“I’ve brought another load in. Yes, old man, a bit early, but I probably won’t be hunting up north for a while. Seems the Brits are securing their border.” He eyed the two Germans in uniform as he spoke. “I’ll have to go farther east, up near Ikoma. The herds have started migrating in that direction anyway. Take more time, cost you more money, Joseph.”
“Yes, well, let’s discuss that tomorrow. About ten?”
Lancaster acknowledged the time, nodded, and left.
“He’s been a hunter for me for several years … Always comes back from his expeditions with quality kills, but I never know when he’ll turn up.” Joseph eyed his two guests.
“Now, let’s see what have we here.”
Schrager slipped the thin sheet from the envelope. His eyes darted across the lines once, then a second time. He held the fragile paper in his two hands a long moment, looked up, staring into his own world, and without saying a word or moving more than his arm, he laid the telegram face down on the hall table.
“Germany declared war on Russia,” he stated. “August first‥” He turned, “Excuse me, gentlemen, I have to catch Lancaster.” With that, he scurried out the front door. Lieutenant-Colonel Vorbeck looked at Levi and held the stare a moment. Then he stepped to the hall table and turned over the telegram. He quietly read it aloud:
HERR SCHRAGER. STOP. GERMANY DECLARED WAR ON RUSSIA. STOP. FRANCE. STOP. ENGLAND. STOP. BELGIUM. STOP. CEASE ALL SHIPMENTS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. STOP. LATEST PAYMENT TO YOUR ACCOUNT LLOYD’S LONDON. STOP. SIGNED BOND STREET IMPORTS. STOP.
Vorbeck half-whispered to Levi, “I must leave immediately for headquarters.” With that, the two soldiers left the house, “I’m afraid you’ll miss your boat, Captain. The sea lanes will be dangerous now, although we do have the SMS Konigsberg here at Dar es Salaam. It’s up the coast or in the Atlantic that the British navy is most dangerous. And if I know the British, they’ll attack us as soon as they can, probably along the coast. We have a lot of work to do before that happens.”
Oh mein Gott, I can’t believe this—I’m supposed to be on a boat for home in two weeks! The thoughts and the implications of war spun around in Levi’s head as the two military men made their way to the Tabora railroad station. The colonel was talking, but Levi was only half-listening.
“As commander of defenses for this colony, I’ve got to get to the coast, set up defenses … and you have to get that damned bridge finished. We’ll need to move supplies and men, and quickly if the war spreads to Africa … and I am sure it will. There’s too much land, wealth, and prestige at stake.”
“Yes, sir. Good luck, Colonel,” Levi responded as Vorbeck boarded the east-bound train.
Levi left the station, walked to the military base in Tabora, secured a horse from the stables, and rode out to the almost-completed trestle. He pushed his mount in the late afternoon sun and arrived in little over an hour. His sweaty horse breathed hard through a mouth dripping with foam. Lieutenant Rosenbloom was still on site. Levi informed him that war had been declared and added, “Mount guards out here from now on. We don’t want more mysterious fires. I want this trestle finished and serviceable in three days. We will concentrate on the main supports … Leave the guard rails and shoring up of the embankments until after we finish the essentials. I want rail stock rolling along those tracks in three days. We’ll add more workers, work from sun up until dark. Arrange it, Rosenbloom.”
“Yes sir, Captain!”
Something bothered Levi all afternoon, but he couldn’t place it. As he walked beneath the trestle at the bottom of the ravine, it struck him. “Lloyd’s of London?” he said out loud. “Why would Schrager have an account at an English bank and not at, say, Bank of Berlin?”
Late that evening, Levi was back at his room at the Schragers’s house, exhausted. He sat on the edge of his bed, pulling off his boots, when he heard a commotion in the front hall. Levi walked to his door, opened it enough to hear Lieutenant Rosenbloom’s voice, with Frau Schrager saying, “He just retired for the evening, but I can give him a message in the—”
“No, no, that won’t do. I need—”
“What is it, Lieutenant?” Levi stepped out into the hall with one boot on.
