The Man From Coral Bay

by Jan Anderson

  Fortunately in the next day or two she neither saw nor heard anything of Matt Lincoln. In fact, she rather suspected he might not be there. Terry had been subdued since the last incident and had made no move either to go next door, or even to loiter round the boundary of the properties.

  Rossi found all her time being taken up with getting the house into some sort of running order after weeks of neglect. She quickly learned that while in England you might leave a house for that time and nothing much would happen apart from a layer or two of dust and an overgrown garden, but here, very quickly, nature would take over. The damp would

  quickly rot both clothes and furniture, apart from books and other personal possessions. Ants could create a trail of havoc, and once cockroaches took hold on a place, they were not easy to get rid of.

  Rossi collapsed at the end of each day, tired out, and knew, with the unaccustomed heat, she could not keep this up much longer. Tom had gone back to Colombo for two or three days, but when he came back she decided to ask him if they could take on another servant, preferably to do most of the cooking. If necessary she would pay part of the cost herself and Tom could pay her back when he could afford it, but the daily struggle between her and the kerosene stove, and between her and Ponniah, was growing to ridiculous proportions.

  This particular bungalow had been badly planned, for there was little circulation of air during the hot part of the day, and the whirring fans were quite inadequate—particularly in the dark, steaming little kitchen. She found herself going to bed earlier and earlier to try to catch up on rest and so be able to face the new day with just a little more energy.

  Sue had been off colour the day before Tom went back to the city, but then it merely seemed she had eaten something that had disagreed with her. She didn't seem ill, only a little listless, and for once did not fight against her afternoon rest.

  But the day after Tom went her temperature went up and Rossi decided to keep her in bed, giving her nothing but cool drinks. In the late afternoon she sat by the bed and put her hand on the hot little forehead, realising that Sue was not at all well and she had not the faintest idea what was wrong. She had little experience of children, and certainly not of their ailments. Fortunately Nanny did not seem unduly worried, saying that Sue had often been

  affected by the heat when she was overtired. Usually her temperature went up for a day or so, then just as quickly went down.

  Sometime after midnight Rossi was wakened by small arms shaking her. Terry's face was pressed to hers through the mosquito net. Wake up, oh, please wake up, Rossi! '

  She sat up quickly, startled out of a strange dream. ' What is it, Terry? What's wrong?'

  ' It's Sue. She's ever so poorly and saying all sorts of funny things. Nanny's there, but I don't think she knows what to do either, so I said I'd come and get you.'

  Rossi rushed into the back room the two children shared and found Sue was indeed poorly. She was bathed in perspiration, her face chalk white, and all the time she was talking deliriously she tossed from side to side.

  Rossi swallowed, afraid to show her fear in front of both Terry and the Ceylonese woman. What's wrong, Nanny, have you any idea?'

  Nanny threw up her hands. No, lady, I do not know. I think Miss Sue is rather ill.'

  Then we must get a doctor,' Rossi said firmly. There is one, I suppose?'

  Oh, yes, lady, but in the town. Mr Tom has the car, so how will we get him?' She was swaying helplessly on her heels in a sort of rocking motion. She was wringing her hands and muttering to herself. It was quite clear that she was even more frightened than Rossi was.

  Rossi only hesitated a moment. After all, there was no car and there was no telephone. Either she had to stand here and just hope that Sue was better by morning, or she had to get help. And there was only one place she could go for help. Even Tom

  would not deny that.

  Telling Nanny where she was going, she pulled on shoes, trousers and a top and, grabbing a torch, ran out on to the terrace.

  She had not realised it would be quite so dark. The moon was behind clouds and the air was so still that it seemed as though a heavy black curtain hung between her and the trees.

  The sounds of the night were unfamiliar too; the chorus of crickets, the distant bark of a dog—or could it be something else—the soft rustle of the undergrowth and over everything, the sea breaking over the shore.

  Rossi headed for the road, knowing that though it might be slightly longer, at least there was nothing to trip her up and the two drives were broad enough not to hem her in. She started to run, concentrating on the few yards picked out ahead of her by the torch, but soon she too was bathed in sweat. The night temperature had hardly dropped from the intense heat of the day, and there was no breeze to give even a lightening of the black, clammy air.

  She reached the road and turned towards the next drive, only about three hundred yards, she guessed. The thought of Sue's hot little face, her cries back there, drove her on, still watching only the road. Like everything else at the bungalow, she thought crossly, even the torch was on its last legs.

  She did not know what made her look up suddenly. Perhaps it was a sound, although she certainly did not remember hearing anything she had not heard before. For a fraction of a second she thought she was walking straight into a high wall she did not even know was there. And then the wall moved very slightly and she gave a gasp that sounded more like a cry on the still air. She could

  not have been more than a few feet from a very large elephant.

  Rossi's first instinct was to run, anything to get away from so huge an animal that towered over her, but in the end her instinct made her stand perfectly still for a moment before backing inch by inch the way she had come, never taking her eyes off the elephant. Only then, because she was staring so hard that her eyes were beginning to water, did the shape become a little clearer in the darkness and she realised there was more than one elephant, probably two, or possibly three behind the first one.

