And Christ, was he in trouble. Jeez Carew, member of the team, was going to hang. And his faith in the team was slipping.

"Nice morning for a walk. Come on, Carew."

***

The solicitor had driven that morning from Johannesburg because it was useless to telephone for information, and worse than useless to write letters to the Justice Ministry.

He was not shown in to the civil servant's office until after the lunch hour.

It was a brittle meeting. The elderly Afrikaner South African and the young English heritage South African. The man on government pay and the man on private practice.

The solicitor's questions were blunt enough.

Had the decision been taken by the State President on whether James Carew would hang?

The civil servant had parried. "The decision has been taken, but the decision is not yet public."

Could the solicitor's client know of the decision of the State President?

"He'll know when he needs to know."

Surely, if he was going to get clemency then he should be told immediately?

"If he's not going to get clemency then he's better not knowing."

Couldn't the solicitor be given an indication of the State President's thinking?

"Look, I'm not going to tell you what is the State President's opinion. The way we do it is this, the deputy sheriff will go to the gaol not more than four or five days before an execution and he will then inform a prisoner that the appeal to the State President has been turned down. I'm not saying for certain that the sentence will stand in the case of your client, but I can tell you that if it does stand you will know at the same time that Carew knows."

It had been spelled out to him. The young solicitor softened.

"Not for Carew, but for me to know."