattered off on horseback down the path towards Kurri-Kurri.
Jim had prepared his ground well. The children and some of the older women were hidden in a basement they had found in one of the nearby houses, already refurbished by the Kurri-Kurri settlers. Altogether, for the ambush, he had the six people including himself from The Settlement, seven of the adults from the Kurri-Kurri settlers, and five of the older children. He had made sure they could all shoot and that the weapons they had were serviceable with sufficient ammunition.
'They'll be able to see the cattle in the paddock over there,' Jim pointed to the uneasy group. 'That will guide them down this narrow roadway, which they will only be able to negotiate in single file. We need to be spread out for say one hundred metres along the west side of the roadway, which is raised above the level of the road. You must all be well hidden. One Settlement person will be accompanied by two Kurri-Kurri people. I will be in front and will take down the leading two or three horses, probably including the leader.'
'And then?' asked a voice.
'I'll make them all dismount and drop their weapons.'
'And if they don't?' insisted the voice.
'If there is any resistance, I will shoot the leader, just to wound him if possible.'
'I think we should just blast them off the planet.'
'That is the fall back position. If they continue to resist I will give the order to fire, and you should all be prepared to kill.'
'Are you sure they will come at all?' asked one of the women.
'No, but it's better to be prepared. They probably assume you are weak and unable to defend yourselves. We now know differently.'
'I'm uncomfortable about shooting at and killing another human being,' said another.
'They've already taken one of yours, heaven knows with what intent. Have no doubt they will have no compunction in raping the women here and then killing the men. If necessary, we should all shoot to kill. Have no hesitation. At that point it will be either you or them, 'Jim replied firmly, but quietly.
They were all in place a full day before a small cloud of dust was seen in the distance. Jim had made certain the defenders had food and water and were able to sleep comfortably in position. He had moved between them regularly during the wait.
'Here they come,' he told everyone. 'They'll be here within an hour or so. Remember, don't fire until I tell you.'
They could see the cloud of dust rapidly approaching and, within the hour, the group with horses all of a lather came galloping down the lane in single file as Jim had predicted. Jim took down in rapid succession the first three horses, their riders crashing down to earth. One of them lay there moaning. Some of the other riders were unable to avoid the mayhem and there was a tangle of men and horses all trying to avoid each other.
Jim fired a burst over the heads of the raiders. 'Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air.'
Some members of the group reluctantly obeyed, but the leader who'd recovered from a heavy fall from his horse, yelled, 'Take no notice. It's just a couple of farmers.'
Jim aimed his rifle and shot him in the leg and the man fell down screaming. 'Drop your weapons. Now!' Jim yelled. 'All of you! I will count to three—one, two, three … '
Most complied. Two started to wave their weapons about, supposedly looking for their assailants. Jim shot them both, one in the leg and one in the arm.
After a few minutes, a very subdued group were standing in the laneway with their hands above their heads, having dropped their weapons.
'All of you, move twenty metres down the road in the direction of Kurri-Kurri. Move!' He fired a shot over their heads and the now thoroughly intimidated group shuffled along the road. 'Now lie face down. Quickly.' He fired another shot.
He and the five other Settlement people emerged from hiding places. Two herded the now very nervous horses into a nearby paddock. Three searched the raiders lying on the ground. 'Look for hidden weapons. Woe betide any of them that have kept a weapon of any sort.'
One man leapt up brandishing a revolver. There was a shot from one of the still hidden Kurri-Kurri settlers. The man dropped down dead.
'Any more of you lot with bright ideas?' asked Jim in a loud voice.
There was silence.
'Okay, tie them up,' Jim instructed. The Kurri-Kurri adults emerged and within thirty minutes all the raiders had their hands tied behind their backs, still lying in the road.
The Settlement people gave first aid to the three wounded raiders, but the dead man was left where he was.
'Why did you do this to us,' asked a plaintive voice. 'We come in peace.'
'We will have little Emilie back here shortly,' Jim replied. 'Perhaps she will have something to say about what happened to her. I know what you intended here—murder, rape, enslavement, and theft.'
