Part 4 (1/2)
”Now, uns and the other aro but the arest a reasonable figure?”
”Your Excellency, I had in ure before I realized it was you I
was dealing with-” Gareth drew deeply on one of the Prince's Havana cigars, steeling hi to take ”Now, of course, I am prepared merely to cover my costs and leave only a modest profit for my partner and racious gesture
”Two thousand pounds each,” said Gareth quickly, running the words together to , but still Jake almost choked on a htfully ”I see,” he said ”That is probably five times the actual value” Gareth looked shocked ”Your Excellency-” But the Prince silenced hi the last sixand pricing various items of military equipment My dear Swales, please don't insult us both by protesting” There was a long silence and the ats then the Prince sighed
”I could price those weapons but I could not buy The great powers of the world have denied ainst the predator” There was an age of weariness in the dark eyes and sht ”My country is landlocked, as you know, gentlemen We do not have access to the sea
All ih the territories of French and British Somaliland or Italian Eritrea Italy the predator or the French and the British who have placed us under eo” Lij Mikhael sipped at the drink in his hand, and then frowned into the depths of the glass, as though it were a crystal ball and he could read the future there
”The great powers are prepared to deliver us to the Fascist tyrant, with our sword hand eain heavily and then looked up at Gareth His expression changed
”Major Swales, you have offered me a collection of worn and obsolete vehicles and weapons at many times their actual value I am a desperate man I must accept your offer and the price you delanced at Jake
”I must even accept your condition that pay” Gareth sain the Prince silenced him with a raised hand
”In turn I impose only one condition It is vital to my acceptance of your offer You and your partner, Mr Barton, will be responsible for the delivery of all these weapons into the territory of Ethiopia Payment will be ent within the borders of his Imperial Majesty, hail Selassie”
”Good God, h hundreds of miles of hostile territory That's ridiculous!”
”Ridiculous, Major Swales? I think not Your merchandise is of no value to me or to you in Dares Salaam I am your only custoh to buy it from you On the other hand, any attempt that I should make to import it intowatched carefully by agents of all the major powers I know I shall be searched thehere, the lanced frohtfully
”I see your point, Your Excellency”
”You are a reasonable man, Mr
Barton,” said the Prince, and then returned his attention to Gareth, and repeated his last state here it has no value In Ethiopia, it is worth fifteen thousand British sovereigns to you The choice is yours Abandon it or get it into Ethiopia”
”I am appalled,” said Gareth solemnly, as he paced back and forth
”I mean, after all the fellow is an old Etonian
God, I can hardly believe that he would welsh on our agreehtful I mean, I trusted him” Jake was sprawled on the couch in Madame Cecile's private room He had shed his dinner-jacket, and perched on his knee there was a plu lady with a cap of brassy blonde hair She was dressed in a flimsy daffodil coloured dress, the skirts of which had pulled up to show bright blue garters around her ripe thighs Jake eighing one of her ample breasts in his hand with all the concentration of a housewife choosing toled provocatively into his lap
”da,” said Jake
”The ,” protested Gareth, and then seemed for a moment to lose his concentration as Jake's companion unbuttoned the bodice of her wispy dress
”By Jove, Jake, they are rather delicious, what?” and they both regarded the display with interest
”You've got your own, ”Jake reed Gareth, and turned to the junoesque female aited patiently for hilossy black hair was piled upon her head in an elaborate nest of curls and plaits, and she had large, intense, toffee-coloured eyes in a face whose paleness was emphasized by the vividly painted criuidly around his shoulders
”Are you sure neither of thelish?” Gareth called, as he entered into the practised euese, both of them,” Jake assured him ”But you'd better test theht afor your company not a penny This is for love alone” Neither of their expressions changed, and the enfolding movements of sinuous limbs continued without pause
”That settles it,” Gareth opined ”We can talk”
”At a ti to decide e are going to do” Jake made a muffled remark and Gareth adullible old Ethiop of yours has us over a barrel”
repeated Jake with sardonic relish Before he could reply, vivid lips, pouting and red as ripened fruit, closed over Gareth's There was silence for a while until Gareth wrested himself loose and his head popped up mustache in disarray and stained with lipstick
”Jake, what the hell are we going to do?” And Jake told hi precisely what he was about to do
”don'tto tell old Toffee tooods?” Gareth's companion reached up, took hiain
”Jake, for God's sake, concentrate on the probleulfed
”I a his eyes sideways tohis efforts with the pluet four armoured cars ashore on a hostile coast, just for a start then hoe run them two hundredout of the uneht his attention He pulled free and raised himself on one elbow ”I say, your colanced sideways and grinned
”And yours see a sporran, by God”
”Jake, we've got to o or don't we?”
”Action first, decisions later Let's engage the targets”
”Right,” Gareth agreed, realizing the futility of discussion at this ht Steady On Independent rapid fire”
”Shoot!” cried Gareth, and the conversation languished
It was half an hour before it was resuling and black ties discarded, poring over a large-scale map of the East African coast that Madauarded coast line” Gareth traced the great horn of Africa in the light of the Petroer inland ”And this is marked as semi-desert all the way to the border We aren't likely to run into a crowd”
”It's a hell of a way tothen?” Gareth looked up
”You knoe are”
”Yes,” Gareth laughed ”I knoe are
Fifteen thousand sovereigns say we have to” ij Mikhael received their decision with a curt nod and then asked, ”Have you planned yet how you will accomplish this task? Perhaps I can be of assistance, I know the coast well and estured for one of his advisers to spread a er across it, as he spoke