The Spring of the Tiger

by Victoria Holt

  Clytie was delighted. She said it would save those journeys back and forth between Shaw's and Ashington's, so I said good-bye to Clinton and she came to collect me with a few clothes and things I should need and we went over in the carriage.

  My room at Ashington's looked over the gardens and to the woods beyond. Clytie had arranged guelder roses in a big bowl to welcome me. She kept telling me how happy she was that I was to stay under the same roof.

  I couldn't help wondering whether Clinton was seeing Anula or any other women. I would never be sure of him. Uncertainty was the very essence of our relationship. There was no security, no trusting.

  For a short time I would try to forget him. I would have my times with Seth when I would learn more about the plantation; I would have my sessions with Clytie, who was fast becoming my dearest friend. It was rather wonderful to have discovered a sister and to find her, though strange in some ways, so completely compatible.

  I looked round my room with its creamy curtains of Madras cotton, the inevitable mosquito nets over the bed and the fine-wire netting at the windows and I found it pretty and welcoming.

  I was determined to enjoy my stay and stop wondering about Clinton and how he might be spending all of his time on his trip. After coming face to face with Anula and tackling him about his liaison (and receiving such a straight answer), I needed to be separated from him to collect my thoughts. There was one virtue he possessed and that was that he never attempted to lie. He never hedged as most men would have done. "Yes, she was my mistress." He said it outright. What I wanted to know was whether she still was, and, having seen Anula and knowing Clinton, I believed that it was very possible that they would revert to their earlier relationship with the utmost ease.

  At least I had this respite. Perhaps by the time it was over I should have come to some conclusion as to the best way to act.

  In the mornings I was with Seth, riding round the plantation, looking with pride on those green slopes of healthy growth which were so important to us. It was a pleasant sight to see the pluckers at work, their baskets slung over their shoulders. They were mostly women and they looked colorful, their head covers falling over their necks to protect them from the sun, and themselves visible only from the waist up, the rest of them being hidden by the plants.

  I enjoyed most of my afternoons with Clytie when young Ralph joined us and we would walk in the gardens and in the woods. He liked to stand under the tree with his initial carved on it and talk to it. He was full of vitality and could name quite a number of the plants he found. He never picked them though. "It hurts them," he explained. "They like best to grow in the ground."

  He was a boy to be proud of and Clytie's love for him was obvious in every look she gave him, in every gesture. He was, however, very self-sufficient and impatient of a too great show of care. He seemed older than his four years; he could already read a little; and he liked to be told stories but would get impatient if they lasted too long; he often did not like the endings and supplied his own.

  Sheba was constantly hovering over him and I noticed that she was very watchful of me. I understood her interest now that I knew of her relationship to Anula and Anula's to my husband. I

  wondered whether she had hoped that Chnton would marry Anula. She had many reasons for resenting me so it was perhaps natural that she did. Also I had inherited the plantation, which I had no doubt she believed should have gone to Clytie and Seth. It was small wonder that she did not want me here. That was the meaning of those somber glances that came my way. Sometimes, even when the lamps were lighted, and I encountered those glances, it sent shivers down my spine.

  It was a few days after my arrival when I had heard that there was to be a pageant in Manganiya. It was a great concession that it should come there. It had in fact taken place in Kandy and Clytie said she had wondered whether to go there to see it. But it was at night and they would have to take the train. Ralph would have been so excited and would have loved to see it, but she thought that taking him so far was impossible. Therefore it was very good that it was coming near home.

  There was a tremendous excitement throughout the plantation. Everyone was going. It was known as the Esala Perahera and was conducted by torchlight.

  "We should all go," said Clytie.

  Sheba shook her head and said it was too late for the boy; but Clytie overruled her by saying: "He would never forgive you, Sheba, if he knew you had stopped him. We must go for that reason. One late night won't hurt him."

  So it was agreed.

