Amie in Africa Box Set 1

by Lucinda E Clarke

  “I certainly want to know who he is and why he’s out here miles from anywhere.” Dirk continued before Amie could interrupt him.

  “I, I can tell you who he is,” she said under her breath.

  “You know him?” Dirk looked at her in surprise.

  “Yes, I do. At least I think so,” replied Amie as she bent down to take a better look. The man was barely breathing, although he stirred as Helen cleaned his face and gently prodded him to see if any bones were broken.

  Amie peered more closely and nodded. “It looks like Ben Mtumba. I worked with him on the video shoots. I’m almost sure it’s him although it’s difficult to say with his face in such a mess.”

  “It certainly is,” agreed Dirk. He looked at Jumbo and Kaluhah. “You guys certainly gave him a good work over.”

  Both men looked defiant. “But he is the enemy Boss,” complained Jumbo pulling himself up to his full height. “He must not live.”

  “We thought you might like the honour,” added Kaluhah.

  Dirk shook his head and thought for a moment. “That’s not how we do things. Come on guys you should know better than that by now.”

  Amie thought both men looked quite sulky as they shuffled their feet in the dust.

  “He’s possibly suffering from shock. I can’t find anything broken,” said Helen. “Lots of bruises, but I don’t think it’s as bad as it looks.” She looked up at Amie. “You say you know him?”

  “Yes, I’m sure it’s Ben, though what he’s doing here is a mystery. He lived somewhere in Apatu. I never went to his home, but he was with me on all the shoots and he’s a good man I’ll swear to it.”

  Jumbo growled and spat in the dust again. He was obviously not convinced. As far as the Luebos were concerned, all those from the Kawa tribe were enemies and dangerous even though they’d been overthrown.

  “Make up a bed for him Helen, we’ll put him on the spare groundsheet. Let’s see what he can tell us when he comes round.”

  Reluctantly Jumbo and Kaluhah picked Ben up and half carried, half dragged him over to the plastic sheeting Amie and Helen were stretching over the ground. They knew better than to complain to each other. Dirk was fluent in many of the dialects and he would understand every word they said.

  “At least we must tie him up, Boss,” protested Jumbo.

  “That might be wise,” agreed Dirk and went to fetch some strong, nylon rope.

  Amie looked down at the unconscious man. What was Ben doing here? Was he looking for them, or did he simply come across them by accident? Was he a spy sent to search out any dissidents? Surely not, she had spies on the brain. She couldn’t wait for him to come round so she could talk to him.

  “I’m not sure Jumbo and Kaluhah are right,” she said to Helen as they finished preparing the meal that night. “When I worked with Ben and Themba, I always felt Themba was all for the rebels, but I’m not sure about Ben, I don’t think he really favoured either side. If he did, he certainly didn’t let on.”

  “That’s not very easy in Africa,” responded Helen. “If you’re not with me, you’re against me. My friend will always be my friend and my enemy will be my enemy until the day he dies.”

  “Do you think Ben ran away from Apatu after the fighting?”

  “Why now? The fighting has been over for months, and while they might root out those they thought were ringleaders, I doubt if all the Kawa were slaughtered. They’re the biggest tribe. I would be surprised if the M’untus can hold on to power for very long.”

  “Oh,” said Amie. “But surely if it’s all gone quiet, and a few visitors are coming in to Togodo now it must be stable, I mean …”

  “There will always be a few brave souls who will take a chance if they think they can land a contract for their companies,” Helen continued, grinding up a pile of baobab seeds. “Remember, the latest uprising started because they’d found oil and other minerals in the north, in M’untu territory. They were convinced the Kawas would take all the money. And I’m sure they were right to believe that.”

  “I’m so glad I’m not in any tribe,” said Amie. “But I guess if I went far enough back in history, my family would have been in one tribe or another.”

  “For sure. Dirk has said time and again tribalism is holding back progress on this continent. Until they all live together as one, and learn to co-operate I’m afraid entering the 21st century will take many generations. There’s so much distrust and jealousy. It breaks my heart.”

