Man of Fire

by Margaret Rome

  'Very well, if you promise to keep it to yourself, I'll tell you everything.'

  Deeply satisfied, he relaxed in his seat and aimed a smoke ring high into the air above her bent head. 'Go ahead, honey, I'm listening.'

  Tina's voice trembled as she began. 'I joined the expedition under false pretences because my aunt - the real Christina Donnelly - broke her wrist at the last moment. I had to step into her shoes so as not to let down Sir Harvey Honeyman, the botanist, who was relying upon my aunt to bring back many specimens from this trip. I'm a trained botanist, and I've worked very closely with my aunt, so you see, I know exactly what to look for. She and I are the only ones who know of my deception, and I have to try to keep my identity a secret until the end of the journey because Señor Vegas will send me packing if he discovers the truth. Please, Mr. Branston,' she was pleading, but she was past caring, 'please keep what I've just told you to yourself. I promise you my presence here is essential? and my deception will hurt no one. Please say you won't give me away!'

  He threw back his head and laughed aloud. 'Is that all?' He slapped his knee with his massive fist and derided her, 'Well, blow me if that ain't making a mountain out of a molehill! I thought you were running away from the law or something, at the very least!' His hearty laughter caused all eyes to turn in their direction and Tina's face burned when she glanced up and saw the varying degrees of disgust and surprise that registered on the faces of the watching men. Of necessity, she had frozen the overtures each one of them had made towards her, and now they were doubly disenchanted with her. To them, it must seem that she had chosen for a companion a man who, even on such short acquaintance, they all cordially detested. She averted her eyes in an attempt to escape the condemnation the men could not hide, and found her glance caught and held by another blue blaze of angry contempt. Ramon Vegas' message was plain. He, too, deplored her choice of companion. He stood immobile, a few feet away, watching Theo Branston put an arm negligently around her shoulders. She withheld the shudder of revulsion she felt at his touch, but she dared not protest. Theo laughed softly, confident of his power, and assured her,

  'I'll keep your secret. Don't you worry your pretty little head about a thing, poppet, I'll look after you. From now on, I'll be your shadow. I'll stalk you every inch of the way, right to the end of the trip. Yes, and I sure will enjoy doing it!'

  To emphasize his pleasure, he tightened his hold to a hug and out of the corner of her eye Tina saw the señor turn angrily away. She wrenched herself out of Theo's arms and told him between gritted teeth,

  'Any more of that kind of behaviour, Mr. Branston, and I'll tell everybody the whole story myself!'

  He saw by the flash in her green eyes that she meant what she said, so he decided to soft-pedal for a while. He removed his arm from around her rigid shoulders and in a tone of injured innocence he reproved her,

  'Okay, honey, I'll do just as you say. No harm done ...'

  She sagged back in her seat, closed her eyes, and let the dismay she was feeling wash over her. No harm done!

  For some reason the memory of Ramon Vegas' blistering look gave the lie to those innocuous words.

  4

  DUSK had fallen by the time they reached Tupurucuara, their first scheduled stop. Joseph Rogers skilfully guided his craft at great speed out of the river and up a steep, grassy incline. When it eventually came to rest with a sudden flatulent hiss, everyone made an involuntary movement towards the hatch, eager to escape the oven-hot atmosphere they had suffered during the last hours of the journey.

  Tina stepped out on the wide rubber apron that circled the hovercraft and gulped in a life-giving breath of air. They had settled in a clearing, earmarked by Ramon Vegas on his earlier trip, with a tangle of jungle enclosing it on three sides. Long-forgotten smells of dank vegetation and other scents peculiar to the jungle assailed her as she stood hesitating, loath to leave the security of the hovercraft, and it took a sharp command from Ramon Vegas to jerk her out of her fear-induced trance.

  'Get a move on, señorita,' he crisped. 'We will be ready to eat in half an hour!'

  Tina jumped from her perch with flaming cheeks. Everyone seemed quietly and confidently to be carrying out his allotted task, the clearing thrived with activity, but she had no idea how to begin preparing food - nor even what food to prepare. She would not have believed it possible that she would ever welcome Theo Branston, but when his voice spoke in her ear she turned to him with visible relief.

