Page 84 of Larapinta

Eventually they came to a wide grassy area and Graysen stopped and gestured to the left. ‘I think we’ll head over that way. There’s a bit of a gully running along the base of the hill. If we stick to the middle of that grassy hill, we’ll be too visible from up on the trail and it’s one thing I don’t want to do.’

‘Pretty much sitting ducks, if they happen to be up there.’

‘Yes.’ Sandra turned and followed Graysen towards the gully where there were some scattered trees.

Suddenly he grabbed for her hand. ‘Run. Quick.’ The urgency in his voice had her taking off at a run beside him.

The shade of the gully was welcoming as they reached the gorge, out of sight of the trail above.

‘What’s wrong?’ Sandra put her hand to her chest as she pulled in a ragged breath. ‘What was it?’

‘I saw something glinting up on the trail.’

‘And a person?’

‘I didn’t wait to see. Hopefully it was the sun on a trail marker.

‘So, are we going to keep climbing or head off in another direction?’

Graysen took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. ‘If we head back down and look for another route past that mountain, we could be out here another night. Logic tells me they won’t be up here this far east looking for us. Jenny said they headed west. We’ll just have to hope and pray that she was right.’

They climbed for an hour, keeping in the shade, their senses on full alert. Sandra’s legs were aching, the muscles taut in her thighs and her calves pulling with each step. She began to stop more regularly for a sip of water.

Graysen opened his bottle and took a deep drink as she leaned against the cliff.

‘Not much further and we’ll reach the trail, and then the good news is it’s all downhill to Standley Chasm.’

‘I’m okay, just a bit hot and tired. You wouldn’t believe that after the cold of last night I’d be complaining about being hot this morning.’

‘I think you’re entitled. We’re doing good.’

The incline followed a northerly direction and when they were almost to the top the track widened considerably. To their surprise a small waterhole surrounded by thick grass glinted in the morning sunlight on the southern edge.

‘Maybe that’s what you saw.’

‘Hope so.’ As they pushed through the long grass, Sandra kept her eyes on the ground. It was hard to see where she was putting her feet and the last thing she wanted to do was step on a snake.

‘Just another thing that could go wrong, isn’t it?’

‘What’s that?’

‘Snake bite.’

Graysen took Sandra’s hand again as the incline grew steeper. They were only about fifty metres from the top and she was sure that he was pulling her up a little bit.

‘At least the grass is deadening our footsteps,’ he said quietly close to her ear. ‘Try and be as quiet as we can now.’

‘You don’t have to drag me up. I’m fine. Save your energy,’ she whispered.

‘I’m good. Knowing we’re so close is getting the adrenalin pumping. What I want you to do is wait in that narrow alcove about twenty metres ahead.’ He pointed with his other hand. ‘Can you see it? Just up there a bit past that straggly tree.’

She nodded.

‘I should get a bit of a view from up there.’

‘Be careful,’ Sandra said as they reached the small gap.

‘I will be. Just wait here quietly. I’ll only be a few minutes, and it’ll give us a bit of a view as to where we’re going and reassure me that there’s no one up here looking for us.’ He leaned down, kissed her and was gone.