So Perry found herself alone with Fabian and tried to tell herself that she did not care if he disapproved of her, but all the same she felt that in a way the lion episode had been her fault and she wished it had never happened. She could not feel at ease with this man. She never had done, and now it was worse. She hated to feel that she had been in the wrong and that he had been maddeningly right when he had said she should not go to the waterhole on her own. This country looked so harmless in some ways, almost like a great parkland, and yet it abounded in danger in the shape of beasts of prey and other hazards. Even as she was thinking this, Fabian said to her, 'Look ahead,' and she saw a horned viper sliding across the track, bright and beautiful as a piece of patterned tapestry but deadly in its unconscious evil. She uttered an involuntary exclamation and he turned towards her for a moment, his grey eyes bright and sparkling.
'I didn't realize there would be snakes,' Perry said before she could stop herself.
'Snakes? Oh, yes, by the thousand. I should think, in these hot dry conditions. But don't worry. They're probably quite as frightened of you as you are of them. They only attack if you get in their way and if they consider themselves in danger. They avoid an encounter if they can help it.'
His eyes were fixed on the road ahead now, but one hand came from the wheel and to Perry's astonishment and embarrassment he grasped hers firmly.
'Are you feeling better now?' he asked.
'Yes, yes, I am. Only bitterly sorry about the death of the lioness.'
His hand was warm and firm and strangely enough she did feel much better. Her spirits lifted and the depression she had felt since yesterday vanished away like the blue mist that heralded the morning.
'I was rather hasty with you, I realize that now. The lioness was old and sick - that's why it was alone. And that's why I got the Africans to bury it without skinning the carcase. It was probably a kindness to put it out of its misery. It had a clean swift death instead of a lingering one pestered by hyenas and jackals. The cub seems healthy enough.'
He said no more and his hand returned to the wheel, but Perry was amazed how happy she felt now. The high dome of the bright blue sky over the wide golden plains gave her a sense of freedom which she had never had in her life in the city.
'Have you thought of a name for the cub?'
She had wondered whether she could give it a name, but had thought the others would think she was being too sentimental.
'I suppose Simba is rather obvious for a lion,' she ventured to say.
'What about Topaz? It has a tawny look. Come to think of it, its pelt is not unlike your hair. And even at that age they have impressive golden eyes - again like you. The eyes of a lion show its every mood. Did you know that? They can express curiosity, fear, anger, enjoyment, maybe even affection.'
'I'm afraid I'm not as well acquainted with lions as you are.'
'You will be by the time this journey is over. But seriously, there's nothing quite as enchanting as a lion cub.'
'I've realized that already. Little Topaz is so fluffy and fat. It was its poor mother who had suffered, not him.'
'When he gets used to you, you'll find he's pretty mischievous too. You'll have to guard your possessions from destruction.'
Yes, she was happy this morning, thought Perry, driving along in this strange country that was only bounded by the far horizon and the wide blue depth of the sky, seeing in the distance the leap of antelopes upon the golden plain or the queer splayed rocking-horse motion of a pair of giraffes. Some gemsbok fled from their path and she was fascinated by their scimitar-like horns and the curious black and white marking on their muzzles.
'That was the beast that was confused with the unicorn by the early settlers,' Fabian informed her.
By midday the coolness left by the night had been swallowed up by the burning rays of the sun and they had to close the windows of the cab because the red dust sifted in, making conditions very uncomfortable. Perry wondered how Samgau was faring on top of the truck, but he seemed to take discomfort in his stride. Fabian had stopped every now and again when he had seen faint movements in the distance, but always it turned out to be an animal or just an old tree stump that looked like a person. The heat was scorching and it was time to stop for the noonday break, but Fabian seemed reluctant to do so.
'I've got a feeling in my bones today,' he said. 'I feel we're going to be fortunate. Do you know they say that the Bushman has a feeling that animals are near when he's hunting. I feel the same. I'm sure we'll find them soon.'
