240 JOURNEY WITHOUT MAPS

Tapee-Ta

And then, when he came in the morning to wake
me, Amedoo said that Laminah was too sick to walk.
He had lain awake all night in pain from his gum
where the tooth had heen drawn. The aspirin I had
given him was useless. Now he was getting a little
sleep for the first time. This was far more serious
than the sickness of a carrier; I had less responsibility
for a carrier; he was in his own country if not in his
own tribe; but Laminah I had brought from another
country, he couldn't be simply jettisoned. But neither
could I bear the thought of another day in Greh. I
had promised the carriers a rest in Tapee-Ta because
that was a large place with a District Commissioner
where I could hope to buy fresh fruit, which we were
beginning to need badly. Even limes had given out
at Sakripie and we had seen no oranges for two weeks,
but in that respect Tapee was to disappoint us.

I suggested to Amedoo that Laminah should stay
behind for a day and we would wait for him at Tapee-
Ta. But Amedoo said that he was afraid of being
left. "This is Gio country/' Amedoo explained, "they
chop people here." So my cousin gave up the ham-
mock to Laminah, who looked half dead when he
was laid in it; and I wondered what my conscience
would say to me if he died, if my curiosity for new
experiences led to the death of someone so charm-
ing, so simple, capable of such enjoyment. I was
afraid of blood poisoning, but I need not have been
frightened., I think it was cowardice Laminah was
suffering from, for he recovered very quickly at
Tapee.