stencilled in black upon its side. The lid was open, and as Andre came
in through the door with his escort General Moses lifted a white canvas
bag from the case, loosened the drawstring and poured a pile of dark
grey industrial diamonds on to the blotter in front of him.
He prodded them thoughtfully with his finger, stirring them so they
glittered dully in the harsh light of the petromax.
'Was this the only case in the truck?' he asked without looking up.
'Oui, mon general. There was only one,' answered one of Andre's
escorts..
'You are certain?'
'Oui, mon general. I myself have searched thoroughly.' General Moses
took another of the canvas bags from the case and emptied it on to the
blotter. He grunted with disappointment as he saw the drab little
stones. He reached for another bag, and another, his anger mounting
steadily as each yielded only dirty grey and black industrial diamonds.
Soon the pile on the blotter would have filled a pint jug.
'Did you open the case?' he snarled.
'Non, mon general It was sealed. The seal was not broken, you saw that.'
General Moses grunted again, his dark chocolate face set hard with
frustration. Once more he dipped his hand into the wooden case and
suddenly he smiled.
'Ah!' he said pleasantly. 'Yes! yes! what is this?' He brought out a
cigar box, with the gaudy wrappers still on the cedarwood. A
thumbnail prised the lid back and he beamed happily. In a nest of cotton
wool, sparkling, breaking the white light of the petromax into all the
rainbow colours of the spectrum, were the gem stones. General
Moses picked one up and held it between thumb and forefinger.
'Pretty,' he murmured. 'Pretty, so pretty.' He swept the industrial
stones to one side and laid the gem in the centre of the blotter. Then
one by one he took the others from the cigar box, fondling each and
laying it on the blotter, counting them, smiling, once chuckling softly,
touching them, arranging them in patterns.
'Pretty,' he kept whispering. 'Bon - forty-one, forty-two.
Pretty! My darlings! Forty-three.' Then suddenly he scooped them up and
poured them into one of the canvas bags, tightened the drawstring,
dropped it into his breast pocket above the medals and
buttoned the flap.
He laid his black, bejewelled hands on the desk in front of him and
looked up at Andre.
His eyes were smoky yellow with black centres behind his spectacles.
They had an opaque, dreamlike quality.
'Take off his clothes,' he said in a voice that was as expressionless
as the eyes.
They stripped Andre with rough dispatch and General Moses looked at his
body.
'So white,' he murmured. 'Why so white?' Suddenly his jaws began chewing
nervously and there was a faint shine of sweat on his forehead.
He came round from behind the desk, a small man yet with an intensity
about him that doubled his size.
'White like the maggots that feed in the living body of the elephant.'
