ferocious whisper, and the rolling swagger tense with suppressed
outrage.
At last, the squat machine guns with their thick water jacketed barrels
were lowered down into the new excavaWm and set up on their tripods.
Only after Castelani had checked the traverse of each and sighted down
through the high sliding rear-sight into the moonlit valley was he
satisfied. The men flung themselves down to rest and the
Major allowed the kitchen parties to come up with canteens of hot soup
and bags of hard black bread.
Gareth Swales felt bloated with food and slightly bleary with the large
quantities of lukewarm champagne which Lij Mikhael had pressed upon
him.
On one side, the Ras and Jake had established a rapport that overcame
the language barrier. The Ras had convinced himself that as
Americans spoke English they were English, and that Jake as a
lion-killer was clearly a member of the upper stratum of society in
short a kind of honorary aristocrat. Every time the Ras drained
another pint of tej, Jake became more socially acceptable and the Ras
had drained many pints of tej by this stage.
The atmosphere was indeed so jovial and aflame with bonhomie and
camaraderie that Gareth felt emboldened to ask, on behalf of the
partnership, the question that had been burning his tongue for the last
many hours.
'Toffee, (old lad, have you got the money ready for us?' The Prince
seemed not to have heard, but refilled Gareth's glass with champagne,
and leaned across to translate one of Jake's remarks for his father,
and Gareth had to take his arm firmly.
'If it's all right by you, we'll take our wages and trouble you no
more. Ride off into the sunset with violins playing, and all that
rot.'
'I'm glad you raised the point.' Toffee nodded thoughtfully,
looking anything but glad. 'There are some things we have to
discuss.'
'Listen, Toffee old son, there is absolutely nothing to discuss. All
the discussing was done long ago.'
'Now, don't upset yourself, my dear fellow.' It was, however, in
Gareth's nature to become very agitated when someone who owed him money
wanted to discuss things.
The usual subject of discussion was how to avoid making payment,
and Gareth was about to protest volubly and loudly when the Ras chose
that moment to rise to his feet and make a speech.
This caused a certain amount of consternation, for the Ras's legs had
been turned by large quantities of tej to the consistency of rubber,
and it required the efforts of two of his guardsmen to get him to his
feet and keep him there.
However, once up, he spoke with clarity and force while Lij
Mikhael translated for the benefit of the white guests.
At first, the Ras seemed to wander. He spoke of the first rays of the
sun touching the peaks of the mountains, and the feel of the desert
wind in a man's face at noon, he reminded them of the sound of the
