On the other side of the rock Gelb rolled over on to his stomach, and peered down at the tiny white figures which moved with painful slowness along the floor of the gully. The sea was invisible, and the air was alive with bird-song and the scream of enraged gulls. But for the distant, jerky figures, Gelb might have imagined that they were already safe and clear of danger.

  He turned to listen to Mason. It was so typical of his kind, he thought, to want to assume command again now that they had got this far.

  ‘We can lie low here,’ Mason spoke slowly, his slitted eyes on the nearest of the search party, ‘and wait to be taken. Or we can try to get further inland. If we get found up here we can hold off an army if necessary. But what’s the point in that? We’re free, that’s all that matters!’

  Gelb glared at him with sudden anger. ‘What about your ship? I thought you wanted to get back to it?’

  ‘Oh, for Christ’s sake! I’m alive and free! That’s good enough for me! The bloody Navy’ll take care of the Jerry when they get round to it!’

  ‘Ah, but suppose von Steiger manages to get clear, eh? Maybe gets back to Germany. Have you thought of that?’

  Mason shifted uncomfortably beneath Gelb’s concentrated gaze. ‘We can’t be expected to stop him on our own!’

  ‘He will get back to Germany, and the effect on his country will be tremendous! With their backs to the wall, the Americans in the war against them and their army dying like flies! But one splash of bravado like this, and who knows what might happen? Try to put yourself in von Steiger’s position!’

  ‘How the hell can I?’ He sounded uneasy. ‘I don’t see what we can do!’

  Gelb smiled complacently. ‘You should always try to put yourself in your enemy’s skin, my friend. In business or war. It makes no difference.’

  Cobb called from beyond his rock barrier. ‘That lot of square-heads are moving clear! Look at ’em! Like dogs on the wrong scent!’

  Gelb hummed softly, enjoying Mason’s discomfort. ‘What did I tell you, eh! They will never look for us here! They will expect us to make for the other end of the cove, or maybe that plantation!’

  The white figures moved away and vanished into the green fringe at the edge of the plantation.

  Gelb smiled. ‘Don’t you see, man? We shall be able to get back to England, all being well. I have friends here in Brazil who will be happy to pull strings with the government. We will not be delayed, I think. We shall go home with more glory than von Steiger has ever had! A captured German officer, the destruction of the raider due to our information, what more could you ask!’

  ‘You’ll be all right!’ Mason stared sourly at the wheeling gulls. ‘But I’ll be sent back to sea again! That’s all the thanks I’ll get!’ His leathery face split into a tired smile. ‘Still, you didn’t do so well with the girl, did you? I saw your eyes on her! But it looks as if she’s already been sampled by the Jerries, eh!’ He laughed at Gelb’s face, which was transformed into an expression of hatred and anger. ‘Don’t take it so hard, chum! she’s only a woman! A damned pretty one, but a woman for all that. There’s no accounting for any of ’em. I’ve been married twice, so I should know!’

  Gelb muttered under his breath, and moved, stooping, along the natural parapet of the hiding place, away from Mason and his harsh laugh.

  Caryl Brett sat beneath the overhanging wall of rock, like Heuss, her arms tied behind her back, although not so cruelly. Her skirt was torn and covered with wet sand, and her blouse was stretched tightly across her full breasts by the pressure of her arms. She stared up at him, her eyes startled but unafraid.

  My God, you are beautiful, you little bitch! He sank on to his knees and ran his eyes hungrily over her body. She thinks she is too good for me, like all her class. I saw it in her eyes when we first met. Just a common jumped-up Cockney, she was thinking. Not to be trusted, but we must be nice to him because he is a fellow passenger. But no warmth, no open friendship. When the lifeboats were attacked by the U-boat, where was her damned, stuck-up husband? There was only me to help her!

  In his brooding rage he involuntarily reached out and laid his hand on her thigh. He saw the alarm give way to revulsion in her eyes, and felt her leg go taut beneath the torn skirt.

  ‘It need not be like this, my dear!’ He had to control his voice with real effort. He could feel the mounting pain in his groin, and her helplessness and sudden fear filled him with mad desire. ‘Stop acting like this and I might be able to help you!’

