certainty of her death.
'Oh, God, he cried and took her to him, holding the unresisting
frailty of her to his chest. He could feel the slow even thump of her
heart beneath his liquid. He drew back the blanket and there was no
blood.
'Darling, are you hurt? Tell me, are you hurt?' She did not answer. She
lay quietly in his arms, not seeing him.
'Shock,' he whispered. 'It's only shock,' and he opened her clothing.
With tenderness he examined the smoothly pale body; the skin was clammy
and damp, but there was no damage.
He wrapped her again and laid her gently back on to the floor.
He stood and the thing within him changed shape. Cold still, but now
burning cold as dry ice.
Ruffy and Jacque were waiting for him beside the tailboard.
'Where is he?' asked Bruce softly.
'He is gone.'
'Where?'
'That way.' Jacque pointed towards the south-east. 'I followed the spoor
a short distance.' Bruce walked to the Ford and picked up his rifle from
the floor. He opened the cubby hole and took two spare clips of
ammunition from it.
Ruffy followed him. 'He's got the diamonds, boss.'
'Yes,' said
Bruce and checked the load of his rifle. The diamonds were of no
importance.
'Are you going after him, boss?' Bruce did not answer. Instead he
looked up at the sky.
The sun was half way towards the horizon and there were clouds thickly
massed around it.
'Ruffy, stay with her,' he said softly. 'Keep her warm.' Ruffy nodded.
'Who is the best tracker we've got?'
'Jacque. Worked for a safari outfit before the war as a tracker boy.'
Bruce turned to Jacque. The thing was still icy cold inside him, with
tentacles that spread out to every extremity of his body and his mind.
'When did this happen?'
'About an hour after you left,' answered
Jacque.
Eight hours start. It was a long lead.
'Take the spoor,' said Bruce softly.
The earth was soft from the night's rain and the spoor deep trodden, the
heels had bitten in under Hendry's weight, so they followed fast.
Watching Sergeant Jacque work, Bruce felt his anxiety abating, for
although the footprints were so easy to follow in these early stages
that it was no test of his ability, yet from the way he moved swiftly
along - half-crouched and wholly absorbed, occasionally glancing ahead
to pick up the run of the spoor, stooping now and then to touch the
earth and determine its texture - Bruce could tell that this man knew
his business.
Through the open forest with tufted grass below, holding steadily south
by east, Hendry led them straight towards the Rhodesian border.