  All through the day and the one before, excitement prevailed throughout the house and plantation. There would be crowds in Manganiya that night. The procession was to take place at eight o'clock, soon after dark.

  The performers started to arrive in the early morning. We drove out before lunch to see them. Ralph was overcome with excitement. He kept bouncing up and down on the seat of the carriage and calling our attention to the elephants.

  "I'm going to ride an elephant," he declared. "I've got an elephant. He's all mine. He won't let anyone else ride on his back."

  We smiled at each other over his head and his mother said: "As you are going to stay up late tonight you must have a rest this afternoon."

  "I don't want to rest this afternoon."

  "If you don't you'll fall fast asleep and you won't see the pageant."

  He considered this. "I won't," he said without conviction.

  When we returned to the house Sheba took possession of him and carried him off to his room.

  Clytie and I drank tea together and I sensed that she was uneasy. I asked her what worried her and she hesitated for a moment, then she said: "I'm worried about keeping him up. He gets so excited."

  "Oh, it won't hurt him for once," I assured her. "Besides, you couldn't disappoint him now."

  She agreed and went on to tell me about various pageants she had seen. Before Ralph had been born she and our father and later Seth had gone into Kandy to see the performances given by the Kandy dancers. They had been most interesting—the same dances which had been performed throughout the centuries usually expressing some legend.

  "We must go in and see them someday," she said. She described the costumes and the dances, but I could see that her thoughts were elsewhere.

  On my way to my room I looked in on Ralph. He was sitting up in bed with a woebegone expression on his face.

  "What's the matter, Ralph?" I asked. "Is anything wrong?"

  His face puckered and he dissolved into tears. It was the first time I had seen him cry. I went to the bed and put my arms round him.

  "Tell me, dariing," I begged. "What is it?"

  "I can't go to sleep," he sobbed.

  "What's that to cry about?"

  "I'll go to sleep tonight when the elephants come and the dancers dance. Mama said if I don't sleep now I'll sleep then. And it'll be all over and I won't see it."

  I laughed with relief. "Nonsense," I said. "You won't go to sleep tonight. You'll be too excited. Now dry your eyes and if you lie still and rest you'll keep awake just the same tonight."

  "Will I really?" His mood had changed. His lovely face was transformed by a happy smile. I couldn't help kissing him al-

  though I knew he did not like being kissed, but he forgave me on this occasion as I had been the bearer of such reHef.

  "It's just as good to he still," I said. "Just rest. Don't think about having to go to sleep. That'll do. When we go into Man-ganiya you'll be so wide awake you won't miss a thing."

  "Aunt Sarah, do the elephants dance?"

  "Oh, I don't know. We shall have to wait and see, shan't we?"

  "My elephant does. He dances betterer than the Kandy elephants."

  I smiled at him and tucked him in. I put my finger to my lips. "Don't forget," I whispered. "Just lie still and don't worry. Resting is just as good."

  He nodded conspiratorially and I tiptoed out.

  I looked in five minutes later and he was fast asleep.

 
We drove in the wagonette brake. There was myself, Clytie, Seth, Sheba and Ralph. The roads were crowded with vehicles of all descriptions—bullock carts, carts drawn by oxen, carriages of various descriptions, horse riders and rickshaw men. The noise all about us was tremendous as everyone was in a state of great excitement.

  Ralph could not keep still. He talked to me a great deal and I could see that there was an extra bond of friendship between us since I had assured him that resting was as good as sleeping.

  We left the wagonette at the inn and made our way to the square where we could get a good view of the proceedings. I held Ralph's hand and he skipped along beside me. There was a great press of people. We caught a glimpse of Ashraf in the crowds and Ralph called out to him. Ashraf was a special friend of his. I wondered if Anula was here.

  The excitement had already begun. Torches were held high to lighten the scene. Several carts had been decorated with flowers and there were people dressed in colorful costumes. The women's saris were beautiful but most of the men were in the customary white shirts, not tucked in at the waist but hanging down over the white trousers. It was impossible not to be caught up in the excitement.

