“Any sign of Jeff?” he demanded, his voice resonant and containing a faint burr.

“No, but The Black Emperor was found standing outside Green Swamp gate by the groom. I’ve just put him into the yards. He’s undamaged, and so are the saddle and bridle, except the reins which are broken at the buckle end. Jeff isn’t in his room. He must be lying out hurt.”

Old Lacy caressed his prominent Roman nose with the fingers of his left hand. His right held the coffee cup. The clear eyes indicated a quick brain.

“Ha-um! Jeff must be getting childish,” he said. “I’ll have a look-see at the horse. Confound Jeff! He’s upset the day’s routine.”

Young Lacy nodded that he heard and then went to the kitchen where the only maid on the house staff gave him a cup of tea.

“Mr Anderson’s not in his room, Mr Lacy,” she said.

“I know that, Mabel. His horse is back. Mr Anderson must have met with an accident. Have you taken tea to Miss Lacy?”

“Yes. She was wanting to know if Mr Anderson had come home during the night.”

“Then you slip along and tell her about the horse coming home without him.”

“You there, lad?” called Old Lacy from the hall, and Young Lacy hurried out to accompany the older man to the yards. Having circled the suspicious horse, the old man said:

“Must have thrown his rider long before the rain stopped. No mud on him. Any idea when the rain did stop?”

“No. I didn’t put my light out till after one, and it was still raining then.”

Old Lacy continued to inspect the horse, and then he said:

“Ah-um! We’ll take a look for tracks beyond the gate.”

Together the two men walked to the right of the two gates in the six-wire fence running parallel with the creek. The sun was making diamonds of the water lying in theclaypans and in the wheel tracks far along the road. The subdivision fence separating Green Swamp Paddock from North Paddock ran to a hair stretched to infinity across the grass plain. Having passed beyond the gate and come to halt on the road to Opal Town, the old man spoke with conviction in his strong voice.