An Essay on Tides
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The Tides Of War Pt. 07 free porn video
Chapter 29
Three days later the boarded the Easton Comet.
They found out the first night on board that, a Guy Reynolds and his wife Molly had taken the other suite. David and Susan liked them from the moment they were introduced, Guy was in his early thirties and Molly a few years younger.
They had been in Bengal hunting Tigers, but prior to that they had been in East Africa after Lion and Elephant.
In the long conversations the couples had together, it transpired that Guy’s father had made a fortune from cotton mills, and this extended holiday was to allow Guy a chance to experience his dream before taking over the family business.
In the course of conversation David asked Guy which country had impressed him the most.
Guy had taken his time in replying, ‘That’s a difficult question to answer David. If you mean to live in, or to visit, then I’d have two different answers.
From a tourist’s point of view I’d have to say India, there’s so much to see with the Temples and Palaces. It’s a country that has the full spectrum of life, from abject poverty to obscene wealth.
But if I wanted to live in a country and had the money and inclination to start a life there, then I would say East Africa. But it depends on the person’s view of life. What suits me may not suite someone else.
I like the vast open spaces that it has, you can travel for days and not see any one.
Most off the Europeans are centred near Mombasa and Nairobi, they have farms up in the highlands, the soil and weather there is more conducive to farming.
But fifty miles North West off Nairobi and you are in vast savannahs off grass, hills and mountains. The only people you meet are the Maasia, a proud warrior like people who are Simi nomadic. The have vast herds of cattle that they live for, we found them friendly enough if you show them respect. We were told, by our guide that part off the coming of age is for a young men to kill a loin with his spear.
The land is really not much use, other than for wild life, the soil is too poor for farming. Although we did come across one place roughly a hundred miles from Nairobi.
It was sheer luck really, but Molly was taken ill with heat exhaustion. So we climbed up into the hills where it was cooler.
We found a small stream were the water was good and camped there. While Molly rested I decided to follow the stream in the hope that I could bag a buck for the evening meal. After climbing for about three hours I came to a rock face that rose up a hundred or so feet. The stream had vanished underground so I followed the face around until suddenly I came to a gap in the rock face. It was only about fifty feet wide but when I went through it my jaw dropped.
There before me was a huge expanse off green grass with mature trees surrounded by a rock face that enclosed it all.
It took me several minutes to realise what it was.
It was the crater of a vast volcano that must have blown up millions of years ago, it had to be over forty miles in diameter.’
Guy chuckled, ‘It was like discovering Eden, and the air was so much cooler there, like England on a summer’s morning.
I told my guide to rush back and break camp and bring it back here, while I explored more. I found the stream again, and followed it upwards, eventually coming to a small lake surrounded by trees up by the rock face at the top off the crater. That’s where we made camp. We stayed for over two weeks until Molly was fit again.
David it was fantastic, plenty of game to keep the larder filled, the water was so pure and clean, and there were fish in the lake everything for a man to make a home was there.’
David could see the dreamy faraway look in Guys face has he talked about it.
‘Did you ever think of buying it’ David asked.
Guy shook his head sadly ‘No, my place is in England. But I did find out that land that far out from Nairobi, because the soil is so poor goes for a pittance. I also discovered the Maasia won’t go any were near it is because it’s hunted by the spirit off the mountain.’ He said laughing.
He told Susan about the conversation later that night, and she murmured that it sounded lovely.
On another occasion David was showing Guy were Kana was on a map off India, which Guy had. Later Guy pulled out a map off East Africa that he had.
David noticed a large part of the map appeared blank but, Guy, had added pencilled outlines, with short notes, Lion, waterhole and so forth. He pointed to a drawing off hills with a circle in the middle of them, that’s where the crater was, he mentioned
.
‘You can have these’ he told David handing over the maps ‘I’ll never use them again’
David thanked him saying he may make a safari to East Africa one day.
On another occasion they talked about guns, Guy was off the opinion that you needed at least three on safari. A .275 for small game, a .375 for lion and bigger game and at least a .450 for elephant, rhino and buffalo. ‘The two smaller calibres I used, were smokeless cartridges, but the .450 was black powder, but it wasn’t comfortable to shoot, the kick was horrendous,’ he chuckled.
