Part 6 (1/2)
”I think that's rather Mr Barton's department,” she said
”Jake,” said Jake
”Vicky,” said Vicky
This whole business was turning out very well indeed A good story to chase, a worthy cause to support, another daring escapade to add to the blooues had dared the League's sanctions and violated international frontiers with a gang of gun-runners to file a story
As a bonus, there were two attractive ood indeed, just as long as she kept it all on a et into an uproar once any forest, and she smiled secretly to herself as she watched Gareth and Jake jockeying for position beside her However, when they reached the clearing, Gareth stopped abruptly
”What now? ”he de's idea,” explained Jake ”Make people think twice before they start shooting at us” The four vehicles were now painted a glistening snohite, and the turrets were e scarlet cross
”if the French or the Italians try to stop us, we are a unit of armoured a and I are doctors, and Vicky is a nursing sister”
”My God, you have been busy” Vicky was impressed
”Also the white paint will be cooler in the desert,” Greg explained seriously ”They call it the ”Great Burn” with good reason”
”The carrying racks I designed,” said Jake ”Each vehicle will be able to carry two forty-gallon druasoline and one of water at the rear of the turret The crates of arms and ammunition ill distribute between the four of them and rope them down here across the sponsons, - I have welded cleats here to take the ropes”
”The crates will be a dead giveaway,” objected Gareth
”They are alland re-label them as medical supplies, ”Jake told him, then took Vicky's arm ”I've chosen this one for you She's the most docile and friendly of the four”
”Do they have characters of their own?” Vicky teased hihed at the seriousness of his reply
”They are just like women My iron ladies,” he slapped the nearestexcept that her rear suspension is slightly out of align serious, however, but it's why her narow to love her ”Jake walked on and kicked the tyre of the next car ”This one is the bitch of the party She tried to break my wrist the very first ti I'm the only one who can handle her She doesn't lovehas chosen this one and called her Tenastelin which ht, but I doubt it Greg is a bit funny about that sort of thing
He tells ster ”Gareth, this one is yours she has a brand new carburettor I think it is only fair you should enjoy her, since you are the one who risked all to obtain it”
”Oh?” Vicky's eyes lit with interest, the news-hound in her aroused ”What happened?”
”It's a long story,” Jake grinned, ”but it involved a long and dangerous ride on a cahed, but Jake went on remorselessly, ”She shall therefore be known in future as Henrietta the Hump the Hump for short”
”How very cute,” said Vicky
After h the dark and sleeping streets of the old town The steel shutters were closed down over the headlights so that only a narrow strip of light was thrown forwards and doards The engines were idling as theyspeed under the trees whose spread branches hung over the road and hid the stars
The cars were heavily loaded the burden that each of the, trenching tools and ca equipment
Gareth Swales led the colus and a white jersey with the I Zingari cricket colours adorning the neck and cuffs He was ht become aware of his imminent departure, for there was a bill for three weeks” board outstanding and a forned with the Swales flourish for chane supplied Gareth would definitely feel happier out at sea
Gregorius Maryam followed him closely His hereditary title was Gerazinach, ”Co', and his warrior blood coursed through his veins s of the Coptic Christian Church, so that his eyes shone with an al h and inexperienced enough to look on the dirty bloody business of war as solamorous andMiss Wobbly with cohted with her ability to judge the engine beat, and to ht touch on clutch and stick She too was excited by the prospect of adventure, and new experience That afternoon she had filed her preli five thousand words by the new airmail service that would deposit them on her editor's desk in New York within ten days
She had explained the background, the clear intent of Benito Mussolini to annex the sovereign territories of Ethiopia, the world's indifference, the aro ”Do not delude yourselves” she had written, ”into the belief that I a
What is about to happen in the mountains of northern Africa will shaone on to expose the intention of the great nations to prevent her reaching the eht She had ended the despatch, ”Your correspondent has rejected this restriction placed upon her roup of intrepid o, and to carry through the closed territories a quantity of aruered nation By the time you read this, we shall have failed and have died upon the desert coast of Africa, which the natives fearfully call the ”Great Burn” or we shall have succeeded We shall have landed by night froh hundreds ofwith an Ethiopian prince I hope that in my next despatch, I shall be able to describe our journey to you, but if the Gods of chance decree otherwise at least we shall have tried” Vicky was very pleased with the first article In her usual fla” bit which gave a touch of local colour It had everything: dra
She knew that the coloith anticipation
Behind her Jake Barton followed He listened with half his attention to the engine beat of the Pig For no apparent reason, except perhaps a preht refused to start Jake had cranked her until his arh the fuel syste part that could possibly be at fault
Then, after another hour of tinkering, she had started and run sweetly, without giving the slightest hint of what had prevented her doing so earlier
With the other half of his attention, he wasout his preparations knowing that this was his last chance to fill any gaps in his list It was one hell of a long trail from Month to the Wells of Chaldi and not many service stations on the road The pontoon raft of drums had been stowed aboard the HirondeUe that afternoon, and each car carried its own means of sustenance and survival a load which taxed their ancient suspensions and body work Thus Jake's conscious ut ed his blood with adrenaline There had been another night like this, ine beat drulow of star shell in the sky ahead, the distant juddering of a Maxiap in the wire and the sorius Maryalories
apadopoulos aiting for the a hurricane laave hinalled the colued crearmed off the deck of the Hirondelle on to the stone wharf
It was clear that they were accustoht As each car was driven forward, it was stripped of its burden of druo nets Then they thrust sturdy wooden pallets under the chassis of the car and fixed the heavy henal froines and the lines ran through the blocks on the booms of the derricks
The bulky cars rose slowly and then swung inboard
The whole operation was carried out swiftly, with no raised voices or unnecessary noise Only aines and then the thu on the deck
”These fellows know their business” Gareth watched approvingly, then turned to Jake ”I'll go down to the
harbourWe'll be ready to sail in an hour or so” He sauntered away and disappeared into the shadows
”Let's inspect the accoested, and took Vicky's arplank to the deck and only then did they get the first whiff of the slave stench By the tiotiations with bills of lading showing a consignment of four ambulances and medical supplies to the International Red Cross association at Alexandria, the others had le tiny odoriferous cabin which Papadopoulos had put at their disposal and decided to leave it to the cockroaches and bed bugs which were already in residence
”It's only a few days” sailing I think I prefer the open deck
If it rains, we can take shelter in the cars” Jake spoke for all of thehts of Dares Salaaine of the schooner thumped under their feet and the sweet cool sea breeze washed over the deck, cleansing their nostrils and mouths of the slave stench
Vicky akened by the brilliance of the starlight shi+ning into her face and she opened her eyes and stared up at a sky that blazed with the splendours Of the universe, as fields and seas of pearly light swirled across the heavens
Quietly she slipped out of her blankets and went to the shi+p's rail The sea was lustrous glittering sable; each wave seemed to be carved from some solid and precious ht and through it the shi+p's wake gloith phosphorescence like a trail of green fire
The sea as the touch of lovers” hands against her skin and in her hair, the great mainsail whispered above her head, and there was an alht
When Gareth came up silently behind her and slipped his arms about her waist, she did not even turn her head, but lay back against hiue and tease As she herself had written, she ht was too beautiful to let it pass