  'I'll get the fire going,' he offered, 'while you gather together the utensils and stores. You'll find everything you'll need has been dumped over there,' he nodded towards a pile of goods being unloaded from the craft. 'D'you know how to make porridge and coffee?'

  'Porridge and coffee?' Tina repeated, experiencing a flood of relief, 'is that all we're having?'

  'This evening, yes,' he replied with a grin, 'but don't expect such a treat every day, poppet. We'll be living mostly off the land for the next few weeks, and that could mean eating smoked tapir, armadillo and peccary or boiled alligator tail! The only thing I can safely promise,' he gave a great bellowing laugh, 'is that you won't be reduced to eating the native diet of boiled worms and cassava before our journey ends.'

  Her look of disgust amused him so much that his booming laughter followed her when she turned abruptly and headed across the clearing towards the pile of stores.

  She felt most gratified when, after half an hour of feverish activity, she gave a final stir to the large pan of porridge suspended over the camp fire and glanced around to check once more that she had the required number of plates and cups ready for when the men had finished setting up camp. The clearing was brilliantly illuminated by the glow from the fire and by the hurricane lamps the men were using to light their area of work. They were working like beavers, to Ramon Vegas' instructions, clearing the undergrowth of any unwelcome pests that lingered there, and setting up hammocks for their night's rest. Tina kept her mind away from the thought of the hours she must spend in her fragile hammock surrounded by unmentionable dangers. She concentrated on the job in hand and told herself fiercely that every minute must be lived as it came if she were not to die a thousand unnecessary deaths.

  Her worries went suddenly to ground when a tribe of hungry men descended upon her, demanding food. Rapidly, she dished out porridge and filled cups with steaming coffee with a dexterity she felt inwardly proud of, and the camp fire was soon encircled by a ring of talkative men all happily tucking in to the simple meal. Inez Garcia had taken her place next to the señor, and when Tina took up her own plate and cup Theo immediately hailed her and indicated a space by his side he had kept vacant for her. She headed towards him. She had no wish for his company, but he was sitting as far away as possible from the other two, which suited her fine. It seemed also to suit the señora, because when Tina chanced a swift glance in her direction, her smile portrayed triumph and a mocking satisfaction. Tina, who was grubby and decidedly sticky after her sojourn over the steamy pans, looked away quickly, smarting from the injustice of having to watch an immaculate Inez toying daintily with the food she herself had sweated to prepare. Whatever job the señora had been given as her share of the chores, it had quite evidently been one that had required little exertion; she looked as glamorous as ever.

  Jock Saunders' unmistakably Scottish voice rose above the babble to address their leader. 'Are you satisfied with today's progress, señor? Do we remain here to begin on our projects, or do we move on tomorrow?'

  All were quiet as Ramon Vegas broke off his conversation with Joseph Rogers to answer Jock.

  'Joseph and I have just been discussing that very question,' he told him, 'and we have decided not to linger here any longer than necessary as we will both feel happier once we have left the notorious Sangabriel rapids behind us.'

  'Notorious ...?' Felix Crilly's voice had a questioning inflection.

  The señor nodded, then frowned. 'Yes, they begin a few miles downstream from here - a treacherous
stretch of nineteen separate rapids where the Negro narrows and then begins to race over a nightmare obstacle course of boulders and jagged rocks. They are not the worst we will encounter along our route, others far more dangerous await us along the Orinoco, but they represent our first major hazard and as such they will challenge the courage of everyone amongst us. Listen for a moment!' He held up a silencing hand and instinctively Tina tautened. Through the silence, she heard what sounded like distant thunder rumbling over the tops of the giant trees, then, his words explained, she realized that the sound she heard was wild, racing water. Her heart almost stopped beating. What diabolic feat of endurance did that noise represent?

  Inez sought the reassurance Tina dared not ask for.

  'But surely we will be safe in the hovercraft, Ramon?' Her eyes searched his face while she waited for his answer. His mouth remained grim, but he covered her hand with his to give her a comforting squeeze. 'I think Joseph had better answer that question. Our lives will depend upon his skill and judgment.'

  Joseph shrugged negligently, but his eyes twinkled with mischief as they roamed the circle of anxious faces.