In turn David told him about the Cartwright .303 saying how it had helped to stop the Afghan incursions into Kana.
On some evening the two couples would play cards or the two girls would chatter about fashions to the enjoyment off the men.
And so the voyage progressed, it was with sadness that they parted when Guy and Molly continued their journey North at London on the train, whilst David and Susan booked into the Ascot Hotel
The following day Susan went with David to the bank. Mr Tompkins greeted him has an old friend, as he introduced Susan has his wife.
‘So we will have to change your account name now Mrs Ramage’ Mr Tompkins beamed.
Susan frowned ‘I don’t understand, I have no account with this bank.’
‘Oh you do, my dear’ Mr Tompkins assured her ‘I opened it myself on the Prince’s instructions, over six months ago. And according to this letter’ he said referring to the letter David had handed him, ‘I have to transfer £50,000 into it on your behalf.’
Susan was stunned ‘how much’.
Mr Tompkins smiled, ‘it seems that the Prince is in your debt for actions you undertook for him.’
David chuckled ‘Well darling you can at least support me now.’
Mr Tompkins frowned ‘I would have thought with your fortune Mr Ramage you could support yourself, the Prince has instructed me to transfer £250,000 into your account too.’
David’s face paled, Mr Tompkins picked up some papers from his desk, ‘Currently you have £370,876 deposited in this bank And Mrs Ramage £80,435 deposited. It would seem the Prince values your services most highly.’
David and Susan just looked at each other too shocked to speak.
Mr Tompkins continued ‘I’m instructed to provide you both with the usual cheque books and papers, as I understand you have purchases to make on behalf of the Prince.’
When they left the bank they were still in a dazed state, but now armed with chequebooks off their own.
Back in the hotel Susan gasped ‘David we’re rich, what on earth are we to do with it?’
‘I’ve not yet figured that out yet, but whatever it is we will do it together.’
The next day he travelled to Birmingham, whilst Susan went off to see her old medical college.
He was shown into Henrys office where he was warmly greeted, Henry phoned and soon Peter was there has well.
He had to tell of the battle in detail to them both.
Peter was interested in the rockets and grenades they had used, saying he thought it would be possible to alter a mortar shell to do the same thing, but with the light suspended from a parachute. David added if he perfected it to add it to his order.
The mortars it seemed had been upgraded, in that there w
as a more sophisticated method of changing the range now, to suite the various tails now available. Which, David proceeded to order.
After he had finished, they talked about general things during the course of it David mentioned meeting Guy on the boat, and his aversion to the .450 black powder cartridge.
‘I don’t blame his dislike’ Peter had said, ‘It’s a pretty brutal cartridge. There is a new format now on the market centred on, the nitro express load. It’s much more user friendly but packs twice the wallop off black powder.’
David for the life of him couldn’t understand why he did it, but on the spur off the moment asked if Mr Jenkins could make him some sporting rifles.
Henry and Peter looked at him in surprise, but said yes it was possible, but did he realise it could take some months to make them by hand.
David nodded that was no problem.
Peter asked what calibre he wanted finding out .275. .375 And .45.
‘If you want nitro express rounds then the .45 will have to be .46,’ Peter added, also it will be a double barrel.
David said that was fine with him.
Mr Jenkins was sent for, he remembered David from before, and his face beamed when David told him how delighted he was with his .303.
He then proceeded to measure David’s arm remembering he was left-handed. David told him to spare no expense in the manufacturing of the weapons.
Henry told him with a long face, ‘you realise you are not going to get much change from £4,000.’
‘If there has good has the .303 then its money well spent’ David smiled as he wrote a cheque for £2,500 deposit, giving it to Henry.
On the train journey back to London he tried to rationalise why he had ordered them.
But he knew Guy’s talk about the crater, had created a curiosity in side of him.
Back at the hotel he spoke to Susan about stopping at Mombasa on their way back to India, saying there’s something I have to see there.
Susan stared at David ‘We can of course darling, but what is it, you have to see’
So David explained about what Guy had said about the crater and the land within it.
‘My work with the Rifles is almost finished, they are in a position now that they can guard the Pass without my help anymore. This may be an opportunity to start a new life, it’s far too early to know, but I somehow, I…I have a feeling about this.’
