Jasmine waited until she was sure the lion was gone and then climbed down and returned to camp. Slim ran up to her and buried his face in her large soft breasts. Like a little kid he held her tight and she smiled and told him she was fine and it was time to go back to bed. The camp returned to normal and everyone drifted off to bed except Clare and Sean who sat at the now blazing fire and talked into the early morning hours.
Both now had maybe fallen in love and they were searching out each other’s lives to see if something was there or not. She asked him if would consider living in England and not Ireland in the future. He said to her with a quiet voice, ‘That he hadn’t given it much thought and the question would be, ‘What he would do there?’
Clare knew what he was saying and said, ‘That maybe you could be a long distance guide service and Slim if he stayed here could guide the safari.’
He listened to her with interest and with a quiet voice said, ‘I’ll have to think about that,’ and gave her a warm smile that melted her on the spot. He walked her to her tent as he held her hand. He was going to say good night when she leaned into him and gave him a warm, wet kiss. He responded and took her in his arms and kissed her back. She finally pulled away and with a squeeze of his hand, went inside the tent. Sean turned and walked stiff legged back to his tent as he met Matt coming on watch. Matt had a grin on his face and obviously had seen the embrace from the light of the dying fire.
Sean’s dream that night involved Clare and her lovely body under him making love all night long in a hotel overlooking the sea. He had no idea where he was but it didn’t matter the next morning as he remembered the pleasant dream.
The next morning Charlie was talking to his son. Sean noticed they were waving their arms and pointing back the way they had come. Sean walked up and asked them what was on their minds and to tell him what Horn was saying.
Charlie said to Sean, with a look of concern on his face, ‘Well, my son says there is someone or a group of people following us. He said, ‘In the melee of last night, a friend of his from town came and told him that a group of four men on horseback with pack horses were headed in the same direction always keeping a half day or more behind us.’
Both Slim and Matt saw them talking and walked over to see what was going on. Sean relayed the story and Matt with a screwed up look on his face said, ‘That someone must have got wind of the safari into Massai country.’ Slim then told them his recollection of the fat guy in the market and the oddity of the situation once he thought about it. Sean then remembered the red haired guy who was seemingly always around when he went around town. Matt said that was Red River Red and the fat guy was in his gang of thieves. Who the other two guys were would remain a mystery.
‘The fat guy is known as Too Tall Toby. A dim witted guy Red took under his wing when his father died some years ago,’ Matt said.
Sean did some thinking and suggested that Horn keep an eye on them and to report any deviation in their direction. Matt agreed and Horn said he would leave at dark and locate the gang and follow them day by day. He would report in by messenger who would contact Charlie at night so as not to alert the porters who were already scared of going anywhere near Massai country. If word got out more white men were coming and if it looked like trouble, they would head home in a hurry leaving them high and dry with nobody to carry their supplies.
Two days later Horn came into camp at dusk. He ate dinner and had a meeting with father and the guys. He told them the leader was a red headed guy and with him were the fat guy on a big horse and two other shady looking characters. They were always following them but at a slightly off direction rather than directly behind them. They appeared to know exactly where the safari was headed and were taking their time moving slowly. All of the guys, including Charlie were thinking what they might do about this dangerous situation that would soon rear its ugly head when least expected.
Matt, Slim and Sean were kicking around some ideas when Chicken Charlie stopped then cold when he said, ‘I’ve a plan if you’d like to hear it,’ he said with a big grin on his face and a belly rolling chuckle escaped his toothless mouth.
Full attention was given to Charlie and he told them his plan: ‘First we must put the fear of god into those boys. Second, we must make so much trouble that the two hired guys leave the other two and go back where they came from; three, Horn and his friends will attack at night and take their horses and leave them afoot. If that doesn’t run them off, we will slit their throats while they sleep. All agreed and Sean gave Horn some money for his friends and left the details up to Charlie and Horn.
Nearing where the Massai were located and about a week since Horn left to see what he could do about the Red River Gang, a runner was sent out to the Massai that the following day that they would camp a days travel from their location. They would leave the porters camped out and only the white people would come to visit them. While the runner was gone to deliver the message Horn came into camp as the sun was dipping down in the west. He had smile on his face and looked very tired. After resting up and eating a big dinner of goat and all the rest of the side dishes Jasmine fixed him, he went to Sean and Slims tent where they would have some privacy. Matt, Slim and Sean were waiting for him. The camp meanwhile was in a hub of activity as the professor and Clare were making plans and gathering trinkets to present the Massai people with.
Horn took a rest on his haunches and told the story from beginning to end. The end result was that the last he saw of the Red River Gang they were headed back the way they came. The details as it turned out was a comedy of events that made all of them laugh. The first thing that happened was they stole the horses at night as nobody was guarding them. All were sleeping and nobody heard them take the horses. They wrapped the hooves of the horses with old shirts and led them away where some friends rode them away and eventually back to Nairobi for sale. The next morning we could hear all of them swearing to high heaven and they thought the horses had wondered away at night. Toby was the scape goat as he was supposed to have hobbled them and tied them up for the night. Each took a direction looking for the horses, but no tracks were found as we wrapped them for no noise while leading them away. About noon they met back at the original camp and sat down to discuss what the hell they should do. Red was real angry and said they would spend the night and go looking for them in another direction. Well, that night, and into the early morning, we quietly slid into their camp and took their hats and boots. We left them some water and when the sun rose the next morning we could hear them swearing again and then we heard the fat guy crying. The last we saw of them they were headed back the way they came hobbling along on sore feet.
