“You don’t have to kneel down. You turn and look at the sun and pray.”
“What do we pray in the dream?”
“To live bravely, to die bravely and to go directly to the Happy Hunting Grounds.”
“We are brave already,” Ngui said. “Why do we have to pray about it?”
“Pray for anything you like, if it is for the good of us all.”
“I pray for beer, for meat and for a new wife with hard hands. You can share the wife.”
“That’s a good prayer. What do you pray for, Mthuka?”
“We keep this car.”
“Anything else?”
“Beer. You not get killed. Rain good in Machakos. Happy Hunting Grounds.”
“What you pray for?” Ngui asked me.
“Africa for Africans. Kwisha Mau Mau. Kwisha all sickness. Rain good everywhere. Happy Hunting Grounds.”
“Pray to have fun,” Mthuka offered.
“Pray sleep with wife of Mr. Singh.”
“Must pray good.”
“Take wife of Mr. Singh to Happy Hunting Grounds.”
“Too many people want to be in religion,” Ngui said. “How many people we take?”
“We start with a squad. Maybe make a section, maybe a company.”
“Company very big for Happy Hunting Grounds.”
“I think so too.”
“You command Happy Hunting Grounds. We make a council but you command. No Great Spirit. No Gitchi Manitou. Hapana King. Hapana Queen’s Road. Hapana H.E. Hapana D.C. Hapana Baby Jesus. Hapana Police. Hapana Black Watch. Hapana Game Department.”
“Hapana,” I said.
“Hapana,” Mthuka said.
I passed the bottle of beer to Arap Meina.
“Are you a religious man, Meina?”
“Very,” said Meina.
“Do you drink?”
“Only beer, wine and gin. I can also drink whisky and all clear or colored alcohols.”
“Are you ever drunk, Meina?”
“You should know, my father.”
“What religions have you held?”
“I am now a Moslem.” Charo leaned back and closed his eyes.
“What were you before?”
“Lumbwa,” Meina said. Mthuka’s shoulders were shaking. “I have never been a Christian,” Meina said with dignity.
“We speak too much of religion and I am still acting for Bwana Game and we celebrate the Birthday of the Baby Jesus in four days.” I looked at the watch on my wrist. “Let us clear the field of birds and drink the beer before the plane comes.”
“The plane is coming now,” Mthuka said. He started the motor and I passed him the beer and he drank a third of what was left. Ngui drank a third and I drank half of a third and passed what was left back to Meina. We were already putting up storks at full speed at the approach and seeing them, after the running rush, straighten their legs as though they were pulling up their undercarriage and commence their reluctant flight.
We saw the plane come over blue and silvery and spindle-legged and buzz the camp and then we were barreling down along the side of the clearing and she was opposite us, with the big flaps down, passing us to land without a bounce and circling now, her nose high and arrogant, throwing dust in the knee-deep white flowers.
Miss Mary was on the near side now and she came out in a great, small rush. I held her tight and kissed her and then she shook hands with everyone, Charo first.
“Morning, Papa,” Willie said. “Let me have Ngui to pass some of this out. She’s a bit laden!”
“You must have bought all Nairobi,” I said to Mary.
“All I could afford. They wouldn’t sell the Muthaiga Club.”
“She bought the New Stanley and Torr’s,” Willie said. “So we’re always sure of a room, Papa.”
“What else did you buy?”
“She wanted to buy me a Comet,” Willie said. “You can pick up quite good bargains in them now, you know.”
We drove to camp with Miss Mary and me sitting close together in front. Willie was talking with Ngui and Charo. At camp Mary wanted the stuff unloaded into Bwana Mouse’s empty tent and I was to stay away and not watch it. I had been told not to watch anything in detail at the aircraft either and I had not watched. There was a big bundle of letters, papers and magazines and some cables and I had taken them into the mess tent and Willie and I were drinking a beer.
“Good trip?”
“Not lumpy. The ground doesn’t really heat up anymore with these cold nights. Mary saw her elephants at Salengai and a very big pack of wild dogs.”
Miss Mary came in. She had received all the official visits and was beaming. She was well-beloved, well-received, and people had been formal about it. She loved the designation of Memsahib.
“I didn’t know Mousie’s bed was broken.”
“Is it?”
“And I haven’t said a thing about the leopard. Let me kiss you. G.C. laughed at your cable about him.”
“They’ve got their leopard. They don’t have to worry. Nobody has to worry. Not even the leopard.”
“Tell me about him.”
“No. Sometime when we are coming home I’ll show you the place.”
“Can I see any mail you’re finished with?”
“Open it all.”
“What’s the matter with you? Aren’t you glad to have me back? I was having a wonderful time in Nairobi or at least I was going out every night and everyone was nice to me.”
“We’ll all practice up and be nice to you and pretty soon it will be just like Nairobi.”
“Please be good, Papa. This is what I love. I only went to Nairobi to be cured and to buy presents for Christmas and I know you wanted me to have fun.”