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The Tide

By: Rapacious



Rollllll...Boom! Crash! The tide echoed in my ear as I stood at the edge of the foaming water. The wind gently flowed over my utterly naked skin. I knew that if I glanced back, I would see a self-satisfied smirk, playing over Amberly's face. Deservedly so, she found this place, and I could find nothing to complain about. Utterly isolated, hidden, from all eyes, it was the perfect hideaway.

Somewhere, in the Caribbean Islands, there is a beach, which has a number of deceptively small pools next to the cliffs, which surround it. If you step in these pools, they are much deeper than they appear. Most people wade into them, and then back out in alarm. Not so, Amberly, who dove down, and discovered the small natural rock tube leading to an opening, which let out into a cave, and thence to this amazing beach, concealed on all sides by tall cliffs.

So here she had led me, to a virtual paradise, where we might wander in absolute abandon, utterly free of all inhibition. And I was entranced, yet somewhat jealous, that she should have discovered this, since I prided myself on being the one who found new exciting things. I turned to look at her as she lay back on the blanket we had brought through in the waterproof pack, I had strapped to my back as we swam through the somewhat claustrophobic underwater tunnel which led here.

As always looking at her I was awed by her beauty. At 5'9" and 130 pounds with long wavy brunette hair, and piercing blue eyes, which never failed to hypnotize me, each time I looked in them, Amberly always seemed a goddess to me. I found myself desirous of her every moment I was near her. But sometimes it irritated me that she should have such a power over me, thus, my irritation that she should discover this treasure, before me.

"Come, please" she said " and spread this suntan oil over me." I walked over and straddled the sand next to her, and picked up the bottle of oil. "Turn over, I will do your back first" She flipped over, and settled herself into a comfortable position. "Isn't this a fabulous beach?”

“Yes" I said, "It's amazing" I begin to gently squeeze a portion of the oil onto her back. As I did so an idea begin forming in my mind. Starting at her shoulders, I begin to gently and sensuously rub the oil into her neck and back muscles. Kneading and probing with all the skill I could muster, I felt out her tense spots , seeking out where I could get the most response. She sighed gently and began to relax into my ministrations.

Sliding down to her smooth rounded asscheeks, I rubbed the oil in, always as soft and gently as possible. She parted her legs slightly, revealing her closely shaven pussy lips. I deliberately ignored this, and continued to rub and knead her ass, always coming as close as possible, to her sweet little rose-shaped anus, and the flower of her pussy, but never making contact with them. She begin to almost imperceptibly, lift her hips up and down and gently moan into the sand. I slid my hands, well coated with oil down her thighs, and paid special attention to her calves and feet.

Amberly was now very visibly aroused. I could see the moisture gathering on the lips of her sex. so I said "Flip over, time to do the front.” She rolled over, and her eyes were glazed with lust. "Hi" she said, in a husky broken voice that made my cock begin to throb. "Hi" I replied, attempting to sound nonchalant. Taking the bottle of oil I squeezed a generous portion of it onto her breasts and stomach, and began massaging it in, again trying to tease with it, rubbing it into her shoulders, neck and breasts, but never touching her nipples. I continued this slow tease, even going so far as to rub the oil into her Venus mons, but never coming near the lips of her now obviously aroused cunt.

At this point she had actually began to softly pant, under her breath, and it was here that I said "OK your good, you should tan nicely.” This took a supreme effort, as I was now as hard as an iron bar, and my scrotum felt as if it was swelled to the size of a balloon. 

"You are soo mean" she said lowly, her lips forming into a luscious pink pout. "Mean!" I said, feigning innocence, "What do you mean?”

“ Don't pretend with me!" she whispered, although we were completely alone, "I'm about to come in the sand and melt into a pool, because of you, what do you plan to do about it?" I grinned wickedly in my mind, and said " Well I think you will have to inspire me.” I shifted my leg up and straddled her so that my cock was resting just an inch or so over her chin. "So young miss, what have you to say to that?" In response to my question, (and my hopes!) she flicked out her pointy little tongue and gently licked a drop of pre-cum from the tip of my cock. I eased my hips forward and she let my member slowly slide into her hot wet mouth. The sun beat down, the tide roared its noise, as I arched my head back and slid my cock between her soft lips. She sucked me down into her throat for a moment, and then releasing my rock hard cock, she looked at me and said, "Fuck me please, fuck me"

I shifted my legs so that I was above her with the tip of my cock poised at the lips of her hungry sex, thinking, "Okay, you found the beach but I made it special.” Still, I could not stop teasing her. I eased in perhaps an inch or so, then withdrew. Then I tried to repeat this slow luscious tease but Amberly was ahead of me. Suddenly powerful athletic legs wrapped around my ass and pulled me deeply into her. I stroked slowly in and out, and in the background the tide began to drive my rhythm. Boom, Crash! Stroke! In, Out! 