Sean was the only one not laughing as he remembered the look in Red’s eye the day they came to town and found Jasmine sitting with the evil looking pock marked face of Red. Sean knew he would not forget the insult and would continue to dog them long after the safari was over. He was very dangerous and now, if possible, more lethal than ever. Sean silently wished that Horn had slit the throat of Red and left the others to fend for themselves on their own
The showdown was not long in coming and Sean needed to make a plan for trapping Red and finalizes the situation once and for all. Now he had to take care of the professor and Clare. Make sure all was in order and do his job the best he could. He and Slim went around and made sure the porters were where they were supposed to be and Charlie laid the law down. The porters were afraid of the Chicken Man.
All was ready for the last leg of the journey. Everything was loaded into the truck and the kitchen truck was loaded too but only Jasmine and her friend went in the kitchen truck driven by Slim.
A few hours later they came to the Massai village. Along the way stationed along the trail, were Massai warriors dressed in traditional attire; dyed brown colored hair and body paint. They stood tall and all had a long spear, butt end to the ground and spear point up. Very menacing looking and there were no expression on their stoic faces. They started at the yellow ha
ired Clare and her white skin as she passed by in the truck driven by Sean.
The village was sitting at the base of a hill on semi-flat ground with a creek flowing nearby. Tall mountains reached for the sky behind the village. On top of the hill there stood some warriors who were probably lookouts for intruders.
The village itself was surrounded by a low fence made up of what looked like thorn bushes. This was obviously to keep out wild animals and intruders; also to keep the cattle inside and protected by the Massai. Small huts dotted the inside of the compound and it looked like the huts were too small for the tall Massai people. A few elders were waiting at the gate. They too were dressed like all the other men of the village. Bright red headdress and around the neck was row after row of shells the same color red or ochre. They were beautiful dressed and as they came to realize after a few days, they always spent hours making themselves looking good for others. The women looked much the same, but some were seen with shaved heads and some had their hair up. Many brightly colored beads adorned their necks and all of the Massai had long earrings dangling from their ears.
Clare was impressed with their dress and good looks. Tall and erect they stood their proudly almost a defiant stance daring someone to challenge them. She would later discover they were the dominant tribe of the savannah and around Lake Turkana.
The guys parked the trucks off to the side of the gate and the professor was the first one to approach them with Jasmine just behind. Clare and the guys followed and stood behind the professor and Clare. Minutes went by and then the professor turned to Jasmine and said, ‘Please have them introduced to us if that is appropriate.’ Jasmine turned to what looked the oldest of the small group and said in their language what the professor said to her. The elder of the group spoke some words to Jasmine and then looked at the white girl with yellow hair.
Jasmine told them that the elder wanted to know what type of woman was this standing in front of them. Clare didn’t move as she knew she must remain quiet and not speak till spoken to. The professor looked the elder in the eye and said very slow English, ‘This is my daughter and she is a student of mine here to watch and learn from the Massai.’ Jasmine relayed the message and the elder nodded his head slight and they all turned to walk back to the center of the compound. Jasmine started walking slowly and the white group followed suit.
Some strange stools sat in a circle under a large tree in the shade. Women and children followed and stood around in a larger circle watching the activity unfold. The entire safari groups sat down after the elders were in place. Jasmine had motioned for one of her girls to come forward and place the wooden box before the elders. The eldest of the group motioned to the youngest one to open the box. The youngest one used the tip of his spear to open the box and inside was many necklaces of beads and other items of beauty. Many small hand mirrors to reflect their appearance were scattered throughout the box. The larger circle mostly of women and children made murmuring sounds of delight. The youngest sat down and elder chief reached in and picked up a mirror and looked at himself. He broke into a smile and continued to look at himself. Then he handed it to the next elder and he looked in and smiled too. The professor meanwhile was watching closely and was satisfied his gifts were acceptable.
Clare wondered if she was accepted or not. Jasmine was sitting next to her and she whispered into her ear. Jasmine nodded and whispered back that if she wasn’t acceptable she would not be sitting here. Sean looked at Clare and smiles were passed between them. Jasmine listened to the chief and he told her the safari was welcome and they could set up their huts, or tents, under the big tree behind the other huts next to the back of the compound. A gate of sorts led to the creek where fresh water poured down from the snow topped peaks bringing ice cold water and tasted wonderful. The elder also told Jasmine that they could join them just after dark in a dancing ceremony that was part of their religious period for the next few weeks. Mixed in with the dancing young couples would vie for each other’s attention.
