按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃Yes if you want。〃
〃Oh I want so much and you are and I have。 Please be slow and let me keep it。〃
〃You have it。〃
〃Yes I do。 I do have it。 Oh yes I do。 I do。 Please come now with me。 Please can you now&mdash；〃
They lay on the sheets and Catherine with her brown leg over his； touching his instep lightly with her toes； rested on her elbows and lifted her mouth from his and said； 〃Are you glad to have me back？〃
〃You；〃 he said。 〃You did come back。〃
〃You never thought I would。 Yesterday it was all gone and everything was over and now here I am。 Are you happy？〃
〃Yes。〃
〃Do you remember when all I Wanted was to be so dark and now I'm the darkest white girl in the world。〃
〃And the blondest。 You're just like ivory。 That's how I always think。 You're smooth as ivory too。〃
〃I'm so happy and I want to have fun with you the way we always had。 But mine is mine。 I'm not going to turn you over to her the way I was doing and keep nothing。 That's over。
〃It's not awfully clear；〃 David said。 〃But you really are fine again； aren't you？〃
〃I really am；〃 Catherine said。 〃I'm not gloomy or morbid or pitiful。〃
〃You're nice and lovely。〃
〃It's all wonderful and changed。 We're going to take turns；〃 Catherine said。 〃You're mine today and tomorrow。 And you're Marita's the next two days。 My God； I'm hungry。 This is the first time I've been hungry in a week。〃
When David and Catherine came back from swimming in the late afternoon they drove into Cannes for the Paris papers and then sat at the cafe and read and talked before they came home。 After David had changed he found Marita sitting at the bar reading。 He recognized the book as his own。 The one she had not read。 〃Did you have a good swim？〃 she asked。
〃Yes。 We swam a long way out。〃
〃Did you dive from the high rocks？〃
〃I'm glad of that；〃 she said。 〃How is Catherine？〃
〃More cheerful。〃
〃Yes。 She is very intelligent。〃
〃How are you？ Are you all right？〃
〃Very well。 I'm reading this book。〃
〃How is it？〃
〃I can't tell you till day after tomorrow。 I'm reading very slowly to make it last。〃
〃What's that？ The pact？〃
〃I suppose so。 But I wouldn't worry very much about the book nor how I feel about you。 It's not changed。〃
〃All right；〃 David said。 〃But I missed you very badly this morning。〃
〃Day after tomorrow；〃 she said。 〃Don't worry。
Chapter Twenty…one
THE NEXT DAY in the story was very bad because long before noon he knew that it was not just the need for sleep that made the difference between a boy and men。 For the first three hours he was fresher than they were and he asked Juma for the 。303 rifle to carry but Juma shook his head。 He did not smile and he had always been David's best friend and had taught him to hunt。 He offered it to me yesterday； David thought； and I'm in much better shape today than I was yesterday。 He was too but by ten o'clock he knew the day would be bad or worse than the day before。 It was as silly for him to think that he could trail with his father as to think he could fight with him。 He knew too that it was not just that they were men。 They were professional hunters and he knew now that was why Juma would not even waste a smile。 They knew everything the elephant had done； pointed out the signs of it to each other without speaking； and when the tracking became difficult his father always yielded to Juma。 When they stopped to fill the water bottles at a stream his father said； 〃Just last the day out； Davey。〃 Then when they were finally past the broken country and climbing again toward
the forest the tracks of the elephant turned off to the right onto an old elephant trail。 He saw his father and Juma talking and when he got up to them Juma was looking back over the way they had come and then at a far distant stony island of hills in the dry country and seemed to be taking a bearing of this against the peaks of three far blue hills on the horizon。
〃Juma knows where he's going now；〃 his father explained。 〃He thought he knew before but then he dropped down into this stuff。〃 He looked back at the country they had come through all day。 〃Where he's headed now is pretty good going but we'll have to climb。〃
They had climbed until it was dark and then made another dry camp。 David had killed two spur fowl with his slingshot out of a small flock that had walked across the trail just before the sunset。 The birds had come into the old elephant trail to dust； walking neatly and plumply； and when the pebble broke the back of one and the bird began to jerk and toss with its wings thumping； another bird ran forward to peck at it and David pouched another pebble and pulled it back and sent it against the ribs of the second bird。 As he ran forward to put his hand on it the other birds whirred off。 Juma had looked back and smiled this time and David picked up the two birds； warm and plump and smoothly feathered and knocked their heads against the handle of his hunting knife。
Now where they were camped for the night his father said； 〃I've never seen that type of Francolin quite so high。 You did very well to get a double on them。〃
Juma cooked the birds spitted on a stick over the coals of a very small fire。 His father drank a whiskey and water from the cup top of his flask as they lay and watched Juma cook。。 Afterward Juma gave them each a breast with the heart in it and ate the two necks and backs and the legs himself。
〃It makes a great difference； Davey；〃 his father said。 〃We're very well off on rations now。
〃How far are we behind him？〃 David asked。
〃We're quite close actually；〃 his father said。 〃It all depends on whether he travels when the moon comes up。 It's an hour later tonight and two hours later than when you found him。〃
〃Why does Juma think he knows where he's going？〃
〃He wounded him and killed his askari not too far from here。〃
〃When？〃
〃Five years ago； he says。 That may mean anytime。 When you were still a tow he says。〃
〃Has he been alone since then？〃
〃He says so。 He hasn't seen him。 Only heard of him。〃
〃How big does he say he is？〃
〃Close to two hundred。 Bigger than anything I've ever seen。 He says there's only been one greater elephant and he came from near here too。〃
〃I'd better get to sleep；〃 David said。 〃I hope I'll be better tomorrow。
〃You were splendid today；〃 his father said。 〃I was very proud of you。 So was Juma。〃
In the night when he woke after the moon was up he was sure they were not proud of him except perhaps for his dexterity in killing the two birds。 He had found the elephant at night and followed him to see that he had both of his tusks and then returned to find the two men and put them on the trail。 David knew they were proud of that。 But once the deadly following started he was useless to them and a danger to their success just as Kibo had been to him when he had gone up close to the elephant in the night； and he knew they must each have hated themselves for not having sent him back when there was time。 The tusks of the elephant weighed two hundred pounds apiece。 Ever since these tusks had grown beyond their normal size the elephant had been hunted for them and now the three of them would kill him。 David was sure that they would kill him now because he； David；