It seemed to go on and on, the relentless never-ending crash of the tide and our feverish fucking, Until at last I felt my whole body stiffen as if it were a solid rod of iron or steel, Amberly's legs locked around my waist, and her arms gripped me and pulled me to herself, and became as stone like and stiff as my own body. I could feel my cock sending seemingly endless streams of cum into her cunt. At last, after an unknown time my muscles unlocked and I felt Amberly’s soft lips nest to my ear. 

"Do you hear the tide?" she husked "We just came in with the tide..."

We will be back to this beach.

The Tide Is High



Cindi knocked on the door, almost hoping Janet wouldn't answer. At least, she thought that she hoped that Janet wouldn't answer; but as long moments passed and Cindi stood there in silence, she had plenty of time to change her mind back and forth on the issue. Was Janet avoiding her? Did she want Janet to avoid her? Did she want to avoid Janet? Did she need more time to think about last night? Was she just chickening out by wanting more time to think about last night?

Cindi looked at her watch, then knocked on the door again. Another minute or two more, she decided, and then she'd let herself chicken out. Maybe Janet wasn't home. Maybe she was with a...client. Maybe she really was avoiding Cindi. But last night, she'd said--Cindi flushed a little as she remembered a few of the things Janet had said last night. No, she had probably just gone out for lunch or something. Oh, well, just her bad luck to miss Janet, couldn't be helped, she'd have to stop by tomorrow, guess it was just one of those timing things and nobody could blame her for turning around right this second and--

The door opened. "Cindi!" Janet said with a smile. "Glad to see you again! Come in!" Her long, dark hair was still damp, so she must have just gotten out of the shower, but Janet looked like she hadn't bothered to get dressed at all since last night. She was wearing a sheer silken robe that was cinched loosely enough that Cindi could see she wasn't wearing anything at all underneath it. Cindi suddenly felt like she didn't know where to look.

She settled for accepting the invitation, stepping into the living room with an almost awkward haste. "I, um...I came over to talk," Cindi said, starting to sit down on the couch, then changing her mind suddenly and pacing back and forth across the room. "Just to talk," she said rapidly, "not to, um, anything else." She felt heat suffusing her cheeks, and knew that she had to be blushing, but she pressed forward anyway. "I'm sorry I left before you woke up this morning, I didn't want to worry you, but I had to take some time to think about--"

"You didn't worry me," Janet said, interrupting the speech that Cindi had been rehearsing in her head for about three hours now. "I knew you'd be back." She sat down on the couch that Cindi had avoided, resting one foot on the floor and putting the other up on the couch in a way that exposed quite a bit of her bare leg. "I knew it even before you came home with me last night. The only one who hasn't figured it out yet is you, pet."

Cindi froze for a moment, trying desperately to repress a shiver at hearing the word 'pet'. Especially at hearing the word 'pet' in Janet's husky, purring tones. Cindi suddenly felt like she was right back there in the bedroom last night, hearing the words whispered in her ear but not really thinking about them because Janet's fingers felt so fucking good inside her...she rallied gamely, though, latching onto the implications of Janet's comments and using it to get back on-script. "Janet, I'm sorry, but I'm not a lesbian," she said, looking over at Janet for a reaction. Then she looked away, because she didn't want to punctuate the words "I'm not a lesbian" by staring at Janet's body, and she wasn't quite ready to meet Janet's gaze just yet.

Janet didn't react right away, though. It took a couple of seconds before she started laughing. But it took her a lot longer than that to stop. She let her head fall back and slowly slid into a prone position as she giggled helplessly, her robe almost falling open as she convulsed in laughter. By the time she'd finally calmed down, Cindi had overcome her nervousness about where to look and was glaring at her very pointedly. "I'm sorry, pet," Janet said at last, wiping moisture from the corners of her eyes. "I really am. It's just...'I'm not a lesbian'?" She looked like she was almost about to start laughing again.

"I'm...I'm not!" Cindi said, feeling more than a little stung. "What happened last night...I was curious about what you said you did for a living, and one thing just kind of...led to another. But it doesn't mean that I like girls!"

Janet propped herself back up on the couch again. "Of course you like girls, pet. You're right in saying that doesn't necessarily make you a lesbian; you could be bisexual. But you can't tell me that women don't turn you on."

