He answered walking past her. "I heard it. I shall be away in a minute. I may bring back those people on the river. You had better have something ready."
"Don't dare bring 'em inside the place!" cried Mrs. Elliott, but the door was shut on her words.
As Power left the house a man on horseback was coming through the gate of the homestead paddock. The horse had been pushed to the limit of its strength. It breathed with sobs and trembled as it walked. The rider rolled in the saddle. Man and beast were plastered with a coat of mud. It covered them from the crown of the man's hat to the hoofs of the horse. Then the rider spat clear his mouth and called out. It was Gregory.
"The river has come down! The gel is drowned!"
Power felt a sudden rage seize him by the throat; but he answered in a level voice. "What's that you say?"
"The river's down. The gel's drowned!"
"What were you doing?"
"I was at Surprise with the missus. We was on a bit of a spree. We wasn't back last night. I rode down an hour since. The river was down then and the hut going to bits. The water had come round the back of the place. There wasn't a sign of the gel. She'd have tried to cross and got washed away. Aw, Gawd, what's to be done?"
"Get out of the way!" Power said. He moved towards the stables at a walk that was becoming a run. Scandalous Jack bobbed about the doorway. "Saddle my horse!" he called out.
Scandalous threw up his head in surprise. "You're not mad enough to——?"