Jasmine went on to explain that for their white guests this would be a welcome celebration in their honor. Jasmine expressed the safari’s gratitude and the; meeting broke up. The professor was beaming with pride and anticipation of his research coming better than he expected. Clare was the center of attention with the females as she walked to the back of the compound as Slim and Sean drove the trucks to the back fence. Young children hung on to the back and climbed into the trucks as they pulled in.
After an hour or so, life returned to normal and both Clare and her father sat in chairs with notebooks and did a lot of writing and watching the life of the Massai. Jasmine meanwhile reacquainted herself with relatives and friends. She had many women and kids sitting around her as she told them stories of the big city life. This was the first time in years she had returned to her people and she was very proud of that heritage. Her friends and relatives began to dress her up in necklaces and earrings. They played with her hair and soon it was looking like the rest of the group. Sean and Slim walked by and did a second take looking at the reformed and beautiful Jasmine.
Clare was paying particular attention to the group and walked over to ask Jasmine if it was ok for her to join them. Jasmine smiled and said, ‘Of course sit down next to me and let the girls put some beads around your neck and they will do your hair if you like.’
Clare said, ‘She would like that and that the girls could do what they wanted with her hair.’ As far as earrings went, she only had small holes and that she would prefer not to have the holes as large as what she observed of the Massai women and men. Jasmine passed on the message and the women understood and would not offend the white golden lady.
The group of girls and women each took off one red necklace and placed in over her head. Soon she had many beautiful shell necklaces around her and they were playing with her hair. She took a mirror out of her pocket and looked at her person. Her hair had beads and shells wound throughout it and built into a headdress of sorts. It didn’t look as good on her as it did with the black hair or shaved heads of the girls. Clare wondered about why some had long hair and why some were shaved clean. She would ask Jasmine later if she didn’t figure it out on her own.
The safari camp was set up and Jasmine went to check out how lunch was coming along. The Jasmine girls’ were doing fine and had a simple lunch ready for the group. Naturally they were being watched by many Massai as they prepared a lunch of canned meat sandwiches and fresh fruit.
After lunch the guys sat around and talked about what they might do for the next month. Sean was concerned about Red and he made a point to send word to Charlie to have scouts stationed around their area to watch out for him.
Later that evening as it became dark with a beautiful sunset dipping down across the savannah, preparations for the ceremony was being made. The safari bunch brought their chairs and sat with the elders. Clare was on pins and needles. The firelight reflecting off her eyes portrayed a happiness that few could imagine. Sean was so pitifully in love as he stared at her. He was so obvious that Slim and Matt poked each other and both felt happy for Sean. Sean had never had a girlfriend in his life. Much of his life he was a loner that he thought would last forever into his twilight years. He’d always kept his feeling to himself and only occasionally would visit the local house for relief. Now in his early thirties Sean felt something he never knew would ever feel in a lifetime of living.
Clare felt his eyes on her and she warmed to the attention he was giving off. She had taken a ‘blanket’ bath and he could smell her soap from where he sat next to her. Of course the strong smell of cattle roaming around and one had to watch his step when walking, especially in the dark. However, piles of dung didn’t last long on the ground as they were picked up and used for both their construction of the huts and cooking fires inside.
The guys had walked up the creek and found a place to clean off the red dust of a long trip. Even the professor ventured with them. Slim was the first to test the cold stream. He cried
and stuck his head under the swift moving creek. Then he sat down and took a bar of soap and washed head and body in record time. Slim rinsed off and Sean was next after watching Slim do his routine. Matt and the professor was last to take a bath and all were laughing and having fun poking fun at their shrunken manhood.
Back at the fire, slowly the drums started to sound a rhythm of cadence. The sound would build up and then slowly down to where barely a drum was heard and then back up again. It was mesmerizing and slowly your mind was drifting to another place. First the women one by one circled the fire dancing provocatively and that continued for some time with the tall men as eager onlookers. It was plain to see this was a courtship ritual of some sort. The women dressed in their finest clothes and jewelry turned and looked at each one of the men as they passed by. Soon their bodies were glistening with sweat and that turned the men on even more as the drums increased their cadence to a climax when all the women fell to the ground in a position of receptiveness for a male to perform his duty to the tribe: reproduce for the good of the Massai.
The women moved off and the drums once again started to play. The group of men and young boys about the age of thirteen started to circle the fire with their spears tapping the ground and each one did his own special dance to the delight of the girls and women ringing them while looking on. You could see the women pointing at this one and that one all the while the men slowly worked themselves into frenzy.
The elders had their eyes closed and the professor and Clare knew they were in some sort of trance. They were also drinking something but it was not shared with the white folks. Could it be some drug, Clare thought to herself as she fought the drum spell. Slim, Matt and Sean were caught up in the drum beat as well. What seemed an hour later or more, the men dripping sweat from their headdress and the sounds of hundreds of shells banging together, the drums now so loud it felt like a hammer in the head, fell to their knees and lay their heads back on the ground. Each member pointing his knees and body directly to the watching and now excited women and girls. Clare wide eyed and looking on felt a tingling where she had never felt before. She wonder how the women could stop themselves from jumping on top of the tall and muscular men laying there breathing hard.
Sacred White Rocks Page 5