Cindi shook her head angrily, unsure of exactly what she was angry about but welcoming the distraction from all the other feelings Janet was stirring up. "They don't! I don't look at...at pictures of girls, or ogle women in the street, or..."

Janet stretched languorously, almost making a liar of Cindi right then and there about not ogling women. "It's not about that, Cindi. Being bisexual just means a woman can turn you on, and we both already know that I can do that. Remember the way that the arousal washed into your body, pet?" Janet's voice suddenly seemed quieter, her cadence slower. "Like waves of warm water, slowly lapping at your skin. Each wave coming in a little higher, the water getting deeper and deeper...like the tide coming in, pet, as more and more of your thoughts sank beneath that warm, wet need. Remember, my sweet pet?" Cindi nodded distantly, not quite sure when she'd locked eyes with Janet but not wanting to stop.

"But of course," Janet said, her voice abruptly losing its purring qualities and becoming conversational once more, "that's not what I really meant when I said that I knew you'd be coming back." Her eyes lost their hypnotic intensity, at least for the moment. "I only meant that I suspected that once you'd had some time to think things over by yourself, you'd want to come back and talk things over with me."

Cindi nodded sheepishly. "Oh," she said quietly. She felt...Cindi fumbled around in her mind for a word, and only managed to come up with 'obvious'. But it was the word that fit. She felt as though everything she was feeling and everything she was thinking was an open book to Janet, and one she'd leafed through a few dozen times already. How many other curious young women had Janet invited over after a few drinks at a party? How many other girls had wound up agreeing to try hypnosis for themselves, just to see what it felt like? How many other girls had ended up on their knees, trembling and quaking as Janet's words stirred wave after endless wave of dreamy bliss in their minds and their bodies?

Janet interrupted her silent reverie. "So," she said, "what did you want to talk about first? Apart from your sexual orientation, that is."

"I...I don't want to hurt your feelings, Janet." Cindi said. That was from her mental script, too; Cindi liked Janet, she really did. She didn't want to walk away from this having wrecked a potential friendship with one night of drunken abandon...well, not really drunken, Cindi admitted to herself. She hadn't had that much to drink at the cast party, and she'd almost totally sobered up by the time Janet offered to show her what trance felt like. But the hypnosis had lowered her inhibitions just as surely as alcohol would have. Cindi would never have gotten up the nerve to do...what they did last night...if she was thinking clearly.

Cindi realized she'd trailed off again. "Sorry," she said. "I guess I'm a little nervous. I, um, I really don't want to hurt your feelings--"

"You said that," Janet broke in, still smiling her enigmatic grin.

"Oh. Right," Cindi said, trying to collect her thoughts. It was hard with those knowing eyes staring at her. "I just...what we did last night, Janet, it's not...me. It's not who I am. I'm not..." *Not kinky, not submissive, not lesbian, not ready to deal with the fact that I wound up in bed with a professional 'hypno-dominatrix' that I met doing community theater...* "Not like you."

Janet chuckled. "Of course you're not. If you were, you wouldn't have wound up kneeling last night. I'm afraid I enjoy being on top a little too much."

"That's not what I meant!" Cindi snapped, annoyed that Janet kept deliberately misreading her words and even more annoyed that her meticulously planned, agonizingly deliberated speech wasn't even denting Janet's aura of calm certainty. "I meant that last night was...not a mistake," she said quickly. Cindi didn't want the whole conversation to devolve into post-coital clichés. "Just not really who I am."

"So you didn't enjoy it, then?" Janet sounded amused, not hurt. "It didn't feel good to you?"

Cindi thought back to the way her body quivered under Janet's ministrations, the way that Janet teased whimpers, moans, and finally screams of ecstasy out of her. It would be pretty difficult to lie now, at least convincingly. "It felt good, yes, but..." She struggled for words, before finally falling back to her original line of defense. "It's not who I am."

Janet sat up, facing Cindi directly. She didn't bother adjusting her robe; it hung tantalizingly loose, exposing her legs all the way up to her thighs and showing a good bit of cleavage as well. "It's who you were last night, Cindi. When I hypnotized you, you admitted to me that you came here hoping to be hypnotized. You also admitted that you haven't been able to stop thinking about this ever since I told you what I did for a living. That was your subconscious talking, Cindi, your deepest self. Maybe you're not really who you think you are."