Perry thought to herself that it was difficult to see anything in the white-hot haze that had descended over the countryside. Trees and bushes seemed to swim in mid-air and waves of heat shimmered in front of them. But about half an hour later there was a frenzied knocking on the top of the truck and Fabian swung to a halt, not caring as he opened the door that the wind blew the following trail of red dust into the cab.
'People are there,' said Samgau, pointing to where the land fell away in a slope. Fabian grabbed his glasses, but even with these it seemed difficult to make out what Samgau thought he had seen. He gave several exclamations of frustration and then said, 'Ah!' Perry looked and looked, rashly taking off her sunglasses to enable her to see better.
'There's another pair of glasses in the glove box,' said Fabian without moving his head, and she seized these and put them to her eyes. At first she could see nothing but the waving grass with the occasional black silhouette of a little tree or shrub, but all at once down on the white-hot plain, she saw a movement. It could have been the flutter of a bird.
'If anyone is there it looks a long way away,' she remarked.
'Bushman,' said Samgau. He was so convinced of his find that it was impossible not to believe him. 'Find him if walk soft.'
Meanwhile the other truck had stopped and Fabian approached it.
'We propose to walk down into the valley,' he told them, then, seeing the expression of Paul's face, 'You needn't come, Paul, nor you, Samantha. In fact the less people the better. I'll go with Samgau, but Perry should come too in case we need photographs. What do you say, Perry? It's a bit hot. Do you feel up to it?'
Perry would not have refused, whatever the conditions. But the heat was intense. She took her sunglasses and helmet and her light camera with the wide angle lens and said simply, 'I'm ready.'
'Good girl!' For once Fabian was entirely approving, smiling with suppressed excitement and obviously deeply thrilled at this longed-for turn of events.
'Of course the light is too bright for very good photographs, but this may be our only chance to get any. One never knows. They may be too timid and not allow us to have any communication with them. But I hope not.'
Fabian's expression was tense, but his grey eyes smiled as he spoke to Perry. She hoped so much that he was not to be disappointed again, for, whatever her private opinion of him might be, she realized now that in his work he was dedicated and this dream of finding wild Bushmen had been with him for a long time. But oh, how hot it was as they descended into the hollow of the plain! Corkscrews of dust whirled in the hot dry wind and penetrated to the eyes in spite of the protection of the sunglasses and Perry could feel rivulets of sweat trickling down her back beneath her thin shirt. There were a few trees here, but the fine golden grass waved in the wind.
Cunningly Samgau led them around in a way that would disguise the sound of their footsteps, for the wind was blowing towards them and it was because of this that they were able to get right up to the small figure of a man, who was so absorbed in what he was doing that he had failed to notice them. Samgau motioned to them to stand still and he approached nearer. Perry was almost afraid to breathe, for it seemed such a critical moment. The small brown man half concealed in the grass was prodding at something in the ground with a short spear, and Perry had a fleeting fear that he might be dangerous, being armed and frightened by strangers, but nothing could have been further from the truth. When he heard Samgau's greeting he got such a shock that h
e fell over and then started to laugh. Fabian and Perry could see the two short brown men engaged in earnest conversation and Samgau was pointing in their direction.
'Have I told you how the Bushmen greet a stranger in their own language?' asked Fabian.
'No,' said Perry, fascinated by the scene in front of her.
'They say, "Good day, I saw you from afar" and the other replies, "Good day, I have been dead, but now that you have come, I live again."'
As Samgau gestured towards them, they were alarmed to see that the other Bushman was retreating towards the grassy place where he had been before.
'Oh, no, I hope he isn't going to disappear,' said Perry.
But Fabian breathed a sigh of relief. 'He's coming to see us. He's gone to lay down his spear. It would be considered bad manners to greet a stranger while carrying weapons. I've been told this.'
Samgau came towards them beaming from ear to ear and the short slender wild man followed, smiling shyly.
