Part 13 (1/2)
”And now there cohts as free men An enemy so powerful, armed with such terrible weapons, that even the hearts of the warriors of Tigre and Shoo shrivelled in their breasts like diseased fruit” The old Ras was panting now, and a scanty sweat trickled from under the tall lion headdress and ran down the wrinkled black cheeks
”But now, my children, powerful friends have coht to us weapons as powerful as those of our eneer must we fear” Jake realized suddenly what pathetic store the Ras had placed in the worn and obsolete warthe hty armies of Italy on even teruilt He knew that a week after he left, the four armoured cars would be piles of junk There was nowho could keep their elderly and teht into action before the engines expired, they would present a threat only to unsupported infantry The ed with Italian armour they would be instantly and hopelessly out-classed Even the light Italian CV3 tanks would be iuns that the cars mounted, while in return the thin steel of the cars would offer no protection fro shell that the enemy fired There would be no one to explain all this to the Ras and teach him how to achieve the best from the puny weapons he commanded
Jake visualized the first and probably the last battle that Ras Golay, he would certainly throw in all his force aruns, obsolete rifles and swords in a single frontal attack This was the way he had fought all his battles and the way he would fight the last
Jake Barton felt his heart go out to the gallant ancient, who stood now shouting a challenge to a modern military power, prepared to defend to the death as his and Jake felt a curious sense of recklessness It was a reaction that he kneell and usually it led hiet it,” he told himself firmly ”It's their war Take the money and run ”Then suddenly he looked across the dimly lit cave to where Vicky Camberwell sat She listened to the old Ras with misty eyes, and her expression was enchanted as she leaned her golden head close to the dark curly head of Sara Sagud, not wanting to miss a word of the translation
Now she saw Jake watching her, and she sh she had read his doubts
”Leave Vicky also?” Jake wondered ”Leave the would induce Vicky to leave with them
For her the story was here, her involvement was complete, and she would stay to the end the inevitable end
The sht another un; the du was to stake twenty thousand dollars which was his share of the profits, and all his future plans, the Barton engine, and the factory to build it, against the re a lady who promised to be a lifetime of trouble once she on
never was a dab hand at doing the sht ruefully, and smiled back at Vicky
The Ras was suddenly silent, panting with the force of his feelings and the effort of voicing the at the thin-robed figure with its wild lion wig
The Ras uards handed hi and naked The Ras leaned his weight upon it and coain, and they carried in the war drums The Ras's ceremonial drums, passed down to him by his father and his father before hiainst Napier, at Adowa against the Italians and at a hundred other battles
They were as tall as a man's shoulder, elaborately carved of hardwood and covered with rawhide, and the drummers took up their stance with the barrels of their drums held between their knees
The drum with the deepest bass tone set the rhythm and the lesser drums joined in with the variations and counterpoints, a chorus that arred a ut and loosened his brain in his skull
The old Ras listened to it with his head bowed over the sword, until the rhythan to jerk and his head caht, he landed in the open space before the druan to dance
Gareth took Mikhael Sagud by the sleeve and lifted his voice in competition with the drums, and resumed at the point where he had been interrupted
”Toffee, you were telling me about the money” Jake heard him and leaned across to catch the Prince's reply, but the Prince was silent, watching his father leap and twirl in the intricate and acrobatic dance
”We have delivered the goods, old chap And a deal is a deal”
”fifteen thousand sovereigns,” said the Prince thoughtfully
”That's the exact figure, ”Gareth agreed
”A dangerous sum of money,” murmured the PPrince
”Men have been killed for much less” And they made no reply
”I think of your safety, of course,” the Prince went on
”Your safety, and ineer to maintain the cars, and a soldier to teach my men to use the neeapons ill have wasted fifteen thousand sovereigns”
”I feel very badly for you,” Gareth assured hi dinner at the Cafe Royal, I really will but truly, Toffee, you should have thought of this long ago”
”Oh, I did ht” And the Prince turned to sh to take on his person fifteen thousand gold sovereigns in the et out of the country without the Ras's personal approval and protection” They stared at hiht of the shi+fta, the mountain bandits, when they learned that such a rich prize was h their territory?”
”They would know, of course?” ht be inforo back the e cah the desert on foot?” the Prince sold to buy caht find caht infor of the Danakil tribesle gold sovereign” They watched the Ras send the great sword hu six inches over the heads of the bass dru pirouette
”God!” said Gareth ”I took you at your word, Toffee I mean word of honour, and old school-”
”My dear Swales, these are not the playing fields of Eton, I'ht you'd welsh”
”Oh, dearYou can have your ht, Prince,” Jake interrupted ”Tell us what et out of here with a safe conduct, and ourto pat his ar the hair or beating the breast, Mr Barton”
”Shoot,” said Jake
”My father and I would be very grateful if you would work for us for a six-month contract”
”Why six months? ”demanded Gareth
”By then all will be lost, or won”
”Go on, ”Jake invited
”For six months you will exercise your skills for us and teach us how best to defend ourselves against a modern army Service, maintain and command the armoured cars”
”In return? ”Jake asked
”A princely salary for the six uaranteed by a London bank at the end of that ti one's head on the butcher's block? ”Gareth asked bitterly
”Double another seven thousand pounds each, ”said the Prince without hesitation, and the lances
”Each?” asked Gareth