Susan smiled at him ‘If the new life takes you away from that Pass I’m all for it’ she said kissing him.
Susan had phoned her home and told them of their coming to see them.
So on a bright June afternoon, the carriage they were in drew up outside the vicarage.
David looked at the granite-blocked house that was obviously very old, with some degree off trepidation. How would the Reverend Fletcher respond to his marrying his daughter without his permission?
His fears proved groundless, the Reverend and his wife welcomed him into their home in obvious delight at finally meeting him.
He squirmed a little has Susan told them off David’s command, at the actions that had taken place at the Pass, with her mother looking horrified has she reencountered the story.
Later David went outside in the garden with her father to smoke, he with a cheroot and her father his pipe.
‘So what are your plans now David’ he asked.
‘We have to return to Kana, but we will stop off at East Africa, there’s a place there that I’d like to see. If it lives up to its description, then I should like to buy it and turn it into a ranch for cattle and horses.’
‘So you would give up your military life, do you know much about rearing cattle and horses David?’
David shook his head ‘No Sir, not enough, but I’m prepared to learn’
‘You must talk to my brother Jack. He owns one off the biggest farms in the county. He raises Herefords amongst other breeds on his farm, and after fifty years knows has much has anyone about breeding cattle.’
He met Jack Fletcher two days later, when Susan’s father took them in his horse and trap to the farm.
After undergoing Susan’s story off the Khana Pass yet again he finally had the opportunity to talk with him.
After explaining about the crater, the size, the abundance off green grass and water, Jake smiled saying, ‘It sounds like you have the main priorities regarding the land. But what do you intend to breed, Dairy or Beef cattle?’
‘Mainly beef cattle but with a small herd off Dairy for our own use.’
Jack pulled on his pipe ‘East Africa you say, emm it’s a different climate than England so you will need to take that into account when deciding which breed. I think you need to talk with my youngest son Martin. He’s just finished Veterinary Collage and he’s full off ideas for breeding and such like.
Martin Fletcher was 25 with Susan’s colouring with a bright intelligent face, and David liked his instantly.
Martin sat quietly has David recounted Guy’s description off the crater, ending by saying if it proved to be true he intended to buy it, and raise horses and cattle there.
Martin was thoughtful for several minutes, ‘It’s a massive under taking what you propose David. Africa has its own share off diseases to combat, so the breed has to be chosen with care. I honestly, without seeing the place wouldn’t wish to advise you.’
David’s face fell, ‘Of course you are right. It was silly of me to ask.’
‘Not at all David, its every Vet’s dream to be able to be at the ground floor at an undertaking like that. What little work I can attract comprises off cats and dogs. The problem is too many Vets for too little customers. My fiancé Jill was at the college with me, and she is experiencing the same difficulties.’
‘If the crater proves to be has described, I would need someone with your knowledge to oversee it. Would you be interested?’
‘If Jill was included with that offer, we’d leap at the chance.’
David smiled at his enthusiasm, ‘Well why not, when we return to India, accompany us to Mombasa and we can see the crater together. You will have a return ticket to England and I shall pay you for the duration off your stay there.’
Martins face lit up, has he accepted David’s offer.
David had always prided himself that he was good at judging a man’s character, and with Martin, he knew he had made a good choice.
They arranged to have dinner with Martin and Jill, and it was apparent from the first meeting that Susan had a soul mate in Jill, in that she too, was not afraid off adventure.
‘It’s a wonderful idea, it would mean Martin and I could get married at last,’ Jill said happily.
‘Well let’s not get carried away just yet,’ David cautioned, ‘we still need to see the land first.’
David gave Martin an advance off £500 to enable him to outfit himself with, equipment, and reference books.
Chapter 30
They sailed three weeks later on the SS Gaston, arriving in Mombasa twenty-eight days later. They travelled by train to Nairobi and booked into the only hotel in the town.
David wasted no time in outfitting for the journey into the interior. At one off the safari stores he made inquiries about hiring a guide.
When the man realised who ran the store, that David was not interested in shooting big game. He became off hand, ‘there’s plenty of native guides, so you’ll need to ask around.’
At the hotel he asked the native door man if he knew off some one.
