““Then came the day Maia had dreaded. The last of the provisions were loaded onto the Arabella --manioc flour and dried beans and oil for the Primus stove and gifts for the Indians. That night Finn came to say good-bye to Furo and the others. “You’re to look after Maia,” he told them. “Promise me you will not let any harm come to her.” And Furo, who had been sulking because he, too, wanted to go with Finn, gave his promise, as did Tapi and Conchita. Only old Lila was inconsolable, weeping and rocking back and forth and declaring that she would be dead before he returned. Watching from her window, Maia saw him come out of Lila’s hurt, and for a moment she thought he was going to leave without saying good-bye. Then he walked across the compound and stood under her window and she heard him whistle the tune that he had whistled on the night she came. Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly, Blow the wind south o’er the bonny blue sea… She ran outside then and hugged him and wished him luck, and she did not cry. “You’re not to spoil it for him,” Minty had said, and she didn’t. But when he had gone, she stood for a long time by the window, trying to remember the words of the song. It was a song begging the wind to bring back someone who had gone away in a ship, but she did not think it ended happily. Well, why should it? Why should the wind care if she never saw Finn again?””
