efforts of the two tribes against the Italian aggressors, and then an
aircraft was being sent down to Sardi from Addis to fly him to an
urgent war conference with the Emperor at Lake Tona.
Before he left, he spoke privately with Jake and Gareth, walking with
them a short way along the rugged road that climbed steeply up the
gorge following the rocky water course Of the Sardi River.
Now they stood together, staring up the track to where it turned into
the first sleep bend and the river came crashing down beside it in a
tall white-plumed waterfall that drifted mist across the surface of the
track and induced a growth of dark green moss upon the boulders.
"It's as rough as a crocodile's back here," said Jake. "Will Vicky get
the car up?"
"I have had a thousand men at work upon it ever since I knew you were
bringing these vehicles," the Lij told him.
"It is rough, yes, but I think it will be passable."
"I should jolly well hope so," Gareth murmured. "It's the only way out
of this lovely little trap into which we have backed ourselves. Once
the Eyeties close the entrance to the valley-" and he turned and swept
a hand across the vista of plain and mountain that lay spread below
them, and then he smiled at the Prince.
"Just the three of us here now, Toffee old boy. Let's hear from you.
What exactly do you want from us? What are the objectives you have set
for us? Are we expected to defeat the whole bloody army of Italy
before you pay us out?"
"No, Major Swales." The Prince shook his head. "I thought I had made
myself clear. We are here to cover the rear and flank of the Emperor's
army. We must expect that eventually the Italians will force their way
up this gorge and reach the plateau and the road to Dessie and Addis we
can't stop them, but we must delay them at least until the main
engagements in the north are decided. If the Emperor succeeds, the
Italians will withdraw here. If he fails, then our task is over."
"How long until the Emperor fights?"
"Who can tell?" And Jake shook his head, while Gareth took the stub of
his cigar from his mouth and inspected the tip ruefully.
"I'm beginning to think we are being underpaid," he said.
But the Prince seemed not to hear and he went on speaking quietly but
with a f( -)rce that commanded their attention.
"We will use the cars here on the open ground in front of the gorge to
the best possible effect, and my father's troops will support you." He
paused, and they all looked down at the sprawling encampment of the
Ras's army, amongst the acacia trees. Stragglers were still drifting
in across the plain from the rout at the wells, lines of camels and
knots of goo NEW 40it horsemen surrounded by amorphous formations of
foot soldiers. "If the Gallas join us, they can provide another five
thousand fighting men that will bring our strength to twelve thousand
or thereabouts. I have had my scouts study the Italian encampment, and
they report an effective strength of under a thousand. Even with their
armaments, we should hold them here for many days "Unless they are
reinforced, which they will be, or bring up armour, which they will do,
"said Gareth.
"Then we will withdraw into the gorge demolishing the road as we go,
and resisting at each strong place. We won't be able to use the cars
again until we reach Sardi but there in the bowl of the mountains there
is good open ground and room to manoeuvre. It is also the last point
at which we can effectively block the Italian advance." They were
silent again and the sound of an engine came up to them. They watched
the armoured car reach the foot of the gorge and begin growling and
nosing its way upwards, at the pace of a walking man, except where it
had to back and lock hard to make one of the sleep hairpin bends in the
road. The Lij roused himself and sighed with what seemed a deep
weariness of the spirit.
"One thing I must mention to you, gentlemen. My father is a warrior in
the old style. He does not know the meaning of fear, and he cannot
imagine the effect of modern weapons especially the machine gun on
massed foot soldiers. I trust you to restrain his exuberance." Jake
remembered the bodies hanging like dirty laundry on the barbed wire of
France, and felt the cold tickle run up his spine. Nobody spoke again
until the car, still blazoned with its crimson crosses, drew up level
with where they stood and they scrambled down the bank to meet it.
Vicky's head appeared in the hatch. She must have found an opportunity
to bathe, for her hair was newly washed and shiny and caught behind her
head in a silk ribbon. The sun had bleached her hair to a whiter gold,
but the peachy velvet of her complexion had been gilded by that same
sun to a darker honey colour. Immediately Jake and Gareth moved
forward, neither trusting the other to be alone with her for an
instant.
But she was brusque, and concerned only with the injured girl who was
laid out on the floor of the cab on a hastily improvised bed of
blankets and skins. Her leave-taking was off-hand and distracted while
