War Cry

‘Yes, Mummy,’ Saffron nodded with a look of the utmost sincerity.

‘And do you promise to be good and not to cause Daddy any trouble?’

‘Yes, Mummy.’

‘Very well then, you can go.’

‘Thank you, thank you!’ Saffron squealed, smothering her mother in kisses. ‘You are the kindest, nicest, sweetest mummy in the whole wide world!’

‘Oh, and one last thing …’

Saffron paused in mid-stride and turned back to Eva: ‘Yes?’

‘Tell Daddy not to worry about me. He needs to concentrate on his race. So tell him I’ve got a very comfortable chair and plenty of staff to look after me if I need anything. I will be quite all right. Can you remember all that?’

‘Daddy’s not to worry because you’ve got a comfy chair and everything’s all right.’

‘Very good. Now, be gone with you!’

Eva watched as her little girl disappeared into the crowd, fearlessly darting between the adults around her. Then she gave a sharp little sigh, closed her eyes and dropped her head for a moment as a sudden sharp stab of pain struck her, like a dart thrown at her forehead, hitting right above her eyes.

It’s just a little headache, she told herself as it was followed by a slight sensation of nausea. A migraine, probably. Nothing to worry about.

She thought for a second about sending one of the club’s staff to take a message to Leon and then immediately rejected the idea. No, I mustn’t bother him. He has other, much more important things on his mind.

Saffron sneaked under the rope and dashed across the track and onto the polo field before anyone could stop her. She paused for a second and looked around. It was only a week since she and Kippy had been jumping on this very same field, but it seemed like years ago. Everything looked so different now. There was a crowd of people clustered round a large tent, and she scanned them all in case she could see her father. Then she saw him a way off to one side, talking to Manyoro, and she realized she’d been looking at the enemy camp and scampered off in the right direction.

‘I see you, little princess,’ said Manyoro as he spotted Saffron running towards him. She stopped in her tracks, two or three paces away from him and, with the utmost seriousness replied, in Masai, ‘I see you, Uncle Manyoro.’

The tall, stately African’s face broke into a broad, affectionate smile, for he considered this little white girl just as much of a niece as any of his Masai brothers’ and sisters’ offspring.

‘Hello, Daddy,’ Saffron said, turning to her father.

‘Saffy!’ Leon exclaimed. He picked her up and swung her into the air, laughing as she squealed with excitement. He hugged her to his body, planting a kiss on the top of her head and then put her down on the ground.

‘So, what brings you here, eh?’ he asked.

‘Mummy said I could,’ said Saffron, wanting to establish that she had permission. ‘I couldn’t see the race from the clubhouse because of all the people in the way. But I promised Mummy I’ll be very, very good and won’t cause any trouble at all.’

‘Hmm … I doubt that somehow. So, tell me, how is Mummy feeling?’

Saffron dutifully repeated Eva’s message, virtually word for word.

‘Good,’ said Leon, putting his daughter down. ‘I’m very pleased that Mummy is so well set. And very well done to you for remembering everything.’

Saffron beamed with pleasure at her father’s praise. ‘What’s your runner called, Daddy?’ she asked, once her feet were back on terra firma.

‘Simel.’

‘He’s very small.’

Leon gave a rueful chuckle. ‘Yes, that’s what I thought, too, when I first saw him. But I think he’s putting up a pretty good show.’

Saffron looked at the two runners who were now separated by slightly more than the length of the back straight. Sopwith had completed his second lap while she had been negotiating with her mother and making her way to where her father was standing, and was now halfway around the third. He no longer appeared to be running ahead of Simel so much as chasing him from behind.

‘Is that man going to catch up with Simel?’ Saffron asked.

‘I hope not, my darling. But if he doesn’t then Mr Birchinall – he’s the chap over there doing stretches and looking terribly keen – is going to take over.’

‘Oh,’ said Saffron, thoughtfully. ‘That doesn’t sound very fair.’

‘Well, those are the rules I created.’

‘Well I think those rules are beastly to Simel. I’m going to go and cheer him up.’

Saffron raced off to the far corner of the field and waited for Simel to run past. When he was a few paces away from her she cried out, ‘Come on Simel! Come on Simel!’ and then dashed along beside him. Saffron could only keep up with him for a handful of strides, but the sight and sound of her encouraging their man brought heart to his supporters and they raised their voices again to urge him on.

Manyoro, however, had his eyes elsewhere. ‘Look at Bwana Sopwith, brother. His stride has shortened and his pace has slowed.’

‘By God you’re right,’ Leon agreed. He had brought a pair of field glasses with him and he trained them now on Sopwith, who would shortly cross the line for the third time. ‘He’s gasping for breath. It’s the altitude, probably, he’s just not used to it.’

‘But Simel keeps running,’ said Manyoro. ‘Soon the gap will start to open up again.’

Birchinall had now taken up his position on the track at the end of the clubhouse straight, urging his teammate on. Sopwith made one final effort, summoning every last ounce of strength as he ran to where Birchinall was standing with his hand held out behind him, as if waiting for a baton. Sopwith reached out, slapped the hand and then fell to his hands and knees on the grass, his head slumped down and his chest heaving.

Now it was Birchinall’s turn and he was a very different kind of athlete. He ran like a true sprinter, arms pumping, back straight, knees up high and suddenly the gap between him and Simel up ahead seemed to be narrowing again, and even more quickly this time. The spectators on the colonists’ side of the field roared for their man. They flooded forwards towards the rope that marked the track and the few police constables detailed to cover that side of the course – for no one had even considered the possibility that the white crowd might give way to disorder – found themselves trying to hold back a tide of shouting, fist-pumping farmers and businessmen.

Within the length of the back straight, right in front of Simel’s own supporters, Birchinall had taken another fifty yards out of the gap. By the time he had run across the width of the polo field and turned the corner into the clubhouse straight, Simel was only just passing the finishing line.

The little Masai was starting to worry, darting nervous glances over his shoulder, but still he did not increase his pace.

‘For God’s sake, run harder, man!’ Leon shouted, though he knew that Simel could not possibly hear him over the noise of the crowds.

Manyoro shook his head. ‘No, he must hold his nerve. That is his only hope.’

‘Tell that to de Lancey. He thinks he’s in the money.’

Sure enough, the opposition camp was already celebrating. A crate of champagne had been dragged from within the tent and the totos were busy opening bottles and pouring glasses. The victory toasts were just about to be poured.

Simel rounded the turn at the end of the clubhouse straight, his eyes wide with the fear of defeat, but sticking to the instructions Manyoro had given him, for he was even more scared of disobeying his chief than of losing the race.

Birchinall was coming up hard, still gaining, still maintaining his pace though he was far beyond the limits of his usual racing distance. His face bore an expression of savage fury, the look of a man who is fighting past the point of exhaustion, ignoring the screaming pain of his muscles, the bursting of his heart and the desperate craving of his lungs for air.

He was going to win if it killed him. He knew it. The crowd knew it. Simel knew it.

The distance between them closed. Twenty yards … fifteen … ten …

Simel could hear the Englishman’s feet pounding towards him and the rasping of his breath, like a wild animal at his heels.