He listened carefully to all that was going on about him and began to piece

together the military situation as it stood The

name of Serrurier was hardly mentioned, but the name of Rocambeau was on everyone's
lips
"Who the hell is this Rocambeau demanded Danson
"He was one of the junior Government generals," said Wyatt "He took over when old
Dernelles was killed and proved to be
trickier than Favel thought Favel was relying on finishing the war in one bash but
Rocambeau got the Government army
out of the net in a successful disengaging action He's withdrawn to the east and is
regrouping for another attack, and the
devil of it is that he managed to scrape together enough transport to empty San
Juan arsenal 'He's got enough ammunition
and spare weapons to finish the way in a way Favel doesn't like"
"Can't Farel move in and finish him before he's ready? Sort of catch him off-
balance?"
Wyatt shook his head"Favel has just about shot his bolt He's been fighting
continuously against heavy odds He's fought his
way down from the mountains and his men are dropping on their feet with weariness
He also has to stop for resting and
regrouping"
"So What happens now?"
Wyatt grimaced "Favel stops in St Pierre-- he hasn't the strength to push further
So he'll fight his defensive battle in St
Pierre and along will come Mabel and wipe out the lot of them Neither army will
have a chance on this low ground
round Santego Bay No one is going to win this war"
Dawson looked at Wyatt out of the corner of his eye "Maybe we'd beiter get out," he
suggested "We could go up the Negrito"
"After I've seen Favel," said Wyatt steadily
"Okay," said Dawson with a sigh "we'll stick around and sue Favel-maybe' He payed
"Whert exactly is Rocambeau
regrouping?"
"Just off the coast road to the east--about five miles out of town"
"Holy smoke!" exclaimed Dawson isn't that where Rawsthome and the others went?"
I've been trying not to think of that," said Wyatt tightly
Dawson felt depressed "I'm sorry," he said abjectly
"About pulling that stupid trick with the car If I hadn't done that we wouldn't
have got separated"
Wyatt looked at him curiously Something had happened to Dawson, this was not the
man he had met in the Maraca
Club--the big, important writer nor--was it the grouchy man in the cell who had
told him to go to hell He said carefully,
"I asked you about that before and you bit my ear off"
Dawson Looked up "You want to know why I tried to take your car? I'll tell you I
ran scared--Big Jim Dawson ran scared"
"That's what I was wondering about," said Wyatt thoughtfully "It doesn't fit with
what I've heard about you"
Dawson laughed sourly and there was not a trace of humour about him "What you've
heard about me is a lot of balls," he
said bluntly "I scare easy"
Wyatt looked at Dawson's hands "I wouldn't say that"
"It's a funny thing," said Dawson "When I came slap-bang against Roseau and knew I
couldn't talk my way out of it I
thought to have got scared then, but I got mad instead
That's never happened to me before Ay for my reputation, that's a fake, a put-up
job--and it was so easy too You go to
Africa and shoot a poor goddam lion, everyone thinks you're a hero, you pull a fish
out of the sea a bit bigger than the
usual fish, you're a hero again I used those things like a bludgeon and I built up
Big Jim Dawson--what the Chinese call
a paper tiger And it's wonderful what an unscrupulous press agent can do,too"
"But why? asked Wyatt helplessly "You're a good writer--all the critics say so,
you don't need artificial buttresses"
"What the critics think and what I think are two different things" Dawson looked at
the point of his dusty shoe "Whenever
I sit at a typewriter looking at that blank sheet of paper I get a sinking feeling
in my guts, and when I've filled up a whole
lot of sheets and made a book the sinking feeling gets worse I've never written
anything yet that I've liked -- I've never been
able to put on paper what I really wanted to So every time a book came out I was
scared it would be a flop and I had to
have some support so it would sell, and that's why Big Jim Dawson was invented"
"You've been trying to do an impossible thing--achieve perfection"
Dawson grinned "IT1 still try," he said cheerfully "But it won't matter any more I
think I've got over being scared"
Many hours later Wyatt was shaken into wakefulness He had not been aware of falling
asleep, and as he struggled into
consciousness he was aware of cramped limbs and aching joints He opened his eyes,to
be blinded by a flashlight and he
blinked painfully A voice said, "Are you Wyatt, or is it the other chap? "
I'm Wyatt," he said "Who are you?" He threw off the blanket which someone had
thoughtfully laid over him and stared at
the big bearded man who was looking down at him
"I'm Fuller I've been looking all over St Pierre for you Pavel wants to see you"
"Favel wants to see me 1 How does he even know I exist?"
"That's another story; come on"
Wyatt creaked to his feet and looked through the doorway The first faint light of
dawn way breaking through and he saw
the outline of a jeep in the street and heard the idling engine He turned and said,
"Fuller? Youre the Englishman--one of
them--who lives on the North Coast, in the Campo de las Perlas"
"That's right"
"You and Manning"
"You've got it," said Fuller impatiently "Come on We've got no time for chit-chat"
"Wait a minute," said Wyatt "I'll wake Dawson"
"We've got no time for that," said Fuller "He can stay here"
Wyatt turned and stared at him "Look, this man was beaten up by Serrurier's bully-
boys because of you-you and
Manning We were both within an ace of 'being shot for the same reason He's coming
with me"

Fuller had the grace to be abashed "oh! Well, make it snappy"

Wyatt woke Dawson and explained the situation rapidly, and Dawson scrambled to his
feet "But how the hell does he
know about you?" was his first question
"Fuller win no doubt explain that on the way," said Wyatt The tone of his voice
indicated that Fuller had better do some
explaining
They climbed into the jeep and set off Fuller said, "Favel has established
headquarters at the imperiale-it's nice and
central"
"Well, I'm damned," said Dawson "We needn't have moved an inch We were there this--
last--afternoon"