31Chapter Ten: Savages After All
"Foolishness," Aunt Katrina sputtered, pacing back and forth in the stuffy book-lined study. Suddenly she stopped in front of her sleepy-eyed niece, resting her plump hands on her fat hips. "In all my years I never heard of such foolishness. A respectable English girl does not demean herself by dancing naked with savages. Samantha, my dear, what on earth were you thinking?"
"I wasn't exactly naked," Samantha objected, pushing back against her aunt's scolding while fighting to keep her eyes open. "The feast went on for hours, but it was mostly just dancing and chanting. It was really a religious ritual. Dancing is how the villagers communicate with the ancient gods from below the sea."
"Superstition," Aunt Katrina scoffed. "Samantha, it's all very well to be friendly with the natives. We must allow them a little holiday now and then. But you must not allow them to cloud your innocent young mind with childish superstition. They are savages after all."
"It wasn't superstition that destroyed the German U-Boat, my dear," Uncle Herbert objected mildly. "Shane O'Neill has taken very good care of Samantha, and the two of them have uncovered some very important information about what the Germans are up to. Of course it really was very foolish of her to stay out all night without telling us." The kindly colonial governor offered a glass of sherry to his plump and perspiring wife.
"I've never heard of such foolishness," Aunt Katrina muttered. Her scornful expression softened a little as she studied the dark gold liquid in her glass. "You know I hardly ever touch it, Herbert."
"But you do sometimes," the governor pointed out, gently coaxing. "Do try a little sherry, Katrina. That's it, just a drop or two. It will give you strength for the trip into town this afternoon."
"We will all need our strength for the afternoon." Aunt Katrina emptied her sherry glass in a single gulp. The greedy way she gulped down the expensive liqueur would have made Samantha giggle if she hadn't been struggling simply to keep her eyes open.
"What's going on this afternoon?" Samantha pictured the usual round of social visits, a cluster of sweating ladies laced into tight corsets and long dresses fanning themselves in the tropical heat. At least the natives had the sense to avoid the heat of the sun. They wore fewer clothes, and when the sun was hot they simply took a rest, lying under the trees till the day was done. Resting beneath the sheltering trees . . . asleep in the cool shade . . .
". . . and above all, we must be firm. We must show no mercy to the savage Hun! Don't you agree, Samantha my dear?"
"Huh? Firm, yes! We must be firm." Samantha dragged her eyes open, embarrassed to realize that she had dropped off to sleep while her aunt was talking. The deep leather sofa was very comfortable, and she had been up all night dancing deep in the jungle. Letting her mind become one with the ancient gods . . .
"Samantha won't let us down, my dear." Uncle Herbert was smiling at her. "Right now she's light-headed from lack of sleep, but she's just as eager as you are to see that young German sailor put up against a wall and shot for his crimes."
"But you can't do that!" Samantha sat up, suddenly wide awake. "It's not his fault, the war I mean. He's just a boy and he's gone quite mad. He saw something under the ocean . . . something horrible!" Samantha's anguished expression was genuine, but her aunt and uncle only laughed at the look of pity on her lovely face.
"Don't worry, my dear," Uncle Herbert said. "All the Huns are mad. They are savages after all. We'll be sure to shoot this one on dry land."
