place. Bear in mind that we’re entirely dependent upon Hamilton. You understand?’
‘Sorry, boss. It’s just that the bastard is so damned arrogant. Pride cometh before a fall. My turn will come and the fall is going to be a mighty big one.’
Smith was almost kind. ‘I don’t think you quite understand. Hamilton regards you as a potential troublemaker—which, I have to say, you are—and he’s the sort of man who will eliminate any potential source of trouble. God, man, can’t you see? He’s trying to provoke you so that he can have a reason, or at least an excuse, for disposing of you.’
‘And how would he do that?’
‘Having you sent back to Brasilia.’
‘And failing that?’
‘Don’t even let us talk about such things.’
‘I can take care of myself, Mr Smith.’
‘Taking care of yourself is one thing. Taking care of Hamilton is another kettle of fish altogether.’
They watched, some of them with evident apprehension, as a giant twin-rotored helicopter, cables attached to four lifting bolts, clawed its way into the air, raising a small hovercraft with it. The hovercraft’s rate of climb was barely perceptible. At five hundred feet, it slowly began to move due east.
Smith said uneasily: ‘Those hills look mighty high to me. Sure they’ll make it?’
‘You’d better hope so. After all, they’re your machines.’ Hamilton shook his head. ‘Do you think the pilot would have taken off unless he knew it was on the cards? Only three thousand feet. No trouble.’
‘How far?’
‘The headwaters of the Rio da Morte are only a hundred miles away. To reach the landing strip? Perhaps eighty. In half-an-hour’s time we’ll leave in the DC3. We’ll still be there before them.’
Hamilton moved off and sat by the side of the river, idly lobbing stones into the dark waters. Some minutes later Maria appeared and stood uncertainly beside him. Hamilton looked up, smiled briefly, then glanced indifferently away.
She said: ’Is it safe to sit here?
‘Boy-friend let you off the leash?’
‘He’s not my boy-friend.’ She spoke with such vehemence that Hamilton looked at her quizzically.
‘You could have fooled me. Misinterpretations, so easily come by. You have come, no doubt, or been sent, to ask a few craftily probing questions?’
She said quietly: ‘Do you have to insult everybody? Wound everybody? Antagonise everybody? Provoke everybody? Back in Brasilia you said you had friends. It is difficult to understand how you came by them.’
Hamilton looked at her in some perplexity then smiled. ‘Now look who’s doing the insulting.’
‘Between gratuitous insults and the plain truth there’s a big difference. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.’ She turned to walk away.
‘Oh, come and sit down. Childish, childish. Maybe I can ask a few probing questions while you congratulate yourself on having found a chink in Hamilton’s armour. I suppose that could be misinterpreted as an insult, too. Just sit down.’
She looked at him doubtfully. ‘I asked if it’s safe to sit here.’
‘A damn sight safer than trying to cross a street in Brasilia.’
She sat down gingerly, a prudent two feet away from him. ‘Things can creep up on you.’
‘You’ve read the wrong books or talked to the wrong people. Who or what is going to creep up on us? Indians? There’s not a hostile Indian within two hundred miles of here. Alligators, jaguars, snakes—they’re a damned sight more anxious to avoid you than you are to avoid them. There are only two dangerous things in the forest—the
quiexada
, the wild boar, and the
carangageiros.
They attack on sight.’
‘The caran what?’
‘Giant spiders. Great hairy creatures the size of soup plates. They come at you one yard at a time. Jumping, I mean. One yard and that’s it.’
‘How horrible!’
‘No problem. None in these parts. Besides, you didn’t have to come.’
‘Here we go again.’ Maria shook her head. ‘You really don’t
‘Sorry, boss. It’s just that the bastard is so damned arrogant. Pride cometh before a fall. My turn will come and the fall is going to be a mighty big one.’
Smith was almost kind. ‘I don’t think you quite understand. Hamilton regards you as a potential troublemaker—which, I have to say, you are—and he’s the sort of man who will eliminate any potential source of trouble. God, man, can’t you see? He’s trying to provoke you so that he can have a reason, or at least an excuse, for disposing of you.’
‘And how would he do that?’
‘Having you sent back to Brasilia.’
‘And failing that?’
‘Don’t even let us talk about such things.’
‘I can take care of myself, Mr Smith.’
‘Taking care of yourself is one thing. Taking care of Hamilton is another kettle of fish altogether.’
They watched, some of them with evident apprehension, as a giant twin-rotored helicopter, cables attached to four lifting bolts, clawed its way into the air, raising a small hovercraft with it. The hovercraft’s rate of climb was barely perceptible. At five hundred feet, it slowly began to move due east.
Smith said uneasily: ‘Those hills look mighty high to me. Sure they’ll make it?’
‘You’d better hope so. After all, they’re your machines.’ Hamilton shook his head. ‘Do you think the pilot would have taken off unless he knew it was on the cards? Only three thousand feet. No trouble.’
‘How far?’
‘The headwaters of the Rio da Morte are only a hundred miles away. To reach the landing strip? Perhaps eighty. In half-an-hour’s time we’ll leave in the DC3. We’ll still be there before them.’
Hamilton moved off and sat by the side of the river, idly lobbing stones into the dark waters. Some minutes later Maria appeared and stood uncertainly beside him. Hamilton looked up, smiled briefly, then glanced indifferently away.
She said: ’Is it safe to sit here?
‘Boy-friend let you off the leash?’
‘He’s not my boy-friend.’ She spoke with such vehemence that Hamilton looked at her quizzically.
‘You could have fooled me. Misinterpretations, so easily come by. You have come, no doubt, or been sent, to ask a few craftily probing questions?’
She said quietly: ‘Do you have to insult everybody? Wound everybody? Antagonise everybody? Provoke everybody? Back in Brasilia you said you had friends. It is difficult to understand how you came by them.’
Hamilton looked at her in some perplexity then smiled. ‘Now look who’s doing the insulting.’
‘Between gratuitous insults and the plain truth there’s a big difference. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.’ She turned to walk away.
‘Oh, come and sit down. Childish, childish. Maybe I can ask a few probing questions while you congratulate yourself on having found a chink in Hamilton’s armour. I suppose that could be misinterpreted as an insult, too. Just sit down.’
She looked at him doubtfully. ‘I asked if it’s safe to sit here.’
‘A damn sight safer than trying to cross a street in Brasilia.’
She sat down gingerly, a prudent two feet away from him. ‘Things can creep up on you.’
‘You’ve read the wrong books or talked to the wrong people. Who or what is going to creep up on us? Indians? There’s not a hostile Indian within two hundred miles of here. Alligators, jaguars, snakes—they’re a damned sight more anxious to avoid you than you are to avoid them. There are only two dangerous things in the forest—the
quiexada
, the wild boar, and the
carangageiros.
They attack on sight.’
‘The caran what?’
‘Giant spiders. Great hairy creatures the size of soup plates. They come at you one yard at a time. Jumping, I mean. One yard and that’s it.’
‘How horrible!’
‘No problem. None in these parts. Besides, you didn’t have to come.’
‘Here we go again.’ Maria shook her head. ‘You really don’t
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