The Seventh Scroll - Smith Wilbur - Страница 43

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had it set in the crown."

"And they all lived happily ever after," Nicholas agreed.

"Not a bad shot."

ny holes?" she demanded, and he shook Can you find a head. "Then you

agree that this proves that Taita really his was here, and that it

proves our theories are correct?" -Proves" is too strong a word. Let's

just say that it points in that direction," he demurred.

She wriggled around on the bed to face him squarely.

"Oh, Nicky, I am so excited. I swear I will not be able to sleep a wink

tonight. I just can't wait for tomorrow, to get out there and start

searching again."

Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed a warm rosy brown. Her lips

were parted, and he could see the pink tip of her tongue between them.

This time he could not stop himself. He leaned very slowly towards her,

treating her gently, giving her every opportunity to pull away if she

wished to avoid him. She did not move, but her shining expression turned

slowly to one of apprehension. She stared into his eyes, as if seeking

something, some reassurance.

When their lips were an inch apart, Nicholas stopped, and it was she who

made the last movement. She brought their mouths together.

At first it was soft, just a light mingling of their breath, and then it

became harsher, more urgent. For a long, heartstopping moment they

devoured each other, and her mouth tasted soft and sweet as ripe fruit.

Then suddenly she whimpered, and with a huge effort of will tore herself

out of his arms. They stared at each other, both of them shaken and

confused.

"No," she whispered. "Please, Nicky, not yet. I am not ready yet."

He picked up her hand and turned it between his palms. Then lightly he

kissed the tips of her fingers, savouring the smell and the taste of her

skin.

"I'll see you in the morning." He dropped her hand and stood up. "Early.

Be ready!the said, and stooped out through the doorway of the hut.

was dressing the next morning he heard her moving a round in her hut,

and when he whistled softly at her door she stepped out to meet him,

dressed and eager to start.

"Boris is not awake yet,'Tessay told them as she served their breakfast.

"Now that is a great surprise to me," Nicholas said, without looking up

from his plate. He and Royan were still slightly awkward in each other's

presence, remembering the circumstances in which they had parted the

previous evening. However, as Nicholas slung the rifle and the pack 0

ver his shoulder and they set off up the valley, their mood changed to

one of anticipation.

They had been going for an hour when Nicholas glanced over his shoulder

and then cautioned her with a frown. "We are being followed."

Taking her wrist, he drew her behind a slab of sandstone. He flattened

himself against the rock and stured at her to do the same. Then he

poised himself, ge an  suddenly leaped forward to seize the lanky figure

in a dirty white shamnw who was sneaking up the valley behind them. With

a howl the creature fell to his knees, and began gibbering with terror.

Nicholas hauled him to his feet. "Tamre! What are you doing following

us? Who sent you?" he demanded in Arabic.

The boy rolled his eyes towards Royan. "No, please, effendi, do not hurt

me. I meant no harm."

"Leave the child, Nicky. You will precipitate another fit," Royan

intervened. Tamre scurried behind her and clung to her hand for

protection, peering out around her shoulder at Nicholas as though his

life were in danger.

"Peace, Tamre," Nicholas soothed him. "I will not hurt you, unless you

lie to me. If you do, then I will thrash you until there is no skin on

your back. Who sent you to follow us?"

"I came alone. Nobody sent me," blubbered the boy. "I came to show you

where I saw the holy animal with the fingermarks -of the Baptist on his

skin."

Nicholas stared at him for a moment, before he began to laugh softly.

"I'll be damned if the boy doesn't really believe he saw

great-grandfather's dik-dik." Then he scowled ferociously. "Remember

what will happen to you, if you are lying."

"It is true, effendi," Tamre sobbed, and Royan came to his defence.

Don't badger him. He is harmless. Leave the poor ,  A hild."

"All right, Tamre. I will give you a chance. Take us to where you saw

the holy animal."

Tamre would not relinquish his grip on Royan's hand.

He clung to it as he danced beside her, leading her along, and within a

hundred yards his terror had faded and he was smiling and giggling at

her shyly.

For an hour he led them away from the Dandera rier  and up over the high

ground above the valley, into an area of thick scrub and up-thrust

ridges of weathered limestone.

The thorny branches of the bush were densely intertwined, and grew so

close to the ground that there seemed to be no way through them.

However, Tamre led them on to a narrow twisting path, just wide enough

for them to avoid the red-tipped hook thorns on each side of them. Then

abruptly he stopped and pulled Royan to a halt beside him.

He pointed down, almost at his own toes.

"The riverPhe announced importantly. Nicholas came up beside them and

whistled softly with surprise. Tamre had led them around in a wide

circle to the west, and then brought them back to the Dandera river at a

point where it still ran in the bed of the deep ravine.

Now they stood on the very edge of the chasm. He saw at once that,

although the top of the rocky ravine was less than a hundred feet wide,

the chasm opened out below the rim. From the surface of the water far

below, the rock wall belled out in the shape of one of the pottery tej

flasks.

It narrowed again as it neared the top where they stood.

 saw the holy thing over there."Tamre pointed to the far side of the

chasm where a small feeder spring meandered out of the thorny bush.

Streamers of bright green moss, nourished by the spring, hung from the

lip of the concave rock wall, and the water trickled down them and

dripped from the tips into the river two hundred feet below.

"If you saw it there, why did you bring us to this side of the

river?"Nicholas demanded.

Tamre looked as though he were on the point of tears.

This side is easier. There is no path through the bush on the other

side. The thorns would hurt Woizero Royan."

"Don't be a bully," Royan told him, and put her arm around the boy's

shoulder.

Nicholas shrugged, "It looks like the two of you are ganging up on me.

Well, seeing that we are here, we might as well sit a while and see if

great-grandpa's dik-dik puts in an appearance."

He picked out a spot in the shade of one of the stunted trees that hung

on the lip of the chasm, and with his hat swept the ground clear of

fallen thorns until there was a place for them to sit. He placed his

back against the trunk of the thorn tree and laid the Rigby rifle across

his lap.

By this time it was past noon, and the heat was stifling.

He passed the water bottle to Royan and, while she drank, glanced at

Tamre and suggested to her in English, "This might be a good time to

find out what, if anything, the lad knows about the Taita ceramic in the

crown. He is besotted with you. He will tell you anything you want to

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