Cindi's eyes widened in panic and embarrassment. It couldn't be true. Parts of it, yes, she'd been curious, but she wasn't the sort of girl who'd really want all that kinky stuff...was she? "I said that? But I don't--"

"Remember?" Janet's smile was back, making her look like a sexier version of the Mona Lisa. "That's the way of trance, Cindi. You remember what you want to remember. There's probably a lot of things you don't remember about last night, Cindi. Like the tide."

"The tide?" Cindi felt confusion join the swirl of emotions. "I, I don't know, I don't remember..." She was stammering now, stumbling over her words as her thoughts tangled together and became hopelessly ensnarled.

"Yes, Cindi, the tide." Janet's voice seemed deeper, now. More commanding. "The tide is rising."

"The tide is rising," Cindi whispered, her voice somehow seeming faint and distant in her own ears. "I..." She blinked. She was surprised at how much effort it took. "I don't understand. What's happening?"

"The tide is rising," Janet said. Cindi mouthed the words along with her without even realizing it. "That's all that's happening, Cindi. The tide is rising, and what happens to you when the tide comes in?"

Cindi squeezed her thighs together, suddenly conscious of the heat and the dampness between them. "I become wet," she whimpered, not knowing where the words came from but unable to deny the truth of them. They popped into her head, unbidden, and she said them before she even thought about it. And that sounded so hot...

Cindi clenched her eyes shut, blocking out the sight of Janet's body. "I, um...I should go," she said urgently, her voice high with arousal. She needed to go. She needed more time to think about this, because even if Janet was right (and Janet couldn't be right, Cindi was a nice girl, nice girls didn't do this...) Even if Janet was right, Cindi wasn't ready to deal with everything that implied. She needed to get away, she needed to think, she needed to jam her fingers into her snatch and masturbate herself to orgasm...

"You should," Janet said, breaking into her sudden, vivid fantasy as Cindi's eyes flew open in shock. They locked instantly onto Janet's gaze. "But you can't, can you? Because the tide is pulled by the moon, Cindi." She beckoned, and Cindi felt the gesture like a physical tug at her body. "I am the moon, Cindi...and your tides are drawn to me."

Cindi whimpered, feeling the pull become stronger with each passing moment. "You did something," she whispered helplessly. "You did something to my mind, you're making me want this..."

Janet shook her head. Her eyes didn't move away from Cindi's for even a moment. "That's not how hypnosis works, Cindi," she said. "I gave you suggestions, but they were only that. Suggestions. They only have the power you give them...and you want to give your power to me. Don't you, Cindi?"

"I...I..." She knew the answer, but she didn't dare to say it. She couldn't be that girl, the one in the back of her memory who begged for the collar and the flogger and the cuffs. She couldn't want this. She couldn't let herself want this. She came closer and closer to Janet, giving up the physical struggle to focus on the battle in her mind.

"The tide is high, Cindi," Janet said. Cindi shook with arousal at the words.

"The tide is high," Cindi repeated helplessly, She couldn't stop herself from feeling the glorious ache in her pussy as she echoed the words. They evoked a memory, but as soon as the memory came it receded again, leaving only more desire in its wake. She couldn't fight the arousal she felt every time she heard those words, any more than the tide could resist the pull of the moon.

"The tide is high," Janet whispered. Her eyes loomed in Cindi's vision, and Cindi felt Janet's warm skin underneath her hands. Only then did Cindi realize she was kneeling.

"The tide is high," Cindi responded, unable to say anything else. She tried to tell herself that she needed to think about this, but her thoughts were drowning in the tide of warm, wet lust that filled her body all the way up to the top of her head. Her thoughts sank to the bottom, and the rest of her floated in bliss.

She felt Janet undoing her blouse, unhooking her bra, and fingering her stiff nipples over and over and over again. "You want to give your power to me, don't you, pet?" Janet asked again.

"...yes," Cindi whimpered out. She couldn't imagine any other answer. She couldn't wait for Janet to finish stripping her naked.

"What happens when the tide is highest, pet?" Janet asked, stroking Cindi's breasts with hands that seemed to know exactly where to touch to make Cindi lose whatever control she had left.

"It overflows," Cindi groaned out, her panties now soaked through with her juices. "It overflows..." She'd never thought she could be so close to orgasm without even touching her clit, but at the same time, the sensation seemed intimately familiar to her.

