When the Singing Stops (11 page)

‘Oh yes. Guyana people know colonial people real well,' he laughed. Madison let the remark pass but she knew there was a sub-text to it she didn't understand. ‘Yo want to be like dis lady?' he asked smiling.

Madison felt a little annoyed at the question, not so much that it implied something slightly absurd, but because Lester had seemingly read her thoughts. Yes, she actually did have an instant liking for the woman, or at least for the bold individualism and sense of adventure the image conveyed. ‘Why not?' she asked looking him in the eye and closing the book more firmly than she had intended.

‘Ohhh,' he crooned and raised both hands in front of his face in mock defence. ‘If yo really want to go into de jungle like dis lady, den yo do it. Dat way yo will really get to know dis country. Maybe still find something colonial dere,' he added, then quickly changed the subject. ‘Yo want to borrow dis book?'

‘Yes. Can I become a member of the library?'

‘No worries. I'm a member. Yo can use my card.'

They walked down towards a desk where a handful of people queued to record their borrowings. ‘You're a surprising man, Lester.' She tried to imagine a Sydney taxi driver lending her his library card.

‘Ah well. I'm one of de lucky ones. Got some education, but got de gold bug too. Driving, I can take up and put down any time I like. Maybe one day I'll get what yo First World people have lots of—ambition.' He paused and smiled. ‘But maybe not. Ambition is not a big ting in Guyana.' Madison had already reached that conclusion.

The library clerk studied the book and the card carefully and looked from Madi to Lester. She opened the book to put in the date stamp but then paused and turned to the page with the picture of the author. She examined it and grinned, then looked at Madison. ‘Hey, yo going after diamonds too?'

Madison forced herself to remain even tempered. ‘Who knows? It might be fun.'

Finally the date stamp was impressed on the slip of paper attached to the cover, recording the first borrowing of the book for thirty years.

As they reached the car Lester opened the door. ‘If yo do go after diamonds, be sure to take yo frog with yo.'

Madison was slightly surprised to see that he was quite serious and she was about to question him when he went on. ‘How about taking a look at a real local hammock. Dey be ideal for de diamond trail.' He grinned and gave a deprecating shrug to take the bite out of the quip. ‘At de same time yo can meet some more of de locals. Amerindians. Dey spend enough time in dem, so dey should know how to make dem.' He laughed again. ‘Hammock be an Arawak tribe word. Dey spun de cotton which was grown by de Arecunas and de Macushis made de hammocks. Now it be more a town business,' he added.

‘Will it take long? How far is it? Not out of town I hope?'

‘No. I'll take yo to the Amerindian hostel where de people stay in Georgetown. Still have yo back in time for lunch.' He raised both hands in a gesture of openness. ‘Trust me.'

Madison couldn't help but smile and agree. ‘Okay. Lead on. You haven't led me astray yet.'

They left the main streets and began travelling down narrow potholed and garbage-littered back streets. The smell of poverty drifted into the car, which was emitting a significant number
of loud rattles despite Lester's efforts to avoid the worst of the potholes. Madison felt obliged to raise her voice, ‘What exactly is an Amerindian?' she shouted over the rattles.

‘Ah, I give yo another lesson, dis one about where de natives come from. I was taught at school dat de Indians came from Asia to America over de Bering Strait which was den a sort of bridge between de two continents.'

‘Well that must be going back some time.'

‘Many tousands of years . . . and dey kept moving south till dey reached South America. Over de centuries Amerindian civilisations sprang up all over . . . de Aztec and Pueblo in North America, de Maya in Central America and de Inca and Chibcha in South America. Dere descendants make up de nine tribes in Guyana today.' He gave her a cheeky grin. ‘Someone yo might know of befriended de Amerindians when he was here looking for de gold of El Dorado.'

‘I know. Sir Walter Raleigh.'

‘Top o' de class. He one smart man. He treat de Indians good and dey help him. De English and de Dutch get dem on dere side and protect dem and in return de natives hunt down de runaway slaves. Lot of Negroes still don' like de Amerindians because of dat.'