‘Most would say they were guides Bwana but there are few who have travelled beyond Nairobi. There is one man, he’s Matabele, but he has travelled great distances just to arrive here.’
‘Would you ask him if he would speak with me?’ David asked giving the man a tip.
The next morning the doorman told David the man he wanted to speak to was outside.
When David went outside he found a giant of a man standing like a statue in the road.
‘Jambo’ D
avid said one of the few words he had picked up.
‘Jambo, I see you Bwana’ the man replied in a deep voice.
They moved to the side off the hotel and David sat down on the step and took out Guy’s map.
Unfolding it he pointed to the hills of the crater ‘I wish to go there’ the man looked down at the map not fully comprehending it.
David pointed to Nairobi on the map ‘This is here’ pointing to the place on the map and then waving his arm around to indicate the town.
The man’s face cleared has he understood. ‘Does the Bwana wish to shoot’
David shook his head ‘No just to see the land’.
The man frowned, ‘Does the Bwana wish me to guide him’ he asked.
David smiled and nodded ‘Me, I’m Bwana Ramage’ he pointing to himself, and pointed to the man ‘You are?’
The man smiled showing white teeth ‘N’debi’
‘Well N’debi we will need help with the cooking and tents, do you know where we can find that help, there are three of us in the party.’
‘I have men who will help the Bwana.’
‘And how must I pay N’debi and his men?’ David asked.
‘The Bwana will feed us and give us tobacco and one shilling a day for the men and two shillings a day for N’debi, and two shillings a day for the cook’
‘Are all your men Matabele N’debi?’ David asked.
‘Yes Bwana all except the cook, but he has a cart and mules in which your tents and things can be loaded.’
‘I should like to meet this cook’
‘He shall be here at sunset Bwana’
The cook was defiantly not Matabele David realised when he met him. He was wearing what looked like a nightshirt with a red fez on his head.
He pulled off the fez and gave a little bow ‘good evening sir, N’debi says you require a cook’
David was pleasantly surprised at the man’s grasp of English, he was about 5′ 3′ with a milk chocolate completion but with a Caucasian rather than Negroid aspects off his face.
‘Good evening my name is Ramage, David Ramage, and yes I need a cook to travel with us into the interior.’
The man smiled and bowed again ‘my name is Ali and I have all my cooking utensils in my cart which is pulled by two fine mules. But there is plenty of room for Sir’s camping equipment on it.’
‘Then we have our selves a cook. By the way Ali what tribe do you belong too?’
His face fell at the question ‘Alas no tribe would have me sir, my mother fell foul off a slavers lust, and I am the result of that lust.’
David nodded in sympathy, ‘Well Ali tomorrow I must buy food and equipment for the safari and then we can start.’
‘Forgive me for saying so Sir, but it would be better if you let me get the things you need. The stores will try to cheat you, but they can’t cheat Ali. All it would need is for someone to be there once a price has been agreed to pay.’
David agreed and arranged to meet the following morning.
Over dinner that night he told Susan and Martin about N’debi and Ali.
‘N’debi must have been 6′ 3′ and every inch packed with muscle.’
Martin frowned remembering ‘Matabele you say, I remember reading some where they had a war with the Dutch Afrikaners and Cecil Rhodes men , there an offshoot from the Zulu nation, probably the most feared off all the African tribes.’
Susan smiled ‘Well I’ll go with Ali to do the shopping, you two need to get horses and weapons tomorrow.’
The next morning Ali was waiting outside the hotel with his cart. David introduced Susan and Martin too him. Then watched has Ali and Susan left.
David and Martin set off for the livery stable at the edge off town.
They found it was quite simple to buy the three horses they would need and the man who ran the livery stable would buy them back again when they had finished with them, along with the saddles and tack. It seemed this was the custom off those going on safari. But one thing puzzled David, the man had said the horses were salted.
He asked Martin if he knew what he had meant.
‘He was talking about AHD, African Horse Disease. There’s been a lot papers published about it. But basically if a horse survives an attack of it, it very rarely catches it again, in the case of a mare who survives it, her fowls will be free of it due the mothers immune system being passed on to the fowl.
‘Can it be cured?’ David asked.
‘Not really David, the best cure is to let the horse become infected under controlled management.’
Bree
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