  She lifted her head and stared at him, as if seeing his face for the first time. ‘This is your moment! You have engineered all this, so do not spoil it by pretending to be a hero, too!’

  He leaned closer, so that she could see the furrows of dirt on his unshaven chin and the beads of sweat forming and re-forming on his thick neck. The pressure on her thigh remained, and she could almost see the indecision in his mind.

  This is my fault, she thought, all my doing just as much as his. Suddenly she wanted to hurt him as she was being hurt herself, to break that bursting pride which had transformed Gelb into a bully and a sadist.

  ‘I wish you could see yourself!’ She felt her mouth go dry as Gelb’s face darkened. ‘Why, you dirty, cowardly beast! Why don’t you stop deluding yourself? You think because I don’t fall at your feet that I am a traitor to my country. That because you were the only man available to me I should give myself without reserve or question. You’re mad! The very nearness of you disgusts me!’

  ‘Shut your mouth!’ Gelb lifted his hand threateningly. ‘Don’t try to talk down to me now! Those days are past for you, unless I choose otherwise!’

  ‘Talk down! Before I married Arthur I was a typist, not a lady in waiting, or a countess! Stop deluding yourself! You only think I am talking down to you because you know full well that you are nothing, in spite of your money, your connections and your damned, know-it-all conceit!’

  Her head jerked back as he struck her across the cheek. She closed her eyes, waiting for the other blow. She almost wanted to be beaten, as if to drive away uncertainty and fear.

  Instead of striking her again, he moved his hot hand along the line of her neck and around the soft curve of her shoulder. She could feel his hand shaking as he ran it down to her waist to join the other one on her thigh. He seized her arm with sudden fury and shook her so that her wrists ground against the rock.

  ‘You little bitch! I could take you now if I wanted! Right here! But I have other things in store for you, my pet! When I tell them what a slut you are, you will be sorry for the rest of your life!’

  She tried to meet his anger, but as she looked at him he hit her again across the face, and again, and again, until she thought he was trying to kill her.

  Mason’s harsh voice interrupted him. ‘Come back here, man! There’s some more of ’em coming!’

  Gelb tore his eyes from the limp figure at his feet and ran his fingers through his thin hair. She lay panting on her side, her face in the dust, her hair tangled across her shoulders. Through the torn blouse he could see her smooth skin and the painful movement of her breasts. He was suddenly thankful for Mason’s interruption. He realised that in another minute he would have killed her.

  He blinked away the sweat from his eyes and peered over the rocks to where a long straggling line of weary seamen had toiled up the side of the slope from the gully, and now waited listlessly, staring up at the high rocks or at the sky beyond.

  A figure detached itself from the rest and began to move up the slope. It was an officer, and from his quick steps Gelb could recognise him as Lieutenant Kohler. He halted in a natural rocky basin, his uniform bright against the slate-coloured floor, and stared blindly upwards at the overhanging rocks and silent cliffs.

  ‘Listen to me!’ His sharp voice rang out and was echoed and re-echoed around the towering walls of stone. ‘Listen to me, wherever you are! We know you are somewhere up there, and will give you a chance to surrender!’ His clipped accent gave menace to the words, and Gelb glanced quickly at Mason’s dark face. The voice continued: You have five minutes to decide! After that we shall take reprisals!’ He started to walk back towards his men, his shoulders braced as if expecting a shot.

  ‘Reprisals? What the hell does he mean?’ Cobb leaned round the rock, his face uneasy.

  ‘Bluff!’ Gelb sneered at him. ‘He does not know for sure where we are, he . . .’ His voice trailed away as Mason pointed at another tiny group of men behind the first line of seamen. Even at that distance there was no mistaking the dark-blue uniforms and tarnished gold braid.

  ‘Christ, they’ve got the rest of the prisoners!’ Mason half rose, his face pale with anger and fear.

  ‘Get down! They won’t do anything!’

  Kohler’s distorted voice echoed around and above them. ‘Your time is up! We will shoot one of your men for every additional minute you wait!’

  Even as Mason staggered to his feet, his face contorted in anguish and his arms outstretched, there was a single crack, and one of the figures fell on its face beneath a faint hovering cloud of smoke.

  Mason called out: ‘Stop! Don’t shoot any more of them! They had nothing to do with it!’

