'To get along the coast.' Archie struggled with his instinct to produce a completed job, discussing it neither before nor after. But his reasonable nature told him that, where he gambled with the lives of others, they had a right to see his play.
By now they had reached the camp by the ruins. Under a stream of exhortation from Matao some of the carriers had started to pitch Norah's tent; others were cutting boughs for the shelter.
Norah led the way into the shade. The men followed.
'As far as I can see,' Archie began, 'there are three ways out that aren't too risky.'
He stopped and looked up at the sky, which was now heavy with cloud. The heat, however, was fiercer, as though a lid had been shut down on them.
'The weather matters too,' he explained.
'You were saying you had three plans,' said Dick.
Archie continued to address Norah. He told her that his first idea had been to stay where they were and wait for rescue, relying on the game they could shoot with the remaining ammunition, helped out perhaps by fish from the lake. The objection to this simple plan was that the game would move away and ammunition might be exhausted before help came.
'Alibaba said twelve days,' put in Norah.
'Doubt it,' muttered Archie. 'One of the Bulamatadi boats is in dry dock. Or so they told me at Songwe. They mightn't be in a hurry to send. Anyhow, it's a risk.'