‘That’s all we need,’ Hannah said in frustration. ‘We’ve had watu cleaning up and fencing those pastures for weeks. If the wires are cut and our cattle get out, and those scrawny Masai ngombes get in, our herds could be infected with foot-and-mouth and God knows what. Never mind the problems of elephant poachers.’

‘That’s true.’ Lars nodded agreement.

‘Juma should have spotted that the bull was missing last night,’ Piet said wearily.

‘No,’ Hannah said, ‘Juma can’t be everywhere at once. He was helping you up at the lodge yesterday, until you came down with Anthony. We have a problem with labour, Piet. I’ve heard Lars talking to you about it recently, but you’re not listening to him. Or to what I’ve been saying for a while. We need our experienced watu on the farm, and not out there on the building site. If all the old hands are working on the construction, then something will be left undone.’

‘But I need to keep the place by the waterhole cleared and salted, if we’re going to establish a permanent viewing area,’ Piet protested. ‘And I have to use existing farm labour for the building. We can’t afford to bring in construction workers from outside. It’s only temporary, until the lodge is finished.’

‘I know, Piet. But soon we have to find staff that will work in the lodge. I need to start training them now.’

‘You’re right,’ he agreed. ‘I’ve been leaving it to the last possible moment, so we wouldn’t have extra wages to pay. But I don’t know where we’ll find—’

‘I think I might have one answer,’ Hannah interrupted. ‘I’ve got something you should look at.’ She handed him Simon Githiri’s letter from the mission. ‘This boy is looking for work and he seems to be a cut above average.’

Piet scanned the letter. ‘They have some good boys coming out of there,’ he said. ‘What did you think of him?’

‘His English is impressive, and he’s anxious to work. Someone we could train from scratch. He seems to have ambition, and a bit of nguvu. Talk to him yourself – I’ll tell Kamau to bring him round.’

‘All right.’ Piet put the letter in his pocket. ‘Lars, do you want to come and interview him?’

Piet sized up Simon Githiri and liked what he saw. The young Kikuyu looked at him steadily, submitting to the inspection without any sign of unease or embarrassment. He answered all the questions put to him, in both Swahili and English, explaining that he had learned some simple book-keeping and basic clerical training at the mission. During his spare time he had worked in the office at the college, to keep himself in funds and to pay for his continued education. The fathers had offered to let him stay on permanently.