“That boy’s leg must be all right,” said Tamarisk earnestly.

“There is no earthly reason why it should not,” insisted Muriel.

“Come,” said Karla.

“Your father will be anxious.”

“He will know something is happening,” I said.

We made our way back to the house where he was waiting up for us.

“What happened?” he asked.

“It was old Olam.”

“The ceremony?”

“He wanted to take the boy Jaco there.”

My father grimaced.

“Sit down awhile,” he said.

“I don’t think any of us is going to get much sleep tonight. What about a spot of brandy? You all seem as if you could use it … all of you.”

Karla said: “You’re right when you say if we go to bed we shan’t sleep.”

We went to my father’s study and Karla poured out the brandy while she told my father what had happened.

“Old Olam in all his war paint. I don’t like that.”

“The spears were terrifying,” said Tamarisk.

“And they held them as though they were ready to charge. Karla was wonderful.”

My father turned in her direction and smiled.

“You calmed them down, did you?”

Karla sipped her brandy.

“I’d like to see that boy on his feet again,” she said.

“He’s going to be all right,” said Tamarisk.

“I do hope so,” my father murmured.

“It was rash of Luke-‘ I began.

“What else could he do?” demanded Tamarisk.

“It was the only way.”

“It was all very dramatic,” I put in.

“It was as though they were playacting . all that paint on their faces and the spears and the torches. “

“In a way they were,” agreed Karla.

“But you must understand them.

This is the important part of the year for them. They go back into their past. They became as they used to be. Great warriors who spent most of their time fighting each other. Olam is a sort of chief and holy man combined. They look up to him and fear to offend him. They believe him to be in touch with spirits. He is an old man. He is revered. They bring him gifts of food and the products of their work.

He lives out his life in comfort. He would not want that to change.

There is no doubt that he is clever. He has set himself apart from the rest. It is possible that now he is hoping that Jaco’s leg will not set. He could not perform such a miracle himself. Therefore, you will understand, he would prefer others not to be able to either. “

“Do you mean he will try to prevent it?” asked Tamarisk.

“He has certain powers over these people,” said Karla.

“Some time ago he told a man he would die, and that night the man did die.”

“How could that be?” asked Tamarisk.

Karla lifted her shoulders.

“I do not know how only that it happened. It may be that the man died because he had absolute faith in Olam.”

“But now,” said my father, ‘these natives are growing away from the superstitions of the past. Now the ferries and ships come here, the new world is encroaching and the old shibboleths are fading away.

These people have changed a great deal in the last few years. “

“That is so,” said Karla.

“But it would not take a great deal to send them back into the past. Nothing must happen to Jaco. His leg must be cured, otherwise …”

“You mean Luke would be in danger?” cried Tamarisk.

“We should not allow him to die,” said Karla.

“But they would expect it. Oaths are sacred in their eyes.”

I felt sick with horror.

Tamarisk said: “Jaco must be watched all through the night as well as the day.”

“Most certainly he shall be,” said Karla.

“You must make sure no subversive suggestions are put before him,” insisted my father.

“Everything will be all right,” said Karla.

“I feel sure of it.”

She lifted her glass and we drank.

There was no point in going to bed, so we sat on, talking desultorily for a while, but I could not get out of my mind the memory of that scene, and it was useless to pretend to do so.

So we sat on. The dawn was not far away and all the time we could hear the beat of the drums.

The next morning Karla, Tamarisk and I went to the mission. As with us, the three of them had not gone to bed that last night. The Havers looked a little tired but Luke was as normal.

“What a night!” he cried.

“That old man in his war paint! What a sight! I thought at first the Ancient Britons had come to Casker’s in their woad.”

“Thank goodness they went away,” said John.

“At one time I thought they were going to force their way in and carry Jaco off.”

“Does he know about it?” asked Karla.

“Nothing,” said Muriel firmly.

“We thought it better that he should not.”

“I am sure you agree with that, Karla,” I said.

“We were saying that we did not want him to have contact with anyone till his leg is right.”