  And mine too, thought Amie. She still couldn’t believe, after all that had happened to her, she loved this land so much. Why? It wasn’t only the wide, open spaces, was it? Or was it the people? Though she had seen how savage and cruel they could be. Was it the presence of the wild animals? Sadly, she’d seen far fewer than she’d expected. Even living out here in the bush, they’d only observed one herd of elephants as they meandered along the bottom of the valley. Had Amie chosen the campsite, she would have pitched their small tents lower down, closer to the dry river bed, but Dirk knew the old pathways followed each year by the huge beasts as they traversed the same trails used by their ancestors. Not for the first time Amie thanked whoever was looking after them that Dirk, understood the animals and knew the plants so well. Twice now he’d stopped Amie chopping up poisonous roots and leaves for their evening meal. To her, they looked exactly the same as the ones she’d prepared only the night before, until he pointed out the minute differences.

  Amie voiced the worry that was nagging her. “Helen, what do you think will happen to Ben? Will the boys kill him, do you think?”

  “If Dirk wasn’t around, without a doubt, yes,” she answered. “As it is now? I’m not sure. A lot will depend on what he has to say when he decides to tell us.”

  Amie glanced over to where Ben lay quite still on the plastic sheet under a shade awning, securely tied to the bumper on the front of the Land Rover. “He’s been lying there for hours,” she said. “He’s not said a single word.”

  “I suspect they gave him quite a beating. I’m surprised they didn’t break any bones, well not as far as I could see,” said Helen. “Still we’ll make sure there’s enough food for him when he does come round. There’s not a lot for any of us, supplies are getting to be a problem, even with two people not here. At least Jonathon and Charles will be able to bring back plenty of stuff from Ruanga. I suggest you keep well away from this Ben; the other men won’t like it if you appear to be friendly with him. They might easily have doubts about you as well, and that won’t help things. I’ll get Reibos to take his food over and see to his needs.”

  Amie wasn’t happy to hear Helen’s warning; she’d been waiting impatiently for the first opportunity to talk to Ben as soon as he regained consciousness. Her brain was teeming with questions, but she could see the sense in what Helen said. It was so easy to forget how jealous and distrustful the Africans were. Did they live in a cloud of perpetual fear? She wondered. Often the Africans in the rural areas seemed so happy and content, wanting only food and shelter for the day and believing tomorrow would take care of itself.

  I wish Jonathon would hurry back, thought Amie. She found her mood improved one moment, and she was able to enjoy the simple life, take satisfaction from finding and preparing food, fetching water and taking the time to chill out.

  Other times she experienced waves of despair as she fretted about their future. Her thoughts flew across the miles to her family back in England. Last time she’d spoken to them she’d told them she was off on a video shoot in Alaska and would not be able to keep in touch. But she’d been here for three months now and they must be worried about her. When he returned to England, Dave from the camera crew would’ve updated them, but even though they knew she was back with Jonathon, they would still fret.

  Before he left to go south to Ruanga, she’d asked Jonathon if there was any way he could contact them and tell them she was safe. He’d promised to do that and she trusted he would find a way of explaining where she was and what she w
as doing. Not that it would stop them fretting.

  She could picture her sister Samantha collecting Dean and Jade from school and playgroup, before going to pick up a few essentials from the local supermarket, a whole world away. She imagined the high street shops, pavements glistening in the rain, with the traffic racing by and people coming out of the train station on their way home from work. It was surreal, it was not only a world away it was life on a distant galaxy.

  For the next few nights Amie couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned, conscious that Jonathon was not lying next to her in his sleeping bag. She wondered where he was and what he was doing. Was he asleep in a proper bed in the Robbins’ house where she had stayed when she’d been in Umeru? Had he enjoyed a hot shower and dinner served on warm plates sitting at a table? Had he even got across the border safely?