  All the pale blobs of faces were upturned towards the hiding place, and here and there a rifle moved restlessly and a man gestured towards them.

  Gelb grabbed at Mason’s leg. ‘Get down, man! We have hostages, too!’

  ‘Don’t be a fool, Gelb! They’ll kill every last one of those blokes! And if we shoot this Jerry officer, what then? What will happen to us?’ He stared at Gelb with open hatred. ‘Just too clever by half! We should have got away when I said!’ He jerked to his feet again as another shot rang out, then he was running crazily down the slope, his arms waving like semaphor arms.

  Cobb threw down the rifle and stood up, his face determined. ‘Me too! I’ll not see anyone else butchered!’

  Gelb watched him go, his mind reeling with shock.

  The seamen started up the slope, their rifles levelled, their eyes searching and alert.

  Below, Mason and his mate walked together through the advancing line of men. The rank parted to let them through, and the British captain walked straight towards the familiar figure with the short beard and small black cheroot, who stood at the far side of the gully, a pistol hanging in his hand. Mason was a hard man and expected no mercy, but his own anger swept away caution and prudence. He stopped before the levelled rifles of two seamen and glanced down at the sprawled figures in the dust.

  Von Steiger nodded coldly. ‘I thought that you would have the decency to come down, Captain!’ From the corner of his eye he saw Gelb being hustled over the rim of the boulders. He saw two other figures being assisted down by his men, and felt the claws of anguish relax from his inside. He even smiled as he gestured to the two still figures at his feet. ‘All right, Reeder, Schaffer! You can get up now!’

  The two dead men rose from the ground and grinned self-consciously in their borrowed uniforms. Von Steiger turned away from the two Englishmen, unable to watch their discomfort. ‘Take them back on board! But see that there are no reprisals!’

  Mason stared at his mate and shrugged. ‘Well, can you beat that!’ He clapped the younger man on the shoulder, and together they walked down the gully towards the sea. ‘Still,’ Mason said cheerfully, ‘we gave the bastards a run for their money!’

  * * * * *

  Lieutenant Ebert, closely followed by Petty Officer Weiss, came running breathlessly across the sun-baked sand, momentarily distracting von Steiger’s attention.

  Ebert saluted, his face pouring with sweat. ‘Captain, I have to report that two men have deserted their posts on the picket line!’

  Lieutenant Kohler stamped his foot. ‘Who were the swine?’

  Ebert still watched von Steiger’s face. ‘The men were Pieck and Alder, Captain!’

  Von Steiger frowned. ‘Why should they desert now? That Pieck was a good boy, I thought.’ He did not see the look of surprise and shock on Kohler’s face, and continued: ‘We cannot worry about them now. We must get the rest of the men aboard and see that they are rewarded for their double efforts. Tell the cooks to prepare them a real feast!’

  Ebert looked at him with surprise. The Captain had not flown into a rage as he expected. Now he was talking of rewards, and a feast! It was as if he were celebrating something personal, and wanted to share it with his crew. He heard von Steiger add: ‘Beef and haricot beans, and a double ration of sausage and bread! Give them some of Fleiuss’s wine and tobacco, too! They have earned it, and the chance may not come again!’ Von Steiger turned away from their surprised faces and walked to meet Heuss and the girl.

  ‘I am glad you are well, Heuss! It might have been worse!’

  Heuss tried to find the words to answer, but when he turned he saw that von Steiger was talking to the girl. He seemed oblivious to the stares of his officers and the grins of his tired men. For a long moment von Steiger and the girl appeared to be isolated from everything and everyone around them.

  * * * * *

  The ship was quiet, but for the faint hum of a generator and the perpetual whirr of fans. The upperworks were too hot to touch, and the pitch in the deck seams was wet and bubbling beneath the sun’s probing glare.

  The wardroom had every door and scuttle opened wide, and the interior was deep in shadows, which gave the impression of peace and coolness. The white deckhead shimmered in dancing lights and reflections from the water below the scuttles, while from the closed pantry came the peaceful clink of crockery as the stewards prepared the evening meal.

