Free Solomon's Song by Bryce Courtenay Page B

must respond to such verbosity, laughs, puts his hand to his head, fingering his short, negroid, unplaitable hair. ‘Not much good if you’re a nigger,’ he says.
    ‘By George! I never thought of that!’ the doctor replies. ‘An excellent observation if I may say so, sir.’
    Hawk grins, grateful that he has been elevated to ’sir’, says quietly, ‘From what I’ve read of the American Civil War it is unlikely they’d have stopped to suture a nigger, Dr Spencer.’
    ‘Quite right, quite right, poor old negro was what the fight was all about though God knows, the niggers don’t seem to have gained much benefit from the victory.’
    ‘Doctor, of a more immediate concern, how do I rid a head of hair of lice and nits without shaving it off?’
    ‘Good Lord, m’boy, there’s no nits in your hair, I’d have spotted them a mile off if they were there.’
    ‘Not for me,’ Hawk replies, growing impatient with the loquacious medical man.
    ‘Oh, in that case you would purchase from any chemist shop a solution of half five per cent oleate of mercury and half ether.’ The doctor then proceeds to show Hawk how the delousing might be done.
    Leaving the doctor, who has given him a bottle of permanganate of potash to prevent infection to his ear, Hawk takes a pony trap into the centre of town and, with some embarrassment to himself and the young shop assistants concerned, purchases a suitable gown, bonnet, boots, hosiery and underwear for Tommo’s daughter at Kirkaldie and Stains emporium. He includes with his purchases a cake of perfumed soap and a towel. As a small apology for his clumsy treatment the previous day, he also buys a bottle of toilet water and a scarf to cover the noticeable bruise on Hinetitama’s neck. After these awkward purchases Hawk visits a nearby chemist shop and purchases the delousing solution.
    The tavern where they have spent the night has no washing facilities for women so Hawk takes Hinetitama, together with all her packages, to the public bathhouse. He waits outside while she gives herself a good scrubbing down and carefully explains to the female bathhouse attendant how he wishes to delouse her hair.
    ‘Gotta shave it, mister. Ain’t no other way. Shave it right orf then wash the ‘ead in pariffin,’ the woman says.
    Hawk produces a florin. ‘Do as I say and there’s another of these for you, missus.’
    The woman sighs, ‘It’s your money, sir.’
    ‘Oh, and burn her old clothes,’ Hawk adds.
    ‘Burn ‘em? Seem orright t’me.’
    ‘Just do as I say, please.’
    The woman clucks her tongue but protests no further. ‘Cost yer sixpence.’
    Delousing Hinetitama’s hair is a most laborious process involving a towel, the chemist’s solution, and a fine-tooth comb, which the woman calls a nit-comb. Tommo’s daughter’s hair is washed several times but when the process is complete her hair shines long and beautiful.
    They sail out of Wellington Harbour on the evening tide, Hawk having purchased the last two available cabins from the Union Steamship Co. The Wakatipu, a screw steamer of 1158 tons, will take just five days to reach Sydney.
    *
    Hinetitama sulks in her cabin for the first two days. On the third she emerges, having cut and stitched and hemmed the overlarge gown Hawk has purchased for her with needle and thread borrowed from one of the ladies in the next-door cabin through the intermediary services of a young cabin steward smitten by her beauty. It now fits her slender young body and tiny waist almost to perfection. Though by no means mollified, she behaves politely enough towards her uncle while offering no conversation whatsoever to any of the other passengers.
    Hawk, for his part, does not expect her to apologise to him or even necessarily forgive him for rescuing her. She has not been asked if she will accompany him to Tasmania and he has, he supposes, effectively kidnapped her.
    But as Hinetitama’s strong young body recovers, seemingly without any harmful