  However many times she closed her eyes, tried to relax and drift off to sleep, her brain cells sprang into action and she was off on another flight of fancy. In the end she wriggled out of her sleeping bag, put on her boots and stepped outside the tent. It felt cold out in the African night, so she reached back in and put on her coat as well. Dirk insisted they sleep at night fully dressed; if they were discovered and attacked, they would not have time to put clothes on, especially if they had to make a run for it. He had lightened his warning with a funny story about a party of campers who had to vacate in the middle of the night and were seen hopping around totally naked, causing much mirth and derision from the poaching party.

  “It’s amazing how vulnerable you can feel without clothes, even though common sense tells you a couple of layers of material won’t stop a bullet or a knife,” Dirk said at the end of the tale.

  She stood quite still checking for danger. There was little wind and she couldn’t detect any smells that might warn her that a lion, a hyena or a jackal was nearby. She saw no unfamiliar shapes, so she wandered over to the cool boxes looking for any leftover raisin bush berries. It was then she noticed that Jumbo, who was supposed to be on watch, was sitting in a very odd position.

  She tiptoed over and gently shook his shoulder, thinking he might be asleep. If Dirk discovered he’d dropped off there would be all hell to pay in the morning. But as she touched him, he keeled over and collapsed. For a brief moment Amie wondered how deeply asleep he was, and she bent over to give him a really good shake. Horrified, she realised he wasn’t asleep. He was dead!

  She couldn’t move. What should she do? Should she scream to wake everyone up, or creep over to rouse Dirk as gently as she could?

  She had just decided to do the former, but before she could cry out, a hand wrapped itself around her mouth and another hand clamped her arms by her side. She was dragged backwards away from the camp area. She fought as hard as she could, but she was no match for her captor who was holding her so tightly she felt as if her ribs were going to cave in. She was gasping for air, and she blacked out for a few seconds. She tried to raise her legs to kick her assailant, but it was impossible as her feet bumped along the ground jarring her whole body. Her teeth felt as if they’d come loose and her head was swimming, and it seemed to go on for a long, long time. Every now and again Amie made a feeble bid to pull herself loose, but then, there was an uncomfortable pain in the side of her neck and she remembered no more.

  3 I SAW ANGELINA

  When Amie came around, she saw they weren’t moving anymore. She wasn’t sure how far they’d come, she didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious, and she’d lost all sense of direction. Her abductor kept her head held tightly against him, still covering her mouth so she couldn’t cry out.

  “Amie, Amie,” he hissed. “Don’t scream. If you do, I’ll have to break your neck. Do you understand?”

  Amie tried to nod, but it was impossible to move her head.

  “Please, please you must listen to me. I need to talk to you.”

  Amie didn’t know whether to feel relieved or terrified, she recognized the voice. Everything would be all right, but then she remembered Jumbo’s body and shuddered. She wanted to ask him not to hurt her, but it was impossible to speak, she couldn’t even make eye contact with him, he was still holding her tight from behind.

  “Amie, if I take my hand away will you promise not to scream? I need you to listen to me, please!”

  Again, Amie tried to nod but she still couldn’t move. It would be foolish to scream, to break someone’s neck only took one quick yank and no one was around to come to her rescue. She had no choice but to do as she was told. If he was capable of killing one person, he was quite capable of killing her as well.

  She wriggled frantically trying to indicate she would remain quiet. Much to her relief he took his hand away from her mouth and she gasped, filling her starved lungs with fresh air.

  She turned around. She had guessed correctly. It was Ben.

  “What, what, are you doing?” she croaked. Her throat felt like sandpaper and her head was still swimming. Was this only a terrible dream? Had she really left her tent in the middle of the night? Surely any moment she’d wake up.

  “Amie I am so sorry to hurt you, I don’t mean to, but I am desperate,” whispered Ben. “I need your help.”

  “My help! How could you possibly need my help?” Amie was amazed.

  “We are friends, right?”

