[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Slime, phosphorous and onions, was how Clive described it much
later on. And to think, reflected Faun, that she had spent some
considerable time looking out for durian trees, hoping the fruit would
supplement their scanty rations! How she managed to get through the
piece she had been given by one of the smiling Native girls Faun
never knew. She was praying all the time that she would not disgrace
herself and vomit. However, she did manage to eat and drink all that
was placed before her home-made biscuits, a few pieces of cooked
pig and mouse-deer, the potent rice wine, borak, and another fruit that
was much more palatable than the durian.
With the meal over Clive and Tua Rumah Balang went into
conference, sitting on the bamboo floor of the verandah with about a
dozen or so of the men listening intently to all that was being said.
Faun just stood by the wooded side of the verandah, watching the
prahus coming and going along the river. Some were quite heavily
laden with fruit and other commodities and it was clear that some
trading with the coast went on. At last Clive came over to tell her that
the tua rumah would send a Native boy out that day and soon a rescue
could be expected. The boy, Anyi, was later given a note written by
Clive and both he and Faun stood on the bank watching as Anyi got
into his prahu and, with a friendly wave of the hand, they saw him
sail away down the river which would take him to the coast, and
civilisation.
CHAPTER TEN
IT was almost dark when eventually Clive and Faun got back to the
camp. Tommy was making a meal, while Malcoln}, plainly under
some stress, was sitting on one of the chairs which Tommy had
finished making, a cup of tea in his hand. Ingrid was nowhere to be
seen.
'How did you go on?' Tommy wanted to know, straightening up from
the butane stove on which a pan was standing, steam escaping from
beneath the lid. 'I didn't expect you back last night, not with that storm
raging.'
'We've managed to send for help--'
'What!' exclaimed Tommy, actually going into a dance of sorts. 'Tell
me all about it!'
'So we're to be rescued.' Malcolm spoke quietly, just as if it were a
matter of little importance to him. 'How come?'
Clive explained, while Faun turned away with the intention of going
to her shelter to find some different clothes to put on. But Ingrid
suddenly appeared, having come up from the aircraft. She looked
with increasing disdain at Faun, her arrogant eyes deploring the
unkempt appearance she made.
'So you've got back at last and about time! Clive, I can't stand this
much longer! There must be a way of getting help!' It was to be seen
that the girl was coming to the end of her control. Faun frowned
darkly at her, feeling like telling her that self-inflicted solitary
confinement was disastrous to morale, but she desisted, feeling that
she must not antagonise Clive by admonishing his girl-friend.
Girl-friend ... Was Ingrid still holding that position? Faun knew
instinctively that the affair was all over and done with ... and that
something was beginning, for her and Clive ...
True, he had made no mention of love, and the omission did trouble
Faun. She would alternate between supreme confidence that he loved
her, and uncertainty in that she had doubts about his ever marrying
again. Well, time alone would tell, and this was certainly not the time
for worrying about such things. Clive was terribly anxious about
Malcolm; he had talked about his fears a great deal as they tramped
home through the steaming jungle, and now his glance went
repeatedly to the man on the chair, his head a little forward as if he
had neither the strength nor the desire to hold it up.
Clive had ignored Ingrid's fractious remarks, talking to Tommy still,
explaining what had happened at the longhouse.
'You should find something to occupy your time,' Faun said quietly to
Ingrid. 'You could be helping Tommy with the meal.'
Ingrid let this pass, as Faun expected she would. Her eyes, filled with
contempt, swept over Faun as she said,
'You look like a tramp! How you can go about in that filthy Condition
I don't know.' She spoke scarcely above a whisper, so that Clive
should not hear her. 'Where did you two sleep last night?'
'In a cave,' answered Faun without hesitation.
'Together?' gasped Ingrid.
'We didn't have a cave each, if that's what you mean.'
Ingrid just stared in disgust. After a moment Faun spoke again, and
Ingrid learned that help would soon be on its way.
'You managed to to contact someone ...?' Ingrid's mouth moved
spasmodically. Plainly she was suffering from very heightened
emotions. 'Why didn't you you say so at first--?' The next thing
Faun knew the girl was clutching at her shirt, and trying her best to
shake her. 'You could have told me right away! You rotten, hateful
creature! Why didn't you tell me at once!'
'Ingrid!' Clive bounded towards the two girls and literally dragged the
hysterical Ingrid away. 'What the hell do you think you're doing--?'
'You could have told me we were to be rescued! I hate you all! Why
didn't you tell me?' she demanded of Clive while at the same time
struggling furiously to disengage herself from his grasp. 'You were
deliberately torturing me! You've all been against me from the start!
And you--!' She looked at Clive with a sort of venomous hatred in her
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]