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.On and on they went, avoiding villages, even roads, as they distanced themselves from the scene of the shooting.Day after day Mari tended Lubji, until eventually he could push himself up.She was delighted by how quickly he learned to speak their language.For several hours he practiced one particular sentence he wanted to say to her.Then, when she came to feed him that evening, he told her in fluent Romany that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.She blushed, and ran away, not to return again until breakfast.With Mari's constant attention, LUbji recovered quickly, and was soon able to join his rescuers round the fire in the evening.As the days turned into weeks, he not only began to fill his suit again, but started letting out the notches on his belt.One evening, after he had returned from hunting with Rudi, Lubji told his host that it would not be long before he had to leave.I must find a port, and get as far away from the Germans as possible," he explained.Rudi nodded as they sat round the fire, sharing a rabbit.Neither of them saw the look of sadness that came into Mari's eyes.When Lubji returned to the caravan that night, he found Mari waiting for him.He climbed up to join her and tried to explain that as his wound had nearly healed, he no longer required her help to undress.She smiled and began to remove his shirt gently from his shoulder, taking off the114 JEFFREY ARCHER bandages and cleaning the wound.She looked in her canvas bag, frowned, hesitated for a moment, and started to tear her dress, using the material to rebandage his shoulder.Lubji just stared at Mari's long brown legs as she slowly ran her fingers down his chest to the top of his trousers.She smiled at him and began to undo the buttons.He placed a cold hand on her thigh, and turned scarlet as she lifted up her dress to reveal that she was wearing nothing underneath.Mari waited expectantly for him to move his hand, but he continued to stare.She leaned forward and pulled off his pants, then climbed across him and lowered herself gently onto him.He remained as still as he had when felled by the bullet, until she began to move slowly up and down, her head tossed back.She took his other hand and placed it inside the top of her dress, shuddering when he first touched her warm breast.He just left it there, still not moving, even though her rhythm became faster and faster.Just when he wanted to shout out, he quickly pulled her down, kissing her roughly on the lips.A few seconds later he lay back exhausted, wondering if he had hurt her, until he opened his eyes and saw the expression on her face.She sank on his shoulder, rolled onto one side and fell into a deep sleep.He lay awake, thinking that he might have died without ever having experienced such pleasure.A few hours passed before he woke her.This time he didn't remain motionless, his hands continually discovering different parts of her body, and he found that he enjoyed the experience even more the second time.Then they both slept.When the caravans moved on the next day, Rudi toldTHE FOURTH ESTATE 115Lubji that during the night they had crossed yet another border, and were now in Yugoslavia."And what is the name of those hills covered in snow?" asked Lubji."From this distance they may look like hills," said Rudi, "but they are the treacherous Dinaric Mountains.My caravans cannot hope to make it across them to the coast." For some time he didn't speak, then he added, "But a determined man just might." They traveled on for three more days, resting only for a few hours each night, avoiding towns and villages, until they finally came to the foot of the mountains.That night, Lubji lay awake as Mari slept on his shoulder.He began to think about his new life and the happiness he had experienced during the past few weeks, wondering if he really wanted to leave the little band and be on his own again.But he decided that if he were ever to escape the wrath of the Germans, he must somehow reach the other side of those mountains and find a boat to take him as far away as possible.The next morning he dressed long before Mari woke.After breakfast he walked around the camp, shaking hands and bidding farewell to every one of his compatriots, ending with Rudi.Mari waiteduntil he returnedto hercaravan.He leaned forward, took her in his arms and kissed her for the last time.She clung to him long after his arms had fallen to his side.After she had finally released him, she passed over a large bundle of food.He smiled and then walked quickly away from the camp toward the foot of the mountains.Although he could hear her following for the first few paces, he never once looked back.116 JEFFREY ARCHER Lubji traveled on and on up into the mountains until it was too dark to see even a pace in front of him.He selected a large rock to shelter him from the worst of the bitter wind, but even huddled up he still nearly froze.He spent a sleepless night eating Mari's food and thinking about the warmth of her body.As soon as the sun came up he was on the move again, rarely stopping for more than a few moments.At nightfall he wondered if the harsh, cold wind would freeze him to death while he was asleep.But he woke each morning with the sun shining in his eyes.By the end of the third day he had no food left, and could see nothing but mountains in every direction he looked.He began to wonder why he had ever left Rudi and his little gypsy band.On the fourth morning he could barely put one foot in front of the other: perhaps starvation would achieve what the Germans had failed to do.By the evening of the fifth day he was just wandering aimlessly forward, almost indifferent to his fate, when he thought he saw smoke rising in the distance.But he had to freeze for another night before flickering lights confirmed the testimony of his eyes.For there in front of him lay a village and, beyond that, his first sight of the sea.Coming down the mountains might have been quicker than climbing them, but it was no less treacherous
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