'I told him you would give him tobacco,' said Samgau, and Fabian, smiling, produced from his jacket pocket a plug of strong black tobacco.
'I thought I might need this,' he informed Perry.
The wild Bushman was young, under five foot tall, with a strong brown body and slender legs. He wore a loincloth of animal skin and his face was pointed with fine regular features, his eyes were slanting and liquid brown like an antelope's. He took the tobacco eagerly and from a little pouch that hung at his side he produced a piece of animal bone that had long since had the marrow sucked from it. Samgau produced matches and lit the makeshift pipe, for the wild man had obviously not seen such a method of producing flame before. Samgau took a puff at the pipe himself and then handed it to the younger man. The Bushman inhaled deeply and Perry wondered what would be the effect of the strong tobacco taken in this fashion. It seemed an incredible length of time before the Bushman took the pipe from his mouth and exhaled a little smoke. Fabian laughed at her expression.
'Tobacco is an enormous pleasure in life to a Bushman. He'll trade almost anything to get it.
'Tell him,' he said to Samgau, 'that we have come very far to meet him and that we would like him to show us where he lives if he will. We wish him well and would like to know more about him.'
The two brown men conversed in their strange clicking language.
'He says he will show you waterhole near where they live.'
Evidently the little Bushman wanted to be more certain of their good intentions before he would show them his present home. Fabian had to be satisfied with this offer.
'I think it would be wiser not to take any photographs yet,' he said. 'We must go very carefully, it's clear.'
The two Bushmen ran on ahead, their loping stride not in the least slowed down by the hot conditions, and Fabian walked quickly, eager to get going, seemingly unaware that Perry might be tired and hot. She was determined not to show any weakness in case Fabian should regret once more that Mike had sent a woman in his place. Certainly Fabian's enthusiasm was infectious. His grey eyes sparkled and he smiled with such charm that she almost forgot her weariness.
'This is great,' he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her in a strong hug. 'Won't it be wonderful to take photographs of these fascinating people, Perry? Are you looking forward to it?'
'Yes, yes, I am,' she replied breathlessly, almost running in her attempts to keep up with his long strides.
When they arrived back at the truck, the young Bushman, although he had probably never seal such a vehicle before, consented to sit on the roof with Samgau and did not seem unduly alarmed at this way of transport. His name was Natamu, or at least that was what it sounded like, and he directed them for some miles across the desert, although they could see no signs of a track or any visible landmarks, until they came to a shallow pan, smaller than the one they had left with a clump of reeds where there was evidently a spring.
'He says he will bring people to see you,' Samgau informed them.
'We'll have to be satisfied with that for the time being, I suppose. I only hope they don't take fright and retreat to some other waterhole,' said Fabian.
As before Paul and Samantha rested in the shade while the others undertook the tedious work of setting up camp again, Perry, although she felt distinctly weary after the walk in those hot dry conditions, started to sort out her camera equipment in preparation for the hoped-for meeting with the others of Natamu's family. But the sun was sinking in a rosy glow that covered the whole sky and still he did not return. This was usually the best time of day in the desert. The blue smoke of the camp fires drifted lazily a few feet from the ground, for the wind had died, and with the homely glow and the smell of stew cooking, the vastness and loneliness of the landscape seemed to recede a little.
Joshua had fed the little lion cub, he informed her. She was rather surprised at this because Samantha had promised she would do so, but she supposed the heat had made her lazy, and made a mental note to entrust any feeding to Joshua in future as he seemed more reliable. He brought Topaz to the little tent and they laughed at his infantile growls and snarls. But his struggles ended abruptly when he was presented with his mixture of dried milk and glucose. Joshua had very efficiently fitted a rubber tube to a small bottle and Topaz sucked at this greedily. She was so absorbed in her task that she did not notice that Fabian had come and was standing watching the scene.
'Have you a colour film in your camera?' he asked.
