want to be associated in any way with your actions at the monastery,'
von Schiller said.
I have been ordered by the high command in Addis to take all possible
steps against the dissident rebels that are operating in the Abbay
gorge. I will be completely able to justify any search of the
monastery.'
'I want that stele. I want it at any cost. Do you understand me,
colonel?'
i understand you perfectly, Herr von Schiller.'
'As you already know, I am a generous man to those who serve me well.
Bring it to me in good condition and you will be well rewarded. You may
call on Mr Helm for any assistance that he can give you, including the
use of Pegasus equipment and personnel.'
'If we are able to use your helicopter, it will save a great deal of
time. I can take my men there tomorrow, and if the stone is in the
monastery I will be able to deliver it to you by tomorrow evening.'
'Excellent. You will take Dr Guddabi with you. He must search the area
for other valuables and translate any inscriptions or engravings that
you find in the monastery.
Please provide him with military uniform. He must appear to be one of
your troopers. I do not want to become involved in recriminations at a
later date.'
'We will leave as soon as it is light enough to take off tomorrow
morning. I will commence the arrangements immediately.' Turna Nogo
saluted von Schiller and strode eagerly from the hut.
hough Colonel Nogo had never entered either the qiddist or the maqdas,
he had often visited the monastery of St. Frumentius. He was therefore
fully aware of the magnitude of the task ahead of him, and the likely
reaction of the monks and the congregation to his forced entry to their
premises. In addition, he was familiar with numerous similar rock
cathedrals in other parts of the country. In fact he had been ordained
in the famous cathedral of Lalibelela, so he knew just how labyrinthine
one of these subterranean warrens could be.
He estimated that he would need at least twenty men to secure and search
the monastery, and to fend off the outraged retaliation of the abbot and
his monks. He selected his best men personally. None of them was
squeamish.
Two hours before dawn he paraded them within the security of the Pegasus
compound, under the glare of the floodlights, and briefed them
carefully. At the end of the briefing he made each man step from the
ranks in turn and recite his orders to ensure there was no
misunderstanding.
Then he inspected their arms and equipment meticulously.
Tuma Nogo was painfully conscious of his own culpability in allowing the
Englishman and the Egyptian woman to escape, and he could sense the
danger in Herr von Schiller's attitude towards him. He had few illusions
about the consequences if he were to fail again. In the short time since
he had made the acquaintance of Gotthold von Schiller, Nogo had come to
fear him as he had never feared God or the Devil in the days of his