"Good girl," Janet whispered, the words sending shudders of bliss through Cindi's already pleasure-saturated mind. "And the tide spills over...now." With a wail, Cindi fell forward against Janet's body, lost in the grip of a toe-curling orgasm. Her eyes fluttered closed and she shook again and again, unable to stop the pleasure as it flowed over her and through her and washed away all her doubts, all her fears, all her thoughts. In that instant, as she surrendered completely to bliss and clutched at Janet's warm, soft flesh, Cindi remembered last night perfectly. This was who she was. Who she'd always wanted to be, deep down. Who she always would be, because it felt too good to resist.

"Good girl," Janet whispered in her ear, again and again until she finally relaxed. Her mind felt blank and peaceful, the warmth of the afterglow slowly seeping through her whole body as Janet held her close. It felt perfect. Cindi wished she could stay like this forever.

"Mmmm," Janet purred out, leaning back just a little, "I'm afraid you undid all the good that shower did me, pet." Cindi's eyes opened again, and focused immediately on Janet's pussy, just inches away from her face. She could smell it now, the scent of Janet's arousal making her dizzy with need. Cindi licked her lips in anticipation.

She looked up at Janet, helpless against the power in Janet's eyes and knowing that she wanted to be exactly that. "May I, Mistress?" she whispered.

"You may, pet," Janet said, tangling her fingers in Cindi's hair as Cindi leaned in to lick.

THE END



The Tides Of War Pt. 01



Chapter 1 

The look on Andrews face as he came through the door, said it all for him. 

Removing his hat, he sat down and poured out a drink from the scotch bottle on the table by the side of the bed. He drank it in one swallow, his face lined with suppressed anger. 

"The bastards have blocked any introduction other than the charge of disobeying an order. The Colonel at least had the decency to look embarrassed, but it seems the only charge is that you willfully disobeyed the order. No mitigating circumstances will be allowed into evidence. Word has come down from higher up, and you know from where." 

David swung his legs down from the cot and poured himself a drink. He tried to smother his own feeling of rage with cold reasoning, "Well it's only what I expected, they have to cover up it up for the sake of the family honour." 

Andrew hesitated before continuing, "The old man has suggested that you could resign your commission rather than face a general court martial, that way you would keep your name intact." 

David looked at him. 

Poor old Andrew had been given the hopeless task of representing him, but his hands had been tied from the beginning. 

The charge was simple: Had he refused to carry out an order? Yes, he had, so on that charge he was guilty as charged. 

"David, the old man is going out on a limb for you in this. He will accept your resignation - to take effect immediately - if you decide to take that route. Barton wants the court martial to continue, that way you will be found guilty and the inference will be, that Willaby and those men died through you not carrying out an order. What the order was will never be disclosed." 

David knew that Major Barton, who had been dispatched from the General Area Headquarters of General Sir Reginald Fitzroy to carry out the prosecution, was a member of the General's staff. As such, he had a vested interest in keeping the General's son's name out of any proceedings. 

"Well it looks like I have very little choice Andrew," he said. Moving to the desk and taking out a sheet of paper, he began to write. 

"At least this way," Andrew murmured, "questions may be raised. Every man in the regiment knows what happened, so there is a chance the truth will get out one day." 

Andrew took the letter, as David was still officially confined to his room. 

He began to pack his few possessions. "Not much to show for nine years in the army," he thought ruefully as he closed the Gladstone bag. 

His service uniforms, mess uniform and sword he would leave for Andrew to sell, with instructions that the money go into the fund for the widows of the enlisted. 

He sat back down and contemplated what he would do. 

At twenty-eight, he was out of a job. The army had been his career and he had loved it, having a natural affinity for the Ghurkha troops under his command. He thought he had won their respect in numerous engagements along the North West Frontier, rising from Cornet to Lieutenant. Having no sponsorship from well-connected family or friends, the fact that he had risen in rank at all was down to ability alone. 

Andrew returned two hours later bearing his discharge papers and a bag with twenty guineas in it. 

"You was due five guineas back pay, but the old man put up the other fifteen. He wished you luck, David, and thanked you for your service to the regiment. I think the old boy was really cut up at the way you have been treated." 

David smiled, "He was a good commanding officer. Having Fitzroy's brat imposed on him, must have made his life hell." 

He explained about his uniforms to Andrew and then had a look around his room for the last time. 

"Don't come with me to the gate, I'll walk out alone," he murmured shaking hands with his friend. 

As he walked slowly across the parade ground to the gate Ghurkha Riflemen came to attention and saluted him, even though he was dressed now in civilian clothes. Word had obviously got around and their actions brought a lump to his throat. 

He caught a horse-drawn buggy outside of the gate and gave directions to a small boarding house on the outskirts of the town. 

