lay the saucer-shaped valley and the town of Sardi.
It was burning, and at the sight Jake halted the car and they stood on
the hull and looked across at the ruddy glow of the flames that lit the
underbelly of the clouds, and dimly defined the mountain masses that
enclosed the valley.
'is she still alive?' Jake voiced all their fears, but it was Sara who
answered.
'If Ras Kullah was there when they caught her, then she is dead.'
Then silence again, both men staring Out into the night, with anger and
dread holding them captive.
'But if he was skulking up in the hills, as he usually does,
waiting for the attack to succeed before he shows himself,' she spat
expressively over the side of the hull, 'then his men would not dare
begin the execution, until he was there to watch and enjoy the work of
his milch cows. I have heard they can take the skin off a living body
working carefully with their little knives, every inch of skin from
head to toes, and the body still lives for many hours.' And Jake
shuddered with horror.
fire 'If you're ready, old boy. I think we could move on now!'
said Gareth, and with an effort Jake roused himself and dropped back
into the driver's hatch.
There seemed to be a suggestion of the false dawn lightening the narrow
strip of sky high above the mountains when Gregorius Maryam scrambled
back into the front line treches.
There was activity already amongst the shadowy figures that crowded the
narrow dugouts, and one of the Ras's bodyguard carrying a smoky
paraffin lantern greeted him with, 'The Ras asks for you. 'Gregorius
followed him down the trench, stepping carefully amongst the hundreds
of figures that slept uncaring on the muddy floor.
The Ras sat huddled in a grey blanket, in one of the larger dugouts off
the main trench. The open pit had been roofed in with the remnants of
one of the leather tents, and a small fire burned smokily in the
centre. The Ras was surrounded by a dozen of the officers of his
bodyguard, and he looked up as Gregorius knelt quietly before him.
'The white men have gone?' the Ras asked concluding with a a hacking
old man's cough that shook his whole frail body.
'They will return in the dawn, before the enemy attack.' Gregorius
defended them quickly, and went on to explain the reasons and the
change of plans.
The Ras nodded, staring into the flickering fire, and when
Gregorius paused, he spoke again in that rasping, querulous tone.
'It is a sign and I would have it no other way. Too long I have
listened to the council of the Englishman, too long I have quenched the
fire in my belly, too long I have slunk like a dog from the enemy.' He
coughed again, painfully.
'We have run far enough. The time has come to fight,' and his officers
growled angrily in the gloom around him, and swayed closer to listen to
his words. 'Go you to your men, rouse them, fill their bellies with
fire and their hands with steel. Tell them that the signal will be as
