“Dooley,” Teaspoon snapped, ignoring the doc.  “What the hell’s going on?  What’s all this about Amanda getting kidnapped?”

“Again,” Jimmy quipped.

Dooley waved Teaspoon to take a seat and explained.  “Bank was hit early morning yesterday.  There were five of them.  They didn’t get away with much, but they killed a guard and one of my deputies making a break for it.  We got into a firefight.  Three of ’em got away, the other two … well there not going anywhere anymore.”

“What about Amanda,” Teaspoon said impatiently.  He didn’t give a damn about the fate of some outlaw, all he cared about was what Benton’s sheriff was doing about getting his adoptive daughter back.

“One of them grabbed her and used her as a shield while they rode off.”  Dooley winced as the surgeon continued stitching up is wound.  “Hack jumped on a horse and took off after them.”

Teaspoon groaned and rubbed his forehead at the thought of Amanda’s fate resting in the hands of the Aussie deputy.

“Oh great,” Noah said sarcastically.  “She’s in more trouble than we thought!”

Meanwhile Hack Wilson, otherwise known as the Kangaroo Kid, was tracking the surviving gang members.  His plan had been to catch up to the outlaws and rescue Amanda.  Unfortunately, he hadn’t worked out all the details yet.  When Hack caught up to the robbers, they had already set camp.  Two of them were sitting by the fire while the third was looking after the horses.  Amanda was also sitting, with her hands tied behind her back and her mouth gagged.  The two sitting seemed to be arguing while the other one kept eyeing Amanda.  Like a shot in the dark, a plan finally popped into his head as he inched toward the encampment. Hiding in a gully, Hack took out his father’s boomerang and threw it at the standing outlaw.  The plan had been for the boomerang to knock out one outlaw then when the other two came to investigate, he’d get the drop on them.  If only one of them came, he would knock him out and put on his clothes.  When he was close enough he’d shoot the remaining outlaw.

It didn’t exactly turn out that way.  When the boomerang was released into the air, instead of curving toward the outlaw, it flew up and veered right.  Hack closed his eyes and sighed in frustration.  So much for that idea, he though ruefully.  Time for another plan.  The rustling noise created by the wayward boomerang alerted the gang and two of them set off into the bush to investigate.  Hack blinked.  He couldn’t believe his luck.  Thank you, Lord.  The Kangaroo Kid crept stealthily toward the camp, keeping to the long grass.

Amanda noticed Hack’s approach and decided to distract the guard until Hack was close enough to take him out.  She uncrossed her legs and looked at the guard suggestively.  He cocked a surprised eyebrow at her change of attitude.  He knelt down in front of her and began to massage her exposed ankle.  When she didn’t struggle or pull away he slid his hand further up under her skirt.  She had magnificent thighs, Hack thought admiringly.  At Amanda’s look of annoyance, he resumed his approach.  

Hack stood up and tiptoed quietly up to the lustful bushranger.  At least he was quiet until he stepped on a twig.  The snapping sound that followed seemed to echo for miles.  The guard started at the noise, but not before Hack clubbed him across the back of the head with his pistol barrel.  With an angry shout of pain the guard collapsed out cold.  

Soon as her hands were free, Amanda ripped off her gag.  “You sure as hell took your sweet time!”

So much for a hero’s welcome.  “Your welcome,” Hack said sardonically, helping her to her feet.  Looking around quickly, Hack spotted the bank’s moneybags.  Scooping them up, he grabbed Amanda’s hand and headed in the direction where he had left his horse.

“Hey,” someone shouted.

The Kangaroo Kid turned and saw the other two bushrangers returning.  Their guns drawn, they fired at the fleeing pair.  Hack fired blindly then grabbed Amanda’s hand and made a mad dash for some nearby caves.  Miraculously, Hack actually hit one of the outlaws in the chest.  Unfortunately the owlhoot he had knocked out was coming to.

“C’mon,” the leader, Dawes, ordered.  “We gotta get after them.”

“But what if there’s more of ’em?”