***** 

For a week, he hardly left his room, just trying to decide what to do. There was nothing for him back in England. His parents had died when he was twelve. His only other relation, an Uncle, had died three years ago. The uncle had raised him, sending him first to boarding school and later university, before finally securing him a commission in the 2nd Ghurkha Rifles. 

"India is the place to be my boy," he had said, "A man can carve a future out there, either in the army or The Right Honourable East India Company." 

Although The Company had ceased to exist on paper, powerful businessmen, both in India and London still, maintained a grip on the country, dictating its development. 

He smiled to himself remembering. 

He had soon learned that nepotism and corruption were the norm in both John Company, as it was called, and the army, and felt sympathy for the Indians who had to bow to the wishes of John Company in its greed-driven efforts - backed by the army - to subjugate the various principalities to their control. It was little wonder there had been so much unrest and revolt, and it was left to the common soldier to rectify matters when the kettle boiled over. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. On opening it he found Mrs. Brown, the owner of the boarding house, standing there. 

"I'm sorry to disturb you Mr. Ramage, but there's a gentleman down stairs who would like to have a word with you," she said. 

Mrs. Brown had started the boarding house after her husband, Sergeant Brown, had been killed in a clash with the Pathans ten years ago. She was an ex-army brat, her father being army, and had lived all her life in India. 

"Thank you Mrs. Brown," he murmured, "would you show the gentleman up please." 

She smiled and left. 

Word had soon got around that he no longer held a commission. The fact that she had called him mister as opposed to Lieutenant, he noticed with a pang. 

On opening the door to the knock he found a portly gentleman who appeared to be in his sixties standing there, a briefcase in one hand and a fan and hat in the other. His white linen suit appeared somewhat rumpled; his stiff bat-winged collar adding to the visible discomfort David observed in the sweat on his brow. 

"Do I have the honour of addressing Mr. David Ramage," he asked in a very cultured voice. 

"You do Sir," David replied. 

"Oh good," the man replied looking relieved, "I've had a devil of a job locating you. I thought you may have left the town." 

"Would you like to come in and sit down?" David asked. 

The man appeared worn out and gave David a grateful look as he lowered his bulk into a chair, placing his hat on the table but fanning his face with the fan. 

"Would you care for some refreshment?" David asked, "I have some lemon water available." 

The man's face smiled appreciatively, "That would be most kind sir, thank you." 

Whilst David poured out the drink the man continued, "My name is Cox, of Abercrombie, Cox and Cox, solicitors of law in Multan." 

David handed him his drink, thinking as he drank: Multan was two hundred miles away and he was mystified as to what business a solicitor from there might possibly have with him. 

Mr. Cox lowered his glass and reached for his briefcase. Opening it he removed a document from inside, "I've been instructed by his Royal Highness Prince Hazid Ibram Kahn of Kanda, to offer you a business opportunity for a consultancy post." 

David frowned. Kanda was over four hundred miles to the North, by the mountain range that divided India from Afghanistan. He searched his brain, knowing very little of the independent principality apart from its reputation as being very rich from gold and gems and, of course, the Pass. 

"What am I supposed to consult on?" David asked, somewhat baffled. 

Mr. Cox shook his head, "That has not been disclosed to me. I'm instructed to give you twenty-five guineas if you agree to journey to Kanda, and you will receive a further twenty-five guinea on your arrival. The Prince has provided for train fare to Bata, and arrangements there will be made to convey you on to the Palace." 

David's head was in a whirl. The money constituted more than a year's army pay, but, more to the point, gave him something to do rather than sitting in this room. 

Mr. Cox continued, "Should you agree, there is a train leaving this evening which I shall be on. You may accompany me as far as Multan where I shall leave you to continue on to Bata. There, someone will meet you for the rest of your journey." 

Chapter 2 

They had a first class compartment to themselves as the train pulled out of the station. Mr. Cox had changed his suit and washed and shaved somewhere in town, David realized, when he met the solicitor at the train station. 

The compartment was typical of the Victorian rail system found in India in 1888: Heavy upholstered seats with brass fittings and velvet curtains. David had never been in first class on the rail journeys he had undertaken in the past, only being able to afford second-class, which entailed sitting on hard bench seats in an open carriage packed with other travellers. 

He found out from Mr. Cox that that his firm represented the Prince's interests, and it would seem that he was one of their most distinguished clients. The fact that Mr. Cox himself had sought him out, having only been given two days' notice to find him, was testament to the high regard in which Abercrombie, Cox and Cox held his patronage. 

Mr. Cox had settled into his seat and went to sleep after an hour of travelling. Despite his snoring, David joined him. 

