WORRALS DOWN UNDER

by W. E. Johns

12. FRECKS STRIKES OUT (Pages 189 – 199)

Worrals and Frecks sneak up on the house, expecting Moran to be there. They hear nothing so they wait. The time is now two o’clock and they wait for three weary hours. Eventually Worrals sees Moran and Raffety approaching and to her relief, they have Charlie with them. Worrals feared that they would have killed him. “They are using him as a mere beast of burden,” muttered Worrals, in a voice hard with indignation. The three men go into the house and Frecks advances up to the open kitchen window to eavesdrop on what they are talking about, whilst Worrals covers her. Frecks hears Moran and Raffety talking about murdering Charlie now he was no longer necessary. Moran tells Raffety to get him to dig his own grave before he kills him, so they can get him underground. To Frecks surprise, Raffety and Charlie come out of the house and Frecks decides to hit Raffety with a clothes line prop, which she does, bringing him to his knees. Frecks tells Charlie to run and he does so. Moran runs out and trips over Raffety, “a blood-curdling oath burst from his lips”. Frecks runs for her life as Moran recovers and opens fire at her. Worrals fires at Moran and misses but at least she spoils his aim. The two white men return to the house. With the men holed up in the house, the girls wait for the car to arrive and eventually they hear it. Frecks goes to see and reports back that in the car is Janet and Charlie, there is no sign of Dan!