on their own would have the local military and everybody else down on
them like a herd of angry buffalo., ( So we are going to travel as a
pair of dik-dik hunters?'
'I have already made the booking with a safari operator in Addis Ababa,
the capital. MY Plan is to look upon the whole of our project in three
distinct and separate stages.
The first stage will be this reconnaissance. If we find the lead we are
hoping for, then we will go back again with our own men and equipment.
That will be stage two. Stage three, of course, will be getting the
booty out of Ethiopia, and that I assure you from past experience will
not be the easiest part of the operation.'
'How will you do that-' she began, but he held up his hands.
'Don't ask, because at this stage I don't have even the vaguest idea how
we will do it. One stage at a time.'
'When do we leave?'
'Before I tell you when, let me ask you one more question. Your
interpretation of the Taita riddle - did you explain that in the notes
that were stolen from you at the oasis?'
'Yes, everything was either in those notes or on the microfilm. I am
sorry.'
So the uglies will have it all neatly laid out for them, just the way
you laid it out for me.'
'I am afraid they will, yes.'
'Then to reply to your question as to when, the answer is tout de suite,
and the tooter the sweeter! We must get into the Abbay gorge before the
competition beats us to it.
They have had your conclusions and suppositions for almost a month. For
all we know they are on their way already!
'When?' she repeated eagerly.
'I have booked two seats on the British Airways flight to Nairobi this
Saturday - that is, in two days' time. We will connect there with an Air
Kenya flight to Addis that will get us in on Monday at around midday. We
will drive down to London this evening and stay over at my digs there.
Are your yellow fever and hepatitis shots up to date?'
'Yes, but I have no equipment and hardly any clothing with me., I left
Cairo in rather a hurry.'
We will. see to that in London. Trouble with Ethiopia is it's cold
enough to emasculate a brass monkey in the highlands, and like a sauna
bath down in the gorge.'
He crossed to the board and began to check off the items on his list.
'We will both start malarial prophylactics immediately. We are going
into an area of chloroquineresistant . falciparum mosquitoes, so I will
put you on Mefloquine 'He worked swiftly through the list.
'Of course all your travel documents are in order, or you wouldn't be
here. We will both need visas for Ethiopia, but I have a contact who can
arrange that in twenty-four hours.'
As soon as he completed the list he sent her up to her room to pack the
few personal items she had brought with her from Cairo.
By the time they were ready to leave Quenton Hall it was dark outside,
but still he stopped for an hour at the York Minster Hospital to allow