  When the elephants appeared Ralph was dancing with glee.

  They were magnificently caparisoned. It was as though thousands of jewels adorned them, and seated in a cage on their backs, covered by canopies, were the chieftains of the various districts.

  The drummers came ahead of the dancers and there in the center of the square the famous Kandy dancers trod the ancient measures, their hands even more eloquent than their feet. Then the devil dancers performed. Grotesque and uncanny, they filled the spectators with fearful wonder; and the absolute silence of the crowd was awe-inspiring.

  It was thrilling and different from anything I had ever seen before. It was so foreign and I had not yet become accustomed to the alien music. I was enchanted by the slow graceful movements of the dancers, the color of the costumes, the scent of flowers and the light from the torches placing on all the faces around me.

  Ralph had wriggled his hand out of mine. He was clapping in time to the music. The dancers came close to us. There was a hush throughout the vast crowd. Then there was the singing, a strange chant which moved me in some way. I could not take my eyes from those gyrating bodies.

  At length it was over. The dancers moved slowly across the square. The dazzling elephants trundled by. The people began to surge forward.

  Suddenly I heard Clytie's voice, shrill with terror: "Where's Ralph?"

  I looked down in astonishment. He was not there.

  "He'd be with Sheba," said Seth.

  "Where is Sheba?" cried Clyde.

  We looked around. We could not see her.

  Clytie was very uneasy and I found myself catching that uneasiness. I told myself that Ralph would certainly be with Sheba. She would have had her eyes on the boy all the time.

  It was no use trying to find them in the press of people.

  Seth said: "Let's go to the wagonette. They'll be there, I'm sure."

  Clytie looked around her. "I didn't see them go, did you?"

  "No. I thought he was there with us. We were all so absorbed in the dancing."

  "I thought he was holding your hand."

  "He was. But he let go to clap. He was standing very close to you."

  Clytie bit her lip and did not answer.

  I said: "Seth's right. We should go to the wagonette. Sheba will surely be there with him."

  It took us some time to make our way through the crowd. We reached the inn and went into the yard. Sheba darted out to us from near the wagonette. "I want to get that boy home," she said. "He has been out too long."

  "Now we're here, let's all go," said Seth.

  Sheba's next words made me shiver with fear. "Where's the boy then?"

  "Sheba!" cried Clytie, aghast. "Wasn't he with you?"

  "With me! He was standing there with you."

  "Oh God!" murmured Clytie.

  And we knew that Ralph was lost.

  For a few seconds we were all numb with horror. Then I said: "We must do something. He's in the crowd somewhere. He must be. He wandered away. He's probably gone after the elephants."

  "What can we do?" cried Clytie distractedly. She was shaking from head to foot.

  "First we must look everywhere," said Seth. "Clytie and Sarah go together. I'll go with Sheba."

  "And if we haven't found him . . ." began Clytie blankly.

  "We will," Seth assured her. "We must."

  We wandered through the streets. The crowds were dispersing fast now but there were still a number of people about. Eagerly we scanned every corner. We said littie. A terrible fear had settied on me. But I told myself that if there had been an accident we should have known. The naughty littie boy was hiding somewhere. We found a mahout and asked him if he had seen a small boy. Ralph might well have followed an elephant. The man had seen several small boys but none alone. We inquired of people. Several of them helped in the search. Finally we went back to the wagonette.

  A few minutes later Seth and Sheba came back without Ralph.

  "Now we must take some action," said Seth. He was very calm and my good opinion of him grew that night. I was so glad that

  he was with us. It was possible, he said, that Ralph had been overcome by the excitement, had wandered off and sat down in some corner and fallen asleep. He often did that at home.

  We would go back to the house and he would organize search parties. They would search everywhere and he did not doubt that before long they would find the child.