  “Ben, I thought we were friends but now I don’t …” Amie stopped herself. Watch what you say you idiot, she thought, or your big mouth will get you into trouble again. You really should have learned your lesson by now. She began again. “I really don’t see how I can help you. I don’t think for a moment Dirk was going to kill you, it’s not our way, and as white people we’re not at war with the Kawas or the M’untus. This is your country and you’ll find a way to sort out your own problems,” she added paraphrasing what Dirk had said so many times before.

  “Amie, you are the only one who can help.”

  Amie recovered a little and twisted round to look at Ben. She had never seen him look so dejected, so unkempt, so unlike the Ben she’d once known, the chatty one who always made her laugh when they were out filming together. He’d told her a little about his family, how proud they were of him, how hard he’d worked to get a college education. How he was so close to his two sisters and three younger brothers. As the eldest he had plans to help pay their college fees when their turn came. He’d asked endless questions about life overseas and adored looking at the few photographs Amie had shown him of her house and family in England. But this Ben was different. This was a scared and frightened man who looked as if he was suffering.

  “What’s happened, Ben? Why are you here?” asked Amie.

  “I was looking for you.”

  “For me! Seriously? Why?”

  “I told you, I need your help. You are the only one who can help me.”

  “That’s nonsense Ben. You have no idea what I’ve been through, where I’ve been, the prison, the shooting, the riots, the war ...”

  “Many people died or disappeared in the war,” Ben said softly, “but it has not stopped. It is still going on, only much, much worse.”

  “Wait a minute Ben, how long is it since you’ve been in Apatu?” Amie wriggled a little further away and settled herself more comfortably on the ground. Was she mad to trust him? If she was sensible, she should get up and race off back to the camp screaming her lungs out. But something stopped her, she wasn’t sure what, but it seemed only fair to hear what he had to say. “How long is it since you’ve been in Apatu?” she repeated.

  “Several weeks,” he admitted.

  “There you are. Jumbo only came back from the capital a few days ago and he said it was all calm, no fighting. There were even some white foreign visitors on the streets. Unless he was lying,” she added. The thought she was sitting next to Jumbo’s killer sent a shiver down her spine and she inched a little further away. Should she try and make a run for it after all?

  “No, I believe him,” said Ben. “In the capital it is quiet, it’s what is hap
pening out in the bush that is frightening. This is where the bad stuff is going on. Not in town, out here,” and Ben waved his arms to indicate somewhere inland.

  “What sort of bad stuff? What are you talking about?”

  “Bad men, not Kawas, not M’untus, not Luebos, not even the Tsaan. I think they come from a country to the north. They have set up a large camp far away from anywhere, there are many of them with guns.”

  “But why would they set up camp if they wanted to attack? They would come across the border and take over one town at a time and march towards the cities. What reason would they have to hide out? It doesn’t make sense if they’d come to invade Togodo. And why haven’t we heard about it? If the camp is as large as you say, someone would have noticed.” She added. “We thought no one knew where we were, but you found us.”

  “I followed Jumbo,” Ben admitted.

  “But, how did you know Jumbo would lead you to me?” Amie was puzzled.

  “One of my neighbour’s cousins knows Jumbo and he often went into town with Mr Dirk. You told me you had visited their game lodge so I came to try and find you because you know me and you can persuade Mr Dirk, and the people he knows, to help me.”

  Yet another of those long shots most people in their right minds wouldn’t even consider, Amie thought. Yet another example of a bizarre coincidence, or was it the workings of fate? She gave herself a firm talking to; this was not exactly the time for philosophical musings. She was still in a tight spot and she still didn’t know what Ben wanted or how dangerous he could be. He’d threatened to kill her; she mustn’t forget that.

  “I was surprised to see you were hiding out here with him in the bush. I felt you were alive, but many people died in the fighting.”

  “Yes,” Amie replied sadly. “I’ve been back to look, but I couldn’t find any of them. Not Pretty, or Angelina or Mrs Motswezi from the school. Ben, those bastards burnt the school and orphanage to the ground. I don’t care which side you are on, but that was barbaric, those poor little children had done no one any harm.” She shook her head to prevent herself from bursting into tears.