A white woman, he said in English. A hostage. . . Sepoo rushed at him, trying to help her, but Cheng swung the pistol in a short vicious arc and the barrel struck the little man above the ear, splitting open his scalp.
He dropped at Cheng's feet. Still holding Kelly with the other hand, Cheng stretched down and aimed the pistol at Sepoo's temple. No, screamed Kelly, and threw herself back against Cheng's chest. It spoiled his aim, and the bullet ploughed into the earth six inches from Sepoo's face. the shot roused him, and Sepoo rolled to his feet and darted away. Cheng fired another shot at him as he ran, but Sepoo vanished into the undergrowth.
Cheng twisted her arm savagely, pulling her up on to her toes with the agony in her shoulder-blade.
You're hurting me, she cried. Yes, Cheng agreed. And I will kill you if you resist me again. Walk! he ordered. Yes, like that. Keep going if you don't want me to hurt you again. Where are we going?
Kelly asked, trying to keep the pain out of her voice, trying to be calm and persuasive. There is no escape into the forest. With you there is, Cheng said. Don't talk.
Be quiet! Keep going. He pushed and dragged her onwards, and she dared not resist. She sensed that he was desperate enough to do anything.
She remembered what Daniel had told her about him, about the murdered Matabele family in Zimbabwe, about the rumours of children and young girls tortured for his perverted pleasure.
She realised that her best chance, perhaps her only chance, was to comply with anything he ordered her to do.
They covered half a mile, staggering and stumbling, made clumsy by the wrist-lock that Cheng had on her, and by his wild haste. When they came out suddenly on to the bank of a narrow stream she realised that it was the Wengu, the small river that gave the area its name. It was one of the tributaries of the main Ubomo River.
It was also one of the bleeding rivers, clogged with the poison effluent from the MOMU vehicles. It was stinking and treacherous.
Even Cheng seemed to realize the danger of trying to wade across it.
He forced Kelly to her knees, and stood over her, panting and looking about him uncertainly.
Please. . . she whispered. Be silent he ranted at her. I told you not to speak! he screwed her wrist to enforce the order, and despite herself she whimpered aloud.
After another few moments, he asked suddenly, Is this the Wengu River?
Which direction does it run? Does it go southwards towards the main road? Instantly she realised which way his mind was working. Of course, he would have an intimate knowledge of the area. It was his concession. He would have studied the maps. He would certainly know that the Wengu made a circle to the south, an ox-bow that intersected the main road. He would know that there was a Hita military post at the bridge. Is it the Wengu? he repeated, twisting her wrist until she screamed, and she almost answered truthfully before she caught herself. I don't know. she shook her head. I don't know anything about the forest.
You lie, he accused, but he was obviously uncertain.
'Who are you? he demanded. I'm just a nurse with the World Health Organization. i don't know about the forest. All right. He hauled her to her feet.
Get going! He shoved her forward, but now they turned southwards following the bank of the Wengu River. Cheng had made up his mind.
Kelly deliberately kicked and scuffed the soft earth as he pushed her along. She put all her weight on her heels, trying to lay as good a spoor as possible for Sepoo to follow. She knew Sepoo would be coming, and with him must come Daniel.
She tried to snap any green twig that came within reach as Cheng forced her through the undergrowth. She managed to tear a button off her shirt and drop it, an identification for Sepoo to pick up. At every opportunity she tripped over a dead branch or fell into a hole and dropped to her knees, holding him up as much as possible, slowing down their progress, giving Sepoo and Daniel a chance to catch up.
She began whining and whimpering loudly and when Cheng raised the pistol threateningly, she screamed, No, please! Please don't hit me!
She knew her cries would carry, that Sepoo with his sensitive, forest-trained ears would hear her at a distance of quarter of a mile and pin-point her position.
Sepoo picked the shirt button out of the leaf trash of the forest floor, and showed it to Daniel. See, Kuokoa, Kara-Ki is laying sign for us to follow, he whispered. She is clever as the colobus, and brave as the forest buffalo. Keep going. Daniel prodded him impatiently. Make your speeches later, old man. They went on along the spoor, quick, silent and alert. Sepoo pointed out the sign that Kelly had left, the broken twigs, the heel marks and the places where she had deliberately fallen to her knees. We are close now. He touched Daniel's arm. Very close. .
Be careful not to run into him. He might lay an ambush. .
Kelly screamed in the forest ahead of them. No, please!
Please don't hit me! And for an instant Daniel lost control. He lunged forward, rushing to her defence, but Sepoo seized his wrist and hung on doggedly. - No! No! Kara-Ki is not hurt. She is warning us.
Don't rush in like a stupid wazungu. Use your head now. Daniel pulled himself together, but he was still trembling with rage. All right, he whispered. He doesn't know I am here but he has seen you.
I'm going to circle round them and lie downstream. You must drive him on to me, just as you drive the duiker in the net hunt. Do you understand, Sepoo?
I understand. give the call of a grey parrot when you are ready.
Daniel screwed the folding bayonet off the muzzle of his AK 47 and propped the rifle against the tree beside him. Cheng was using Kelly as a shield.
The rifle was useless. He abandoned it.
Armed only with the bayonet, he circled out swiftly away from the river-bank. Twice more he heard Kelly's voice, pleading and whining, giving him a pin-point on her position.
It took him less than five minutes to get downstream of Cheng and Kelly and to flatten himself against the hole of one of the trees growing on the bank. He cupped his hands over his mouth and gave an imitation of the squawk of a roosting parrot. Then he crouched down with the bayonet at the ready.
Sepoo's voice shrilled through the trees. He was using the high ventriloquist's tone that would deceive the listener as to direction and distance. Hey, wazungu - Let Kara-Ki go. I am watching you from the trees. Let her
