Remembering this event in his past, Sean leaned on the table and said to Matt, ‘We have what we think is an original map to an area that contains diamonds. Somewhere in Massai country according to a very old map we got from a con artist black guy over in a small town not so far from Massai country.’ Matt knew Sean and thinking to himself, that Sean was not stupid and would never run off half cocked on some whim without good reason. His interest was piqued and wanted to know more. However at this time and place it wasn’t safe from the many ears not seen lurking about. The information would have to wait.
Matt said to Sean, ‘Let’s talk about this later. Tonight at ten I will meet you at my hotel in my room which is a safe place.’
Sean nodded and they both left going their separate ways. Sean headed out to find Slim and see how he was doing and then they would find Jasmine and check on her progress.
Meanwhile, Toby scurried back to Red to report his findings. He had accidentally spotted Sean with Matt at the outdoor café. Toby thought the report on Sean would have a little bonus to his relationship with his hero Red. At the very time Toby was waddling back to Red, Red was thinking it was about time to rid the world of Too Tall Toby. After this job, Red figured he could head back to Australia and live in the Outback on his profits. He dreamed of a cattle ranch and a beautiful red haired woman to please his every need. He woke from his thoughts to find Toby panting in front of him. Sweat streaming down his fat face. His shirt was soaked and his long straggly hair was matted to his face like a wet dog. Red backed up a little and his first words to Toby were, ‘Man you stink, you need a bath!’
Toby nodded and between gasps of air, blurted the report to the boss. When he finished Red gave him some money and told him to go get cleaned up and meet him later at their hotel. Toby took the money and headed to the old woman’s bath house.
Sean met up with Slim and they set off to find Jasmine. They found her in the market haggling with a vendor over some vegetables and other assorted items she wanted to buy. Finally in a language nobody understood, she threw up her hands and turned to Slim and said, ‘Well I’m making progress and will soon have this thief down to a price we can afford.’
Slim laughed and said, ‘Let’s go I’m get hungry just looking at you.’ They headed off arm in arm with Sean deep in thought about his meeting with Matt later tonight.
After lunch and alone with Slim, Sean told him about his meeting with Matt. Slim rubbed his chin and after some in-house thinking, he nodded to Sean and said, ‘Well, whatever you think is good enough for me. Matt saved our butts more than once if I recall correctly.’
Sean mumbled something and said to Slim, ‘Be ready about nine thirty and they would slip out the back.’
Toby meanwhile was soaking in the hot tub of water and the blind girls were washing his blubber. Giggling all the time they were taking a brush to his back and chest. Toby moaned and groaned with pleasure. The girls told him to stand up so they could finish washing the rest of him. Toby struggled to get up and when he was fully standing, half the water was gone. He stood there bare assed naked. The old man drained the tub and went to heat some more water. The girls meanwhile started to wash Toby’s backside and front side. In the front, one girl had to hold up his fat while the other washed his private parts. Toby groaned with pleasure and his member stood out like a half smoked cigar. The wash girl teased his member and before she knew it, Toby groaned with glee as he shot his load on to the floor. Of course the girls knew what happened and laughed at Toby. Just then the old man brought some warm water to rinse Toby off with. The girls returned to business and rinsed the portly guy down. Toby left with a grin and started whistling at his usual slow gait down the street.
Later that evening, Slim now in Sean’s room discussing the upcoming meeting with Matt asked Sean if they should take the map with them. Sean nodded and Slim dug the map out of its hiding place in the ceiling. The ceiling was old and sagging with half rotted wood and it was a convenient place to hide something like a map.
Chapter 4
Sitting in Matt’s room around a wooden table the three men were intensely looking at the treasure map. Matt had made sure no one was listening as his own men were stationed around and in the hotel. Red himself had followed Slim and Sean to Matt’s hotel, but could not go in as he would be recognized. Matt, after looking at the map sat back in his chair, tilted it back on two legs against the wall, and was deep in thought as Slim and Sean waited for him to say something.