“You wanna tell the boss we lost his money, be my guest.  Otherwise lets go!”

Amanda had been injured in their escape.  A ball had grazed her thigh.  When Hack moved to examine it, Amanda backed off.  “What do you think your doing?”

“I was just gonna check your wound.”

“I’ll bet you were,” Amanda grumbled.

Sitting down, she pulled her skirt up just high enough for Hack to tend to her injury.  The Aussie deputy sighed.  She really did have magnificent thighs.  What he wouldn’t give to have those thighs wrapped around his waist.  Wisely he kept such thoughts to himself.  Instead he wetted his bandanna and gently cleaned her wound.

While the deputy set to his task, he thought about what he had overheard.  Who was the bushranger’s boss?  That and the voice of the lead bushranger had sounded very familiar.

The wound wasn’t serious, but she’d probably had to stay off her leg for a while.

When he’d finished, Hack got up to leave.

“Where’re you going,” Amanda asked.

“I’m gonna go get my horse.”  Amanda moved to get up.  “No, you’ll slow me down in your condition.”  Hack gave her his pistol.  “Here, best protect yourself with this.  I’m sure you know how to use it.  My rifle’s with my horse.”

“Hack,” Amanda said.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Good luck.”

Not the please don’t go he was hoping for, but it was better than nothing.  Hack nodded and set off to try and even the odds.

Deputy Wilson found his horse, Sugarfoot, (it was the only name he’d answer to) a good fifteen yards from where he’d left him.  “What kind of law horse are you?  Wandering off in your master’s time of need.  Don’t look away when I’m talking to you.”

The ground at the deputy’s feet was kicked up followed by the crack of a rifle.  Hack looked around frantically for the sniper, but when another ball whizzed dangerously close to his ear, the deputy thought it wiser to keep moving.  The horse bolted to the cave system where Hack had left Amanda, as he tried to climb into the saddle.

Suddenly Sugarfoot lost his footing and rolled to the ground.  Hack was thrown clear and landed heavily on his shoulder.  Sugarfoot clambered back to his feet and took off.

“You treacherous nag,” Hack yelled then another shot took his hat off.

Fortunately, the Kangaroo Kid’s rifle had also come loose and dropped to the ground.  Hack scooped up both his hat and his rifle and took cover behind a tree.  By the sound of the gunfire Hack deduced that he was being shot at from two directions.  Peeking out from behind the tree, Hack saw one gunman firing from behind a boulder and the other from on top of the hill.

Something suddenly dropped out of the tree and on to the Aussie lawman’s head.  At first he thought he’d been hit but then he saw the object at his feet.  It was his father’s boomerang! I’m never going to get rid of this thing, Hack thought as he picked it up and tucked it in his belt.

The shooting stopped and Dawes spoke.  “Now be reasonable mate.  All we want is the money.  You can keep the girl.  Just tell us where the money is and we’ll go.  You’ll never hear from us again.  I promise.”

I know that voice, Hack thought.  Then called out, “Dingo?  Dingo Dawes?  That you?”

“Hack Wilson?”  Replied the equally surprised Dawes.  “Well I’ll be damned.  How you doing mate?  What the hell are you doing on this side of the Pacific?  Last I heard you were driving sheep out of Ballarat.”

Hack cringed at the memory of driving the bleating little balls of wool.  Him and his father had worked for Jack Taylor, moving his miserable animals from Melbourne to Ballarat.  It was that experience that had lead to an aversion of sheep for the Kangaroo Kid.  He hated sheep.  They were stupid and smelly and were only good for nothing.  He had left Australia never wanting to see another sheep again. “Oh, you know how it is.  Come to America, land of opportunity.  Just needed a change.  You?”

“The same.”

Dingo and Hack had grown up together in and around Brisbane, constantly getting into and out of trouble.  They were so close when they were young; some people mistook them for brothers.  After Hack’s father had up and moved his family away, they had lost touch.  Until now.

“So, Dingo,” Hack said.  “When did you take to robbing banks?”

“Just following my boss’ instructions.”