  Heuss stretched out his legs and felt the sweat trickle across his thigh. In spite of the schnapps, or perhaps because of it, his headache was worse, and he kept his eyes tightly closed in a tired frown. He could feel the chair-back sticking to his shoulders, and thought back to that morning and the painful wait on the top of the ridge. He could still feel the sharp pain of the cod-line which had bound his wrists, just as he could clearly remember the shock at seeing the girl lying on her face in the dust with the rescuing seamen bending over her. And now I have to be even more humble and grateful to the Captain, he thought bitterly. He had made the prisoners’ efforts to escape seem pitiful and slightly ridiculous. He could still hear the laughter of the seamen who had come blundering up the hill, and the way they had chuckled at von Steiger’s ruse. He frowned again, the pain in his head making him gasp aloud. It was as if I was included in their derision. As if they saw through my inadequacy, as I have done.

  He opened his eyes and stared gingerly at the shimmering deckhead. He suddenly felt that he hated the sea and all that it offered for the future. He realised that Ebert was watching him from another chair, a look of concern on his round face.

  ‘Feeling rough, eh, Emil?’

  Heuss smiled thinly. ‘That describes it!’

  Ebert put down his tattered book and yawned. ‘It doesn’t seem real does it? Sunshine, good food and nothing to do! I shall be glad to get to sea again in a way!’

  ‘Sadist! I suppose you want more fighting?’

  Ebert was unmoved by the sarcasm. ‘I have been listening to the things the Captain was saying about the war and the serious situation at home. We must do our best, Emil. We have to!’

  Heuss groaned. ‘A forgotten ship! I was mad to volunteer for her!’

  ‘You make me sick!’ Ebert clenched his fists angrily. ‘You have all the luck, and yet you still grumble!’ He waved down Heuss’s protests. ‘No! Hear me out! The Captain has fallen over backwards to give you every chance, he has even made it pretty clear that you would take command should he be killed or badly wounded. He knows you don’t like him, yet he acts like that to show he is a big enough man to ignore personal tittle-tattle! If he was like some of the captains I have served, you’d have been court-martialled ages ago!’

  Dehler entered the wardroom and peered questioningly at the two officers.

  Heuss avoided his stare, but Ebert asked, ‘Any fresh orders?’

  ‘Yes. We shall sail at dawn tomorrow. The Captain thinks it too difficult to manage in the dark. There are no leading-marks on the outward passage!’

  Ebert said, ‘Good-bye to the smell of earth and the sound of birds.’

  Dehler did not seem to hear. ‘A whaleboat will lead us out, taking soundings all the way. Before the day gets going we should be well clear of the coast and in the open sea again.’ His voice lacked enthusiasm, and he walked over to Heuss’s chair. ‘God, I’m tired! I’ve aged about ten years in the last month or so. Just let me get home, and I’ll never set foot on a ship again!’

  ‘How is the woman?’ Ebert sounded uneasy, and wanted to turn the subject away from Dehler’s despondency.

  He shrugged. ‘Laughing at all of us, I should think! By God, she is getting a first-hand look at us, and no mistake!’

  Heuss staggered to his feet. ‘Well, I hope she likes what she sees! I am afraid that I do not!’

  * * * * *

  To the north-west of Corata the rocky coastline was sliced at even intervals into deep crevasses, as if a giant axe had hacked at the inhospitable coastline to get at the lush green interior.

  The sun blazed relentlessly down on the two small figures as they moved slowly along the edge of a tall cliff, pressing them on to the baked rock and making the surrounding landscape shimmer in a madly dancing haze.

  Pieck paused and peered dizzily down into the nearest crevasse. Something told him he should follow the coastline, and yet these crevasses kept appearing across his route, so that he had to retrace his weary steps inland and then back to the sea, to stare down once more at its mocking glare. He leaned on his rifle and waited for Alder’s shadow to join his own. If only he would say something, question his intentions, anything. But Alder seemed content to shamble along in his world of silence, his eyes in-looking and dead.

  Pieck wiped his lips with the back of his hand and tasted the salt from the sea. He blinked away the moisture from his eyes and watched the smooth interwoven patterns of the deep blue water, which glittered towards the faint horizon, or changed to a warm green hue at the foot of the cliff, where it shone like a giant magnifying-glass above the pale sand.