'Yes, of course,' she said, surprised. .
'May I use it? I think there's still enough light. I must get a shot of Topaz. You match each other very well.'
Perry felt a little self-conscious as she stood with little Topaz squirming in her arms. Fabian had a teasing mischievous smile when he was in a good mood. I suppose I should be glad he seems to have forgotten his annoyance with me, she thought.
'Look at me,' he commanded, but she bent her head over the little cub with its fluffy golden fur and its intelligent amber eyes that Fabian had said were the colour of her own.
'Charming,' said Paul, who had strolled over to admire the cub. 'What do you say now, Fabian? Isn't it better to have women in the party? They make such attractive models.'
But Fabian, having taken the photograph, had put the camera down and was speaking to Samantha, who had engaged his attention. Perry replaced Topaz in his box and went off to have a sponge down after the exertions of the day. She must admit that today Fabian had been much more pleasant to her than usual. Or was she getting used to him? The sun had almost gone now and the grass glowed orange in its last rays. Bushes and trees were silhouetted black against the brilliant western sky and a sudden breath of cool air swept away the dust and heat of the day.
Perry felt refreshed as they gathered near the fire to have their sundowners before supper. This waterhole was not quite as open as the last one. There were small bushes and shrubs near at hand and it was from this direction that they suddenly heard a sound that was strange and eerie in the fast dying light.
'Listen,' said Fabian. 'Don't make a sound.'
Faintly but coming nearer there was a kind of music, a strange, unearthly, reverberating tune, rising and falling in sad sweet notes. And suddenly from between the trees the musician came towards them. It was Natamu, and in his mouth he held an instrument like a bow with one string in the middle. As he walked he struck the taut piece of gut on either side with a small stick, producing a resonant tune which seemed to come from his mouth. A little procession came behind him, an older man, a young woman carrying a small child in the fold of her leather cape and a young girl with decorations of ostrich shell beads in her hair. They all sat down rather shyly at a little distance from the fire as Fabian went to greet them with Samgau.
'Now Fabian will be happy,' said Samantha.
Sure enough, after a conversation punctuated by some laughter, Fabian came back looking pleased.
'They've moved their belongings to a place nearer to our camp,' he said, 'hence the delay
in arriving. They asked if we would like to visit them tomorrow, when they will be building new huts.'
He gave them gifts of tobacco and meat and smiling happily they slipped away into the darkness.
Dinner that night was a gay affair, for they were all in good spirits because Fabian had achieved his aim. He produced a bottle of champagne, a special tin of pate and a tin of strawberries. Samantha livened up considerably in this happy atmosphere. Tonight she was wearing a long dark-green dress. It was made of cotton but looked formal and it suited the colour of her eyes and the waving honey-coloured hair. When she was in a gay mood and the centre of attention, no one could be more charming. Her wide smile flashed at Fabian as she said slyly,
'Fabian, my darling, I have a surprise for you.'
'You usually have, Samantha, what is it this time?'
'This time it's something you'll love.'
She produced a little black box, switched a button and surprising in the still night came the sounds of the musical instrument that Natamu had been playing.
'Wasn't that clever of me, Fabian? Say you're pleased.'
She was like a child in her pride at getting a recording of the Bushman tune. Fabian smiled indulgently.
'It was pretty bright of you, Samantha. I hope you'll be able to record much more in the next few days.'
'And now you must do something to please me.'
'And what may that be?'
'Let's have fun for a change. No one's sleepy tonight. I've got lots of taped dance music. Dance with me, Fabian -1 know you can.'
He could not refuse her anything tonight. He was in such a delighted mood himself. The beat of the South American music Samantha chose sounded strange in these surroundings, but Samantha and Fabian managed to make their tango look quite romantic. Ken asked Perry to dance, but she shook her head. She was tired after the differing excitements of the full day. She was still smarting from a snatch of conversation she had had with Fabian a while ago.
Sweet Roots and Honey Page 6