‘My parents … ’ Tashi whispered. ‘Karma … they are just a few hours away.’
The dawn light picked out the smile on her face.
‘How far is the river?’ I asked.
‘One hour’s walking,’ Zhong said. ‘Then we’ll have to find a way across the rapids.’
‘We’ll do it,’ Tashi said.
Zhong looked back across the plateau. I followed his eyeline, seeing the tiny figures of Chen and his two men still marching determinedly in our footsteps. They obviously knew we were heading for the river. Zhong pulled his hat low across his face. I guessed he didn’t want to risk his identity becoming known now it was daylight.
‘We have to find those boats,’ he said. ‘That’s the vital thing now.’
Zhong led the way, never wavering, never faltering, aiming as straight as a die for the river.
Then, just before 7 a.m., we saw it for the first time. Far below our position. A turbulent maelstrom of white water. The sound of colliding boulders reached us. The riverbed was permanently on the move, grinding and pulverising even the biggest rocks into fragments of stone dust and sending them on their tumbling descent to the sea.
Tashi said nothing. But I could see how she felt by the way her shoulders slumped.
‘It didn’t look that big on the map,’ she said quietly.
‘We can’t swim it,’ I said. ‘We’ll die.’
I looked into the wild canyon. I had figured the river might be twenty or thirty metres across, with calmer spots where a crossing might be made. But the creature coursing through the canyon was far wider than that – the water vicious and untamed. Huge waves formed and reformed around jagged boulders in a mesmerising cycle of whitecaps and spray. It would be suicide to try and cross it without a boat. After a few strokes a swimmer would be swept away, gripped by the current and spun swiftly downstream to be crushed against the rocks.
‘I did warn you,’ Zhong said.
We stood saying nothing as we watched the raging water, the roar of the river seeming to become more intrusive with every moment. Then we looked back across the plain at Chen and his men. It was hard to get an accurate fix on their distance but they looked frighteningly close.
‘I think it’s this way,’ Zhong said urgently. ‘We have to get down to the water’s edge.’
We hit a track, slipping and sliding on the loose ground. It funnelled us downstream. We went for ten minutes. Zhong stopped once. Then again. He stared around at the surroundings, looking uncertain.
‘I don’t know … ’ he said doubtfully. ‘It looks different to how I remember … ’
Drips of sweat ran down my spine. The heat of the day was rising. Chen and his men were getting closer now and we were stumbling with exhaustion.
‘We need to traverse more,’ Zhong announced.
Tashi and I followed him, moving as fast as we dared.
The canyon was narrower than ever, squeezing the river tight. Jammed between the sheer walls, the water was forced to become ever faster and more turbulent, waves colliding haphazardly and sending huge jets of spray into the air. The roar was deafening, we could hardly hear ourselves speak.
‘There’s Nepal, look. So close!’ Tashi pointed across the vast valley, at the village clustered on the hillside, now just a few miles distant on the other side of the river. We saw a strip of beach below us.
‘That’s it!’ Zhong exclaimed.
‘I don’t see any boat … ’ Tashi said.
My heart sank. It really didn’t look like there was a way down. Then I noticed a faint track zigzagging through the rocks.
‘We take that path,’ Zhong said. ‘Follow me!’
Zhong descended, grabbing hold of handfuls of vegetation to steady himself, then dropping on to the shingle strip.
‘Come and see!’
I scrambled down the canyon side, slipping and sliding, making it clumsily to the beach where our guide was standing with a manic grin on his face.
‘Check it out!’ he exclaimed.
A cave was set into the cliff face. Tashi joined us and at that precise moment we heard a cry.
Chen and his two henchmen were picking their way down the slope.
We ran into the shadowy interior of the cave. Two boats were in there. One of them was in good condition. The other had patches and the leather looked cracked.
The three of us got to work, tugging the better of the coracles out on to the beach.
‘There’s no paddles!’ Tashi said.