Matt pushed himself with his head back to the table and the chair landed on four legs making a loud sound on the wooden floor. The movement and sound broke the silence and both Slim and Sean were a bit startled. Matt grinned and said, ‘Boys, I think you’re on to something here. The path is not so clear, but maybe, and I mean maybe, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is really there. The way is fraught with trouble, trust me on that score, but with the right plan of action, it’s possible for all of us to take early retirement.’
Matt went on to tell them he had heard about the Massai legend as they had many years ago. ‘The word that came back, when it came back, was filled with horror stories of demons rising from the earth and screams of dying echoing down the mountains. Not one black man will go anywhere near Mt. Kenya or any other mountain within the Massai territory. You’re aware of the Massai strong belief in their religion and their reverence for cattle. Wealth is the most important belief in their culture. They also know that the white stones are valuable as so many treasure hunters have ventured into their lands wanting the diamonds. In all my years here in Africa, I’ve never seen or heard about one diamond coming into town or for sale.’
Slim told Matt his conversation with Jasmine and that only the elders held the knowledge of the location where the white stones are located. Matt nodded his head and then said, ‘Well, boys, what happens when we get there? Obviously the professor and his daughter are not interested in diamonds and the porters will scatter like a stampede of sheep with a wolf hot on their tails. My suggestion is we make a real safari of this and take the professor and his group to the Massai and listen and wait for the right opportunity to make a plan after the professor leaves.’ Sean and Slim both nodded their heads in agreement and rose to leave to think about it.
Walking quietly down the stairs and out the back, it began to rain. They turned their collars up and pulled down their hats and set off for their hotel. The going was tough as the wind and rain pounded them and the mud from the street was turning into ankle deep goo from the African soil. Entering their hotel, they tried to scrape the mud off their boots. A servant helped them take off their boots and said he would clean them and bring them up to their rooms later. Sean and Slim gladly handed the boots to the black guy and headed up the stairs to sleep. Both were dead tired from a hard day’s work.
Slim lay in Jasmines’ arms after a short love making session. He had real deep feeling for her, but the smiling blonde with pearl white teeth kept flooding his brain. He wasn’t so dumb as to realize he would never have a chance to win her over. She was just too educated and her anthropology career was first on her list, not finding a down and out safari guide to her liking. He snuggled closer to Jasmine and she held Slim like a baby in her arms. She was so much bigger than him and it was contrary thinking that she wanted to take care of him, instead of the opposite generally accepted view of a relationship. They drifted off to sleep listening to the rain pounding on the hotel.
Next morning eating breakfast together, Slim had some more porters to find and Jasmine was returning to the swindler in the market for stores of food. Can goods were hard to come by as the economic crash was felt worldwide. What used to be cheap was now double or triple the cost. Middle men were making a killing on the scarcity of goods.
The rain had stopped and clear blue skies greeted the safari guides to their respective destinations. Tramping down the street their boots soon became so heavy they had to stop and dig the mud off. Horse wagons laden with goods were slowing mov
ing down the street with the wheels full of mud and the horses hooves looked like upside down reddish brown pop cycles. Slim was swearing to nobody in particular at the sticky mud and Sean was deep in thought about the upcoming sojourn into Massai country. Matt’s story about unknown spirits and men never returning from there, scared the hell out of him. He asked himself if finding the treasure was really worth his life. He needed to talk to Matt some more about this trip.
He and Slim split up and he walked off to find Matt and another cup of coffee with him. Slim still moaning and groaning headed to the market bent on wrapping up his porter job. Jasmine on the other hand, barefoot like her younger days, had no problem with the mud and was seen by Slim throwing her arms around arguing with the trader she was talking to the day before.
The tall black Massai, who greeted Slim the day before, came up to Slim and said that the missus wanted to see him when he had time. Slim told the black guy to tell Clare that he would be there in an hour or so. The Massai turned around and with long strides of his tall frame was gone from sight in a second or two.
