Airship Stowaway

Aboard the Lady Guinevere

Being back in an airship, and seeing the world from a familiar vantage point, Joanna was in her element. She didn't know where to look first: at the view of Tibet's mountains sliding below, at Monmouth's assured handling of the controls, at the sumptuous wood and leather of the cockpit? She decided to concentrate on the view, as they would not be above Tibet for the entire voyage, and so she would no doubt have an opportunity to pay attention to the rest later. 

The view out of the panoramic windshield was breathtaking. Tibet's mountains stretched away, grey and white under the harsh, thin sunlight. Here and there were valleys of pale green and dun, and the occasional lake. Far to the south-west, the mountains grew ever higher, becoming the mighty Himalayas. 

"Have you ever seen Everest?" Joanna asked Monmouth. 

"No. But I have flown past K2."

"What's that?"

"K2 is the second highest mountain in the world."

"Why does it have such a strange name?"

Monmouth laughed. "That's a good question. The reason is that an English surveyor worked his way down the whole Karakoram range in the last century, measuring the heights of all the peaks. He named them K1, K2, and so on, in the order in which he found them, purely as a temporary device, until he could find out what the native peoples called each one."

"So what happened?"

"Well, he did find the local names for all the other mountains. But it seemed no-one had ever named K2. It's not visible from any nearby settlement, so none of the locals seemed to know of its existence."

"So the temporary name stuck?"

Monmouth nodded. "Yes. I suppose no-one thought there was any point in making up a name. So K2 is its name still."

Just then there was the sound of a throat being gently cleared, and Joanna turned in her seat to see a man dressed in a butler's uniform, standing at the door to the flight deck. 

"Excuse me, sir, but at what time would you and the young gentleman be taking lunch?" asked the man. 

"Ah, yes, Lawson. This is Jo," said Monmouth without turning round. 

"Very good, sir," said Lawson. "I hope you are well, Master Jo?"

"Yes thank you, Mr Lawson," replied Joanna. 

A smile flickered on the corners of Lawson's mouth. "It's just Lawson, young master."

Monmouth grinned. "We'll have lunch at noon, Lawson."

"Very good, sir. Will there be anything else?"

"Nothing, thank you."

With a nod, Lawson withdrew. 

Joanna resumed staring out at the view. She suspected that the man and his servant were laughing at her behind her back, and the thought was annoying. Of course she knew that one addressed a butler simply by his last name, but she had never met a real butler before, and it had seemed rude for her, a young person, to address an older man by his surname. 

She was supposed to be back among her own people, but she felt more out of place than she had in Tibet!

Well, not really. But it was true that she felt more comfortable with Lopsang and Deepak than she did with this elegant man and his servant. 

But then that was only to be expected; she had only just met Monmouth, whereas she had known Lopsang much longer. 

She stared out at the view. Soon she would be home, and able to put this whole thing behind him. 

Precisely at noon Lawson returned. "Luncheon is served, sir. May I take the controls?"

"Please do, Lawson," replied Monmouth, sliding out of his seat. He stood up straight, stretching and yawning. "Come along, Jo."

Leaving Lawson at the controls, Joanna followed Monmouth down the companionway to the dining room. 

On the elegant oak table there was a lunch of cold chicken, potato salad, and water biscuits. 

"Sit down, please! Help yourself. I'm sure you're glad to see Western food again," said Monmouth, smiling broadly. 

Joanna sat and ate. She found herself missing the warm and salty butter tea, and the tsampa. Eating and drinking with the novices had been such an involving experience, making the dough balls, chatting and laughing, tea steaming. Eating cold food with knife and fork in polite silence, in these elegant surroundings, seemed cold and restrained in comparison. 

After lunch Monmouth returned to take the controls from Lawson, who took the opportunity to show Joanna around the Lady Guinevere. In addition to the dining room there were several large and luxurious cabins, a small but gleaming galley, and Monmouth's study. 

"And this will be your cabin," said Lawson, opening another oak-panelled door, and ushering Joanna into a snug single cabin at the rear of the gondola. "My cabin is just opposite, should you need anything." And with that he withdrew. 

Joanna sat down on the bunk. She felt that she ought to feel happier about going home, and of course she was looking forward to seeing her mother again, but she felt a sadness when she thought about her time in the Potala Palace. It already seemed like a strange and wonderful dream. Had she really seen and done all those things? She felt as if she were in limbo between two worlds. 

Joanna spent the afternoon lying on her bunk, staring out of the cabin window at the passing countryside, much as she had done in Rasmussen's ship. Finally she felt that she was being silly; she was free to move around the ship, so she ought to take advantage.