The Twenty-Third Man Read Free

cigars of local manufacture won me my freedom. I also had to promise to pray for Caballo’s soul. He is a deeply religious man and risks getting into trouble by sneaking into the Cathedral to hear Mass. I was able to redeem my promise by proxy. A small donation secured the services of Brother Pedro-Maria, a fellow botanist, who lives in the monastery at Puerto Santo, a few miles up the coast, and he took care of the matter for me.’
    Dame Beatrice nodded genially.
    ‘And your second adventure?’ she asked.
    ‘Not quite so happy. Caballo and half the band – they number eight or nine men – were off on some, no doubt, illegal errand, and I rounded a bluff high up in the mountains to run into his lieutenant, José el Lupe. José, not a bad fellow in his way, had need of a disguise so that he could visit his girl friend here in Reales. When he is rich enough they will marry. He took my clothes and lent me some of his, not that we are anything of the same build, but I would not have offered any criticism of the arrangement except that his garments were verminous. I ventured to point this out. The Spanish for lice is piojos . José was most amused.’
    ‘I begin to see what your motto involves. All Britons on this island should stick together. With a posse of clean-limbed Englishmen at your back you could penetrate the territory of Tio Caballo without fear of reprisals or the necessity for prayers. What about forming a club and lending the members field-glasses so that they could espy the bandits from afar?’
    ‘That woman is mad,’ said Mr Peterhouse solemnly. ‘I hope she hasn’t been pestering you? She always waylays people who are fresh to the hotel. She’s a menace. Of course,’ he added hurriedly, as he caught Dame Beatrice’s eye, ‘we do lead rather a dull life here, in a way, so far as the hotel is concerned. One does rather like to see new faces. Are you staying here long?’
    ‘A month at least – until the next ship calls, you know. Longer than that if I like it.’
    ‘Do you play bridge?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Then I advise you to begin. There’s nothing to do here in the evening except to play bridge.’
    ‘Then I shall do nothing in the evenings.’ She nodded, put down her cup and strolled out. ‘ Cavernus epiglottis? ’ she thought. ‘How ridiculous!’
    By three o’clock in the afternoon she was sitting in brilliant sunshine watching the lizards. The heat was intense, but, like the lizards themselves, Dame Beatrice appeared to thrive on it. She saw several saurians, some of European-Mediterranean, some of North African type, and there was one fine creature, twenty inches long, who lay sunning himself for half an hour or more, his throat pulsating and his reptilian eyes fixed (she felt certain) on her own.
    ‘ Locerta simonyi ,’ said Dame Beatrice, addressing him affectionately, ‘I wonder what brought you to the Island of Dead Men? You are not indigenous here.’
    ‘Not what. Who,’ stated a voice behind her; and a very handsome man, wearing the kind of linen shirt, shapeless drawers and thin, worn blanket which the island peasants affected, seated himself beside her. ‘It was I, Karl Emden, who introduced Locerta simonyi to this island. He, like Beelzebub, is the Lord of Flies. You are staying with us at the Sombrero , I believe?’
    ‘Yes, I am spending a holiday here.’
    ‘I have lived here for two months. Delightful place! I saw you sitting in the lounge drinking coffee. I wouldn’t encourage Mrs Bluetit Angel, if I were you. She’s mad. Did she talk about birds? It’s her only subject, so she’s certain to have got on it. Charlie Peterhouse, too, the silly old pest. He collects plants. Did he try to get you to play bridge? He’s the biggest cheat on the island. You don’t want to get into any set where he manipulates the cards. Have you met Ruiz yet? If not, you will. He’s a bit of a bore, actually. Got a son doing well in South America. Ruiz is all right, I suppose, but