Small rocks began to cascade. Chen and his men were right above us, hurrying down the track.
‘Quickly!’
We dragged the coracle to the water’s edge, holding on tight to the mooring rope as the current threatened to rip it out of our hands.
‘Get in!’ I yelled.
Tashi moved forward, clutching on to the edges for dear life as it rocked perilously from side to side. Zhong went next, finding some space next to her. I stepped in carefully, making sure I put my weight on to the wooden frame and not directly on to the leather skin. The tiny vessel felt overloaded already.
I picked up a pole from the beach and used it to push away from the shore. The coracle tilted crazily as it began to float. Water spilled over the lip but the thing floated. Just.
The current gripped us. We began to pick up speed, spinning through a complete circle as the boat lurched down a small rapid. Water began to flood into the bottom. My feet went numb as the icy river filled my boots.
‘Paddle!’ Tashi yelled.
We paddled with our hands, making it out into the turbulent centre of the river.
Chen jumped down to the beach. He screamed a string of furious words, then turned and saw the cave. Quick as a flash he went for the other vessel. His men helped him drag it out. Only then did the thought hit me: we should have sabotaged that second boat.
‘Bail!’ I cried to Tashi. I was steering by using the stick as a rudder.
Tashi cupped her hands and began to throw water out of the vessel. Seconds later I gave up attempting to steer and joined her in the effort, my hands a blur as I wildly scooped at the water.
A huge wave slapped against us. The little boat juddered, the leather skin creaking and stretching with the blow.
The vessel was waterlogged, and sinking lower and lower in the river.
‘Faster!’ Tashi yelled.
We redoubled our efforts to bale it out.
Chen and his men had the boat out of the cave. Seconds later the commander was pushed into the ferocious current.
I began to shiver. My trousers were wet through. I could feel my inner warmth being sucked quickly away. Zhong was worse. His upper body had taken the full impact of the water and every part of him was drenched. His teeth were chattering so hard I could hear them even above the roar of the river. A jagged rock loomed up. We missed it by a whisker, the side of the tiny boat just skimming past.
Chen was getting closer. He was faster and lighter than us, bobbing in and out of view as his boat rode the waves. He pulled out his pistol and aimed it in our direction.
‘Down!’ Tashi screamed.
A bullet whined over our heads, the shockwave ripping past in a percussive blast of air. The canyon narrowed even further. The walls whizzing past at ridiculous speed. We were totally out of control; completely at the mercy of the thundering water.
Chen was coming ever nearer. Only the violent bucking of his boat prevented him getting off another shot.
‘Watch out!’ Tashi shouted.
A wave curled over us. The boat juddered as it rammed a rock. A stunning shock of pain ran through my arm. The sound of splintering wood punched through the roar of the rushing river. I blinked water out of my eyes. Zhong was gone. The leather wall of the boat was ripped. Water was gushing in much too fast to bale.
The boat sa
nk from beneath us. Tashi sank with it. I held out my hand but she was too far off. She came up for air. I saw her snatch a breath. Then the waves pulled her away. I spun round and just caught a glimpse of a monstrous hole in the river. I was tipped backwards, went into freefall for a brief moment, then splashed down sideways into a seething maelstrom of a hole. The boat was on top of me. Then it was ripped away by the current.
A stopper. Incredibly, my mind found the word. A wave that keeps circulating round and round. A wave from which escape is almost impossible.
My body rolled. Irresistible force pushed me down. I was still thinking about Tashi. I hit the riverbed, getting tumbled along and then thrust back up.
Is she OK?
I felt my lungs straining for air. I forced my eyes open, saw nothing but raging white water. My head burst clear. I snatched a breath. Half-filled my lungs, but inhaling water as well. Then it was back under. That unseen hand dragging me down again. I hit the riverbed for the second time. Stones were ripping into my back. I could feel my vision fading. My lungs were ready to explode. Then I sensed someone beside me.
