him.
'Cool down, mate. Fun's fun but the hell with murder.
'Easy, now. Let's have a look what you've done to him.
Sean looked down on the body, and he was confused and then suddenly
afraid. The man was dead-he was certain of it.
'Oh, my God!' he whispered, backing away, wiping at his eyes
ineffectually and smearing blood.
'He pulled a knife. Don't worry, mate, you've got witnesses. ' The
temper of the crowd had changed.
'No,' Sean mumbled; they didn't understand. For the first time in his
life he had abused his strength, had used it to kill without purpose.
To kill for the pleasure of it, to kill in the manner in which a
leopard kills.
Then the man moved slightly, he rolled his head and one of his legs
flexed and straightened. Sean felt hope leap within him.
'He's alive! ' I
'Get a doctor.
Fearfully Sean approached and knelt beside the man, he un knotted the
scarf from around his own throat and cleaned the bloody mouth and
nostrils.
'He'll be all right-leave him to the Doc.
The doctor came, a lean and laconic man chewing tobacco.
In the yellow light of a hurricane lamp he examined and prodded while
they crowded close about him craning to see over his shoulders.
At last the doctor stood up.
'All right. He can be moved. Carry him up to my surgery.'
Then he looked at Sean. 'Did you do it?'
Sean nodded.
'Remind me not to annoy you.'
'I didn't mean to-it just sort of happened.
'Is that so? ' The doctor shot a stream of yellow tobacco juice into
the dust of the yard. 'Let's have a look at your head. ' He pulled
Sean's head down to his own level and parted the sodden black hair.
'Nicked a vein. Doesn't need a stitch. Wash it and a little iodine. '
'How much, Doc, for the other fellow?' Sean asked.
'You paying?' The doctor looked at him quizzically.
'Yes.'
'Broken jaw, broken collar-bone, about two dozen stitches and a few
days in bed for concussion,' he mused, adding it up.
'Say two guineas.'
Sean gave him five. 'Look after him, Doc.'
'That's my job.' And he followed the men who were carrying Horse Odour
out of the yard.
'Guess you need a drink, mister. I'll buy you one,' someone offered.
The whole world loves a winner.
'Yes,' agreed Sean. 'I need a drink.'
Sean had more than one drink. When MbeJane came to fetch him at
midnight he had a deal of difficulty getting Sean up on to the back of
the horse. Half-way to the camp Sean slid off and subsided into the
mud, so Mbeiane loaded him sideways-head and arms hanging over to port
