“This time, it could be me.” He bent over to pick up the toys his daughter had left.
“Kina,” he called, “tell Chama to keep her toys picked up, or she might be needing a new father.” He turned again.
“I’ll get Kesonta to help with that roof. It’ll be straight in an hour or so.”
Retonga looked after him for a moment, then caught the eyes of a couple of the women. He made a [p 38] sweeping motion toward the earth of the clearing, then walked back to his own door.
He turned, inspecting each detail of the village.
“Let’s see. Is there anything else for the master to find wrong?” Again, he examined each house closely.
At last, he turned away, walking toward a path.
“He’ll probably be looking at the waterfront, too,” he told himself, “and at the lodge.”
He walked slowly along the path, checking the forest floor as he went. As he got to the beach, he looked toward the pier, then winced.