  When she was far enough away not to feel so scared she stopped, wondering what to do, because the road was completely blocked, and not all the tea in Ceylon was going to make her try to pass those massive beasts. Yet even greater was her fear for Sue, so she did the only thing she could think of, crawled through a gap in the undergrowth that formed some kind of hedge, and started to make her way along, as quietly as possible, parallel to the road.

  When she heard the first trumpeting roar she thought her heart must stop beating, and then as she waited, dry-mouthed with fear, the great beasts started to move ponderously along the road, away from Matt Lincoln's property.

  By the time she reached his bungalow, half running, half sobbing, forgetting all about the snakes she might have imagined in any other circumstances, she was scratched and dirty, and her clothes wringing wet. The house was in darkness, but she did not even stop to wonder whether he was there, or even whether he would mind her coming like this, but hammered on the door as loudly as she could.

  The first to come was the boy, Raja. Before she

  could say, ' Please get Mr Lincoln as quickly as you can,' he was there in front of her, a towelling robe pulled round him.

  ' Please, oh, please, Matt, could you help? Sue is desperately ill and I must find a doctor. Have you a phone, or do you know where I could find one?'

  He looked her up and down, but wasted no time on pleasantries. ' Get the car out, Raja,' he said curtly, and then roared something else into the depths of the bungalow. As he disappeared, presumably to dress, another boy came forward, holding out a glass of brandy to her. She had never felt in such need of a drink before, and took it from him gratefully.

  She barely had time to gulp it, before he was back, fully dressed, and Raja had the car out at the front. ' Come on,' Matt said, ' in you get.'

  ' But . . . but aren't you even going to phone the doctor?'

  He hustled her in ahead of him and told Raja to go next door. Only then did he say, ' You don't know our p
hone service at this time of night. It's like rousing the dead, and always when you're in a real hurry. And then if we did get hold of the doctor we have no guarantee that he'll come out here immediately. No, it would seem that the best thing would be to take Sue to the doctor.'

  Rossi did not know what to say. She wanted to disagree, but deep down she was thankful that someone else was taking the decisions.

  When the car stopped, he strode into the bungalow as if he owned it and started giving orders to Nanny. Rossi had never seen the old woman move so fast. Within a few moments Sue was wrapped in blankets and, he was carrying her out to the car again. He,

  made Rossi get into the back and then, with infinite care, he passed the child over to her to cradle in her arms. Finally, telling Raja to drive fast, but with care, into town, he got into the front himself. It could not have been more than ten minutes since she had arrived at his house.

  Rossi looked down at the white little face, the damp matted hair and the eyes that did not focus properly. Sue was still moaning in her sleep and every now and then she would call out, Mummy!' and cling more tightly to Rossi. It was all Rossi could do to stop herself breaking down completely.

  As if sensing her rising fear Matt turned and said, surprisingly gently, ' I know it must seem very frightening to you, but that's the way of a lot of tropical fevers. Temperatures soar without apparent reason, but come down just as quickly. . . . I know that probably sounds easy to say, but the doctor here is a good man—if a little slow—and very thorough.'

  I've never seen a child so ill,' Rossi whispered. I only hope you're right . . . and with Tom in Colombo, and Julia all those thousands of miles away. . .

  It's a bit of a responsibility, isn't it?'

  She nodded in the darkness of the car. I don't

  think Tom has any idea how little I know.'

  Of course. But he does realise you have common sense. And that's the most important thing. Don't forget, if Julia herself were here she would be just as frightened at seeing her child delirious.'

  Within only a few minutes more Raja had pulled up in front of a long white bungalow, just back from the sea. Before Rossi had realised what was happening Matt had scooped Sue up once more and was walking up to the front door and hammering on it.

  When the doctor was brought by his servant—surprisingly quickly—he seemed to take in the situation at a glance. He carried Sue into his surgery and told the other two to sit down outside. It would be better if they calmed themselves with a cup of tea. The tea, in small porcelain cups, also appeared amazingly quickly.

  For the first time Rossi looked down at herself and realised what an appalling wreck she must look, with her clothes muddy and torn and several scratches on her hands and arms.

  Matt must have noticed at about the same time because he said, frowning, ' I didn't realise you had come to my place the hard way. I'll get the doctor to put some antiseptic on those cuts. You should have come by the road.'

  I tried to,' she said, then swallowed at the memory, but . . . but there were elephants right across the road. I I. . . I didn't see them until I was almost on them. I didn't dare try to get past them. I'm afraid I was a bit unnerved.'

  A bit ! ' he echoed. I'm surprised you managed to get to me at all. I suppose you struggled along the other side of the hedge.'

  She nodded.

  You poor kid! You've got guts, I'll say that. Only out from London a few days and you meet your first wild elephants—in the dark.'

  Are . .. are they dangerous?'

  ' You get the occasional rogue, but on the whole they're peaceable enough, as long as they aren't teased. But if you do see one, particularly if you're in a car, it's wise to stay still and wait until they've passed. An elephant is too large a beast to tangle with.'