Unseen by the Massai or Slim, Toby was hiding behind a vegetable cart digging mud off his boots. He was swearing to high heaven making the air blue. The vendors stared on with both pity and disgust at the fat man who was obviously interested in what the skinny white man was doing. Just then the cart moved as Toby was digging mud off of one foot and he fell down into the mud. Silence for a minute and then all who had seen the act started laughing and poking fun at Toby. Slim turned to see what all the commotion was about and saw the fat Toby struggling to get up. He had mud all down one side of him and in his hair. He scurried off headed back to the bath filling the air with obscenities shaking the mud off his hands. He hoped Red wasn’t around and hadn’t seen the fiasco in the market.
Toby was dead wrong; Red was watching from a distance and had seen it all. He was hidden nearby when the tall black man approached and talked to Slim. Then he spotted Toby behind the cart and the subsequent fall in the mud. He vowed to himself to rid himself of the burden of Too Tall Toby. However, he felt kin to him as Toby had been with him for years now. His father before he died asked Red to take care of him when he was gone. Red made the promise and he guessed that he should honor the promise. Silently he hoped Toby would have an accident and a lion or some animal would enjoy the tasty fat Toby.
Slim, meanwhile finished up his business satisfied that the porters had all been signed up for the safari. He then headed for his meeting with Clare. Outside Clare’s hotel there was a black guy who was cleaning boots before entering the hotel. Slim stood in line and waited his turn. Boots cleaned and after he rubbed his teeth with his shirt sleeve, he up walked to her room. He knocked on the door and the tall Massai opened it at the same as last time. He went in with more confidence and smiled with his hat in hand at Clare. Slim said hello to the professor and turned back to Clare. She asked him to sit down and she took a chair to his side. The professor took another chair and moved it up across from Slim on the bamboo sofa. The professor asked Slim about the progress to date and when would they be ready to depart. Slim, full of confidence said, ‘We’ll be ready by the first of next week.’
It being now Tuesday, they would be ready in about five more days. The professor smiled and told him that would be fine and thanked him for the report.
Slim turned his attention to the ever smiling Clare. He asked her, ‘Are you always so happy?’
She gave him a short laugh and a coy look and said, ‘Most of the time, but sometimes when I have trouble understanding something, I get a little frustrated and then I’ve been known to throw a tantrum or two.’
Slim said he should go now and then Clare gave him a big surprise. She asked him to stay for lunch that she wanted to ask him a few things about the safari. Slim nodded his head and she suggested they go down to the restaurant and have lunch, ‘Father takes care of himself and he’ll join us later or not at all,’ she told Slim.
Sitting in the restaurant, eating a tough chicken dish she talked on and on about the Massai. Slim half listened but spent most of the time staring at her lovely face and now in the light he could see she had lots of freckles barely visible on her face and arms. His thoughts went to where other freckles might be lurking under her safari shirt and he felt a stirring in the loins starting. Totally embarrassed, he tried to listen to her talk and then she asked him a question that required his attention away from his now hard member. She asked the general question about the seating arrangements and how much progress that they could expect each day traveling.
Slim was happy to answer such an easy question as the blood drained away between his legs. He began to tell her how a safari was started and how much distance each day they could expect to travel. The two trucks would travel a little faster than the porters carrying the supplies. At lunch time the trucks would stop and the porters in the trucks would set up tables and the kitchen. Jasmine would handle the set up and take down. Usually by the time lunch was ready the walking porters would arrive. You can expect at least a two hour period for rest as the heat of the day is extreme. Slow going will be the rule for the afternoon trek. Most of the days we travel in the mornings. Early camp in the evening, includes gathering firewood and setting up the tents for sleeping. The kitchen cooks both dinner and the next day’s breakfast for the porters and kitchen help. We have a light breakfast of coffee and bread with some salted pork. By seven am we are back on the road and each day you can make about eight to ten miles.’
