Assegai полностью

‘Nein! Not at all! A knife is stupid, but a spear is extremely logical.’ Graf Otto drained his coffee and slammed his mug on the table. ‘I am grateful to you for reminding me, Courtney. I have had enough of these schoolboy larks, as mad Delamere terms them. I have drunk toasts to all the world and danced with every fat British matron in the colony. I have flown their puking brats in my beautiful machines. In short, I have observed all the niceties and fulfilled my social obligations to the governor and the citizens of this colony. Now I want to go out into the wilderness and do some real hunting.’

‘I am delighted to hear you say so, sir. Like you, I have had enough of Nairobi for a while.’

‘Good! You may leave at once. Summon those two tall heathens of yours and take Das Hummel to the hunting grounds. Spread the word to the tribes the length and breadth of the Rift Valley that I am searching for the biggest lion that ever came out of Masailand. I will pay a reward of twenty cattle to the chief whose people find it for me. Go now, and do not return until you have good news to bring me. Remember, Courtney, he must be big and his mane must be as black as the hell hound.’

‘At once, Graf, but may I finish this cup of coffee before I leave?’

‘Another good English joke.Ja, it is funny. Now I will crack a good German joke. Find my lion or I will kick your arse until you limp a damned sight worse than Delamere. Now that is really a funny joke, no?’

When Eva entered the mess tent an hour later Graf Otto was alone at the long table, a sheaf of documents stacked in front of him. He was poring over one that bore the black eagle crest of the German Ministry of War and making entries in his notebook. He laid it aside and looked up at her as she stood in the entrance to the tent with the morning light behind her. She wore sandals, and a light summer dress in a lovely floral pattern that made her as winsome as a schoolgirl. Her hair was freshly washed, and brushed out in a cascade of sable wavelets down her back. Her lips were unpainted. She came to stand behind him and draped an arm over his shoulder. He took her hand, opened her fingers and kissed the palm. ‘How can you be so beautiful?’ he asked. ‘Do you not feel guilty that you make every other woman around you seem drab and ugly in comparison?’

‘Don’t you feel guilty that you lie so readily and convincingly?’ She kissed him full on the mouth, then giggled and broke away as he reached for her breasts. ‘You must feed me first, darling Otto.’

Ishmael had been poised for her arrival. He wore his best scarlet fez with a black tassel, and his kanza had been carefully laundered, then ironed crisp as a fresh fall of snow. His teeth flashed brightly when he smiled. ‘Good morning, Memsahib. May your day be filled with the perfume of roses and flavoured with sweet fruits such as these.’ He spoke in French as he placed a platter of sliced mangos, banana and papaya before her,

‘Merci beaucoup, Ishmael. Where did you learn to speak such good French?’

‘I worked for many years for the consul in Mombasa, Memsahib.’ Ishmael beamed. She had cast her spell over all the staff of Tandala Camp.

‘Away with you, you smirking infidel,’ Graf Otto intervened. ‘My coffee is cold. Get me a fresh pot.’ As soon as Ishmael had gone, his manner changed and he became serious and businesslike. ‘Well, I’ve got rid of Courtney. I sent him out into the hunting grounds to find the lion we have spoken of so often. He will be well out of the way for as long as it takes to see to the real business. Despite his guileless manner and his engaging personality I do not trust him. He is much too astute for my taste. Last evening he was wearing army uniform. That was the first inkling I had that he is on the British Army reserve list. Also, I learned from Delamere that Brigadier General Ballantyne is his uncle. His connections with the British military are strong. In future we must be more circumspect with him.’

‘Of course, Otto.’ She took the chair beside him and turned her attention to the platter of fruit.

‘There was a cable from Berlin yesterday. They have arranged my meeting with von Lettow for the seventeenth,’ he continued. ‘It’s a long flight to Arusha, but I cannot afford to be gone long. There are too many people watching us. Pack some of your pretty things, Eva. I want to be proud of you.’

‘Do you really need me with you, Otto? It will be all men’s talk and so dull. I would rather stay here and do some painting.’ She speared a slice of ripe mango.