'Toffee, old sport, I do want you to see this little surprise I
have for you.' He grabbed the Prince's drinking arm and prised the
glass from his grip. 'Come along, everybody. This way, chaps.' Among
the grey-bearded courtiers there was a decided reluctance to leave the
marquee, and Jake had to assist Gareth. Both-of them spreading their
arms and making shooing noises, they finally got them moving down the
track through the forest which emerged a hundred yards farther on into
an open glade the size of a polo field.
A stunned silence fell upon the party as they saw the row of four iron
ladies, gleaming in their new coats of grey, with the heavily jacketed
water-cooled barrels of the Vickers machine guns protruding from the
ports and the rakish turrets emblazoned with the tricolour horizontal
bars of the Ethiopian national colours green, yellow and red.
Like sleep-walkers, they allowed themselves to be led to the row of
chairs under the umbrellas, and without removing their gaze from the
war machines they sank into their seats.
Gareth stood in front of them like a schoolmaster, but swaying
slightly.
'Gentlemen, we have here one of the most versatile armoured vehicles
ever brought into service by any major military power And while he
paused for the Prince to translate, he grinned triumphantly at
Jake.
'Start them up, old son.' As the first engine burst into life, the
elderly courtiers came to their feet and applauded like the crowd at a
prize fight.
'Fifteen hundred quid each,' whispered Gareth, his eyes sparkling,
'they'll go fifteen hundred!' ij Mikhael had invited them to dine in
his suite aboard the Dunnottar Castle, and over Jake's Protests a
short-order tailor had run up a passable dinner jacket to fit Jake's
tall rangy frame.
'I look like I'm in fancy dress, 'he objected.
'You look like a duke,' Gareth contradicted. 'It gives you a bit of
style. Style, Jake me lad, always remember. Style! If you look like
a tramp, people will treat you as one.' Lij Mikhael Sagud wore a
magnificently embroidered cloak in gold and scarlet and black, clasped
at the throat with a dark red ruby the size of a ripe acorn,
tieht-fitting velvet breeches and slippers embroidered with twenty-four
carat gold wire. The dinner had been excellent and the Prince seemed
in a mellow mood.
'Now, my dear Swales. The prices for the machine guns and the other
armaments were decided months ago but the armoured cars were never
mentioned. Would you like to suggest a reasonable figure?'
'Your
Excellency, I had in mind a fair figure before I realized it was you
I
was dealing with-' Gareth drew deeply on one of the Prince's Havana
cigars, steeling himself for the wild flying chance he was going to
take. 'Now, of course, I am prepared merely to cover my costs and
leave only a modest profit for my partner and myself to share.' The
