I hung around, seized a water-skin as soon as I could, whipped it behind a cushion and continued my tasks. As soon as she let me go I dashed out, hiding the skin in the folds of my skirt, past the General who turned to stare rather at me. Head down, I pelted with the stolen goods to Smahil’s tent.

He was breathing heavily when I went in; the torch had nearly guttered and so far as I could see he hadn’t moved at all since I’d been in half an hour ago. I leaned closer; his breathing really was stentorious. At first I thought he was unconscious; then he stirred and said, “What—time to march already?”

“Hush, it’s still night-time.”

“Not Cija?”

“You sound incredulous.”

“I thought you weren’t going to come any more—”

I was unscrewing the leather top and now set it to his lips. He gasped and his eyes squinted down and widened. His mouth took an immediate greedy sucking grip round the bottle-neck and he gulp-gulp-gulped until I stopped him.

He reached feebly but angrily for the bottle and I hit his hand away.

“Stupid, you can’t have all now. Besides, you’d be sick. Couldn’t come earlier, she wouldn’t let me go. She was upset because I was late in.”

“My fault.”

“Don’t worry. I wonder if coolness would help that bite? Is it burning?”

“No, it’s only tight. Don’t waste water on it. How I’d love some on my forehead, though.”

“I don’t think I’d better—have you any water still in your mouth?”

“Yes, I’m swilling it round.”

“Spit it out on this bandage, it’ll be cool on your forehead. Cooler than this air—if you call it air—”

I pressed the cooled moistened wad of stuff on his brow, his cheeks, his chin, the dusty arch of his throat, and by then the virtue had gone out it it; but his breathing lightened and I left him for a moment to light two more torches. By the new brightness I saw that his eyelids had been lowered and his mouth smoothed with an expression of relief, but the splodge of poisonous colour had spread, like ink on porous paper, to either side and up to the base of his throat.

I did not go to my own bed that night.