already.’
Lucetta laid her hand on his forehead. ‘He might have a fever. It’s hard to tell.’
‘Then you fix him up, girlie,’ Stranks said brusquely. ‘We got to get away from here afore they finds us.’
‘I can’t do anything without clean water and bandages. Anyway, I don’t know how to set bones. He must see a doctor.’
Stranks seized her by the arm, his strong fingers bruising her soft flesh as he dragged her to her feet. He ripped the scarf from her head. ‘There’s yerbandages, the water will have to wait. Now get on with it.’
Lucetta’s blonde hair swung loose around her shoulders as he shook her until her teeth rattled. ‘Let me go, you big brute.’ She was terrified, but she was determined not to let it show. ‘If you want me to help him I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise anything.’
Stranks pushed her away from him, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. ‘Just see to him then.’
Lucetta frowned as she tried to remember what had happened when the gardener’s boy at the Academy fell from an apple tree. The branch that he had been pruning had given way beneath his weight and his screams of pain had been heart-rending. The girls had stood round helplessly, some of them in tears and others pale with shock and unnaturally silent. When the doctor arrived he had taken charge of the scene in the most admirable way. He had instructed the agitated teachers to take the distraught girls back into the building, and he had organised those who wanted to help, which had included Lucetta, to go in search of wooden slats to provide support for the injured limb before the boy was hefted onto a hurdle and carried back to his surgery.
‘He’ll need a splint,’ Lucetta said firmly. ‘You must cut some lengths of bamboo.’ Ignoring the outpouring of bad language as Stranks stomped off into the bush she went down on her knees beside Guthrie. ‘This will hurt a bit.’
‘Just do it, miss. Just do it.’
Taking the knife from his leather belt, Lucetta slit the coarse canvas of his trouser leg. The breath hitched in her throat and a feeling of nausea almost overcame her as she saw the bloody mess where the fractured bones had pierced his skin. Flies swarmed over the wound, attracted by the smell of fresh blood. Lucetta swallowed hard. She must keep calm. She must appear to be in control and then, when the opportunity arose, she would make a dash for the road and safety. She leaned back on her haunches, listening to Stranks crashing through the undergrowth as he hacked at the bamboo. It occurred to her that she could make her escape now, but somehow she could not bring herself to leave the injured man. She covered the exposed wound with her headscarf, and she was busy keeping the flies at bay with a palm leaf when Stranks reappeared carrying an armful of bamboo canes.
‘Get on with it,’ he said, dumping them down beside her. ‘Set the bones so that he can walk out of here.’
Lucetta lifted the scarf, pointing to the injury and shaking her head. ‘I can’t. I haven’t got the strength. It must be done properly.’
‘Bloody useless female,’ Stranks said scornfully. ‘I’ve seen this done a dozen times or more in the penal colony.’ He bent down and without a word of warning he yanked the leg so that the bones snapped back into position with a sickening cracking sound.
Guthrie let out an agonised howl and fainted.
‘There,’ Stranks said, grinning. ‘I told you there weren’t nothing to it. See to him now while he don’t know nothing about it.’
With perspiration dripping into her eyes, Lucetta fashioned a rough splint and bound it in position with her scarf. ‘There,’ she said, rising unsteadily to her feet. ‘I’ve done what I can. Now let me go.’
‘Not on your life, missy.’ Stranks seized her before she had a chance to run, and he twisted her arm behind her back. ‘You’re our ticket to freedom.’
‘You won’t get away
Lucetta laid her hand on his forehead. ‘He might have a fever. It’s hard to tell.’
‘Then you fix him up, girlie,’ Stranks said brusquely. ‘We got to get away from here afore they finds us.’
‘I can’t do anything without clean water and bandages. Anyway, I don’t know how to set bones. He must see a doctor.’
Stranks seized her by the arm, his strong fingers bruising her soft flesh as he dragged her to her feet. He ripped the scarf from her head. ‘There’s yerbandages, the water will have to wait. Now get on with it.’
Lucetta’s blonde hair swung loose around her shoulders as he shook her until her teeth rattled. ‘Let me go, you big brute.’ She was terrified, but she was determined not to let it show. ‘If you want me to help him I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise anything.’
Stranks pushed her away from him, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. ‘Just see to him then.’
Lucetta frowned as she tried to remember what had happened when the gardener’s boy at the Academy fell from an apple tree. The branch that he had been pruning had given way beneath his weight and his screams of pain had been heart-rending. The girls had stood round helplessly, some of them in tears and others pale with shock and unnaturally silent. When the doctor arrived he had taken charge of the scene in the most admirable way. He had instructed the agitated teachers to take the distraught girls back into the building, and he had organised those who wanted to help, which had included Lucetta, to go in search of wooden slats to provide support for the injured limb before the boy was hefted onto a hurdle and carried back to his surgery.
‘He’ll need a splint,’ Lucetta said firmly. ‘You must cut some lengths of bamboo.’ Ignoring the outpouring of bad language as Stranks stomped off into the bush she went down on her knees beside Guthrie. ‘This will hurt a bit.’
‘Just do it, miss. Just do it.’
Taking the knife from his leather belt, Lucetta slit the coarse canvas of his trouser leg. The breath hitched in her throat and a feeling of nausea almost overcame her as she saw the bloody mess where the fractured bones had pierced his skin. Flies swarmed over the wound, attracted by the smell of fresh blood. Lucetta swallowed hard. She must keep calm. She must appear to be in control and then, when the opportunity arose, she would make a dash for the road and safety. She leaned back on her haunches, listening to Stranks crashing through the undergrowth as he hacked at the bamboo. It occurred to her that she could make her escape now, but somehow she could not bring herself to leave the injured man. She covered the exposed wound with her headscarf, and she was busy keeping the flies at bay with a palm leaf when Stranks reappeared carrying an armful of bamboo canes.
‘Get on with it,’ he said, dumping them down beside her. ‘Set the bones so that he can walk out of here.’
Lucetta lifted the scarf, pointing to the injury and shaking her head. ‘I can’t. I haven’t got the strength. It must be done properly.’
‘Bloody useless female,’ Stranks said scornfully. ‘I’ve seen this done a dozen times or more in the penal colony.’ He bent down and without a word of warning he yanked the leg so that the bones snapped back into position with a sickening cracking sound.
Guthrie let out an agonised howl and fainted.
‘There,’ Stranks said, grinning. ‘I told you there weren’t nothing to it. See to him now while he don’t know nothing about it.’
With perspiration dripping into her eyes, Lucetta fashioned a rough splint and bound it in position with her scarf. ‘There,’ she said, rising unsteadily to her feet. ‘I’ve done what I can. Now let me go.’
‘Not on your life, missy.’ Stranks seized her before she had a chance to run, and he twisted her arm behind her back. ‘You’re our ticket to freedom.’
‘You won’t get away
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