“Captain, I need to speak to you immediately … in private!”
“Come in, come in, Lieutenant.” Rosenbloom made haste for Levi’s room, leaving Mina Schrager standing in the front hall, perplexed.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Rosenbloom spat out his message: “Trouble … big trouble tonight, Captain. Horst Dorfmann is dead! And the guards shot and killed that Indian Rashid. He was caught with a can of kerosene. He tried to run away, and they shot him!”
Levi was taken aback. “What?! How did Dorfmann die?” Levi grabbed Rosenbloom’s arm.
“The guards found him at the bottom of the ravine … too dark to tell how he died.”
“All right, Lieutenant. Now I want you to go to the military post and bring back three armed guards—not the Schutztruppen. They have to be white. Herr Schrager has some questions to answer. And hurry back! Come directly to me.”
“Yes, sir.” Andre Rosenbloom, sweat dripping from his chin, did a halfhearted salute, spun around, and was out the door.
As he left, Levi added, “Silence is the word, Lieutenant. Don’t tell anyone what happened.”
As soon as Rosenbloom left, Levi went to his satchel in the armoire and retrieved his revolver, belt, and holster. What to do next? he thought, as he slipped on his other boot and strapped the weapon in place. Mina must be wondering what’s going on. I’d better give her an explanation.
As Levi opened his door, he heard agitated voices in the hall. Mina’s frightened demands could be heard and in reply, a yes. Schrager’s voice!
Levi instinctively unsnapped his holster cover as he called out, “Joseph, I need to talk to you.”
They were forty feet apart as Levi stepped into the long hallway. The light was dim, with only the front hall illuminated. Joseph and Mina were close together, with Joseph holding his wife, both hands around her upper arms.
“Quiet down! I can explain!” he had just said to her in a stern voice.
When he heard Levi’s voice, he released Mina and pushed her aside, peering down the darkened hallway.
Levi repeated himself in a commanding voice, “I need to talk to you … about tonight.”
Within seconds, deafening blasts of sound, smoke and flashes of light lit up the front hallway as Schrager repeatedly pulled the trigger on his gun. Mina shrieked in panic, spun around in front of Joseph, her arms in the air, as her husband continued shooting down the hall.
Mina was thrown back by the force of the shot that tore through her as she spun directly in front of Joseph’s weapon. Levi felt his left foot flung back as he pulled his revolver out, just as Mina crumpled to the floor.
Levi had a clear shot, as Joseph was momentarily distracted by his unintended victim. Levi took it. With instinctive skill developed over years of shooting, he squeezed off one shot at a time. Three cartridge shells bounced onto the floor as he slumped against the wall.
It was over in seconds. Only the moans of Mina Schrager could be heard in the silent house.
The tremendous thunder of the gunshots roused several of the townspeople and brought the contingent of guards running for the house. Lieutenant Rosenbloom barged through the front door, followed by three enlisted men. They confronted a blue mist of acidic gun smoke hanging over a blood-splattered hall, with two bodies lying before them.
“Captain, Captain!” Rosenbloom shouted frantically.
“Here, here, down the hall,” Levi responded as he pulled himself up the wall.
“You’re injured, sir. Are there other enemy about?”
“Not that I know of. Have your men check the grounds and search the house. An English hunter named Sidney Lancaster may be part of this, so be alert.”
The lieutenant ordered his men to their tasks and then turned to Levi: “Are you shot
in the leg, sir?”
“No. I caught a bullet in the boot … It didn’t touch me, but it sprained my ankle.”
Levi was looking down the hall at the couple on the floor. Mina moaned and stirred a little. “Help her, Lieutenant; she’s still alive!”
CHAPTER 25
Close to Heaven
The reality of the European war came to South West Africa with the abortive South African/British attack across the Orange River. Simultaneously, in German East Africa, following the second attempt at the destruction of the Tabora rail bridge and the slaying of the traitor Joseph Schrager and his Indian servant Rashid, Colonel von Vorbeck intensified his preparations for war. He knew it would soon descend on the German East Africa colony.