Tashi?
No. Zhong. He pulled my arms. I kicked my legs out behind me as hard as I could. One foot hit a boulder, helped to push us forward. We lurched upwards, our heads bursting clear of the water as we sucked precious air into our lungs.
We were out of the stopper. Back in the flow. Battered by wave after wave as the river tossed us one way and another. The current powered us round the bend in the canyon.
‘Where’s Tashi?’ I asked Zhong. ‘Did you see what happened?’
I saw a stony beach. Trees surrounding it. I pulled on the branches with my right arm. I helped Zhong to swing around. Our feet touched the bottom and the two of us staggered forwards, coughing up water and gasping for breath.
We stood on the beach, so glad to be alive. We were in Nepal. We’d made it. But where was Tashi?
Then we heard splashing in the shallows behind us. We whipped around, praying for it to be her.
It was Chen, the gun raised in his shaking hand.
A shot rang out. Zhong fell. His body hit the stones of the little beach. Blood gushed from a wound in his chest. The world seemed to stop. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
Chen strutted arrogantly towards us. Then he saw Zhong’s face and his whole body shuddered.
‘No … ’ Chen whispered. His face went deathly pale. He fell to his knees by Zhong’s side. Zhong’s lips parted.
Tashi struggled out of the river and stood by my side as our courageous Chinese friend stared directly into Chen’s eyes. He half smiled. It seemed almost a look of affection. Then he uttered his last word on this earth. The very last word Tashi and I expected to hear.
‘Father … ’
Chapter 14
THREE DAYS LATER, UNITED NATIONS REFUGEE CAMP ‘DELTA’, NEPAL
The sun was setting as the funeral ceremony began. There were six of us in the mourning party: Tashi and her family, a venerable Buddhist priest and myself. We gathered in the shade of a spreading banyan tree as the heat of the day died away, united in the desire to pay our final respects to our friend.
Zhong’s body lay before us, wrapped in a simple white shroud. As we watched, four monks in saffron robes arrived with a bamboo frame. They lifted the body, carrying it shoulder high and stepping in unison across the twisted roots of the banyan on to the dusty tracks of the camp.
Word about Zhong’s courageous actions had spread amongst the Tibetan refugees. Almost one thousand of them lined the makeshift processional way through the camp, standing in dignified silence as the body was carried through the long rows of khaki tents.
Tashi and I were both on alert. We scanned the crowds continuously for Chen. After the shooting incident he had thrown his weapon into the river and walked away into the forest, his face a mask of despair. We had assumed he would try to cross back to Tibet, but on the day before the funeral we had been warned someone was asking around at the village close to the river, looking for information about where we had gone with the body. We had no idea what he was planning, but he was obviously on our trail.
Down by the river a cremation pyre had been built. Silken cloths of orange and gold had been draped across the cords of seasoned juniper and cedar and the air was fragrant with the sweet aromas of jasmine and sandalwood.
Children of the camp had been busy for much of the day. Their labours had produced a beautiful arch of woven jacaranda fronds, laced with purple orchids. Tashi sighed as we passed beneath it. Her hand slipped into mine.
We reached the river. The body was placed on the pyre. A flaming brand was produced. The lama chanted over it.
‘Sacred fire,’ Tashi whispered.
The priest stepped forward, touching the stack once, twice, three times. The flames licked skywards, dancing and crackling into life.
The smoke thickened. The heat intensified. I pulled Tashi back a couple of paces as one side of the pyre spat out a blast of superheated air. The body was quickly consumed by the flames. I felt Tashi’s hand tighten on mine.
‘Look,’ she whispered. She pointed to the other side of the pyre.
At first I could see nothing unusual. Just the mourners. Then, through the flames and the smoke, I saw a figure detach itself from the crowd. He was dressed in simple peasant clothing and limping heavily. The river had left its mark.
Chen.
