Benjamin picked up his pace as he jogged towards the flame trees. He was a hundred yards from the hillock when he heard engines, coming towards him at full power.

He saw no lights. The engines were getting louder.

Benjamin peered in the direction of the sound and then he saw the black silhouetted outlines of two vehicles, Land Rovers by the looks of them.

Were they coming to the aid of the people in the house, or reinforcing the Mau Mau?

The Mau Mau don’t drive Land Rovers!

The silhouettes stopped moving. The shadows fell silent.

‘Over here!’ Benjamin shouted, speaking in English.

An instant later he saw a flash, like a match being lit, and at the same time heard the blast of a gun being fired and the whining, buzzing, fluttering passage of a bullet that seemed to pass within a whisker of his skull.

Benjamin raised his hand above his head and shouted, ‘Don’t shoot! I’m a doctor!’

He heard a woman’s voice. ‘Benjamin?’

‘Saffron!’ Benjamin called back.

He walked towards the cars and a female figure came running towards him.

‘What’s happening?’ Saffron asked, clutching his shoulders, her voice tight with anxiety. ‘Are we too late?’

‘I don’t know. The Mau Mau are in the house. The shooting’s stopped. But I don’t know why. I almost killed their leader, but—’

‘What about my family?’ Saffron interrupted him.

Benjamin shrugged. He had no answer for her.

Before Saffron could say another word, the gunfire from the house suddenly started again. She had to shout to make herself heard as she told Benjamin, ‘That’s it! We’re going in hard and fast!’

Gerhard had one round left in his rifle, plus Harriet’s pistol and the spare bullets. He had the panga he’d taken from the dead Mau Mau, but no idea how to use it in combat. He looked at the blade tucked into his belt and reminded himself that he had been made to take fencing lessons as a boy: think of it as a short sabre.

Mashraf fired his last round. Kabaya gave his order and suddenly there were men running down the stairs, vaulting over the balustrade and landing in front of him. Others were leaping over the dining table and racing down the hall. One or two were carrying guns and firing as they came, so crazed by bloodlust that they did not care whether they hit their own men. The rest were waving their knives and screaming Kikuyu battle cries and curses.

‘Back into the kitchen!’ Gerhard shouted. As Mashraf ran by, Gerhard gave him the rifle and shouted, ‘Got one round!’

He kept facing forward as his own men retreated through the door.