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that is what I am condemning in you.
You are a violent young man, and violence is the pleasure of fools and
only the last resort of wise men.
The only excuse for it is to protect what is rightfully yours, any other
display of violence is abuse. You abused the power I gave you, and in
doing it you killed my son, and brought my country to the verge of war.
The Brig stood up from his desk, and he crossed to the window and looked
down into the garden. They were both silent while he stroked his
mustache and remembered his son.
At last the Brig sighed heavily and turned back into the room. Why do
you come to me? he asked.
I wish to marry your daughter, sir.
You are asking me, or telling me? the Brig demanded, and then without
waiting for an answer returned to his desk and sat down. If you abuse
this also, if you bring her pain or unhappiness, I will seek you out.
Depend upon it. David stood up and settled the cloth cap over his gross
head, pulling the brim well down.
We would like you to be at the wedding. Debra asked that particularly,
for you and her mother. The Brig nodded. You may tell her that we will
be there.
The synagogue at Jerusalem University is a gleaming white structure,
shaped like the tent of a desert wanderer, with the same billowing
lines.
The red-bud trees were in full bloom and the wedding party was larger
than they had pla
Debra's colleagues from the university, Robert and some of the other
boys from the squadron, Ella Kadesh, Doctor Edelman the baby-faced eye
surgeon who had worked on Debra, Aaron Cohen and a dozen others.
After the simple ceremony, they walked through the university grounds to
one of the reception rooms that David had hired. It was a quiet
gathering with little laughter or joking. The Young Pilots from David's
old squadron had to leave early to return to base, and with them went
any pretence of jollity.
Debra's mother was still not yet fully recovered, and the prospect of
Debra's departure reduced her to quiet grey weeping. Debra tried
without success to comfort her.
Before he left, Dr. Edelman drew David aside.
Watch for any sign of atrophy in her eyes, any cloudiness, excessive
redness, any complaints of pain, headaches! will watch for it.
Any indications, no matter how trivial, if you have any doubts, you must
write to me. 'Thank you, doctor.
They shook hands. Good luck in your new life, said Edelman.
Through it all Debra showed iron control, but even she at last succumbed
and she, her mother, and Ella Kadesh all broke down simultaneously at
the departure barrier of Lad Airport and hung around each other's necks,
weeping bitterly.
The Brig and David stood by, stiff and awkward, trying to look as though
they were not associated with the weeping trio, until the first warning
broadcast gave them an excuse for a brief handshake and David took
Debra's arm and drew her gently away.
They climbed the boarding ladder into the waiting Boeing without looking
back. The giant aircraft took off and turned away southwards, and as
always the sensation of flight soothed David; all the cares and tensions
of these last few days left on the earth behind and below, he felt a new
lightness of the spirit, excitement for what lay ahead.
He reached across and squeezed Debra's arm.
Hello there, Morgan, he said, and she turned towards him and smiled
happily, blindly.
It was necessary to spend some time in Cape Town before they could
escape to the sanctuary of Jabulani in the north.
David took a suite at the Mount Nelson Hotel, and from there he was able
to settle the numerous issues that had piled up in his absence.
The accountants who managed his trust funds demanded ten days of his
time and they spent it in the sitting-room of the suite, poring over
trust documents and accounts.
In two years his income had grossly exceeded his spending, and the
unused portion of his income had to be re-invested. In addition the
third trust fund would soon pass to him and there were formalities to be
completed.
Debra was hugely impressed by the extent of David's wealth.
You must be almost a millionaire, she said in a truly awed voice, for
that was as rich as Debra could imagine.
I'm not just a pretty face, David agreed, and she was relieved that'he
could talk so lightly about his appearance.
Mitzi and her new husband came to visit them in their suite. However,
the evening was not a success.
Although Mitzi tried to act as though nothing had changed, and though
she still called him warrior, yet it was apparent that she and her
feelings had altered.
She was heavily pregnant and more shapeless than David would have
thought possible. It was half-way through the evening before David
realized the true reason for all the reserve. At first he thought that
his disfigurement was worrying them, but after Mitzi had given a
barr-hour eulogy of the strides that Cecil was making at Morgan Group
and the immense trust that Paul Morgan had placed in him, Cecil had
asked i
I'm sure we could find something useful for you to do - ha, ha! David
could assure them quietly.
No, thank you. You won't have to worry about me, Cecil, old boy. You
take over from Uncle Paul with my blessing Good Lord, I didn't mean
that, Cecil was shocked, but Mitzi was less devious.
He really will be very good, warrior, and you never were interested,
were you.
After that evening they did not see the couple again, and Paul Morgan
was in Europe, so David fulfilled his family obligations without much
pain or suffering and he could concentrate on the preparations for the
move to Jabulani.
Barney Venter spent a week with them in choosing a suitable aircraft to
handle the bush airstrip and yet give David the type of performance he
enjoyed. At last they decided on a twin-engined Piper Navajo, a
six-seater with two big 3oo-hid. p. Lycoming engines and a tricycle
undercart, and Barney walked around it with his hands on his hips.
Well, she's no Mirage. He kicked the landing-wheel and then checked
himself and glanced quickly at David's face.
I've had enough of Mirages, David told him. They bite!
On the last day David drove out with Debra to a farm near Paarl. The
owner's wife was a dog breeder and when they went down to the ke
one of her labrador pups walked directly to Debra and placed a cold nose
on her leg as he inhaled her scent. Debra squatted and groped for his
head and after fondling for a few moments she in her turn leaned forward
and sniffed the pup's fur.
He smells like old leather, she said. What colour is he? Black, said
David. Black as a Zulu. That's what we'll call him, said Debra. Zulu.
You want to choose this one? David asked.
No, 'Debra laughed. He chose us. When they flew northwards the next
morning the pup was indignant at being placed in the back seat and with
a flying scrambling leap he came over Debra's shoulder and took up
position in her lap, which seemed to suit them both very well.
It looks like I have competition, David muttered ruefully.
From the brown plateau of the high veld, the land dropped away steeply
down the escarpment to the bush veld of southern Africa.
David picked up his landmark on the little village of Bush Buck Ridge