When he awoke, he saw through the widows of the carriage that dawn was approaching. Glancing at his steel hunter, the only thing he had of his fathers, he noted it was almost six am. He wound the clock as he continued to look outside, replacing it in his top pocket. 

The countryside was changing, becoming more rugged as the train climbed the foothills leading to the mountains. 

Mr. Cox woke, stretched and began fastening the bat-winged collar he had removed before going to sleep. 

He looked out of the window, "We'll be pulling into Multan in about half an hour," he murmured, "I'll be glad to be back home." 

He began to gather his things together as David watched. 

"You have an hour before the train leaves for Bata. You can find food just outside the station at the Railway Hotel and also clean up there if you wish." He reached into his briefcase and extracted a purse, "Your twenty-five guineas are in this," he said, offering it to him. 

"You'll find the Prince is an educated man. He went to Oxford. In my dealings with him, I have found him to be very astute and well aware of the politics and intrigues that beset this country. The fact he has managed thus far to retain his county's independence from John Company, speaks volumes about his negotiating skills." 

"I have to confess I know very little about Kanda," David replied. 

"I've only been there once, the journey is too upsetting for a man of my age," Mr. Cox admitted, "But I have to admit that I found the country and people very happy with the conditions there. 

The Prince as done a great deal for his people regarding medical care and education. He has used the best of European methods to enhance the living conditions of his people, but still retained their traditions. 

"The country itself is only about four hundred miles long by roughly ninety miles wide. It sits like a bowl in the middle of mountains to the northeast and southwest. The Kana River runs through it, washing down significant quantities of gold and gems in its flow. The land is fertile and no one goes hungry that I'm aware of. The only concern they have is the Khana Pass, a narrow fissure through the mountains that leads to Afghanistan. It is situated some 60 miles from the main city, Putan. The Afghans have raided through it, attacking villages in the surrounding areas. 

"John Company and the army have been trying to force the Prince to accept their help in protecting the Pass. The problem, of course, is once John Company gets involved they will quickly take over the running of Kanda. Something of which the Prince is well aware. But with Russia now taking an interest in India, that Pass is a likely route they could take if it came to war. He is under mounting pressure to accept help," he concluded. 

The train began to slow as the outskirts of Multan came into view. The usual sight of ramshackle shacks slowly giving way to houses of more substance until, at last, it lurched slowly into the station. 

He alighted with Mr. Cox, shook his hand as the newly energized solicitor departed for his home, and then made his way into the Railway Hotel. 

Fifty minutes later he exited, having rushed his meal and clean-up, to board the train again. The train now only contained four carriages due to the hilly terrain it would have to climb to reach Bata, a further 150 miles away. 

It took seven hours to reach Bata, the end of the railway line, the mountain range behind the town preventing further expansion. 

David stood on the platform looking around for whomever was to meet him, when a tall Indian wearing a mixture of Indian and European clothing detached himself from the crowed and came towards him. 

"Excuse me Sahib, but are you Mr. Ramage?" He asked in a cultured voice. 

David replied that he was and the man went on to introduce himself, "I'm Captain Hazzor of his Majesty's Household Cavalry. I'm ordered to conduct you to the Palace. I know you will need to rest after your arduous journey and I have booked you a room at the hotel. We will leave at dawn tomorrow on horseback, or I can arrange a cart if that is your wish." 

"No, horseback is fine with me Captain," David replied. 

The captain led David to Bata's only hotel and agreed to meet him for dinner later that night. 

Relaxing in a steaming bath an hour later he reflected on what he had discovered so far, but he was no wiser about why he had been approached by the Prince. 

Over dinner with the Captain, he found out that even he didn't know, only that he was to conduct him to the palace as soon as possible. 

The captain continued, "I have taken the liberty, knowing that you wish to travel by horseback, of providing you with suitable clothes for the journey. We are of the same size I think, you will find them in your room when you go back." 

It transpired that the Captain had been in the service of the Prince for five years, his father being an advisor to the Prince. But his duties were mainly confined to the palace guard and the horse herds. Escorting David to the palace appeared to be a great adventure for him. 

When he returned to his room he found the clothes the Captain had provided for him on his bed: White jodhpurs, with soft black leather riding boots, a white silk shirt and a fancy embroidered vest. 

He tried everything on and was surprised to find it all fit, although the boots were a little too big for him. 

The next morning, dressed in his new clothes and with his jacket over his vest, he went outside with the Captain and found two other Indians dressed for riding and holding the reins of two extra horses. 

