‘Jeannot, I am with the Monsieur,’ he shouted back, without looking at her. ‘And I ride an elephant, I’m going to the elephant country. There are goddesses there—two goddesses.’ He looked up at her as she came over.

‘What’s happening to you anyway?’

‘I am going to the country of Monsieur.’

‘Look,’ she reproved him, ‘look at your Kiki. Look what you do with your animals.’

Pierrot was quiet for a moment. Then he said. ‘There’s a river there too.’

I said, ‘Yes, Pierrot.’

‘And no oasis?’

‘None.’

‘Kiki,’ he said, ‘you like the oasis. And there you are,’ he cried, and threw it into the pool. Kiki kicked up her legs and sank without a cry. Kiki went down to the bottom, and ships passed over her. Pierrot looked at the boats, borne by the wind swiftly. They encircled many continents. The nanny had gone happily away to the young man. ‘He likes you, Monsieur. Will you look after him? I’ll be back in a minute,’ she had said to me smiling, so big and fat and young. She wanted to be pressed against some tree and kissed. The sap in the trees was so fresh and full. The boats raced in the wind. There was no sand any more. There were many valleys, green, green, like the fields. A lot of water. Then there were trees. A lot of trees made a forest. A lot of forests made a country. A country with a lot of forest, and many, many rivers, is called India.

‘Your river—has it a lot of water?’ asked Pierrot. He tore a flower stalk and held it between his teeth. He looked very serious. He looked straight at the pool and the sun inside the pool. Then suddenly he began to cry. He cried and cried silently, tears streaming down his cheeks.

‘I want to go to your country,’ he said. ‘I want to go to the wedding.’

‘And the elephant?’

‘Oh, yes. I will ride the elephant. Take me in your arms?’ I lifted him up. He held me tight against his head. He would not look back. I bought him some candy. He held the packet in his hand. He could not speak. He would not eat. He looked down at Kiki in the water.

‘And now, the fifteen days’ journey is over,’ he said.

‘Yes,’ I said.

‘Where are the goddesses?’

‘Don’t you see, there’s one to the right and one to the left. And how beautiful they are.’

‘Yes. And I ride on my elephant. I’ll call him Titi the Elephant.’ He was pleased with his speech. ‘Titi, now there, turn to the left. And now to the right. There, you’re a good boy. And, what’s the name of your river, Monsieur le Prince?’

‘The Ganges,’ I said.