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‘Nearly cut in two with heat rash, no wonder she looked so miserable.’
    The merchant managed a weak smile. ‘Oh good, jolly good,’ he said quietly, avoiding the eyes of the others and swilling the last dash of port in his glass.
    The dinner party ended not long after the Governor’s wife retired. Mr Beardsley and Mr Pruen were both staying at the consulate, so a car was ordered for Frank and Arthur to return to Stonetown. Beardsley made his excuses and also left them, apparently now back in buoyant mood.
    As they waited on the balcony for their car to arrive Mr Pruen also retired to his room, but returned again just as they were taking their leave of the Governor. He had a brown leather-bound book in his hand, which he held before him as he approached Arthur.
    ‘It was very interesting to meet you, Father Cripps. I wish you well on your mission.’ He took Arthur’s hand and shook it, then placed the book in it. ‘A copy of my book. I always try to travel with a few. I’d like you to have it. Never know, may come in useful.’
    He let go of his hand and Arthur thanked him as the headlights of their car swept and trembled up the rough track towards the house. The four of them made their way down the exterior steps into the garden, and at the bottom of the steps thev all shook hands once more. With a crunch of tyres over stone the car pulled up outside the garden wall and Frank and Arthur walked down the path, through the jasmine and honeysuckle, the cicadas loud in their ears as the footsteps of the two men behind them receded up the stone steps back into the house. As he got into the car Arthur noticed how its headlights lit the beach at the end of the track, spotlighting the waves, bowing again and again in their beams like actors at the end of a play.
    After his prayers that night Arthur had looked through the pages of Mr Pruen’s book, lying on his bed with a flickering kerosene lamp beside him. There were sketches of animals, traps, how to build a bush dwelling, descriptions of sicknesses and their bush cures, and a daunting appendix listing the supplies considered necessary for ‘one person travelling in Central Africa for one year’. He skimmed over the lists, noting Pruen’s advice after some of the items. From ‘Personal Supplies’:
One tent, 8 ft . or 9 ft . square, with fly, and extra ceiling inside of dark green baize
One canvas camp bedstead, with unjointed poles
One Willesden canvas bag, open at one end only for bedstead
One very easy folding chair
One ribbed hair mattress
Two small pillows
Four pillow cases
Two pair of sheets
Six blankets
Mosquito net, arranged on cane ribs, in shape like the hood of a perambulator, but 2 ft 3 in wide, and half instead of one-quarter circle. It should have a linen fringe all around and tuck in.
One dressing case, well fitted
One India-rubber camp bath, whalebone ribs
One ebonite flask
One bull’s-eye lantern
Four dozen boxes of matches
One luminous match box-case
Six ‘Charity’ or ‘Art’ blankets (two for servants, two for headmen, two for sick porters)
Two policeman’s capes, for messengers in rainy season (N. B. Tents, blankets, etc., must be lent ; on no account given as presents, or they will be bartered for food or drink at the first opportunity).
    From’The Outfitter’:
Clothes pegs, half gross. (Very necessary articles, usually forgotten)
Alarum—No wild animal will enter a tent at night where an alarum is ticking. A luminous face (which shines well after exposure to the brilliant African sunshine) is useful.
Two tweed suits, unlined
Two canvas suits for marching and hunting
Two flannel suits
Flannel shirts with good collar-bands but no collars
Three travelling caps
Two helmets (both good and cheap in Zanzibar)
Brown-leather, broad-toed, thick-soled boots
Strong, thick-soled slippers
Comfortable, easy slippers
Two pairs thin cork soles
One pair of lasts for boots
Spare laces
Linen towels
Turkish towels
Six pyjama suits
    He put the book down,