‘How do you feel about them?' asked Madison bluntly, since he was being so open.

‘I have good friends up de river. In de villages dey lead de life like dey always have, dat's
okay. But now tings be changing in some places and it's hard fo dem. Dey should have same tings as everybody else, but de government mess tings up—fo everybody. But I spend time with dem and I can see de tribes getting radical. Soon dey make a voice in dis country and not stay quiet in de forest.'

Lester spoke with some heat. ‘All we Guyanese want is fairness fo everyone. It's not right people with de power make corruption and take money. De poor people see dis and cheat and teef to get money to get a better life or get out. Who goin' t'make dis country strong, eh? Amerindian people no can go and live happy in Miami like some of us. Dey only want here.'

‘It's a problem all over the world I think, Lester,' said Madi quietly. ‘But what can we do about it?'

‘Sometimes, some of us have to find a way to help. No good everyone wait fo someone else t'fix tings up.'

They pulled into the yard of a simple rambling double-storeyed building. A broken truck was sunk in weeds and a tethered goat lay in the shade of a tree. A small shop flanked the entrance to the Amerindian hostel and a shy dark-eyed young girl peeped from the doorway.

‘Who stays here?'

‘Children be chosen from various villages and brought down to experience de city and get a better education. Dey stay for a year. Den go back to de village.'

‘Don't they find it hard after what they've seen in Georgetown?'

‘I've got Amerindian friends whose children be homesick. Some go back early. But dey all go back eventually taking experiences dat can help de village. Most of dem don't like de city. Some come down to stay ‘cause dey sick. Dey come for treatment in de hospital and with specialist doctors. Malaria, typhoid are big sickness dat send dem down here. Most times dey look after demselves. Forest medicine. Take a long time to get specialist doctor from Georgetown up to de interior. Another reason, de Amerindians getting organised.' He nodded towards the upper floor. ‘De big chief is up dere.'

‘Organised, you mean politically?'

‘Yeah. Dey be a gentle sweet people. Dey mind dere own business, keep to demselves. But now, big business, logging, de mines, de trouble in de rivers, no good fo dem.'

‘What do you mean trouble in the rivers?'

‘Sick fish. Poison in de water, trees cut down, big diggings round de hunting grounds. Dere old life gone.'

‘Is the environment a big issue here?'

Lester continued in his thick patois. ‘Man, we all know dat word. De calypso boys sing 'bout dat, oh my yes. We know 'bout dat en-vi-ro-ment right enough.'

They walked into the small shop. It was colourful and cluttered, filled with baskets, mats, decorations, fish traps, ornaments, mostly
made from woven grasses and wood. Lester watched Madison admire the strong intricate floor mats. ‘Dey made from tibisiri, taken from de heart of de Eta palm. Wear a long time.'

Strung around one wall was a selection of string hammocks. ‘Dese be de best ones, very soft, very strong. Can get wet, won't rot quick,' said Lester. ‘See even bebbe ones.' He held out a mini baby hammock.

‘Oh, that is adorable.'

‘Yo got babies?' asked Lester.

‘No.'

He lifted down a pale string hammock. ‘Here, dis one be good for yo. Yo tie it up like dis.' He showed her how to knot the strong twine ropes around a pole. He gave a tug and the knot slid into place, holding firm. ‘Yo sleep deep in dis one, de sides come up and almost cover yo. Keep out bad boys.'

‘What?'

‘Insects. Yo take a mosquito net and waterproof sheet and yo be set to sleep in the jungle.'

The memory of the picture of Gwen with her gun and her bush outfit came to Madison's mind. ‘Right, I'll take it.'

They left the shop and walked across the compound as two young boys strolled past them, swinging schoolbags, speaking a language Madison had never heard. They exchanged shy smiles and disappeared into the building.

‘Can we look around?'

‘Dere be nothing to see. De dormitories, de
dining hall, some offices. Dis place be very basic.'

Madison felt there was more behind the facade of simple buildings than she was being allowed to see. And whatever it was, she suspected Lester was part of it. Could this be the seat of a new political movement?

