Argosy, September 1955 — page 40: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

f - or “4 , H. E. BATES lifting it to his nose. The harsh oily odour of eucalyptus was. ‘sy unpleasant and irritated him. It reminded him of times when, as a child, his chest had been very bad and he had coughed a lot and he had not been able to get his breath. He unconsciously kept the leaf in his hand until, at the suggestion of Manuel, they stopped to rest. ‘‘ We are halfway now, madame,” Manuel said. Manuel poured glasses of export beer for Manson and Miss Vane and served them with stiff politeness and then retired to a respectful distance among the mules. From above them masses of rock, studded with pale flat cacti that were like blown roses of delicate green, dripped water in large slow drops, like summery thundery rain. ‘** Well, this is marvellous,’’ Miss Vane said and lifted her glass to him, smiling with huge blue eyes in which Manson felt he could see all the summery wateriness and the great scintillation of mountain sky. He lifted his glass to her in return, re-experiencing a sudden rush of the intimacy he had felt over her dishevelled bed and her handbag and whenever he looked at the yellow streak in her hair. He felt himself melt uneasily and had a wild idea that presently, at the rest-house, they might be alone together. They were very nearly alone together now— ‘“‘’There’s an awful smell of eucalyptus,’? Miss Vane said. He flushed, pounding with anger at himself, and said, ‘“‘ I’m afraid it’s me. I crushed a leaf. Don’t you like it?—” “I loathe it,” she said. ‘‘ I can’t bear it near me. I hate it. You'll have to go and wash your hands.”’ He went away in silence and washed his hands among the cacti, under a spilling cleavage of rock. The water was icy in the brilliant, burning air. He washed his hands carefully and then smelt them and it seemed that the smell of eucalyptus remained. Then he washed them again with a sort of slow, rejected, clinical care. It was not until the rest-house came in sight that he emerged from a painful and articulate silence during which he had done nothing but stare at the sweat oozing slowly and darkly down the mule’s neck. He was pleasantly startled by hearing Miss Vane call back, “‘ Hullo there! Asleep?’”’ Her voice was tender and friendly once more and was accompanied by a sidelong dazzling smile. “You can see the rest-house. We’re nearly there.” ‘‘ T think it was the beer,”’ he said. ‘‘ Made me drowsy—” ‘“* Look at it,’ she said. ‘‘ It’s exciting, isn’t it? I’m excited.” “Oh yes! It’s bigger than I thought—’”’ “* Aren’t you excited?” she said. ‘‘ This is really something. This is what I wanted.”’ The track had widened. She reined the mule and waited for him. Then as she turned the: mule half-face to him he noticed the shape of her body, pressed heavily across the dark animal flanks. She had ridden up in a sleeveless thin white dress, the ye skirt of which was drawn up beyond her knees. CoOMmichbooksscoln £ io ae fe * ¥ =