Hill, at the northern end of the red-soiled valley. It wasn't far. The high casuarina tree screen, with its tangled, lush undermat of plumbago, golden allamanda and hibiscus in which Creole negrillons played hide-and-seek, thinned to show me my objective. Here, indeed, were roses better than the DNI's in Kent, but there the resemblance ended. The cottage was topped by palm-leaf thatch and the slabs of pink coral of which it was built still held some of their underwater colour in the dying sun. My eye did not linger on its beauties. The object of the negrillons' interest was a Royal Navy petty officer with a sub-machine-gun at the gate. In the garden were more men with. 45 Smith and Wessons and a walkietalkie. The petty officer looked severely at me. ' Sorry, sir. No admittance. Orders.'

Tell the DNI it's John Garland-Commander Peace's friend. He'll understand.'

The man's voice held a new respect, but he remained adamant. Nothing I can do about it, sir. It isn't for the DNI to say who comes and goes. I have a list here-" he tapped his pocket-' and you aren't on it.'

Anger and frustration boiled inside me. ' What the devil is all this?' I demanded. The negrillons, sensing a diversion, crept closer, chattering like monkeys. ' What's going on that 24 an armed guard has to be thrown round the home of a harmless old man?'

' I wouldn't say that-'e's very spry still.' The petty officer gave a quick glance round and dropped his voice. Maybe she keeps 'im young, sir,' he leered.

What do you mean?'

Young lady in there.' He grinned. Now wot's 'e got that I ain't?'

My concept of the DNI was shaken.. Peace had spoken of the dedicated aesthete; here was a sailor leching over an old man and his trollop. In St Brandon the islanders will tell you how the women who come from the Seychelles have corrupted the men.