  'We could capsize in the rapids, I suppose, and floating debris and rocks capable of ripping open the craft's apron will be an undoubted threat to my peace of mind, but,' he grinned widely, 'I'm sure we will survive.'

  His air of calm assurance was most comforting, and Tina's tense body relaxed. Somehow Joseph, with his quiet humour and unflappability, made nonsense of the idea that any of the disasters he had mentioned could really happen.

  Conversation was desultory during the rest of the meal. The men were tired, and as the following day promised to be an eventful one, they began gradually to slip away to their hammocks until finally only Tina and Theo Branston were left facing Inez and the señor across the glowing embers of the fire. Theo, ignoring the others completely, seemed determined to keep Tina occupied in conversation even though she made several attempts to excuse herself in order to finish her allotted chores. Her eyes were gritty with lack of sleep and the pile of crockery and pans waiting to be washed seemed to magnify as each long minute dragged by. Theo's voice droned on, recounting his various experiences on other trips, until Tina's head began to nod with fatigue and it became a terrific effort to keep her eyelids from dropping over weary, shadowed eyes. The señor had seemed engrossed in his companion to the exclusion of herself and Theo, so that when his voice snaked out across the distance that separated them, it acted upon Tina like the flick of a well aimed lash.

  'Señorita, must I remind you that you have work to do?

  She jumped to her feet instinctively at his note of command, but tiredness held her so deeply in its grip that it was seconds before she could gather her wits to reply. But, with resentful truculence, Theo answered for her.

  'I'll help with the chores, I've no intention of allowing Tina to cope alone with all this lot!' His belligerent scowl encompassed the pile of dirty pans and the señor's eyebrows met in a straight line over narrowed eyes. Silkily dangerous, he emphasized,

  'I don't think you could have been listening earlier, Branston, when I gave implicit instructions that each member of this crew has to cope alone with his own tasks. I said no passengers, remember, and I meant it! Señorita Donnelly has had ample time to finish her work, but as she preferred to sit chatting with you, then she must suffer for it.'

  Theo's face darkened and Tina was horrified to see his fists clench into a tight bunch as if preparing for a physical onslaught on the cool, autocratic señor.

  'Please, Theo ..she stammered in her haste, 'I don't need your help. In fact, I insist that you leave me to finish alone.' She tossed her head towards Inez, who was not bothering to hide her amused contempt, and finished defiantly, 'One backslider is enough in any party!'

  Inez flushed at the implied criticism, but before she could frame an angry reply the señor intervened. Giving Tina a hard look which annoyed her intensely, he turned to soothe Inez, 'Señorita Donnelly is tired and, as her temper is easily strained even in normal circumstances, I think it better that you, Inez,' his look swivelled from her to Theo, 'and you, Branston, should go to bed now!'

  Although broached as a request, it was an obvious command, and Inez was the first to bow to the inevitable. She gave a casual shrug and pouted up at him, 'Very well, Ramon darling,' then across her shoulder as she left, she whispered a caressing: 'Buenas noches, Caramuru!'

  A ghost of a smile softened his taut mouth, but when he turned to face Theo his expression was granite hard. 'Well, Branston?' he challenged. He waited with feet astride, his slumberous, blue puma's eyes watchful of every tense muscle in Theo's great frame. As they faced each other in menacing silence, the atmosphere grew electric. Beads of sweat formed on Tina's brow as their eyes duelled in a challenge for supremacy and when she could not bear the suspense a moment longer she whispered, 'Please, Theo, do as he asks...'

  Theo scowled - an ugly grimace of pure hatred -towards the cool señor, then with an oath, he turned on his heel and left them alone together.

  Tina's hands shook with reaction as she gathered up the pots. Tears welled behind her lowered lashes and she had to blink them rapidly away. Somewhere in the still darkness outside the perimeter of the hurricane lamps the señor was watching, and she would have died rather than let him discover how distressed and defenceless the ugly scene had left her.

