faintly.
Hugo grinned. “I’ll look after you!” he promised.
It was, after all, not a very difficult tree to climb. It had convenient, sticky-out branches that allowed me to get right up amongst the new green leaves at the top. It was another matter to find a comfortable perch for myself when I was there, but I did the best I could, rolling up one of the coats as a makeshift cushion.
Hugo made a complete circular tour of the tree, bidding me hide the cold box better and making one or two adjustments to his own hiding place before he climbed up into it.
“Not bad,” he said, as he wedged himself firmly into position. “Let’s hope they’re not too long. I have a feeling that we shall get cramp if we’re here for the night.”
I prised open the cold box. “Have a beer?” I suggested.
He accepted a Tusker lager, opening it with a gadget attached to the knife he wore at his belt. “What are you having?” he asked.
I giggled. There was something quite idiotic about our position, miles from anywhere, lying in wait for dangerous men, sitting in a tree and swigging beer.
“I don’t like beer much,” I said. “I think I’ll have a Fanta.” I passed a bottle of fizzy orange over for him to open it. It was deliciously cool to drink, sliding down my throat. I was beginning to enjoy myself.
“Where did you learn to shoot?” Hugo asked me. “Did your father teach you?”
I squinted down to the rifle I was looking after. “I suppose,” I said, “that if anyone taught me, it was Martin—”
“Oh!” said Hugo.
“It was self-defence!” I said hotly. “Kate turned out to be a natural shot and that put all the Freeman men on the defensive. Martin used to spend hours practising every day!” “And you with him?” Hugo suggested sweetly.
I blushed. “Not exactly,” I said.
He gave me a mocking glance. “What were you doing then?”
“Well,” I began, “to be quite honest, I’m not much good with any gun—”
“Now she tells me!”
“So,” I continued bravely, “nobody was prepared to waste much ammunition on me.”
“In fact,” Hugo said witheringly, “you don’t know how to fire the thing?”
“Oh yes!” I assured him eagerly. “You point it and then you pull the trigger!”
He closed his eyes in horror. “You squeeze the trigger! Very gently! And without shutting your eyes!”
“Well, I expect I can do that too!”
“My dear girl, I shouldn’t expect anything of the sort!”
I grinned. “There’s no need to be unkind,” I reproved him. “Doubtless, when I’m frightened enough I shall be capable of anything!”
“Doubtless!” he groaned. “I only hope you can restrain yourself from shooting me!”
“I’ll do my best,” I reassured him kindly. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re more than able to defend yourself. Your rifle is bigger than mine!”
He groaned again. “Have you never seen a .416 rifle?”
“No,” I admitted, “I don’t think I ever have. Is that what you used on the elephant? I suppose it would make rather a mess of a man.”
He finished the last of his beer and disposed of the bottle in a convenient hole in the tree.
“The idea,” he said gently, “is not to murder these ignorant butchers, but to arrest them and train them to better things.”
I raised my chin, quite prepared to argue the point. “They murdered that elephant,” I said.
“Granted, my love. But the guilty men are sitting safely on the coast, making all the money.”
Enchanted by this form of address, I was silent. I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was nearly four o’clock in the afternoon. If the poachers were waiting for the cover of darkness before they came back to the scene of the crime, we were in for a long wait and my legs, from the knees downwards, had already gone to sleep. But nothing would have induced me
to complain about our position. Hugo, I thought, had enough to put up with without having a moaning female companion as well.
It is
Hugo grinned. “I’ll look after you!” he promised.
It was, after all, not a very difficult tree to climb. It had convenient, sticky-out branches that allowed me to get right up amongst the new green leaves at the top. It was another matter to find a comfortable perch for myself when I was there, but I did the best I could, rolling up one of the coats as a makeshift cushion.
Hugo made a complete circular tour of the tree, bidding me hide the cold box better and making one or two adjustments to his own hiding place before he climbed up into it.
“Not bad,” he said, as he wedged himself firmly into position. “Let’s hope they’re not too long. I have a feeling that we shall get cramp if we’re here for the night.”
I prised open the cold box. “Have a beer?” I suggested.
He accepted a Tusker lager, opening it with a gadget attached to the knife he wore at his belt. “What are you having?” he asked.
I giggled. There was something quite idiotic about our position, miles from anywhere, lying in wait for dangerous men, sitting in a tree and swigging beer.
“I don’t like beer much,” I said. “I think I’ll have a Fanta.” I passed a bottle of fizzy orange over for him to open it. It was deliciously cool to drink, sliding down my throat. I was beginning to enjoy myself.
“Where did you learn to shoot?” Hugo asked me. “Did your father teach you?”
I squinted down to the rifle I was looking after. “I suppose,” I said, “that if anyone taught me, it was Martin—”
“Oh!” said Hugo.
“It was self-defence!” I said hotly. “Kate turned out to be a natural shot and that put all the Freeman men on the defensive. Martin used to spend hours practising every day!” “And you with him?” Hugo suggested sweetly.
I blushed. “Not exactly,” I said.
He gave me a mocking glance. “What were you doing then?”
“Well,” I began, “to be quite honest, I’m not much good with any gun—”
“Now she tells me!”
“So,” I continued bravely, “nobody was prepared to waste much ammunition on me.”
“In fact,” Hugo said witheringly, “you don’t know how to fire the thing?”
“Oh yes!” I assured him eagerly. “You point it and then you pull the trigger!”
He closed his eyes in horror. “You squeeze the trigger! Very gently! And without shutting your eyes!”
“Well, I expect I can do that too!”
“My dear girl, I shouldn’t expect anything of the sort!”
I grinned. “There’s no need to be unkind,” I reproved him. “Doubtless, when I’m frightened enough I shall be capable of anything!”
“Doubtless!” he groaned. “I only hope you can restrain yourself from shooting me!”
“I’ll do my best,” I reassured him kindly. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re more than able to defend yourself. Your rifle is bigger than mine!”
He groaned again. “Have you never seen a .416 rifle?”
“No,” I admitted, “I don’t think I ever have. Is that what you used on the elephant? I suppose it would make rather a mess of a man.”
He finished the last of his beer and disposed of the bottle in a convenient hole in the tree.
“The idea,” he said gently, “is not to murder these ignorant butchers, but to arrest them and train them to better things.”
I raised my chin, quite prepared to argue the point. “They murdered that elephant,” I said.
“Granted, my love. But the guilty men are sitting safely on the coast, making all the money.”
Enchanted by this form of address, I was silent. I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was nearly four o’clock in the afternoon. If the poachers were waiting for the cover of darkness before they came back to the scene of the crime, we were in for a long wait and my legs, from the knees downwards, had already gone to sleep. But nothing would have induced me
to complain about our position. Hugo, I thought, had enough to put up with without having a moaning female companion as well.
It is
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