Beruh

Perfect from every point of view.

“Beruh’s ass as he climbs the coconut palm is an amazing thing.

“The prince stands with me watching, and we watch from twenty and then thirty and then fifty feet below as the man bones up as he climbs, his flimsy robe loose and taken by the breeze, and he is a sight that is impressive even from such a distance. His machete makes its hard whacks into the wood, sending the coconuts flying down to us. They bounce along the beach till at last the sand can grasp them and slow them down. I send the boy running.

“‘Lord, may I say something?’ Beruh asks, as he jumps the last ten feet and runs to where I stand, full of congratulation for his efforts.

“I nod an encouragement, and wonder if a mystery is now to be solved.”