  When his voice reached gently across her shoulder it was hardly recognizable as the voice of the autocrat

  who had spoken earlier. 'You look tired, señorita, let me help you.' Surprise kept her silent; even when his slim, brown hand plucked the dish from her nerveless fingers she remained mutely unbelieving. Keeping her head, with its regal coronet of bright hair, averted, she worked with him at her side until every pan was scoured clean, then, without speaking or even glancing towards him, she turned to leave. His hand descended in a tight grip upon her arm, holding her prisoner. She was forced to look at him then, an indignant, inquiring look that turned into a confused blush when her eyes met the teasing glint of amusement that danced in his. 'Will you forgive me, Señorita Donnelly?' he inquired softly.

  'Forgive you for what, señor? she asked stiffly.

  'For punishing you, of course,' his tone was light. 'For allowing myself to become so aggravated by your prickly English ways that I most unfairly placed upon your slim shoulders the heaviest burden I could think of.'

  A startled breath caught in her throat at his unexpected charm. When he smiled, something inside of her responded with heart-leaping urgency to his magnetism and she was suddenly terribly, warmly conscious of the touch of his fingers upon her arm. He did not seem aware of the havoc he was causing, his regard was the regard of a man who had had to chastise a naughty child and who was now remorseful because he had unfairly exerted his authority; his touch was the impersonal, light touch the strong might place upon the weak, but to Tina his power was enormous and she backed away from it as she would have done from any other unknown quantity - with fear.

  She snatched her arm from his clasp and stepped hastily back until her way was blocked by a tree-trunk. As she looked around in desperation for an escape route, he moved towards her with genuine puzzlement clouding his face.

  'This is the second time you have cringed away from me, señorita,' he frowned. 'What is it about me that disturbs you?'

  They had moved out of the perimeter of light, so he leant forward to pierce the heavy gloom that shadowed her white face. When his bulk loomed towards her, she pressed her startled body against the tree-trunk as if pitting her slender strength against its solid immobility in an effort to escape. But there was no escaping his searching look. Not even the stygian darkness of the tropical night could cloak the apprehension, bordering on terror, displayed in her wide, ingenuous eyes.

  'Madre mia!'' his whispered words reflected incredulity, 'are you afraid of me?'

  His perception shocked her into denial. 'No, of course not...'

  He reached
out and fastened a grip upon her slim shoulders. His touch burned through the thin drill of her shirt, tensing her into immediate awareness.

  'Then why,' he asked through tight lips, 'do you look at me as if I were the ogre out of some childish dream? Why do your eyes mirror fear, even now, while you prepare to deny it?'

  Hie denial he had sensed died upon her lips. As she looked wordlessly up at him, unconsciously appealing, a questioning frown darkened his face. 'How old are you?' he shot at her with sudden suspicion.

  A warning signal sped to her numbed brain and jerked her to her senses. In a desperate attempt to lull his suspicions, she forced out the trembling words: 'That's none of your business, señor!'

  'You are wrong! It is my business to know whether or not I have experienced travellers under my command, and you, Señorita Donnelly, do not look old enough, at this moment, to have travelled farther than the schoolroom!'

  He spoke decisively, but his eyes were unsure. Tina threw back her head and looked back at him with cool disdain. 'I have travelled extensively, señor, through most countries of the world, in all sorts of conditions and over many difficult terrains.' The fact that she spoke the truth gave her confidence and she was spurred on to provoke him further. 'I suppose I must accept your remarks about my youthfulness as a compliment, but please, señor' her voice sharpened ready for incision into his monstrous core of self-assurance, 'do not attempt to practise your Latin charm upon me, because I assure you you'll find me completely indifferent to flattery. I suggest,' she finished coldly, 'that you concentrate your attentions upon Doña Inez if you feel in need of susceptible feminine company!'

  His face was clouded in shadow, but the tightening of his hold upon her shoulders communicated his anger. She suffered the pain as just punishment for her hurtful but totally necessary words. She closed her eyes and tried hard not to cry out and so break the uncanny silence that held him; she knew that when he did speak his words would blister and scorn. But it was by far the lesser evil to have him despise her than to allow him to discover how disturbing she found him. No other man she had known had had the magnetism of Ramon Vegas. Some had taken her out, some had kissed her, but the feelings they had aroused had been negative compared with the fiery emotion he had stirred into life with his passionless touch. She shivered, and his hold loosened. His clenched fists dropped to his side and when he spoke her heart gave a sickening lurch at the contempt in his clipped words.