him at the end of the bar counter he held himself erect and swaggered a
little-for this was a place of men,
'Good evening, Dirk.
What will it be?' The barman hurried across to him.
'Hello, Henry-is it all right tonight?' Dirk dropped his voice to a
whisper.
'Should be-we aren't expecting any snoopers,' Henry reassured him.
'But the door behind you isn't locked.'
Dirk's seat in the corner had been selected with care. From it he
could survey each newcomer to the room while being screened himself by
the drinkers along the counter. Behind him a door led through the wash
up into the back yard-a necessary precaution when you're seventeen and
both the law and your father forbid you liquor.
'Very well, then-give me the usual,' Dirk nodded.
'You're out late tonight,' Henry remarked as he poured gin into a
tumbler and filled it with bottled ginger beer 'You been out hunting
again?' Henry was a small man in his early fifties, with a pale un
sunned face and little blue eyes, and now as he asked the question he
winked one of them at Archy Longworthy.
'Did you get it tonight?' Archy took over the catechism.
Dirk laid a finger along the side of his nose. 'What do you think?' He
grinned and they all laughed delightedly.
''Who was it? Madame?' Archy drew him out, playing for the other
listeners, who were leaning forward still chuckling.
'Oh, her! ' Dirk shrugged contemptuously. Madame was the code name of
the wife of one of the railway drivers. Her husband ran the night
train to Pietermaritzburg every alternate day. She was not considered
much of a conquest.
'Who then?' Henry kidded softly.
'I'll let you know when I'm finished nesting there myself,' Dirk
promised.
'A pretty one?' they insisted. 'Young, hey?'
'She's all right-not too bad.' Dirk tasted his gin.
'Man, you get so much you don't hardly 'preciate it any more,'
Archy chided him, grinning at his audience, and Dirk bridled with
pleasure. 'Come on, Dirk-tell us, man. Is she hot? ' For answer Dirk
extended one finger cautiously and touched his glass, hissed sharply as
though he had touched red hot steel and jerked his hand back with an
exclamation of pain. They roared with appreciation and Dirk laughed
with them, flushing, eager for their acceptance.
I've us the story-' Henry insisted. 'You don't have to give us the
name, just give us the details. Where did you take her?'
'Well-' Dirk hesitated.
'Come on, Dirk. Tell us about it.'
And of course he obliged. Telling it in detail so that the indulgent
quality of their laughter changed and they leaned closer to him
listening hungrily.
'Jesus! Did she say that?'
'Then what did you do?' they encouraged him.
And Dirk told them. He was a natural storyteller and he built up the
