Once outside she commenced to run for her life, and as she was fleet of foot she soon put some distance between herself and Cudgegong. She knew in which direction Wanabeen lay, and could tell by the star-lit heavens that she was on the right track.
All night long she struggled on, until at last she could go no further, and, falling from sheer exhaustion, she was soon in a deep sleep.
CHAPTER XXII
DETERMINED MEN
As Willie Dennis and his friends drew nearer to the house they saw their first conjecture was wrong and that something serious had taken place during their absence.
As they reined in their horses Constable Doonan said,—
'Let me go in first,' and, drawing his revolver, he walked cautiously into the house.
There he saw the black gin huddled up in the corner, a pool of blood round her and a bullet wound in her head.
'Sal!' he shouted. 'Sal, where are you?'
There was no answer, everything was ominously quiet.