“Who might that be?”

“Frank R. Harwood.”  The name meant nothing to the Kangaroo Kid.  “You probably know him better as the Spider.”

The Spider again.  Benton’s mysterious land grabber.  Why was the Spider becoming so violent all of a sudden?  First he sends ‘Brass-Knuckle Barney’ Mullens to rough up Ned Rowan trying to get him to sell his spread, now he was planning bank robberies.  The Spider’s identity obsessed Sheriff Dooley and now Hack knew it.  Provided he lived long enough to tell anybody.

“Look Dingo,” Hack said amiably.  “Why don’t you be a good chap and surrender all peaceably like, okay?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Hack.  I’m sorry. I really am.”

A slight rustling of foliage alerted the deputy to the presence of someone else.  Hack spun around, raised his rifle and fired, catching the second outlaw in the chest.  But as the bushranger jack-knifed to the ground, Dawes fired a shot of his own.

“You son of a bitch,” Hack screamed.  “You shot my gun.  Do you have any idea how much one of these costs?”

Hack received no answer as he looked remorsefully at his ruined weapon.  The barrel was bent out of shape with a hole in it.  Any attempt at firing it would blow back in his face.  He was defenseless.  Then he remembered he still had the boomerang.  He was defenseless.

More shots whizzed passed the Kangaroo Kid’s person, taking chunks out of the tree.  Bastard had changed position, Hack though furiously.  Deputy Wilson made a mad scramble for the nearby rocks for cover and a desperate attempt to buy more time.

Then Hack remembered his boomerang.  Quickly pulling it from his belt, the Kangaroo Kid hurled it at Dingo Dawes.  It missed the Aussie outlaw by a narrow ten yards.  Hack’s shoulders dropped in defeat.  And that was the best throw I ever made.  He then dashed through some nearby bushes for cover, only to find the ground had disappeared.

Teetering at the edge, Hack flailed his arms madly trying to regain his footing.  Staring down the canyon, Hack could see that it wasn’t deep but there were a lot of big sharp rocks at the bottom guaranteed to make any fall a fatal one.

Dawes burst through the bushes a moment later.  “Well, no where left to run eh mate?”

“Looks that way,” Hack sighed glumly.

“Don’t worry,” Dawes said, raising his rifle.  “I’ll make it quick.  For old times sake.”

“Dingo, I got two word for you.”

“What’s that,” Dawes smirked expecting some lame attempt at wit from the Kangaroo Kid.

“Heads up.”

Before Dawes could contemplate the meaning of Hack’s statement, the boomerang plowed into the base of his skull with a very loud thunk.  Dawes collapsed forward, tumbling over the cliff.  Hack tried to grab him but Dawes slipped through his fingers.  Wilson watched helplessly as Dingo flopped down to the jagged rocks below.  He looked down at Dawes’ broken twisted body.  When it showed no indications of movement, the Aussie lawman began the long walk back to the caves where he left Amanda.

When he arrived at the mouth of the cave, there was a cry of “Don’t come any closer”, the flash of a gun muzzle and a thundering boom.  Wilson heard something whistle past his ear and bounce around the stone walls before he felt a rush of air between his legs.  The deputy looked down to see a fresh hole in his pants dangerously close to his crotch.

“Whoa, crikey moses,” Hack shouted.  “Jesus Amanda it’s me!”

“Oh, sorry,” she said, then pulled herself up and limped toward him.  “Where’re the others?”

“Dead,” he said solemnly.

“Oh.” 

A nickering sound caught both their attention.  Looking over his shoulder, Hack saw Sugarfoot emerge from behind a tree.

“Oh sure,” Hack sneered.  “Now you turn up.  After the shootings done, naturally.”  The Kangaroo Kid walked over and grabbed the horse’s reins and pulled it to where Amanda was waiting.  “If I didn’t need you to get back to town, I’d put you out of my misery right here and now!”

Hack helped the injured Amanda in the saddle then climbed up behind her.  Reaching around in front of her, Hack took the reins and steered the animal back to Benton.