Captain Levi sent what turned out to be his last telegram to his wife Katherina, from East Africa to Bavaria, before the vital relay wireless station in German Togo was overrun by a combined force of British and French. That station had a strong wireless for all German African colonies, as well as communications with German shipping in the South Atlantic. With the fall of German Togo on August 25, 1914, the German African colonies ceased to have direct wireless communication with Berlin and the Fatherland.
Markus knew well the precarious position the Kaiser’s colonies were in. There was no joyous excitement with the outbreak of the war as had been demonstrated in the German, French, and British cities of Europe. Only resignation and a sense of duty prevailed in the town squares and enlistment offices of the German colonies.
Markus spent most of his time at the Windhoek wireless station intercepting British, French, Belgian, and Portuguese wireless messages; most were not encoded. It was a great source of news on the war in Europe, and he found the news appalling.
Even if the enemy, all of them, were exaggerating, the battles and casualty numbers were staggering and hard to believe. Thousands killed, even tens of thousands killed, in one battle after another.
With the ranch nearby, most nights he was able to sleep with his wife in his own bed, a luxury afforded few other soldiers. Markus trained several assistants to continue the intercepts around the clock, making his nightly departures possible.
One evening, in the front parlor at the ranch, with his wife absent, Markus said, “Helena needn’t hear the harsh details of the war; it will only upset her.” He spoke to his father-in-law, Tomas, and two of her brothers, Norbert and Michael.
“I’m reminded of my army buddies during the China campaign. My friend Levi, of course, and Heiner, Günther, and Captain Mayerling … They must be in the thick of it—except Levi.” He hesitated a moment and went on, “I got a telegram from him a week or so ago. The wireless is still broadcasting between us, but of course, he can’t say much on account of the censors and enemy intercepts … just that he is all right.”
“Good, good,” Tomas offered. “It’s a terrible thing, this war.” He hesitated and continued, “And now with Wolfgang and Arnold called up … ” Emotion was rising in his voice. “I don’t want any Conrads killed for some God-forsaken European war!”
Helena entered the room carrying Rupert as Markus finished his thoughts: “The British and South Africans have their hands full with the threat of a Boer uprising; I think everyone’s safe for the moment.”
“What? What is it, dear?” Helena asked.
“Just more talk of politics and the war.”
“Well, come to bed now. It’s late.”
She never ceased to beguile her husband. He was always ready to sweep her up into his arms, and she was almost always ready to surrender to his embraces.
Rupert was put down in his crib and after a few sniffles, drifted off to sleep. Markus was already in his nightshirt, propped up in bed when Helena came out of the dressing room in her floor-length, lacy white nightgown.
“You look lovely, my dear. I love it when your hair is up like that.”
She came to her side of the bed and slipped in. “You do, do you?” and she shook her head.
“Do you like this?” She pulled pins out of her stacked hair, and it fell down onto her shoulders.
“Yes, I do … and especially when your lovely hair is resting on your lovely, bare shoulders.” They both chuckled. He reached over to her and tugged at the ribbon closure of her nightgown. Freed from the tie, he was able to slowly pull the lacy collar open and off her right shoulder.
“See how pretty your hair is against your skin?” he whispered. They both smiled in that knowing way.
“Well, I like my hair best when it’s on your shoulder … or your chest. What do you think of that, mister ribbon puller?”
“I have a string that could be pulled,” and as he said that teasingly—he twirled the end of the string of his night shirt.
In a moment, she pulled his night shirt over his head as he smiled at her. She swept her head back and forth, forcing her long hair to trace across his chest and shoulders. Their lovemaking was luscious and languid. They lingered in suspended pleasure and finally slipped into that moment that became a singular bond.
After a time, he said, “We are so fortunate, in all this turmoil, that we have such a life as this.”
She turned. “And I am so blessed you came from so far away and found me here in Africa. God is good. He will watch over us. He will see us all through this if it is his wish: you, darling, Rupert, Papa, and my brothers.”
“And Christiana?”