As if to support her thoughts, a man came through the gate and hailed Lester as they reached the taxi. Lester exchanged greetings and shook hands. The man was a striking-looking Amerindian with coppery olive skin, a broad flat face with wide dark eyes, a finely sculptured nose. His sleek dark hair was woven with red threads falling in a long tightly bound braid down his back. He wore a coarse cotton shirt with a geometric design woven into it.

The brief exchange between the two men meant nothing to Madison until Lester waved a hand in her direction. ‘Madison Wright, a new visitor to Guyana. She be goin' to look for diamonds in de interior.'

Madison gave an embarrassed laugh. ‘Well, it would be nice. I'm not quite sure how to go about it all . . . I'm actually here visiting my brother.'

‘I am Xavier. Xavier Rodrigues.' The Amerindian man flashed her a wide smile showing perfect even white teeth. ‘You're not English.'

‘Australian.'

‘Ah. Another outpost of the former British
Empire. I hope you do come to the interior, Miss Wright. We are persuading visitors to our country to come and see for themselves.'

As Xavier grinned, Madi noticed behind him a business-suited man hurrying into the hostel. For a minute, he reminded her of Antonio Destra, the man she'd met at the airport. Then two bright-eyed girls came out of the building carrying half-finished woven baskets and sat on the ground under a tree, chattering softly as they began weaving the long strands of dried grasses. As the men talked about a meeting planned at the hostel, Madison reached into her shoulder bag looking for her camera. She put her books and the tiny carved frog on the ground beside her bag and lifted out her camera, giving Lester a querying look.

‘Sure, sure it be okay. Dey making tings for de shop.'

She crouched down before the giggling girls and took their photo. When she turned back Xavier was holding her wooden frog.

‘Where did you get this one?'

‘I bought it from an artist friend of Lester,' she said. He handed the carving back to her and stared at her intently. ‘You chose well. The golden frog will always look out for you.' For a moment Madison felt something quiver inside her, a hint, a portent, that this would not be the last she'd see of this intriguing man.

Matthew's car was in the driveway when they pulled up. Madi paid Lester and took the scrap of paper on which he wrote his home phone number. ‘If yo need to go anywhere, phone me, okay?'

‘I will. Thanks so much, Lester. It's been a great morning.'

‘Enjoy de day.' He drove off with a wave as Singh held the gate open.

‘Mr Matt back. He worried where yo be, mistress.'

Madison ran to the door and was halfway up the stairs as Matthew came down and they met on the small landing in the middle, hugging effusively. ‘Hey, Madi. You had us in a bit of a stir.'

‘I'm sorry the time got away, I had such a fascinating morning. Oh Matt, it's so good to see you.' She hugged him again and he grinned at her.

‘I'm glad you're here, sis.' He only called her ‘sis' in moments of extreme affection. Holding hands they went upstairs.

Hyacinth appeared in the kitchen door. ‘I figured dat taxi man spirit yo away,' she said with a relieved smile. ‘Yo call other taxi next time.'

‘No, no, Lester was great. I'm going to hire him all the time.'

‘Where did you go, what took so long?' asked Matthew. ‘Come on out on the balcony. Hyacinth, bring us some tea and Madison's lunch please. So what news from home?'

‘I've brought you Vegemite and Vita-Weats and Mum and Dad have sent you a new beach towel.'

‘A beach towel? Have you seen the beach!' Matthew laughed. ‘God luv 'em. Are they well?'

‘Fighting fit. Now tell me, what's happening with you? AusGeo won the management contract, but what does that mean?'

‘It means we have to get the mine producing more bauxite more efficiently. Kevin has to get the whole system working better so I can sell it off. The local boss Lennie Krupuk has departed. Gawd, we're starting to uncover some ludicrous expenditure and waste. You must come out and have a look around. It's a great trip up the river. We went in the luxury company cruiser Krupuk bought. Now that and the weekender he bought for the company are being sold. Bit of a drive but not too bad.'