“We must be pretty far south. Do you know about where, Mr. Volence?”

“No, but we can ask the steward. He’ll know.” He called the steward over and was told that they were only a half-hour away from Port of Spain.

“We should be able to see the coastline in a few minutes then,” Mr. Volence told them.

“That’s pretty good traveling,” Alec said. “Breakfast in New York and dinner in South America.”

The steward smiled. “Scheduled flying time is eleven hours and we usually hit it right on the button,” he said. “It’s from Port of Spain to Natal that the trip’s the toughest. We’ll buck head winds all the way tomorrow.”

“Will we leave pretty early in the morning?” Alec asked.

“Six o’clock. If we’re lucky we’ll make Natal in about fifteen hours, which means about nine at night. The following day we hop the Atlantic to a place called Fish Lake in Liberia. Ever hear of it?”

“No,” Alec answered, “but it sounds interesting.” He paused a moment. “Say,” he continued, “you mentioned that we land at Natal at nine … that is, if we’re lucky … and it should be dark by that time. Can you land these ships at night without any trouble?”

“We usually manage.” The steward smiled. “Of course our pilot has to be careful not to hit any crocodiles or floating logs, but other than that there’s nothing to it. You’ll see how he does it when we come into Natal tomorrow night.” His eyes shifted to the window. “There’s the northern coast of Trinidad now. It’ll only be a matter of minutes before we’re at our base. Better put a few things in your overnight bag.” He put his hand on Ibn al Khaldun’s shoulder and shook him gently. The Arab’s eyes opened quickly. “Port of Spain, sir,” the steward told him. Sluggishly Ibn al Khaldun straightened in his seat. He dismissed the steward with a quick jerk of his hand.

Alec felt his dislike for this man grow more and more intense. It was obvious that he did not want to talk to them, and Alec had no intention of encouraging conversation. Ibn al Khaldun zipped his overnight bag shut and then stared vacantly over Mr. Volence’s head, ignoring them all.

Alec turned to the window again. They were only a short distance away from the coast and the plane was gradually descending. The pressure in his eardrums increased and he felt a twinge of pain. He chewed his gum vigorously to relieve the pressure.

“Try swallowing a few times, Alec,” Mr. Volence advised.

A few minutes later they were over the beach and following a small river that wound its way back toward towering cliffs.