proudly a great fluffy headdress of lion mane proclaiming his valour to
the world. The manes rippled and waved on the wind as the riders drove
by, urging on their mounts with the high 'Looloo' ululations so
characteristic of the Ethiopians.
The weapons they carried amazed Gareth, who as a professional dealer
recognized twenty different types and makes, each one of them a
collector's piece from the long muzzle-loading Tower muskets with the
fancy hammers over percuss ion caps, through a range of Martini Henry
carbines, which fired a heavy lead bullet in a cloud of black powder
smoke, to a wide selection of Mousers; and Schneiders, Lee-Metfords,
and obsolete models from half the arms-manufacturers of the world.
As the riders swept by, they fired these weapons into the air,
long spurts of black powder against the evening sky, and the crackle of
musketry blended with the fierce ululations of welcome.
After the first wave of riders came another of those on mules and
donkeys moving more slowly but making as much noise and immediately
after them came a swarming mob of running, howling foot soldiers,
mingled with whom were women and shrieking children, and dozens of
yelping dogs, scrawny yellow curs with long whippy tails and ridges of
standing hair running down their skeletal backbones.
As the first rank of riders turned, still loolooing and firing into the
air, to complete the encirclement of the armoured column, they ran
headlong into the following rabble and the entire congregation became a
struggling mob of men and animals.
Jake saw a mother with a child under her arm go down under the hooves
of a running camel, the child flying from her grip and rolling in the
sandy earth. Then he was past, forging ahead through a narrow path in
the sea of humanity.
Sara was keeping the path open, leading them in, riding just ahead of
Jake's car, laying about her viciously with a long quirt of hippo hide
to hold back the mob, while around her wheeled the wildly excited
riders still firing their pieces into the air, and dozens of runners
pressed in closely, trying to climb aboard the moving cars.
Gradually the press of bodies and animals built up, until at last,
following Sara, they moved slowly through the open forest that
surrounded the wells into one of the shallow but steeply sided wadis in
the broken ground beyond.
Here any further forward movement became impossible.
The wadi was choked solidly with humanity, even the steep earthen sides
and the ledges above were crowded so closely that unfortunates,
pushed by those behind, could no longer keep their Position and came
tumbling down the sheer sides on to the heads of those in the wadi
below. The cries of protest were lost in the general hubbub.
From each of the turrets, the heads of the four drivers appeared
timidly, like gophers peering out of their holes.
They made helpless signs and expressions at each other, unable to
communicate in the uproar.
Sara leaped from the back of the stallion on to the sponson of Jake's
car and began raining blows and kicks on those who were still