The Chinese commander stepped forward, right to the very edge of the burning logs where the heat must have been almost unbearable. For a terrible moment I thought he was going to throw himself on to the pyre, the expression on his face was so desperate. Then I saw something in his hands … a bundle of fabric.
‘Clothing … ’ Tashi said. ‘What is he … ?’
He held the bundle high. I saw the glimmer of a brass button in the firelight and suddenly understood.
‘It’s his uniform.’
Chen threw the jacket and trousers on to the pyre. A flurry of sparks went up.
He remained motionless for a few long moments, his head bowed as if in prayer. Then he turned away and took his place once more in the crowd.
‘He’s taking such a risk,’ Tashi said. ‘All we need to do is alert the police … ’
‘I think he’s beyond caring,’ I replied. ‘He looks like a broken man.’
Gradually the refugees dispersed. The holy man took his leave. Chen walked across to us and stood there for a while before summoning the power to speak. I felt Tashi tense up beside me.
‘There are two ways now … ’ Chen said slowly. ‘And it is you that must choose. In any case I will not go back to China.’
He hung his head and the world seemed to hush. The only sound was the mysterious creaking and shifting of the ashes as the pyre cooled.
‘You can report me for the murder of my son,’ Chen continued softly. ‘I will accept the consequences. If not, I will take a different path; try to be true to Zhong’s life … ’
‘How do you mean?’ I asked.
‘He was ashamed of what I did,’ Chen said. ‘I want to act now in a way he would be proud of. He wanted to help the people of Tibet. There are many ways I can continue that quest.’
Tashi pulled me away so that we could talk privately.
‘You don’t think it’s a trick?’ I said.
‘We must do what Zhong would have wanted,’ Tashi whispered. ‘If there is a chance his father can change, don’t you think he would want us to try that? What purpose will it serve for him to spend the rest of his life in prison?’
‘But he’s getting away with murder.’
‘I think he’s sincere,’ Tashi continued. ‘You can see it in his eyes.’
We walked back through the camp with Chen. The sun was just setting, kids kicking up clouds of dust as they played football on an improvised pitch. Women were sitting
on a nearby stone wall chatting gently to each other while they waited for the evening prayers.
‘How do we know you will really change?’ I asked Chen.
‘After I shot Zhong,’ he replied slowly. ‘I walked into the forest. I sat down by a tree and did not move for two days and nights. I was consumed with regret and sorrow.’
We reached Tashi’s family tent. We could hear Karma and Tashi’s parents talking quietly inside.
‘I went to the river,’ Chen said. ‘Threw myself in. I didn’t try to swim, didn’t try to float. I just let myself be swept away, wanting the punishment I deserved.’
Footsteps padded up behind us. It was one of the monks, bearing a terracotta pot in his hands.
‘Here are the ashes of your friend,’ he said respectfully. He presented the urn to Tashi, bowed deeply then turned away.
‘I felt myself drowning,’ Chen continued. ‘It felt right. My entire life has been tainted by bitterness and anger and I knew this was the only way to purge it. Later I came around and found to my surprise that I was still alive. I had been swept on to a sandbank. I took the first breaths of my new life.’
The sun was setting and our eyes turned to the north, seeking out Everest on the skyline. Straight away we found it, the snows of the South-West Face glittering with reflected orange-red sunlight. It felt like an image from a movie. Like it was being projected on a screen. All the pain and wonder and drama of our climb was somehow suspended in that moment as I felt Tashi and Chen come to my side.
‘You should take these,’ Tashi said to Chen, handing him the urn.
Chen clutched the clay pot, pressing it to his chest. At that precise moment an extraordinary thing happened. A huge bird took off from the branches of the tree above us, wings beating hard against the canopy and showering us in leaves. We stood back, startled, as the creature circled upwards.
‘An eagle,’ Chen exclaimed.
The bird flew out across the valley, in a dead straight line for Everest. Chen watched it fly for a few seconds.
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