Part 11 (1/2)

”What do you want?” he said.

”This woman,” said Ormsgill simply. ”I am willing to buy her from you.”

Herrero laughed maliciously. ”She is not for sale. You should not have let her slip through your fingers. It is possible you could have made terms with Lamartine.”

Ormsgill disregarded the gibe. Indeed, it was one he had expected.

”That,” he said, ”is not quite the point. Besides, one could hardly fancy that you are quite correct. Everything is for sale in this part of Africa. It is only a question of the figure. You have not heard my offer.”

”In this case it would not be a great temptation,” and Herrero's grin was plainer. ”The girl is now and then mutinous, and that lends the affair a certain piquancy. When she has been taught submission I shall probably grow tired of her and will give her to you. Until then the breaking of her in will afford me pleasure. In fact, as I have never been defied by a native yet I feel that to fail in this case would be a stain on my self-respect.”

”I almost think my offer would cover that,” said Ormsgill dryly. ”It seems to me your self-respect has been sold once or twice before.”

Herrero disregarded him, though his face grew a trifle flushed.

”Anita,” he said, ”come here.”

The girl rose when Ormsgill let his hand drop from her shoulder, and gazed at him appealingly. Then as he made no sign she turned away with a little hopeless gesture, moved forward a few paces, and stopped again when the trader reached out for a withe that lay on the ground sheet not far from where he stood.

”It would,” he said with a vindictive smile, ”have saved her trouble if you had stayed away.”

”Stop,” said Ormsgill sharply, and striding forward stood looking at him. ”You have shown how far you would go, which was in one way most unwise of you since you have made it a duty to take the girl from you.

What is more to the purpose, it will certainly be done. There are two ways of obtaining anything in this country. One is to buy it, and the other to fight for it. I am willing to use either.”

Herrero who saw the glint in his eyes, backed away from him, and flashed a warning glance at Gavin, who turned to Ormsgill quietly.

”I am,” he said in English, ”willing to stand by, and see fair play, since it does not seem to be altogether a question of business. Still, if it seems likely that you will deprive me of my comrade's services I shall probably feel compelled to take a hand in. He has a few good points though they're not particularly evident, and I can't altogether afford to lose him.”

Herrero, who glanced round the camp, waved his hand towards the boys.

”I will call them to beat you back into the bush.”

Ormsgill raised his voice, and there was a sharp crackling of undergrowth, while here and there a dusky figure materialized out of the shadow.

”As you see, they have guns,” he said.

Gavin smiled and tapped his rifle. ”Still, they can't shoot as I can.

Hadn't you better send them away again, and if you have any offer to make Mr. Herrero get on with it? One naturally expected something of this kind.”

Ormsgill made a little gesture with his hand, and the men sank into the gloom again.

”Well,” he said, ”for the last week I have been trailing you, and as I did not know how long I might be coming up with you, I have plenty of provisions. Yours, it is evident from one or two things I noticed, are running out, and you can't get through the sterile belt without a supply. It was rather a pity the San Roque people burned the village where you expected to get some. I'm open to hand you over all the loads I can spare in return for the girl Anita.”

”How many loads?”

Ormsgill told him, and Gavin nodded, ”It is a reasonable offer,” he said. ”I will engage that our friend makes terms with you. Bring in the provisions, and you shall have the girl.”

Herrero protested savagely until his companion dryly pointed that since his objections had no weight he was wasting his breath. Then Ormsgill turned away into the bush, and came back with a line of half-naked carrier boys who laid down the loads they carried before the tent. After that he touched the girl's shoulder, and pointed to the hammock two of the boys lowered.