As the boat touched-they leaped out on to the sand and surrounded me with the muzzles of the AK47’s pressed eagerly into my back and belly. I kept my hands hoisted at half-mast and tried to maintain an expression of disinterest as a petty officer searched me with deliberate thoroughness for any weapon. When he was at last satisfied, he placed his hand between my shoulder-blades and gave me a hearty shove towards the whaleboat. One of the more eager of his men took this as a licence and he tried to rupture my kidneys with the butt of his AK47 - but the blow landed six inches high.
I made briskly for the whaleboat to forestall any further martial displays and they crowded into the boat around me pressing the muzzles of their fully loaded weapons painfully into various parts of my anatomy.
Manny Resnick watched me come in over the side of the crash boat.
“Hallo again, Harry,“he smiled without mirth.
“The pleasure is all yours, Manny,” I returned the death’s head grin, and another blow caught me between the shoulder-blades and drove me across the deck. I ground my teeth together to control my anger, and I thought about Sherry North. That helped.
Commander Suleiman Dada was sprawled on a low couch covered with plain canvas cushions. He had removed his uniform jacket and it hung heavy with all the braid and medals from a hook on the bulkhead beside him. He wore only a sweat-soaked and greyish sleeveless vest, and even this early in the morning he held a glass of pale brown liquid in his right hand.
“Ah, Harry Fletcher - or should it be Harry Bruce?” he grinned at me like an enormous coal-black baby.
“You take your pick, Suleiman,” I invited him, but I didn’t’feel like playing word games with him now. I had no illusions about how dangerous was the position in which Sherry and I were placed, and my nerves were painfully tight and fear growled like a caged animal in my belly.
“I have learned so much more about you from my good friends,” he indicated Manny and the blonde Lorna who had followed me into the main cabin. “Fascinating, Harry. I never dreamed you were a man of such vast talent and formidable achievement.”
“Thanks, Suleiman, you really are a brick, but let’s not get carried away with compliments. We have important business - don’t we, “True, Harry, very true.”
“You have raised the tiger throne, Harry, we know that,” Manny cut in, but I shook my head.
“Only part of it. The rest has gone - but we salvaged what there was.”
“All right, I’ll buy that,” Manny agreed. “Just tell us what there is.”
“There is the head of the tiger, about three hundred pounds weight in gold-” Suleiman and Manny glanced at each other.
“Is that all?” Manny asked, and I knew instinctively that Sherry had told them everything she knew during the beating they had given her. I did not hold that against her. I had expected it.
“There is also the jewel chest. The stones removed from the throne were placed in an iron pay chest.”
“The diamond - the Great Mogul?“demanded Manny. “We’ve got it,” I said, and they murmured and smiled and nodded at each other. “But I’m the only one who knows where it is—” I added softly, and immediately they were tense and quiet again.
“This time I’ve got something to trade, Manny. Are you interested?”
“We are interested, Harry, very interested,” Suleiman Dada spoke for him, and I was aware of the tension growing between my two enemies now that the loot was almost in view.
“I want Sherry North,” I said.
“Sherry Northt Manny stared at me for a moment, and then let out a brief cough of amusement. “You’re a bigger fool than I thought you were, Harry.”
“The girl is of no further interest to us.” Suleiman took a swallow from his glass, and I could smell his sweat in the rising warmth of the cabin. “You can have her.”
“I want my boat, fuel and water to get me off the island “Reasonable, Harry, very reasonable,” Manny smiled again as if at a secret joke.
“And I want the tiger’s head,” and both Manny and Suleiman laughed out loud.
“Harry! Harry!” Suleiman chided me, still laughing. “Greedy Harry,” Manny stopped laughing.
“You can have the diamond and about fifty Pounds weight of other gem stones, - I tried to sell the idea with all the persuasion I could muster. It was the understandable thing to do for a man in my position,” - in comparison the head is nothing. The diamond is worth a million - the head would just cover my expenses.”
“You are a hard man, Harry,” Suleiman chuckled. “Too hard.” “What will I get out of it, then?” I demanded.
“Your life, and be grateful for it,” Manny said softly, and I stared at him. I saw the coldness in his eyes, like those of a reptile and I knew beyond all doubt what his intentions were for me, once I had led them to the treasure.
“How can I trust you?” I went through the motions however, and Manny shrugged indifferently.
“Harry, how can you not trust us?” Suleiman intervened. “What could we possibly gain by killing you and your young lady? “And what could you possibly lose,” I thought, but I nodded and said, “Okay. I don’t have much choice.”
They relaxed again, smiling at each other and Suleiman lifted his glass in a silent salute.
“Drink, Harry? he asked.
“It’s a little early for me, Suleiman,” I declined, “but I would like to have the girl with me now.”
Suleiman motioned one of his men to fetch her.
“I want the whaleboat loaded with fuel and water and left on the beach,” I went on doggedly, and Suleiman gave the orders.
“The girl goes with me when we go ashore and after I have shown you the chest and the head, you’ll take it and go.” I stared from one to the other. “You’ll leave us on the island unharmed, do we agree?”
“Of course, Harry.” Suleiman spread his hands disarmingly. “We are all agreed.” I was afraid that they would see the disbelief in my expression - so I turned with relief to Sherry as she was led into the cabin.
My relief faded swiftly as I stared at her.
“Harry,” she whispered through her swollen purple lips. “You came - oh God, you came.” She took a faltering step towards me.
Her cheek was bruised and swollen horribly, and from the extent of the oedema I thought perhaps the bone was cracked. The bruising under her eyes made her look sick and consumptive, and blood had dried in a black crust on the rims of her nostrils. I didn’t want to look at her injuries, so I took her in my arms and held her to my chest.
They were watching the pair of us with amusement and interest, I felt their eyes upon us, but I did not want to face them and let them see the murderous hatred that must show in my eyes.
“All right,” I said, “let’s get it over with.” When at last I turned to face them, I hoped that my expression was under control.
“Unfortunately, I shall not be going with you,” Suleiman made no effort to rise from the couch. “Climbing in and out of small boats, walking great distances in the sun and through the sand are not my particular pleasures. I shall say farewell to you here, Harry, and my friends-again he indicated Manny and Lorna, -will go with you as my representatives. Of course, you will also be accompanied by a dozen of my men - all of them armed and operating under my instructions.” I thought that this warning was not entirely for my benefit alone.
“Goodbye, Suleiman. Perhaps we’ll meet again.”
“I doubt it, Harry,” he chuckled. “But God speed and my blessings go with you.” He dismissed me with one great pink-palmed paw and with the other he raised his glass and drained the last half-inch of liquor.
Sherry sat close beside me in the motorboat. She leaned against me, and her body seemed to have shrivelled with the pain of her ordeal. I put my arm about her shoulders, and she whispered wearily, “They are going to kill us, Harry, you know that, don’t you?”
I ignored the question and asked softly, “Your hand,” it was still wrapped in the rough bandage, “what happened?” Sherry looked up at the blonde girl beside Manny Resnick, and I felt her shiver briefly against me.
“She did it, Harry.” Lorna Page was chatting animatedly to Manny Resnick. Her carefully lacquered hairstyle resisted the efforts of the breeze to ruffle it, and her face was meticulously made up with expensive cosmetics. Her lipstick was moist and glossy and her eyelids were silvery green, with long mascaraed lashes around the cat’s eyes.
