He knew he had to get off the main road or he’d be quickly overtaken by the Chinese. He tried to remember what his father had said about an alternative route to the Stuart Highway. He drove past a dirt road on the left hand side and noticed the name Stockmen’s Track on a signpost. With a start he remembered his father had recommended the Stockmen’s Track as an alternative route to Daly Waters. He did a quick U-turn and sped down the track in a great flurry of dust. Xu and his men raced after Jake cursing at cars blocking their way. The dust and smoke made it difficult to see very far ahead. They had driven for fifteen minutes before they realised they had lost sight of his vehicle. With Xu screaming in his ear, Blakey turned the jeep around and doubled back, looking for any alternative route that Jake might have taken. He saw the signpost for the Stockmen’s Track and from the dust hovering over the road guessed that Jake had taken that route. Jake looked behind but could see no sign of pursuit and prayed that his ploy had worked.
