Suddenly, quickly, with a panther-like spring, Kylis was on top of the sleeping man. His strong left hand felt for the throat, and caught it in a grip of iron; the black raised his right hand and struck home at his victim's heart. A faint gurgling sound was heard, a convulsive shudder, and then Amos Hooker lay still for ever.
Kylis crawled about the tent hunting for the bag of gold. He dragged the body off the bed, pulled it over, and in another minute had the bag in his hand. He made his way out of the tent and disappeared in the darkness.
Next morning Amos Hooker was found stabbed to the heart, and Kylis had vanished.
Miah was questioned, but it was evident the terrified black knew nothing about the deed. Search was made for the murderer, but there was not much heart put into the work.
Some of the pearlers showed plainly they were not at all sorry Amos Hooker was gone from their midst. He had bullied everyone in the settlement and was generally disliked.
"I wonder what Kylis did it for," said one man.
"He had good reason for it, no doubt; Amos was a devil where blacks were concerned," answered another.
When Jack Redland and Barry Tuxford arrived in Sydney, it was arranged that the former should go to Randwick and ascertain if Joel Kenley would take charge of Lucky Boy.
"He will probably have received a letter from his brother about you," said Barry, "and that will serve as an introduction."
Nothing loath, Jack went by train and found his way to Joel Kenley's house.
The trainer's stables were at lower Randwick, where he had a comfortable house and about a score horse boxes. Jack was favourably impressed with his first glimpse of the "Newmarket" of New South Wales. He saw the racecourse as the train went past and wound at a steady pace up the hill. He had no difficulty in finding Joel Kenley's, for the first man he asked said, in reply to his question,--
"Know where Joel lives, I should say so, there's not many people hereabouts do not know him."
"A celebrated trainer, is he?" asked Jack.
"You may well say that. He's won nearly all our big races at one time and another, and he's about as clever as any man can be with horses."
Jack thought his informant looked like an old jockey, and was about to ask him if his surmise was correct, when the man saved him the trouble by saying with a smile,--