and dived in among the bright shoals of angel fish that flitted through the water. Robert followed him. They scrambled back over the side and dived again, staying underwater for as long as they could hold their breaths.
‘I’m going in,’ Joshua announced, perched for his last dive, toes curled over the edge of the boat. ‘You coming?’
‘I want to stay a bit longer,’ Robert said. ‘Tell Mum I’ll be back soon.’
Josua shrugged. ‘See you,’ he said, and dived overboard , striking for shore. Back on the beach he shook the water from his hair, pulled on his shirt and set off to the point where the path ran inwards to the centre of the village. When he reached the bend that curved round the graveyard he could hear loud and ragged shouting somewhere up ahead. Chickens scuttled towards him, squawking in alarm.
Joshua wondered what was up. Nearer the clearing, he noticed a roughness in the sound of the voices and he slowed down. There was anger, and something else. He shivered despite the heat of the day.
All the men from the village compound seemed to be gathered in the clearing, their backs to him. They were jammed so tightly together that he could not see what the source of the trouble was.
Joshua retreated to the high, bulging root of a tree. He stepped on to it, clutching the scratchy trunk for support, trying to see over their heads.
The men were facing the shop, his father’s shop. They shuffled back a step or two in unison, then tightened up again. There was no shouting now.
A cardinal bird sang brightly just above Joshua’s head and he looked up for an instant as the flash of red caught his eye. When he looked back, he saw that his father had come out of the shop.
A voice spoke. Joshua couldn’t hear what was being said.
His father said something in response.
The crowd answered with a swelling noise that sounded like growling.
His father didn’t move.
A man at the rear of the crowd jerked back his arm and threw something. There was the sound of stone on stone as it hit the wall near Joshua’s father. Another missile followed.
His father! They were throwing stones at his father!
Joshua jumped down from the root. He ran to the back of the crowd and tried to push his way through, but they were packed so tight that he could make no headway.
‘Take it down! Take it down!’ the men chanted hoarsely.
Joshua took a few steps back and jumped to try to see what was going on now. His father was setting the ladder up against the shop front.
Joshua ran back at the crowd, braver all of a sudden. ‘Dad!’ he shouted. He butted one man he had seen throwing a stone. ‘Dad!’ he screamed. The manstumbled and Joshua was able to squeeze past. Clawing and kicking, he worked his way through the crowd till he was nearly at the shop.
When they saw who it was, the last row parted in silence for him.
His father was at the top of the ladder and had reached the pig. He didn’t seem to have heard Joshua. He was fumbling at the brackets holding the pig in place. It was taking him far longer to unscrew them than it had when the two of them had fitted them together the previous night. A screw slipped from his hand and he tried to catch it. A stir in the crowd showed where it had fallen.
Joshua tried to catch the eye of the man beside him, and then the man next to that, but they stared ahead impassively. He turned to the person behind and nudged him. It was Simon. ‘Why …?’ he began, but when Simon looked down at him and Joshua saw the anger in his eyes, he fell silent.
The pig was free now. His father stood at the top of the ladder, cradling it in his arms, unable to move. Joshua knew how heavy it was.
‘Let me through!’ he shouted, his voice shrill.
Two men blocking the doorway to the shop stood aside for him.
Joshua went inside. He tugged at the wooden butcher’s table. It moved only a fraction. He tugged again. Hecould see his father’s legs on the ladder outside. They were shaking slightly.
‘I’m going in,’ Joshua announced, perched for his last dive, toes curled over the edge of the boat. ‘You coming?’
‘I want to stay a bit longer,’ Robert said. ‘Tell Mum I’ll be back soon.’
Josua shrugged. ‘See you,’ he said, and dived overboard , striking for shore. Back on the beach he shook the water from his hair, pulled on his shirt and set off to the point where the path ran inwards to the centre of the village. When he reached the bend that curved round the graveyard he could hear loud and ragged shouting somewhere up ahead. Chickens scuttled towards him, squawking in alarm.
Joshua wondered what was up. Nearer the clearing, he noticed a roughness in the sound of the voices and he slowed down. There was anger, and something else. He shivered despite the heat of the day.
All the men from the village compound seemed to be gathered in the clearing, their backs to him. They were jammed so tightly together that he could not see what the source of the trouble was.
Joshua retreated to the high, bulging root of a tree. He stepped on to it, clutching the scratchy trunk for support, trying to see over their heads.
The men were facing the shop, his father’s shop. They shuffled back a step or two in unison, then tightened up again. There was no shouting now.
A cardinal bird sang brightly just above Joshua’s head and he looked up for an instant as the flash of red caught his eye. When he looked back, he saw that his father had come out of the shop.
A voice spoke. Joshua couldn’t hear what was being said.
His father said something in response.
The crowd answered with a swelling noise that sounded like growling.
His father didn’t move.
A man at the rear of the crowd jerked back his arm and threw something. There was the sound of stone on stone as it hit the wall near Joshua’s father. Another missile followed.
His father! They were throwing stones at his father!
Joshua jumped down from the root. He ran to the back of the crowd and tried to push his way through, but they were packed so tight that he could make no headway.
‘Take it down! Take it down!’ the men chanted hoarsely.
Joshua took a few steps back and jumped to try to see what was going on now. His father was setting the ladder up against the shop front.
Joshua ran back at the crowd, braver all of a sudden. ‘Dad!’ he shouted. He butted one man he had seen throwing a stone. ‘Dad!’ he screamed. The manstumbled and Joshua was able to squeeze past. Clawing and kicking, he worked his way through the crowd till he was nearly at the shop.
When they saw who it was, the last row parted in silence for him.
His father was at the top of the ladder and had reached the pig. He didn’t seem to have heard Joshua. He was fumbling at the brackets holding the pig in place. It was taking him far longer to unscrew them than it had when the two of them had fitted them together the previous night. A screw slipped from his hand and he tried to catch it. A stir in the crowd showed where it had fallen.
Joshua tried to catch the eye of the man beside him, and then the man next to that, but they stared ahead impassively. He turned to the person behind and nudged him. It was Simon. ‘Why …?’ he began, but when Simon looked down at him and Joshua saw the anger in his eyes, he fell silent.
The pig was free now. His father stood at the top of the ladder, cradling it in his arms, unable to move. Joshua knew how heavy it was.
‘Let me through!’ he shouted, his voice shrill.
Two men blocking the doorway to the shop stood aside for him.
Joshua went inside. He tugged at the wooden butcher’s table. It moved only a fraction. He tugged again. Hecould see his father’s legs on the ladder outside. They were shaking slightly.
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