“Oh, heavens, God always favors Christiana!” They both smiled at that and soon faded into their separate dreams.
In German South West Africa, after the complete defeat on the Orange River, the South Africans were slow to mount a second attack. They finally did plan an invasion; this time, from the sea at the small port town of Lüderitz. Through German spies, intercepted wireless messages, and Boer sympathizers, the German Command found out about the attack before it happened.
Unlike the South Africans, the Germans had three aeroplanes at their disposal in South West Africa. They were used for observing enemy movements and, on occasion, came under rifle fire from the ground. One such incident happened just before the invasion. A young German pilot was wounded, but managed to bring his Otto Pusher biplane back with only bullet holes in the wings of the frail craft. These were patched with cloth and glue, and the craft was ready to fly its important missions again. However, the only other pilot was laid up with malaria.
“Captain Mathias,” began von Heydebreck, the commander of military forces in the colony, “your military record indicates you are a pilot with professional knowledge of aeroplanes. There are only two other men in this colony with such skills and experience; both are laid up with injuries or illness. We need to know what our enemies are doing beyond our normal resources for such information. Flying scout missions over the enemy is what’s needed.” He paused to size up Captain Mathias.
“Governor Seitz and I formally request that you volunteer for this special duty. Of course, you are not obliged to take on this dangerous mission, but it’s a vital one in defense of the entire colony. You are privy to the knowledge that the South Africans are planning an invasion along the coast. We must know when and where. If you could—”
“I’ll do it. I’ll take on the mission, sir.” Markus paused. “And I apologize for interrupting, Commander.”
Von Heydebreck, taken aback for a moment at this forthright enthusiasm by Mathias, said, “Fine, fine, Captain. The Kaiser would be proud.”
“Thank you, sir.” Markus’s mind was already elsewhere—in the vast blue of the endless sky.
To get back behind the controls of an aeroplane, up there, as close to heaven as I’ll ever get, he thought! He could not contain a grin at the idea.
But back at the ranch, he faced questions. “Dearest, you volunteered for what kind of duty?” Helena asked, not fully understanding the nature and danger of her husband’s announcement.
“Where can you fly to from here, and why would you want to fly there anyway?” They had just sat down to a late dinner at the
ranch, with Tomas and Christiana and Michael. The other boys were either in military training or in bed.
“I’m the only one in the colony who is available and knows how to guide an aeroplane in flight. As I said, dear, the other two pilots are laid up in hospital.”
Tomas spoke up, “Ja, one has malaria and the other one?”
“He was injured,” Markus said, hoping that would end the inquiry into the second pilot.
“I hear he was shot while flying over enemy troops,” Tomas continued.
“Yes, but only slightly … He will make a full recovery.” Markus looked to Helena in expectation.
“Shot … while driving that aeroplane! Shot while up in the air?” Her voice raised in apprehension. “Why would you volunteer for such dangerous duty? Wasn’t that battle you were in down on the Orange River enough?”
“Helena, dear, first of all, it wasn’t a battle, at least not my part. And second, I could not refuse my commanding officer, especially under these circumstances.”
He looked to Tomas for support. Tomas Conrad was reluctant but finally said, “Markus is right. You can’t refuse a request like that in time of war.”
“Well, I wish … I wish this war had never happened! My two brothers are in the army, and now you are going off to fly that silly aeroplane … And for what? What are you going to do up there?” She had worked herself up emotionally.
Markus reached over to comfort her, saying, “I’m only going to do some scouting … for British ships, along the coast. I promise to stay far away from them and way up so they can’t see me … and I’ll fly so the sun is in their eyes. You know, dear, aeroplanes don’t hold very much fuel, so I can’t stay up long, and when I bring it back, the mechanics have to work on the engines, and that sometimes takes days. So, you see, I won’t really be doing that much flying anyway.” After that long, preposterous story, Markus eased back and glanced at Tomas.
Conrad was wiggling in his seat, not knowing if he should be grim or grinning. He looked to Helena to see if she actually believed her husband’s story.
The Storm That Shook the World Page 13
