‘Enough of that.’ Douglas spoke at last. ‘The Depression’s over.’

The blood rushed into Hyde-Underwood’s cheeks again. He turned away and spoke rapidly in another language to one of the workers.

‘Is that Malay he’s speaking?’ Evie asked Douglas.

‘Tamil. He speaks both. And some Chinese.’

‘Goodness. That’s impressive. Do you?’

‘Of course. It’s one of the requirements of the job. All European planters need to pick up Tamil within eighteen months. And if they want to progress they learn Malay too.’

They walked on, Hyde-Underwood with them again.

‘Were all these trees planted by your grandfather?’ Evie asked Douglas, sweeping her hands towards the hillside which was covered with terraces of rubber trees as far as she could see.

Instead of answering, he jerked his head to Hyde-Underwood, who responded. ‘The trees only last thirty years. Then we have to replant. It’s a big part of the job – raising seedlings, cultivating, planting saplings.’ He explained how the old trees were poisoned and cleared away to make room for new ones.

The last stop on the tour was to see workers chopping away undergrowth beneath a row of trees, clearing the ground and revealing the drainage ditch that ran down the space between the rows. The men were hacking through the vegetation with large curved-bladed knives which Hyde-Underwood told her were called perangs.

Hyde-Underwood suggested they head back to the bungalow for tiffin, when a cry went up from one of the men. ‘Ular!’ The whole group began shouting ‘Ular’.

Hyde-Underwood moved forward but Douglas grabbed Evie’s arm and held her back as most of the men scattered. ‘It’s a snake,’ he said.

Evie watched in horror as the largest snake she had ever seen emerged from the thicket and raced over the ground towards Hyde-Underwood. But one of the workers was ready for it, slashing at it with his perang in a frenzied attack.

Douglas shouted something in Tamil or Malay and the man stepped away leaving the snake in pieces on the ground.

‘Probably dead with the first blow, but they like to hack them apart. Their idea of sport I suppose.’

Evie felt sick. She looked at her husband. ‘Was it dangerous?’

‘Not usually to humans. It’s a python. Must be ten feet long.’

Her stomach churned, adrenaline coursing through her, but tinged with disgust at the savage nature of the worker’s attack. ‘A python? Don’t they crush you to death?’

‘They grab their victims in their coils then swallow them whole.’

Evie shuddered. ‘What sort of victim?’

‘Maybe a deer or a rat,’ said Hyde-Underwood. ‘They have no venom. It looks like this one had just had his tiffin.’ He picked up a stick and poked at the side of the dead snake, rolling it over to reveal a large protuberance in the middle. ‘A small deer I expect.’

Evie turned away. ‘How horrible. Would the creature have been alive when it was swallowed?’ She imagined the animal one minute prowling through the undergrowth and the next being swallowed into the dark interior of a python’s belly.