'Listen, buddy, I said no.' Jake removed the cigar from his mouth and
examined it minutely.
'Your company - Pegasus. Can you tell me where your head office is
situated? Who is your managing director?'
'I am a busy man. You are wasting my time.' Helm ,,returned the cigar to
his mouth and began to turn away.
'I will be hunting in this area over the next few weeks.
I would not like to endanger any of your employees with a stray shot.
Can you give me some idea of where you will be working?'
outfit here, mister. I don't
'I am running a prospecting give out news flashes on my movements. Beat
id'
He turned and walked to the gate and gave brusque orders to the guards
before marching back to his office building.
'Satellite disc on the roof,' Nicholas remarked. 'I wonder who our lad
Jake is speaking to at this very moment.'
'Somebody in Texas?' Royan hazarded.
'Doesn't follow, necessarily, Nicholas demurred. Tega, is probably a
multinational. Just because Jake is one, doesn't mean his boss is Texan
also. Not a very instructive conversation, I am afraid.' He started the
engine and Uturned the Toyota. 'But if someone at Pegasus is the ugly
mixed up in this, he will recognize my name. We have given them notice
of our arrival. Let's see what we have flushed out of the bushes.'
When they got back to the Dandera river falls, they found that Boris's
truck had arrived, the tents had been erected, and the chef had brewed
tea for them. Boris was less welcoming than his chef, and maintained a
sullen silence while Nicholas tried to placate him for commandeering his
truck.
It was only after his first vodka of the evening that he mellowed
sufficiently to speak again.
'The mules were supposed to be waiting for us here.
Time means nothing to these people. We cannot start down into the gorge
until they arrive.'
'Well, at least while we are waiting for them I will have a chance to
sight in my rifle,'Nicholas remarked with resignation. 'In Africa it
never pays to be in a hurry. Too wearing on the nerves.'
After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, when there was still no
sign of the mules, Nicholas fetched his rifle case.
When Nicholas lifted the weapon out of its nest of green baize, Boris
took it from him and examined it minutely.
'An old rifle?'
'Made in 1926,'Nicholas nodded. 'My grandfather had it made for
himself.'
'They knew how to make them in those days. Not like the mass-produced
crap they turn out today.' Boris pursed his lips critically. 'Short
Mauser Oberndorf double square, bridge action, beautiful! But it has
been rebarrelled, no?
The original barrel was shot out. I had it replaced with a Shilen match
barrel. It will shoot the wings off a mosquito at a hundred paces.'
'Calibre 7 57, is it?' Boris asked.