“That might be difficult,” said John.

“Not if we make it a rule, a part of the miraculous cure,” replied Luke.

“I fear Olam might do something to prevent the cure,” said Karla.

“Why?” asked John.

“Because he doesn’t want someone to be able to do what he can’t. “

“If all goes well, we can show them what we can do for Jaco and this will be a great boon to the mission,” declared Luke, his eyes shining.

“Yes,” agreed Karla.

“That would make a lot of difference. You will have proved to have something to offer, and you will win their respect.”

“But,” murmured Tamarisk, ‘suppose something went wrong? ” She was looking at Luke with frightened eyes.

“Then,” said Luke, “I shall go to old Olam and ask him which of his spears I should take into the jungte.”

“Don’t joke!” said Tamarisk almost angrily.

“Everything will be all right.” Muriel spoke with conviction.

“It’s a simple fracture and I shall ban visitors until I know all is well.”

During the week we had news from the mission every day. Karla cooked special dishes for Jaco, and the boy was having a most enjoyable time.

He could never have been so cosseted in his life. I was sure he was telling himself it was not such a bad thing, to break a leg. Regular meals at the mission and delicacies sent to him by Karla had an effect on him. His body filled out; his eyes were bright; he was clearly in a good state of health and enjoying the attention he received.

Tamarisk and I were there when the splints were removed. He was perfectly healed and there was no sign of a break. His limbs were stiff and he needed a few exercises which Muriel made him do-and there he was, none the worse for his fall.

On Karla’s advice we made an occasion of this. It was the way to fix it in everyone’s memory. A courteous message was sent to Olam. That evening at sundown, if he would be gracious enough to come to the mission house, the boy Jaco would be handed over to his people.

What a scene that was! Olam came, painted and be-feathered, and with him his followers. They carried spears and torches, as they had before.

First, on the advice of Karia, a gift was presented to Olam. It was a china figure of a tiger which Karia had produced. Olam accepted it graciously and presented Luke with a bone necklace on which was a carved pendant. This he placed round Luke’s neck.

Karia, Tamarisk and I, with the Havers, stood on the balcony and watched the presentation ceremony. Then, wearing the necklace, Luke came up the steps to the balcony, went into the house and came out, holding Jaco by the hand. Jaco, a little more plump than when they had last seen him, in radiantly good health and delighted to be at the centre of such attention, stood before them. Suddenly he leaped into the air, turned a somersault and ran out into the crowd.

There was a gasp of wonderment. Then there was silence as the men bowed their heads, lifting them after a few seconds to look at Luke, whom they believed to be the creator of the miracle. Poor Muriel, who had set the leg so expertly, was not considered by them.

She did not mind. I knew she had been very perturbed that Luke should have entered into such an agreement with one whom she thought of as a savage.

However, it had all worked out very well and we were deeply gratified.

We all went back to the mission hall, changed now by the vases of flowers which seemed to fill every possible space.

We sat down at the table and Luke began to laugh.

“It worked out wonderfully,” he said.

“Everyone played their parts so well, including young Jaco.”

“This is the best thing that could have happened for the mission,” I said.

Luke was smiling at Tamarisk.

“There are other good things,” he said.

Then we were all laughing, perhaps a little too heartily, because we had suffered some frightening moments since this affair had begun. It was in fact the laughter of relief.

I could not help wondering what would have happened if something had gone wrong and Jaco’s leg had not healed. The same thought must have occurred to Tamarisk, for she said very sternly to Luke: “You must not in future swear rash oaths to medicine men, witch doctors or whatever they call themselves.”

The drama of Jaco’s leg had temporarily dominated everything about us and when it was over the days seemed empty. I realized I had been away from home a long time. When the ferry called I would hope for mail, but it took so long to reach us that any news letters contained would be very much out of date.

I was with my father a great deal. He liked to sit outside the house where I could see the sea and the men with their goods squatting on their mats, their eyes on the horizon, watching for the ferries.