“It’s a remarkable phenomenon,” observed Fisher.

“Phenomenon! Two to one on that word. Reckon you’re right, dig. Phew! What a corker of a day. You’ll bemeetin ’ another swagman presently. We offered him a lift, but he was too independent to get up. He’s about a mile back.”

“Well, do we stay here all day?” demanded the fat man. To which the driver replied with a show of impatience:

“I’m notlookin ’ for a seized engine, Jack. We’ll drain off the juice this way.”

He tilted the tin of water against the bumper-bar, being careful to release it the moment before it touched the metal. At contact there was a brilliant blue flash. Nothing further happened, and when the driver extended his hand to remove the radiator cap he received no shock.

“Mighty strange to me,” grumbled the fat man. “Wonder the car didn’t blow up or something. It’s good for the rheumatics, anyway. My right leg was aching like hell before I got that shock, and now she’s all right.”

“The petrol-tank might have exploded,” calmly stated the driver, who was now filling the radiator from the tin. “I’m dragging a wheel-chain from now on, like the petrol-wagons drag a chain down in the cities.”

“Might be as well,” agreed the fat man. “I’d sooner have the screws than be blown up. Cripes! No wonder me wife’s mother has to lie down when the wind blows like this. She says the electricity in these storms takes all the strength out of her.”

The grin on the driver’s face became a wide smile.

“Better get her to wear thick rubbed-soled shoes. Then the next sand-storm will charge her with static till she blows to pieces,” he suggested,

“Not a bad idea,” conceded the fat man without smiling, but his dust-rimmed eyes were twinkling when he turned back to enter the car. Fisher was chuckling delightedly as he called “Good day” and left the driver fixing one of his wheel-chains to the rear bumper-bar.

The wind sang its menacing song as he plodded northward, a small swarm of flies hovering in the back draught produced by his body and the swag on his back, the left side of his face and his left hand continuously stung by the sand particles.