Eagle in the Sky - Smith Wilbur - Страница 54

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that is what I am condemning in you.

You are a violent young man, and violence is the pleasure of fools and

only the last resort of wise men.

The only excuse for it is to protect what is rightfully yours, any other

display of violence is abuse.  You abused the power I gave you, and in

doing it you killed my son, and brought my country to the verge of war.

The Brig stood up from his desk, and he crossed to the window and looked

down into the garden.  They were both silent while he stroked his

mustache and remembered his son.

At last the Brig sighed heavily and turned back into the room.  Why do

you come to me?  he asked.

I wish to marry your daughter, sir.

You are asking me, or telling me?  the Brig demanded, and then without

waiting for an answer returned to his desk and sat down.  If you abuse

this also, if you bring her pain or unhappiness, I will seek you out.

Depend upon it.  David stood up and settled the cloth cap over his gross

head, pulling the brim well down.

We would like you to be at the wedding.  Debra asked that particularly,

for you and her mother.  The Brig nodded.  You may tell her that we will

be there.

The synagogue at Jerusalem University is a gleaming white structure,

shaped like the tent of a desert wanderer, with the same billowing

lines.

The red-bud trees were in full bloom and the wedding party was larger

than they had planned, for apart from the immediate family there were

Debra's colleagues from the university, Robert and some of the other

boys from the squadron, Ella Kadesh, Doctor Edelman the baby-faced eye

surgeon who had worked on Debra, Aaron Cohen and a dozen others.

After the simple ceremony, they walked through the university grounds to

one of the reception rooms that David had hired.  It was a quiet

gathering with little laughter or joking.  The Young Pilots from David's

old squadron had to leave early to return to base, and with them went

any pretence of jollity.

Debra's mother was still not yet fully recovered, and the prospect of

Debra's departure reduced her to quiet grey weeping.  Debra tried

without success to comfort her.

Before he left, Dr. Edelman drew David aside.

Watch for any sign of atrophy in her eyes, any cloudiness, excessive

redness, any complaints of pain, headaches! will watch for it.

Any indications, no matter how trivial, if you have any doubts, you must

write to me.  'Thank you, doctor.

They shook hands.  Good luck in your new life, said Edelman.

Through it all Debra showed iron control, but even she at last succumbed

and she, her mother, and Ella Kadesh all broke down simultaneously at

the departure barrier of Lad Airport and hung around each other's necks,

weeping bitterly.

The Brig and David stood by, stiff and awkward, trying to look as though

they were not associated with the weeping trio, until the first warning

broadcast gave them an excuse for a brief handshake and David took

Debra's arm and drew her gently away.

They climbed the boarding ladder into the waiting Boeing without looking

back.  The giant aircraft took off and turned away southwards, and as

always the sensation of flight soothed David; all the cares and tensions

of these last few days left on the earth behind and below, he felt a new

lightness of the spirit, excitement for what lay ahead.

He reached across and squeezed Debra's arm.

Hello there, Morgan, he said, and she turned towards him and smiled

happily, blindly.

It was necessary to spend some time in Cape Town before they could

escape to the sanctuary of Jabulani in the north.

David took a suite at the Mount Nelson Hotel, and from there he was able

to settle the numerous issues that had piled up in his absence.

The accountants who managed his trust funds demanded ten days of his

time and they spent it in the sitting-room of the suite, poring over

trust documents and accounts.

In two years his income had grossly exceeded his spending, and the

unused portion of his income had to be re-invested.  In addition the

third trust fund would soon pass to him and there were formalities to be

completed.

Debra was hugely impressed by the extent of David's wealth.

You must be almost a millionaire, she said in a truly awed voice, for

that was as rich as Debra could imagine.

I'm not just a pretty face, David agreed, and she was relieved that'he

could talk so lightly about his appearance.

Mitzi and her new husband came to visit them in their suite.  However,

the evening was not a success.

Although Mitzi tried to act as though nothing had changed, and though

she still called him warrior, yet it was apparent that she and her

feelings had altered.

She was heavily pregnant and more shapeless than David would have

thought possible.  It was half-way through the evening before David

realized the true reason for all the reserve.  At first he thought that

his disfigurement was worrying them, but after Mitzi had given a

barr-hour eulogy of the strides that Cecil was making at Morgan Group

and the immense trust that Paul Morgan had placed in him, Cecil had

asked innocently, Are you thinking of joining us at the Group?

I'm sure we could find something useful for you to do - ha, ha!  David

could assure them quietly.

No, thank you.  You won't have to worry about me, Cecil, old boy.  You

take over from Uncle Paul with my blessing Good Lord, I didn't mean

that, Cecil was shocked, but Mitzi was less devious.

He really will be very good, warrior, and you never were interested,

were you.

After that evening they did not see the couple again, and Paul Morgan

was in Europe, so David fulfilled his family obligations without much

pain or suffering and he could concentrate on the preparations for the

move to Jabulani.

Barney Venter spent a week with them in choosing a suitable aircraft to

handle the bush airstrip and yet give David the type of performance he

enjoyed.  At last they decided on a twin-engined Piper Navajo, a

six-seater with two big 3oo-hid.  p.  Lycoming engines and a tricycle

undercart, and Barney walked around it with his hands on his hips.

Well, she's no Mirage.  He kicked the landing-wheel and then checked

himself and glanced quickly at David's face.

I've had enough of Mirages, David told him.  They bite!

On the last day David drove out with Debra to a farm near Paarl.  The

owner's wife was a dog breeder and when they went down to the kennels

one of her labrador pups walked directly to Debra and placed a cold nose

on her leg as he inhaled her scent.  Debra squatted and groped for his

head and after fondling for a few moments she in her turn leaned forward

and sniffed the pup's fur.

He smells like old leather, she said.  What colour is he?  Black, said

David.  Black as a Zulu.  That's what we'll call him, said Debra.  Zulu.

You want to choose this one?  David asked.

No, 'Debra laughed.  He chose us.  When they flew northwards the next

morning the pup was indignant at being placed in the back seat and with

a flying scrambling leap he came over Debra's shoulder and took up

position in her lap, which seemed to suit them both very well.

It looks like I have competition, David muttered ruefully.

From the brown plateau of the high veld, the land dropped away steeply

down the escarpment to the bush veld of southern Africa.

David picked up his landmark on the little village of Bush Buck Ridge

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