unprotected face.
It lasted forever, and then suddenly the weight was gone and she opened
her eyes.
He stood over her, fumbling with his Clothing, and there was a dullness
in his expression. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and she
saw the fingers were trembling.
His voice when he spoke was tired and disinterested.
'I've had better.' Swiftly Shennaine rolled over and reached for the
pistol that lay on top of her clothes. Hendry stepped forward with all
his weight on her wrist and she felt the bones bend under his boot and
she moaned. But through pain she whispered. 'You pig, you filthy pig,'
and he hit her again, flat-handed across the face, knocking her on to
her back once more.
He picked up the pistol and opened it, spilling the cartridges into the
sand, then he unclipped the lanyard and threw the pistol far out into
the reed bed.
'Tell Curry I say he can have my share of you,' he said and walked
quickly away among the reeds.
The white sand coated her damp body like icing sugar.
She sat up slowly holding her wrist, the side of her face inflamed and
starting to swell where he had hit her.
She started to cry, shaking silently, and the tears squeezed out between
her eyelids and matted her long dark lashes.
Ruffy held up the brown bottle and inspected it ruefully.
'Seems like one mouthful and it's empty.' He threw the bottle out of the
side window. It hit a tree and burst with a small pop.
'We can always find our way back by following the empties,' smiled
Bruce, once more marvelling at the man's capacity. But there was plenty
of storage space. He watched Ruffy's stomach spread on to his lap as he
reached down to the beer crate.
'How we doing, boss?' Bruce glanced at the milorrieter.
'We've come eighty-seven miles,' and Ruffy nodded.
'Not bad going. Be there pretty soon now.' They were silent. The wind
blew in on to them through the open front. The grass that grew
between the tracks brushed the bottom of the chassis with a continuous
rushing sound.
'Boss-' Ruffy spoke at last.
'Yes?'
'Lieutenant Hendry - those diamonds. You reckon we did a good thing
leaving him there?'
'He's stranded in the middle of the bush. Even if he did find them they
wouldn't do him much good.'
'Suppose that's right.' Ruffy lifted the beer bottle to his lips and
when he lowered it he went on. 'Mind you, that's one guy you can never
be sure of.' He tapped his head with a finger as thick and as black as a
blood-sausage. 'Something wrong with him - he's one of the maddest
Arabs I've found in a long time of looking.' Bruce grunted grimly.
'You want to be careful there, boss, observed Ruffy. 'Any time now he's
going to try for you. I've seen it coming. He's working
himself up to it. He's a mad Arab.' 'I'll watch him,' said Bruce.