  He put an arm about Clytie. "My dear," he said. 'Tou must go back and wait. It is the only thing. Sarah, you will stay with her, won't you?"

  I shall never forget that drive back through the night. I was thinking of the dangers that could befall a child. I thought of the river in the woods, the marshy banks, Slippery Sam the crocodile, the snakes that lurked in the grass. What would Ralph do when he found he was lost? Being a resourceful child, he would try to find us. Perhaps he would try to make his way home.

  It did not bear thinking of. But I had Clytie to comfort.

  Seth organized search parties and they set off. Clytie and I sat together in that room where we had so often cozily drunk our tea and lemonade.

  "Where can he be?" Clytie kept saying. "Oh, why did he stray away from us!"

  We sat silently waiting. "They must find him," I said for the twentieth time. I could think of no way of comforting her.

  Slowly the time passed. Midnight . . . one o'clock. Two o'clock.

  I thought of a little boy out alone at this hour and I was frightened. I thought of how he had looked lying in his bed that afternoon afraid that if he did not sleep he would sleep that night.

  Was he asleep now? It was the most comforting thought. In some safe spot asleep.

  Clytie sat still, her fingers plucking at the silk of her sari. At every sound we started up hopefully. It would be the most wonderful thing in the world if we could hear Ralph's voice calling to us.

  I thought, if Clinton were here. . . .

  Yes, if Clinton had been here he would have found the boy by now. What a foolish thought! As if they were not doing everything possible to find him. What more could Clinton have done?

  There was a power, an invincibility, about Clinton. If only he were here. . . .

  ''What was that?" I started up. I was sure I had heard something. A light footfall .... someone at the door. I ran out. Cly-tie was close behind me. Nothing. But was that a rustle of leaves? Instinctively I knew that someone was near. . . watching.

  Then I saw the paper at my feet. I picked it up.

  "What is it?" cried Clytie.

  "Someone has brought this."

  She snatched it from me and took it to the light. We saw that printed letters had been cut out and stuck on a paper.

  We have the boy. He will be safe if you pay ransom. You will hear more. Do exactly as told or he will die.

  I tho
ught Clytie was going to faint. I led her to a chair and made her sit down.

  I said: "He's safe then. At least we know that."

  "What does it say? Let me look at it, Sarah. What does it mean?"

  It was clear what it meant. Ralph had been kidnaped and his kidnapers wanted money before they would release him.

  I kept saying to her: "But he's safe, Clytie. He's safe."

  "Why doesn't Seth come? Oh, why doesn't he come? What are we going to do?"

  "Let's be calm," I begged. "Let's think what this means. They're demanding a ransom. It means the boy is safe. They have him. They wouldn't harm him. If they did they wouldn't get their ransom, would they?"

  "Oh, Sarah, what do you think they're going to do to him?"

  "I'm sure he's fast asleep now and knows nothing of the anxiety he's causing."

  "Oh my babyl" she murmured. "Sarah, you can't guess what he means to me."

  "I can," I said. "I know absolutely. But we mustn't despair. We've got to be clever. We've got to get him back."

  "I wish Seth would come."

  It was dawn before Seth came—pale, red-eyed and despairing.

  When he saw the note he looked stricken. He said we should have to get in touch with the pohce.

  A fearful foreboding had settled on the house. Seth had gone into Kandy to see Sir William Carstairs and get advice. Clytie would not leave the house. She was eagerly awaiting some message from the people who held her son. She was sure it would come soon.

  It came soon after noon when the house was quiet during the hottest spell of the day. We did not hear it come. It was lying outside the door with a stone holding it down.

  The same method had been used as before—printed letters stuck onto a sheet of paper.

  To the boy's mother. Do not call police. If so, boy die. One thing will give you back your boy. Bring Ashington Pearls at seven o'clock and place under tree with R on tmnk. When you have done you will have boy. If you do not, he will die. Tell nobody. Mother of Boy. This for you alone. Tell and boy dies.