Derain, Josie, and a still very dirty Emilie arrived on horseback shortly after the raiders had all been pacified. Emilie, still perched on her mother's horse, shrieked and hid her face in her mother's dress when she saw the men.
'Do you know what happened to her during the months she was away?' asked Jim.
'She was treated like a slave, a rope tied around her neck. She was raped, almost daily,' answered Josie. 'Do what you will with these men. I must get Emilie cleaned up and start helping her get through all this.' She rode off with Derain accompanying her.
'You heard all that,' said Jim. 'So much for coming in peace.'
He asked for one of the horses to be brought. The dead man was loaded onto the animal and firmly tied on. Two Barrington men, under guard, were detailed to gather all the water and food the raiders had brought with them.
The raiders all looked anxiously at Jim, 'You are to walk back to your village. When you get there you will make plans to leave the district altogether,' Jim said harshly to the group. 'If any of you are seen again, you will be shot out of hand.'
'What about our horses and guns?' asked one of the men.
'Your actions have forfeited them altogether. I will allow you to take two rifles for hunting and a few rounds of ammunition. Now get going before I change my mind.'
Three Settlement people, on horseback, escorted them for two days and then, as Jim had instructed, rode on to the Barrington village ahead of the raiders.
Several women scattered when shots were fired into the air on arrival. They told the one or two that had remained visible, 'We have come to take back what belongs to those people in Kurri-Kurri, no more, no less. We have the girl back, badly damaged, and we are going to take back the cattle you stole. If you resist in any way you will be shot.'
The women looked blankly at them and one of them then asked anxiously, 'Where are all the men that left here? What has happened to them?'
'Most of them will be back here in a day or two, very much the worse for wear,' was the unkind answer.
'Most of them?' one woman shrieked.
'You will find out. In the meantime, you'd better start packing this place up. If we return and find any of you here, we'll burn the place down and you'll be shot.'
They drove the selected cattle off, amid shrieks of anguish.
In Kurri-Kurri, the wounded were moved to one of the houses while their injuries were attended to. A week later, Tanya passed by in the helicopter. With a frown on her face, she listened to Jim's report. 'As a priority, I think Emilie and her mother should be transferred to our hospital. The girl was raped and seems to be pregnant. She also yells blue murder at the sight of one of our captives in particular. As for the wounded, you can do with them what you like. I wish we had shot them all dead, to be honest.'
'You have done well,' Tanya responded. 'The sooner we can get some of our people here permanently, the better.'
During Tanya's visit, the stolen cattle were returned. The one wounded Barrington man, who was mobile, looked on forlornly.
Once Emilie and her mother had been properly accommodated, the wounded raiders were transferred to The Settlement hospital for treatment. Mark agreed with Tanya that the prisoners were to be kept completely isolated. The staff tending them were changed at regular intervals, so there was no chance of any sort of personal relationship developing.
'When these people have recovered from their wounds, we must decide what to do with them,' observed Mark. 'It would've been much easier if they'd died.'
Tanya looked at him, Somehow we have risen above our animal instincts.
When Emilie's condition was confirmed, she and Josie asked if the pregnancy could be terminated. She was also able to confirm that one of the wounded men had raped her on many occasions.
'I'm not going to run an elaborate court case for any of this,' Mark announced, after a discussion with Tanya. 'When these bastards have recovered, we'll have a very short court session during which I will make my recommendation regarding their punishment. We'll then dump them back in the bush and they can rejoin their ghastly compatriots.'
A few weeks later, when the three had sufficiently recovered, a notice was published in the newspaper detailing the incident at Kurri-Kurri and the fact that, undeservedly, three of the wounded raiders had been treated at the hospital. It finished by stating one of the men had been found guilty of rape and had been sentenced to forty lashes with a cane and that the other two had been given sentences of twenty lashes each for their part in the raids on the Kurri-Kurri settlement. All the sentences had been administered and the three had been expelled.
Mark, with Roger piloting the helicopter, dropped the three men off halfway between Kurri-Kurri and Barrington Tops. They were given three days' food.
Mark told them, 'The fact that we treated you and saved your lives is more than you deserve. If any of you ever appear in this vicinity again, you will be shot.'