  I wish now I hadn't been so frightened about

  Sue,' she said ruefully. ' I would have liked to watch them for a while. I suppose it was because I was alone and it was pitch dark. . .

  One night,' he said, I'll take you into the jungle that lies behind us. It's quite an experience for the first time. There's a huge tank that lies about a mile inland and in the dry season most of the animals come down to drink somewhere about midnight. You feel very close to the country at a time like that.'

  Oh, I'd like that,' Rossi said eagerly.

  I took Julia once,' he went on, and I think she felt it was one of the highlights of her stay here.'

  You took Julia,' Rossi repeated slowly. Suddenly she was back to earth with a bump. What could she have been thinking of saying she would like to go—with him? And how could he have been brazen enough to tell her about Julia?

  I don't think,' she said suddenly, in a chilly voice, this is quite the time to be talking about trips into the jungle.'

  Ah,' he said. I see.'

  You don't see at all.'

  I do, you know. It was a perfectly good idea while you forgot who I was. But then I mentioned Julia's name, and you remembered all you'd been told about my reputation.'

  She coloured very slightly, but was silent.

  Fortunately, at that moment, the doctor reappeared. He spoke quickly to Matt in his own language, then, when Matt replied, he turned to Rossi and said in English, I understand, Miss Finch, you are the little girl's aunt. There is nothing to be frightened of. She has caught some kind of virus and has an exceptionally high fever. I would like to keep my eye on her for a couple of days.

  have you any nursing experience?'

  She shook her head.

  ' I thought not. Then, if you will allow it, I will

  I take her immediately to our small hospital in the town. I visit there every day, and we have some excellent nurses. Ah, I see you still look frightened. Please, Miss Finch, let me assure you that she is in no danger, but she might need drugs for a day or so to bring her temperature down. I understand you are not on the telephone and you are also nine miles out of town. It is a long way for me to come in a hurry.'

  Yes, I see,' she said slowly, and instinctively looked towards Matt.

  I think you should leave her,' Matt said. Tom could not make any other decision himself. We'll both go along with the doctor now and get her settled, and then you must go home and get some rest.'

  Thank you,' she said gratefully, but there's no reason why you . .

  He brushed aside her thanks and started to hustle the doctor along. Within another ten minutes they had taken Sue along to the neat whitewashed hospital just out of the centre of the town and she was settled in a small side ward, with a dark, smiling nurse to look after her. Rossi suddenly realised she was in good hands and she could do nothing more.

  It was only when Matt drove her home that she realised how tired she was, dog-tired, dirty, and smarting all over where they had treated her cuts. When he dropped her Matt asked, When does Tom come home?'

  Tomorrow.'

  Do you want me to phone him in the morning?'

  She hesitated, then shook her head. I think it

  would be better not. If I can get into the hospital

  tomorrow and have some proper news to give him, then I'll try and phone him from there. It will only aggravate things. . .

  ' If I speak to him, you mean.'

  She nodded.

  All right, I understand. I'll phone the hospital first thing in the morning and come over straight away with the news.'

  There's no need,' she started.

  He raised a faint, cynical eyebrow. You mean you prefer to wait until you can walk into town rather than be beholden to me again?'

  Once again the colour sprang into her cheeks.

  Of course not,' she replied. It's just that you've done so much already. I never thought . .

  . . that I was human?' He finished her sentence for her again. Look, Rossi, let's look at it this way. I don't care a damn about Tom, but I do care about Sue and Terry. So let's just say I did for Sue what anyone would have done. It's tough for you out here trying to cope when you've hardly found your sea-legs. If yo
u like, tomorrow morning, we can concoct a story for Tom that will absolve me from any kind of blame or interference. But for the moment, it's time for you to get some rest. Sleep well, Rossi, and remember—Sue is going to be perfectly all right.'

  Rossi never thought she would have slept so easily, but as soon as she had showered and crawled under the mosquito net she must have gone out like a light, because the next thing she knew was that Terry was beside the bed obviously willing her to wake up.

  I'm sorry,' he said, but I couldn't wait any longer. Is Sue all right? When I woke and found she wasn't in bed, I was rather frightened, but

  Nanny says she's probably in hospital. Is that right?'

  That's right,' Rossi assured him. ' The doctor thought he could look after her better there, and Uncle Matt is going to telephone after breakfast to find out how she is.'

  ' Is she very ill?' he asked solemnly.

  ' No,' Rossi told him more firmly than she felt, ' she's just got rather a high temperature, that's all. The doctor's not a bit worried about her.'

  Oh,' he said in great relief, ' that's all right, then,' and sloped off to give the news to Nanny.

  When Rossi came out for breakfast she heard voices and found Terry and Matt Lincoln sitting on the terrace step in earnest conversation. She had never seen her small nephew so totally absorbed. It gave her a curious feeling to see them so close together, with Matt Lincoln so relaxed and young-looking, as he never was with adults.

  He turned sharply at her step and a shutter came down over his face. But he was normal enough as he said, She's all right, Rossi, her temperature has come down a little during the night, but they're insisting on keeping her there today and overnight. If you want to see her they suggest you go late this afternoon. I'll take you,' he finished abruptly.