Rico followed him along a path bordered each side by dense thickets of custard apple. He could hear the steady pounding of the dredging machine distinctly now. It sounded close.
After walking some distance through the thicket, they came upon a small wooden cabin in what had once been a clearing, but which was now almost overgrown. Big cypress trees obscured the light around the cabin, but Rico was thankful to be out of the direct sunlight that had been scorching him during the trip up river.
‘This is it,’ Baird said, pushing open the cabin door. ‘Not much of a place, but it’l do. I found it when I came down to look over the ground. I’ve fixed it up pret y wel . There’re mosquito nets, food and all the stuff we want for a couple of days. Come on in and take a look.’
Rico entered the cabin and looked around the one big room.
‘Doesn’t anyone come here?’ he asked uneasily.
Baird shook his head.
‘No. Used to belong to the overseer of the dredging gang, but now they’ve moved up the river, he’s got another place. Noddy said he’d keep an eye on the stuff I left here.’ Baird went over to a pile of canned food, two wooden cases, blankets and mosquito netting stacked in a corner. ‘It seems to be all here.’
‘Noddy?’ Rico repeated. ‘Who’s he?’
Baird pulled a blanket from the pile, tossed it on the floor and sat down on it.
‘The guy who’s helping us,’ he said, looking at Rico, his pale eyes expressionless. ‘Can’t do the job without inside help.’