A Hero for Leanda

quickly. In a few moments she was fully conscious again. Except for a bruise at the side of her chin, she seemed none the worse for what had happened.
    Conway sat over her, shaking his head. “You silly, crazy kid!”
    She lay still, looking at him. “I had to try,” she said. “I had to do something.... You wouldn’t.”
    “Of course I wouldn’t. I didn’t want to. I told you it was too risky.... God, it’s a miracle you’re not dead.”
    “I almost wish I were,” she said.

    None of them referred to the incident afterward. Leanda, more shaken than she’d realized, stayed in the saloon all day, but made no fuss. Conway looked after her as well as he could, avoiding any further reproaches. The only effect on Kastella was to make him still more cautious. He had cleaned and reloaded the gun, rather ostentatiously. Conway could scarcely make a move now without having it trained on him.
    The sea grew steadily calmer during the morning. By eleven, the westerly wind was light. Kastella was at the tiller. Conway , six feet away from him, was studying the chart of the African coast. The last penciled cross on the track chart, made after dawn sights, had put them only eighty miles from Malindi.
    As he laid the chart down, Kastella said, “Well—what do you think?”
    Conway glanced up at the close-hauled sail. “If we keep her as she is, we should be about sixty miles from Malindi by dusk. The fuel’s low, but there should be enough for that distance. The barometer’s steady, the weather is going to be all right. I think we should be able to make it tonight.”
    “Splendid! What’s the timetable, then?”
    “Well, if we start the run-in, say, at seven, we should be through the reef and anchored in the lagoon off Ionides’ place between four and five in the morning, with a bit to spare. There’ll be no one about at that hour, so you’ll have no trouble, and it’ll still allow time for me to get clear with Thalia before daybreak. It’s vital I shouldn’t be seen off the coast, or they may put two and two together and start looking for you.”
    “I agree....” Kastella looked at him thoughtfully. “And what are your own plans, after that?”
    “I think I shall make for Portuguese East—it’s as good a bet as any. I should be able to refuel there—and maybe get a cable through to Metaxas.”
    Kastella grinned. “‘ Mission accomplished please send twenty thousand pounds’?”
    “Something like that.”
    “It should help to make you a welcome visitor.”
    “It’ll make me feel a lot better, once I’ve got my hands on it, I can tell you that. And I reckon I’ve earned every penny of it. I wouldn’t say this trip’s been exactly easy .“
    “No... You’ll be taking Leanda with you, of course.”
    “I’ll have to. If I put her ashore with you, she’d give you away at once. And I wouldn’t blame her.”
    Kastella ignored that. “She’s going to be a bit of a problem, Conway , all the same. What happens while you’re rowing me in? She could sound the hooter, show lights, get up the anchor—anything .”
    “I know,” Conway said. “I thought of that. I’ll take the lamps out of the forecabin and lock her in. She won’t be able to do any harm there.”
    “What about the broken door?”
    “ Ill fix the screws—it’s quite a simple job.” Conway picked up the chart again and began to draw a sketch on the back. “Now here’s the layout for you when you get ashore—it’s very straightforward. Sandy track, parallel to the lagoon, among the coconuts. The first building you’ll come to will be Ionides’ shack, a white one. We’ll probably see it from the dinghy, anyway. You know where to find the key. I’ve marked the telephone box. I don’t think you can go wrong. Here, have a look....” He got up suddenly and moved toward Kastella.
    The gun jerked. Kastella’s finger was tight on the trigger. Sweat stood out on his forehead. “Careful!”
    Conway threw the chart down on the seat and stepped back with a grin. “Gosh, you’re jumpy!”
    “I’m not taking any risks.”
    “You still don’t trust me?”
    “To be frank, not entirely .... I happened to overhear part of a conversation you had with Leanda, early on in this trip. She was urging you to take me into Mombasa and give me up.”
    “If you heard that,” Conway said, “you must have heard my reply. I said it was impossible, because you had the gun, and that anyway I didn’t want to.”
    “Quite so—and