`Unless, what?' James asked eagerly.
`Well, there is another way; and I suppose if I felt as scared of the White Witch as you do, I should take it. You could return to Tujoa and put bullets through her and her pal Roboumo; then you could cheerfully go ahead with getting up the gold without anything to fear.'
`I wish I could.' James shook his head. 'But it's not possible. I'd never be able to get past Roboumo's body guard. And, even if I did succeed in that, everyone would be after me for murder.'
They fell silent for a few minutes, then Gregory remarked, `I don't know much about these matters, but I've always understood that there were ways in which curses could be turned aside and deflected back on to their originator.'
`You're right. And that is a by no means uncommon practice. If a man knows himself to have been cursed he seeks out a more powerful witch doctor and, whatever it costs him, pays the man to channel the curse on to his enemy.'
`Then why shouldn't you do that?'
`Because I know of no witch doctor more powerful than Roboumo. In fact, with the aid of the White Witch he has made himself the most powerful Draunikau wizard in all the South Seas.'
`What about trying your own hand at out magicking him?' Gregory suggested.
`How could I? Such an idea is crazy. I wouldn't even know how to start.'
`Perhaps I could help you. Of course, this sort of thing is right outside my field. But I do know a bit about the sort of games that witches and warlocks used to get up to in Europe in the Middle Ages. We'll get hold of some wax and model two little figures of a man and a woman. On them we will
scratch the names Roboumo and White Witch. Then we'll stick needles in the places where their livers would be and let them melt slowly in front of a fire.'
`Do you really think that would have any effect? '
Gregory shrugged. `God alone knows. Naturally, I couldn't guarantee anything. With a bit of luck the two of them might be suffering all sorts of pain and grief come morning. But it's a long odds bet, because I expect the sorcerer who does the job would have to mutter all sorts of gibberish over the images while they were melting, to make the curse effective. What we really want is for you to turn up in Tujoa with some sort of trick up your sleeve that will make everyone believe that you have become a more powerful magician than Roboumo. For instance, when a white man first killed here at a distance by banging off his musket, or showed that he could talk to his pals many miles away through the magic box that we call a wireless set.'
For a few minutes James considered this, then suddenly he jumped to his feet and cried, `I have it l I've got it! I'll do a fire walk.'
Gregory stared up at him. `Good God, man! How could you? It's you who are being crazy now. You'd be burned to a cinder.'
`Why should I be?' James demanded. `If the men of Beqa can do it, why shouldn't I? No training is required. The Chief there told me so. Only twenty four hours of abstinence and concentration to gain faith in one's ability to walk over the hot stones without being burned. Nowhere else in the Pacific, or in the world, for that matter, do men perform this feat. If I could come safely through a trial on Beqa I could do another fire walk in Tujoa, with my Council of Elders as witnesses. After that I would be publicly acclaimed as a more powerful magician than Roboumo, and could defy him with impunity.'
Silently, Gregory marvelled that a well educated man who could not bring himself to face the nebulous possibility of being harmed by an evil occultist should be willing to face the very real danger of becoming crippled for life through attempting to walk on red hot stones. After a moment he said:
'Well, James. you are a braver man than I am. Far braver. But if you can pull this off it will be a great spiritual victory and once and for all you will have destroyed the evil influence that Roboumo has over your people. Even should you fail, I feel sure that your having undertaken this ordeal will restore Olinda’s faith in your courage.'
As Gregory had predicted, within half an hour James had regained Olinda’s good graces. Manon, on learning of James' intentions, had to admit uneasily to herself that she had counted her chickens before they were hatched, but she could still hope that his brash audacity would result in his being so badly burned that he would be put out of the game for good. His decision to do the fire walk necessitated a change of plan as, instead of putting in two days at her island, they would spend them lying off Beqa; but she consoled herself with the thought that the delay still gave Lacost the lead that she had done her best to secure for him.
James, now keyed up with nervous tension, was anxious to face his ordeal as soon as possible, so that evening the yacht left harbour as planned, but set a course for Bega instead of the Mamanucas.
When they arrived off the island darkness had fallen and, as the waking hours of the inhabitants were governed by the sun, it was decided that they should not go ashore that night. Then, over dinner, James declared firmly that he did not want the others to come ashore at all; the reason he gave being that, should he fail the test it would be bad enough for him to have to confess it later, but more than he could bear that they should actually witness his failure.
To that they all readily agreed, and Gregory suggested that to fill in the two days that James would be ashore the rest of them should amuse themselves by big game fishing in nearby waters.
It was now the dark quarter of the moon, but the sky was cloudless and the stars showed at their brightest. In countless millions, from tiny pinpoints of light to steadily gleaming beacons, they spangled the entire vault of the heavens, casting a soft radiance on the scene as the yacht rocked gently at her moorings.
The night was made for lovers, and when James and Olinda went arm in arm to the after part of the deck, Gregory and Manon tactfully settled themselves forward of the deckhouse, just under the bridge.
Next day Olinda confided to Gregory that she had spent three hours doing her utmost to dissuade James from risking mutilation by doing the fire walk, but even when she had offered to tear up the licence and forget about the gold he had refused to be deflected from his purpose. For a moment Gregory was tempted to point out to her that it was she who had driven the young Ratu into this situation where he must either prove his courage or forfeit her love, but she was obviously so distressed and anxious that he refrained, then did his best to assure her that the friendly old Chief of Beqa would see to it that James came to no serious harm.
Meanwhile, at first light, James had gone off in the yacht's speed boat to within half a mile of the coast, then had been taken on to a native paddled craft and carried ashore. As he had not returned by the time the others had finished a late breakfast, it could be taken as certain that the old Vunivalu of Beqa had agreed to allow him to attempt the fire walk. The anchor was hauled up and the yacht headed for the deeper waters to the west.
The day's fishing did not prove very successful. Olinda showed no interest and Gregory's thoughts, also, were too occupied with James for him to concentrate fully on the sport. Manon did best by catching several medium sized colourful fish and a large walu, fried slices of which they enjoyed at dinner. Gregory landed only an angel fish and a 'sea snake, then hooked some weighty, unidentified monster probably a Tuna which, after he had played it for only a few minutes, snapped his line.
That night they returned to the anchorage off Beqa and the following morning, as none of them felt like going fishing again, they decided to remain there, although it was uncertain whether James would rejoin them that day. If he had spent the past twenty four hours fasting in seclusion and there had been nothing to prevent the fire pit from being prepared that morning they should learn from him soon after midday of his success or failure. But it might be that, as he was not a native of Beqa more prolonged preparation for the ordeal was necessary, or that ancient custom dictated that fire walks should be undertaken only at a certain phase of the moon.