skill.' She shook her head and sighed. 'It is very difficult.
No, I cannot choose for you. I can only wish you much joy.' The
conversation had disturbed Vicky more than she realized, and
although-she was exhausted by the long hard driven day, she could not
sleep, but lay restlessly under a single blanket on the hard sun-warmed
earth, considering the wicked and barely thinkable thoughts that the
girl had sown in her mind. So it was that she was still awake when
Sara rose from beside her and, silently as a wraith, crossed the laager
to where Gregorius lay. The girl had discarded the robe and wore only
the skintight velvet breeches, encrusted with silver embroidery. Her
body was slim and Polished as ebony in the light of the stars and the
new moon. She had small high breasts and a narrow moulded waist. She
stooped over Gregorius and instantly he rose, and hand in hand,
carrying their blankets, the pair slipped out of the laager, leaving
Vicky more disturbed than ever. She is of the desert. Once she lay
and listened to the night sound thought she heard the soft cry of a
human voice in the darkness, but it may have been only the plaintive
yelp of a Jackal. The two young Ethiopians had not returned by the
time Vicky at last fell asleep.
The radio message that Count Aldo Belli received from General De
Bono on the seventh day after leaving Asmara caused him much pain and
outrage.
'The man addresses me as an inferior,' he protested to his officers. He
shook the yellow sheet from the message pad angrily before reading in a
choked voice, 'I hereby directly order you'.' He shook his head in
mock disbelief 'No 'request', no 'if you please', you notice.' He
crumpled the message sheet and hurled it against the canvas wall of the
headquarters tent and began pacing in a magisterial manner back and
forth, with one hand on the butt of his pistol and the other on the
handle of his dagger.
'It seems he does not understand my messages. It seems that I
must explain my position in person He thought about this with
burgeoning enthusiasm. The discomfort of the drive back to Asmara
would be greatly reduced by the superb upholstery and suspension
designed by Messrs Rolls and Royce and would be more than adequietely
offset by the quasi-civilized amenities of the town. A marble bath,
clean laundry, cool rooms with high ceilings and electric fans, the
latest newspapers from Rome, the company of the dear and kind young
hostesses at the casino all this was suddenly immensely attractive.
Furthermore, it would be an opportunity to supervise the curing and
packaging of the hunting trophies he had so far accumulated. He was
anxious that the lion skins were correctly handled and the numerous
bullet holes were properly patched. The further prospect of reminding
the General of his background, upbringing and political expendability
also had much appeal.
'Gino,' he bellowed abruptly, and the Sergeant dashed into the tent,
automatically focusing his camera.
'Not now! Not now!' The Count waved the camera aside testily.
'We are going back to Asmara for conference with the General. Inform
my driver accordingly.' Twenty-four hours later, the Count returned
