away, and Shermaine sitting beside him on the blankets.
Ruffy drifted across to them in one hand a stick loaded with meat from
which the juice dripped and in the other hand a bottle held by the
throat.
"How's it for another beer, boss?"
"Enough." Bruce held up his hand. "I'm full to the back teeth."
"You're getting old, that's for sure. Me and the boys going to finish
them buffalo or die trying."
He squatted on his great. haunches and his tone changed. "The trucks are
flat, boss. Reckon there's not a bucketful of gas in the lot of them."
"I want you to drain all the tanks, Ruffy, and pour it into the
Ford." Ruffy nodded and bit a hunk of meat off the end of the stick.
"Then first thing tomorrow morning you and i will go on to Msapa in the
Ranchero and leave everyone else here.
Lieutenant Hendry will be in charge."
"You talking about me?"
wally came from one of the fires.
"Yes, I'm going to leave you in charge here while Ruffy and I go on to
Msapa Junction to fetch help." Bruce did not look at Hendry and he had
difficulty keeping the loathing out of his voice. "Ruffy, fetch the map
will you?" They spread it on the earth and huddled round it. Ruffy held
the flashlight.
"I'd say we are about here." Bruce touched the tiny black vein of the
road. "About seventy, eighty miles to Msapa." He ran his finger along
it. "It will take us about five hours there and back. However, if the
telegraph isn't working we might have to go on until we meet a
patrol or find some other way of getting a message back to
Elisabethville." Almost parallel to the road and only two inches from it
on the large-scale map ran the thick red line that marked r. Wally
Hendry's slitty eyes the Northern Rhodesian horde narrowed even further
as he looked at it.
"Why not leave Ruffy here, and I'll go with you." Hendry looked up at
Bruce.
I want Ruffy with me if we meet any " Africans along the way." Also,
thought Bruce, I don't want to be left on the side of
the road with a bullet in my head while you drive on to Elisabethville.
"Suits me," grunted Hendry. He dropped his eyes to the map.
About forty miles to the border. A hard day's walk.
ruce changed to French and spoke swiftly. "Ruffy, hide the
diamonds behind the dashboard of your truck. That way we are certain
they will send a rescue party, even if we have to go to Elisabethville."
"Talk English, Bucko," growled Hendry, but Ruffy nodded and answered,
also in French.
"I will leave Sergeant Jacque to guard them." "NO!" said Bruce.
"Tell no one."
"Cut it oud" rasped Hendry. "Anything you say I want to
hear."
"We'll leave at dawn tomorrow," Bruce reverted to English.
"May I go with you?" Shermaine spoke for the first time.
"I don't see why not." Bruce smiled quickly at her, but Ruffy coughed
awkwardly, "Reckon that's not such a good idea, boss."
"Why?"
Bruce turned on him with his temper starting to rise.
"Well, boss," Ruffy hesitated, and then went on, "You, me and the lady
all shoving off towards Elisabethville might not look so good to the
boys. They might get ideas, think we're not coming back or something."
Bruce was silent, considering it.
"That's right," Hendry cut in. "You might just take it into your head to
keep going. Let her stay, sort of guarantee for the rest of us."
"I don't mind, Bruce. I didn't think about it that way. I'll stay."
"She'll have forty good boys looking after her, she'll he all right,"
Ruffy assured Bruce.
"All right then, that's settled. It won't be for long, Shermaine."
"I'll go and see about draining the trucks." Ruffy stood up.
"See you in the morning, boss."
"I'm going to get some more of that meat." Wally picked up the map
carelessly. "Try and get some sleep tonight, Curry. Not too much grumble
and grunt." In his exasperation, Bruce did not notice that Hendry had
taken the map.
It rained in the early hours before the dawn and Bruce lay in the back
of the Ranchero and listened to it drum on the metal roof. It was a
lulling sound and a good feeling to lie warmly listening to the rain
with the woman you love in your arms.
He felt her waking against him, the change in her breathing and the
first slow movements of her body.
There were buffalo steaks for breakfast, but no coffee.
They ate swiftly and then Bruce called across to Ruffy.
"Okay, Ruffy?"
"Let's go, boss." They climbed into the Ford and
Ruffy filled most of the seat beside Bruce. His helmet perched on the
back of his head, rifle sticking Out through the space where the
windscreen should have been, and two large feet planted securely on top
of the case of beer on the floor.
Bruce twisted the key and the engine fired. He warmed it at a fast idle
and turned to Hendry who leaned against the roof of the Ford and peered
through the window.
"We'll be back this afternoon. Don't let anybody wander away from
camp."
"Okay." Hendry breathed his morning breath full into Bruce's face.
"Keep them busy, otherwise they'll get bored and start fighting."
Before he answered Hendry let his eyes search the interior of the Ford
carefully and then he stood back.
"Ok, he said again. "On your way!" Bruce looked beyond him to where
Shermaine sat on the tailboard of a truck and smiled at her.
"Bon voyage!" she called and Bruce let out the clutch.
They bumped out on to the road amid a chorus of cheerfal farewells from
the gendarmes round the cooking fires and Bruce settled down to drive.
In the rear-view mirror he watched the camp disappear round the curve in
the road. There were puddles of rainwater in the road, but above them
the clouds had broken up and scattered across the sky.
"How's it for a beer, boss?" "Instead of coffee?" asked Bruce.
"Nothing like it for the bowels," grunted Ruffy and reached down to open
the case.
Wally Hendry lifted his helmet and scratched his scalp. His short red
hair felt stiff and wiry with dried sweat and there was a spot above his
right ear that itched. He fingered it tenderly.
The Ranchero disappeared round a bend in the road, the trees screening
it abruptly, and the hum of its motor faded.
Okay, so they haven't taken the diamonds with them. I had a bloody good
look around. I guessed they'd leave them.
The girl knows where they are like as not. Perhaps - no, she'd squeal
like a stuck pig if I asked.
Hendry looked sideways at Shermame; she was staring after the
Ranchero.
Silly bitch! Getting all broody now that Curry's giving her the rod.
Funny how these educated Johnnies like their women to have small tits -
nice piece of arse though.
Wouldn't mind a bit of that myself. Jesus, that would really get to Mr.
High Class Bloody Curry, me giving his pretty the business. Not a chance
though. These niggers think he's a god or something. They'd
tear me to pieces if I touched her. Forget about it! Let's get the
diamonds and take off for the border.
Hendry settled his helmet back on to his head and strolled casually