said.
‘Well, don’t take it to heart, he always had a raking temper! Reckon he’d be able to pick a quarrel with a corpse if he put his mind to it!’
That made Sara laugh. She felt better and accordingly grateful.
‘He works so hard, though,’ she said, wondering that she should be able to confide so easily in this strange, tall man. ‘Doesn’t anyone else do anything at Kwaheri?’
‘Too right they don’t!’ John exclaimed.
Sara was startled. Her eyebrows went up and she looked up at him with pleased surprise.
‘You’re an Australian!’ she accused him.
‘So I am,’ he agreed.
‘But — but what are you doing farming out here?’ she asked, too astonished to worry as to whether he would consider her inquiry to be impertinent.
He grinned. ‘I reckoned we Aussies ought to help out in the Commonwealth. Can’t have you British doing all the work!’
He looped his long arm round hers and together they strolled after Matt in the direction of the village.
Matt had already gathered together their few possessions. Now that the moment of release had come he had bent all his concentration on to the task of getting them away as quickly as possible.
‘Did you have anything else?’ he asked Sara.
She shook her head.
John Halliday stood amiably in the doorway of the hut and watched the activity within as Sara checked her medical case and Matt impatiently ordered her to take a precautionary tablet against further trouble from malaria. Sara’s hand shook a little as she helped herself to one more of the pills. She already had the beginnings of a headache, but nothing at that moment would have made her admit it.
‘If you’re ready,’ John drawled, ‘I’ll see about lining up the elders to say good-bye to you.’
‘The Sonjo don’t have elders, they have a water board,’ Matt told him, and for the first time a trace of enthusiasm tinged his words. ‘It’s a pretty good system. They inherit certain water supplies and if anyone offends against the tribal laws, the water board cuts them off for a day or two. The system seems to work, what’s more. People don’t like being thirsty for long!’
‘Sounds okay,’ John agreed.
In the end it wasn’t necessary for anyone to tell the villagers that they were leaving. Everyone had seen John’s Tripacer land and they had all gathered round to see, for them, the still rare occurrence of one of these man-made birds actually taking off into the air.
John helped Sara into the small seat behind while Matt shook hands with everyone in sight and thanked them for their hospitality. They were still a little in awe of the woman who had cut out the devil from a man’s leg, but they waved to her cheerfully when they saw her face looking out at them through the small windows of the aeroplane.
It was fun in a way, Sara thought to herself. I wouldn’t really have missed it. She allowed her mind to roam over the time she and Matt had spent together. It had been a precious time to her. Especially that moment just before John had arrived. She went over the moment again. Could it have been true that he had been going to kiss her, or was it just her imagination playing her tricks? He might have been angry that they had been interrupted. A little shiver of excitement played up and down her spine. To be kissed by Matt would be an event in any girl’s life. Perhaps it was as well that it hadn’t actually happened. Her aunt’s voice saying, ‘I’m sure you’ll cope admirably’, came back to her and she could feel a blush burning her cheeks. Under no circumstances could she allow Matt to suffer Mrs. Wayne’s probing tongue. It would be too much. At the thought of such a thing, she could feel herself getting all hot and bothered.
The two men climbed into their seats in front of her and shut the flimsy-looking little doors. It was oppressively hot and she fanned herself lightly with her handkerchief. Matt said something in an undertone to John and he looked round
‘Well, don’t take it to heart, he always had a raking temper! Reckon he’d be able to pick a quarrel with a corpse if he put his mind to it!’
That made Sara laugh. She felt better and accordingly grateful.
‘He works so hard, though,’ she said, wondering that she should be able to confide so easily in this strange, tall man. ‘Doesn’t anyone else do anything at Kwaheri?’
‘Too right they don’t!’ John exclaimed.
Sara was startled. Her eyebrows went up and she looked up at him with pleased surprise.
‘You’re an Australian!’ she accused him.
‘So I am,’ he agreed.
‘But — but what are you doing farming out here?’ she asked, too astonished to worry as to whether he would consider her inquiry to be impertinent.
He grinned. ‘I reckoned we Aussies ought to help out in the Commonwealth. Can’t have you British doing all the work!’
He looped his long arm round hers and together they strolled after Matt in the direction of the village.
Matt had already gathered together their few possessions. Now that the moment of release had come he had bent all his concentration on to the task of getting them away as quickly as possible.
‘Did you have anything else?’ he asked Sara.
She shook her head.
John Halliday stood amiably in the doorway of the hut and watched the activity within as Sara checked her medical case and Matt impatiently ordered her to take a precautionary tablet against further trouble from malaria. Sara’s hand shook a little as she helped herself to one more of the pills. She already had the beginnings of a headache, but nothing at that moment would have made her admit it.
‘If you’re ready,’ John drawled, ‘I’ll see about lining up the elders to say good-bye to you.’
‘The Sonjo don’t have elders, they have a water board,’ Matt told him, and for the first time a trace of enthusiasm tinged his words. ‘It’s a pretty good system. They inherit certain water supplies and if anyone offends against the tribal laws, the water board cuts them off for a day or two. The system seems to work, what’s more. People don’t like being thirsty for long!’
‘Sounds okay,’ John agreed.
In the end it wasn’t necessary for anyone to tell the villagers that they were leaving. Everyone had seen John’s Tripacer land and they had all gathered round to see, for them, the still rare occurrence of one of these man-made birds actually taking off into the air.
John helped Sara into the small seat behind while Matt shook hands with everyone in sight and thanked them for their hospitality. They were still a little in awe of the woman who had cut out the devil from a man’s leg, but they waved to her cheerfully when they saw her face looking out at them through the small windows of the aeroplane.
It was fun in a way, Sara thought to herself. I wouldn’t really have missed it. She allowed her mind to roam over the time she and Matt had spent together. It had been a precious time to her. Especially that moment just before John had arrived. She went over the moment again. Could it have been true that he had been going to kiss her, or was it just her imagination playing her tricks? He might have been angry that they had been interrupted. A little shiver of excitement played up and down her spine. To be kissed by Matt would be an event in any girl’s life. Perhaps it was as well that it hadn’t actually happened. Her aunt’s voice saying, ‘I’m sure you’ll cope admirably’, came back to her and she could feel a blush burning her cheeks. Under no circumstances could she allow Matt to suffer Mrs. Wayne’s probing tongue. It would be too much. At the thought of such a thing, she could feel herself getting all hot and bothered.
The two men climbed into their seats in front of her and shut the flimsy-looking little doors. It was oppressively hot and she fanned herself lightly with her handkerchief. Matt said something in an undertone to John and he looked round
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