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aised her gun and fired. It was one of those shots where there is no aiming, no consciousness of the
gun in one’s hand, when one’s mind seems to fly behind the charge and drive it to the mark. She knew
the bird was doomed even before she pulled the trigger. He tumbled, showering feathers thirty yards
away. ‘Good shot, good shot!’ cried Flory. In their excitement both of them dropped their guns, broke
through the thorn hedge and raced side by side to where the bird lay.
‘Good shot!’ Flory repeated, as excited as she. ‘By Jove, I’ve never seen anyone kill a flying bird
their first day, never! You got your gun off like lightning. It’s marvellous!’
They were kneeling face to face with the dead bird between them. With a shock they discovered
that their hands, his right and her left, were clasped tightly together. They had run to the place hand in
hand without noticing it.
A sudden stillness came on them both, a sense of something momentous that must happen. Flory
reached across and took her other hand. It came yieldingly, willingly. For a moment they knelt with
their hands clasped together. The sun blazed upon them and the warmth breathed out of their bodies;
they seemed to be floating upon clouds of heat and joy. He took her by the upper arms to draw her
towards him.
Then suddenly he turned his head away and stood up, pulling Elizabeth to her feet. He let go of her
arms. He had remembered his birthmark. He dared not do it. Not here, not in daylight! The snub it
invited was too terrible. To cover the awkwardness of the moment he bent down and picked up the
jungle cock.
‘It was splendid,’ he said. ‘You don’t need any teaching. You can shoot already. We’d better get on
to the next beat.’
They had just crossed the hedge and picked up their guns when there was a series of shouts from
the edge of the jungle. Two of the beaters were running towards them with enormous leaps, waving
their arms wildly in the air.
‘What is it?’ Elizabeth said.
‘I don’t know. They’ve seen some animal or other. Something good, by the look of them.’
‘Oh, hurrah! Come on!’
They broke into a run and hurried across the field, breaking through the pineapples and the stiff
prickly weeds. Ko S’la and five of the beaters were standing in a knot all talking at once, and the
other two were beckoning excitedly to Flory and Elizabeth. As they came up they saw in the middle
of the group an old woman who was holding up her ragged longyi with one hand and gesticulating
with a big cigar in the other. Elizabeth could hear some word that sounded like Char repeated over
and over again.
‘What is it they’re saying?’ she said.
The beaters came crowding round Flory, all talking eagerly and pointing into the jungle. After a
few questions he waved his hand to silence them and turned to Elizabeth:
‘I say, here’s a bit of luck! This old girl was coming through the jungle, and she says that at the
sound of the shot you fired just now, she saw a leopard run across the path. These fellows know
where he’s likely to hide. If we’re quick they may be able to surround him before he sneaks away, and
drive him out. Shall we try it?’