‘Scouts are sent out early in the morning and you will see them far ahead once in awhile. They are the ones who find the easiest way for the trucks to travel. They also kill our daily meat supply. Usually we find our way by the meat hanging in a tree waiting for us to pick it up. Then at lunch time, the kitchen help cuts it up and by the evening it is ready to eat. Works well and is a time proven way to safari.’
Clare liked what she heard and told him they would soon send the Massai friend of theirs to the village announcing their arrival in the future. ‘They are expecting us and even though they are not happy about it, they will tolerate us for a short time. We know they like to decorate themselves so we are bringing a lot of stuff for them to adorn their bodies with. We would like to stay a month or two, but only time will tell how receptive they are to us.’ She also told him she must go now and make some plans for leaving in a few days.
After parting and Slim being able to stand up without any embarrassment, he headed back to the hotel to see if Sean or Jasmine had anything to report. On the way he was followed by Red who kept his distance. Red had given the waiter a few pence to report what they had said at the meeting. The waiter quickly reported they talked about a safari in the bush. That was all, nothing else other than a typical safari.
Red disappointed followed along deep in thought. He knew Sean was drinking coffee with Matt and knowing full well there was more to the safari than just a look at the wondering cattle lovers, he tried to think of a plan to find out the real truth behind the secret meetings. He would bide his time and play it by ear as the safari made its way to the tribe of strange made-up nomads.
Back at the coffee table Matt and Sean sat there mostly in silence. An occasional word was spoken and as the waiter hovered around them hoping for a large tip; then the word ruby was overheard by the keen eared waiter. The waiter thought that would bring a pretty penny to the attention of the notorious Red.
Back at the hotel after the day’s work making ready for the safari, the three of them sat down to dinner and compared notes of their activities. All had good reports except the black cloud of how to make a play for the gems. Jasmine was totally unaware of their planned folly to locate the secrets of the white stones.
The trio drifted off to their rooms and had a good night’s sleep. Slim and Jasmine love making noise was overheard by Sean. Sean had a smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 5
The next few days turned out much the same as the day before
preparing for the safari. By Sunday they were pretty much ready to depart. The trucks were loaded and the porters lined up for the next days’ trip. Slim, Sean and Jasmine, with her friend were ready to leave at the crack of dawn. All was ready and the professor was excited to get going. Matt was signed on as an extra guide whose relationship with the Massai was good. They felt he was needed and the cost was minimal. The cover stories in place nothing to do but wait for the dawn to break.
All went smoothly the next morning. Clare was excited and she wouldn’t quit talking. She looked beautiful in her tan safari outfit and her hair was up and when the sun shined through it, golden rays of light could make even the toughest of guys wilt. The long line fed its way out of town and here and there were seen onlookers standing in their door way watching the procession. Among the on lookers were Red and Toby. Red told Toby to get the other two guys and the horses ready as they would leave town in a different direction towards Mombasa and then double back at noon to intersect the trail leading to the Massai.
They bounced along the trail headed west. The sun was at their backs and by ten am it was getting warm out. The porters were following close to the trucks and could be heard singing African songs. It was very peaceful and tranquil as they lumbered along the road. The road would take them to the small town where Sean and Slim left the fat landlady yelling obscenities at them. Sean would pay the lady and then they would pick up some help in the way of the one-eyed black man. They had found out through the grape vine that he was an excellent tracker and knew the territory very well. Plus the fact if he was smart enough to con the guys out of a half guinea, he was one of the few who could think on their feet. His size would be good to have around so not to be intimidated by the tall spear packing Massai.
Clare meanwhile enjoying the first hours of the safari, looked back at the long line of porters through the red dust from the trucks. Boxes of supplies balanced on their heads. She marveled at the wonderful sights. Grasslands of the Savannah’s were waving in the wind and sun shining through the grass gave off a variety of colors. Here and there you could see stunted trees providing a little shade and undoubtedly underneath lay some animals resting from the heat of the morning. Far ahead it looked like no end to the vast grasslands. She breathed in the clear fresh air and silently thanked god for providing her this experience.
Sacred White Rocks Page 3
