of scorn for his benefit. ‘Lor’, aren’t you slow?’ she said. ‘What’s to stop you?’
Sammy avoided her eyes, knowing her ability to coax blood from a stone. ‘I promised,’ he said evenly. ‘I promised Plummer’s man I’d keep away from towns for a bit.’
‘Never knew you worry about promises before,’ Polly said quickly, seeing a chink in his defences that she could exploit. ‘You’ve broken plenty to me in your time. Standing a girl up like she was an umbrella in dry weather. You particularly anxious to go to Namaqualand or something?’
‘You know I’m not.’
‘Well, who’s to know you didn’t.’
He flicked the mare’s back with the whip. ‘We’ve got no supplies,’ he said.
‘You’ve got the gun.’ She indicated the ancient Martini Henry in the back of the cart. ‘I never knew you be stuck. You said yourself you’d manage.’
He eyed her without speaking, and she went on hurriedly. ‘I’ve got all my clothes with me,’ she persisted. ‘There’s a blanket in the cart. We can get another. We can stop here and get anything we want. It’s only four days’ journey.’
Sammy grinned. ‘And a bit more,’ he said. ‘And there’s no hotels in the Wilderness.’
‘We don’t need hotels.’
‘ I don’t.’
‘Neither do I then!’
‘You ever tried it?’
She gave him an encouraging jab with her elbow. ‘Go on, Sammy,’ she encouraged, smiling. ‘There’s plenty of game. You were going to buy flour and coffee and such here in the Sidings anyway before you crossed the line. Well, now you can buy twice as much. You’ve got the spondulics.’
He paused, studying her silently. ‘Another hoss is the first thing,’ he said and she smiled secretly to herself, knowing already that she’d persuaded him and that he was only putting on a show of resistance to prove his manhood to himself. ‘It’s easier to stalk game with a hoss, and an old nag like this isn’t much good for riding. And another gun I’d need - a shotgun.’
‘You’ve got the money. Frank Winter gave it you.’
‘Not to go to Kimberley, he didn’t.’
‘Sammy Schuter’ - she brought up her heavy artillery - ‘if it was me, I wouldn’t let ‘em sit on me. I’d go where I wanted. I’d have a shy at it, I would.’
He looked at her soberly. ‘It’s a long way, Polly,’ he said slowly. ‘You don’t know. It’d take several days. Longer than you think. We’d have to sweep out wide a bit to find the game. They don’t run close to the railway these days.’
‘What’s it matter? I’m not afraid.’ She smiled up at him again, warm-hearted, bright-eyed, irresistible. ‘Let’s give it a whirl! Go on, Sammy. You’ve talked me into it.’
‘It’ll be rough.’
‘I’m not scared of that, not me. It’s not as though I’ve been used to eating off gold plate. It won’t hurt us. Or are you worried you’ll lose your way or something?’
Sammy grinned and looked at her with those opaque eyes of his, knowing she knew his pride in his skill as well as he did himself.
‘Poll,’ he said, ‘I know the country up here like I know my own face. I’ve spent weeks round the salt pans out in the Kalahari. Good country for game. I know it all - from the Orange River up to Khama’s country. I’ve killed for the markets in Windhoek and Keetmanshoop and Port Nolluth. There’s not an inch I haven’t crossed again and again.’
‘Well then - ?’ She stared at him, daring him, and he began to fold the leather of the reins in his hand.
For a long time he sat shaping and reshaping it, his face thoughtful, then at last he flipped the reins along the grey mare’s back.
‘Let’s go and buy them victuals,’ he said with a grin.
Seven
The night grey sky was changing to green and orange and the last violent red in the west where the sun had set. A few clouds striped with black the bowl of the heavens as it slowly began to take on the luminous light of night.
Plummerton
Sammy avoided her eyes, knowing her ability to coax blood from a stone. ‘I promised,’ he said evenly. ‘I promised Plummer’s man I’d keep away from towns for a bit.’
‘Never knew you worry about promises before,’ Polly said quickly, seeing a chink in his defences that she could exploit. ‘You’ve broken plenty to me in your time. Standing a girl up like she was an umbrella in dry weather. You particularly anxious to go to Namaqualand or something?’
‘You know I’m not.’
‘Well, who’s to know you didn’t.’
He flicked the mare’s back with the whip. ‘We’ve got no supplies,’ he said.
‘You’ve got the gun.’ She indicated the ancient Martini Henry in the back of the cart. ‘I never knew you be stuck. You said yourself you’d manage.’
He eyed her without speaking, and she went on hurriedly. ‘I’ve got all my clothes with me,’ she persisted. ‘There’s a blanket in the cart. We can get another. We can stop here and get anything we want. It’s only four days’ journey.’
Sammy grinned. ‘And a bit more,’ he said. ‘And there’s no hotels in the Wilderness.’
‘We don’t need hotels.’
‘ I don’t.’
‘Neither do I then!’
‘You ever tried it?’
She gave him an encouraging jab with her elbow. ‘Go on, Sammy,’ she encouraged, smiling. ‘There’s plenty of game. You were going to buy flour and coffee and such here in the Sidings anyway before you crossed the line. Well, now you can buy twice as much. You’ve got the spondulics.’
He paused, studying her silently. ‘Another hoss is the first thing,’ he said and she smiled secretly to herself, knowing already that she’d persuaded him and that he was only putting on a show of resistance to prove his manhood to himself. ‘It’s easier to stalk game with a hoss, and an old nag like this isn’t much good for riding. And another gun I’d need - a shotgun.’
‘You’ve got the money. Frank Winter gave it you.’
‘Not to go to Kimberley, he didn’t.’
‘Sammy Schuter’ - she brought up her heavy artillery - ‘if it was me, I wouldn’t let ‘em sit on me. I’d go where I wanted. I’d have a shy at it, I would.’
He looked at her soberly. ‘It’s a long way, Polly,’ he said slowly. ‘You don’t know. It’d take several days. Longer than you think. We’d have to sweep out wide a bit to find the game. They don’t run close to the railway these days.’
‘What’s it matter? I’m not afraid.’ She smiled up at him again, warm-hearted, bright-eyed, irresistible. ‘Let’s give it a whirl! Go on, Sammy. You’ve talked me into it.’
‘It’ll be rough.’
‘I’m not scared of that, not me. It’s not as though I’ve been used to eating off gold plate. It won’t hurt us. Or are you worried you’ll lose your way or something?’
Sammy grinned and looked at her with those opaque eyes of his, knowing she knew his pride in his skill as well as he did himself.
‘Poll,’ he said, ‘I know the country up here like I know my own face. I’ve spent weeks round the salt pans out in the Kalahari. Good country for game. I know it all - from the Orange River up to Khama’s country. I’ve killed for the markets in Windhoek and Keetmanshoop and Port Nolluth. There’s not an inch I haven’t crossed again and again.’
‘Well then - ?’ She stared at him, daring him, and he began to fold the leather of the reins in his hand.
For a long time he sat shaping and reshaping it, his face thoughtful, then at last he flipped the reins along the grey mare’s back.
‘Let’s go and buy them victuals,’ he said with a grin.
Seven
The night grey sky was changing to green and orange and the last violent red in the west where the sun had set. A few clouds striped with black the bowl of the heavens as it slowly began to take on the luminous light of night.
Plummerton
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