The horses were magnificent he thought, both around 15 hands high and displaying an Arab ancestry. The captain handed him the reins to a bay mare. She stood placidly whilst he mounted. He noticed that the Captain had a rifle scabbard on his horse,with what looked like a Winchester rifle extending out of it. He also had a pistol holster attached to his saddle. 

They set off at a fast trot, leaving the town behind as they climbed up towards the mountains. 

Once clear of the town, one of the riders rode out to the front of the procession whilst the other dropped back behind them. Carrying out standard guard duty in case of ambush, David observed. He commentated on this to the Captain. 

"These are troubled times we live in, Sahib," he said quietly. 

They alternated between riding and, in the steeper sections, walking the rough track to give the horses a respite. 

After riding for five hours they entered a narrow gorge. 

"This is the Patena Pass," the Captain informed him, "at the other end is the border post for Kanda. We change horses there." 

It took an hour to the traverse the pass. At the end of it they found soldiers in bright red Indian uniforms guarding the border. 

David looked hard at the soldiers. They were wearing pillbox hats and didn't look at all like Indians, then he noticed the Kukri's sheathed at the back of their belts and realised that they were Ghurkhas. They were armed with what looked like Mk1 Martini Henry rifles. His old regiment had been issued with Mk3s. 

They changed horses and continued on their way at a fast trot. 

He took the opportunity to ask the Captain how many Ghurkhas were in the Prince's army? 

"About fifty I'm told Sahib, they hold the Passes for the Prince." 

"So how large is the Prince's army?" 

"Apart from the Ghurkhas, some 200. Fifty of those are cavalry." 

"And how many of those help to hold the Passes?" 

The Captain looked horrified, "None, they are used to guard the city and the palace." 

David frowned at this reply. 

The sun was setting as the column entered the city's imposing walls, these guarded by troops in richly ornate uniforms and each armed with a tulwar - the classic Indian sabre - at his waist. 

At the gate to the Palace they dismounted. The Captain shook hands with him before leading his horse away. 

Chapter 3 

A servant conducted him along wide corridors until he reached a door and beckoned David to enter. 

Candles lit the interior of the spacious room and a large divan bed lay invitingly by the arched windows. There were few items of furniture in the room except for a small table and chair and a cupboard, but numerous large cushions were on display. 

The servant, dressed in a Mundu, the white sarong favoured for servants and common people, bowed to him, "Sahib, a bath as been prepared for you. Your clothes will be taken away and cleaned if you leave them on the bed. Other clothes have been provided. We will serve you your meal after you have refreshed yourself, if that is to your satisfaction?" 

David nodded his assent and the servant led the way through another door where girls wearing saris were carrying steaming copper pots and filling a sunken bath. 

They returned to the bedroom where he thanked the servant and was then left to undress. He removed his trousers and shirt from his Gladstone bag and, along with his shoes, left them on the bed along with the clothes he had worn on the ride to the city. 

A Mundu had been left on the bed for him. He wound it around him and went through to the bathroom. 

The girls had gone so he removed the Mundu and gingerly felt the water with his toes before lowering himself into the sunken bath. His body throbbed from the long ride and for a long time he lay with his head just above the water, feeling the heat soak away the aches, before using the soap that lay in bowl along with a flannel to wash himself. 

On entering the bedroom he found all his clothes had been removed and a Sherwani coat now lay on the bed along with soft leather slippers. 

He had no sooner put them on than the door opened and the girls appeared carrying trays of food and fruit, followed by another carrying a low table, which she placed by the cushions. 

Until the food had been served, he hadn't realised how hungry he felt after not having eaten all day. 

The stew was he thought was goat's meat with beans and chilis in a thick gravy that he mopped up with bhatura, fried unleavened bread. Afterwards he had peaches and oranges for dessert. He had no sooner finished eating than the door flew open again and the girls appeared to remove his plates. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 01



He began to suspect that he was under observation so fast had been their appearance. After they left, the servant appeared carrying a tray with a cut glass decanter and a glass. 

"His highness thought you may appreciate this Sahib," he murmured, bowing as he left. 

David smelt the decanter after removing the stopper. It was whiskey and the taste confirmed it as a malt whiskey of a superior brand. After a small drink he reluctantly put it on the table and blew out the candles before climbing into bed. He was a sleep in seconds. 

He awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. Looking at his watch, he saw it was almost seven as he automatically wound it up. 

He sat up in bed as the door opened and the servant appeared. He gave David the traditional greeting, placing his hands together as if in prayer, "Good morning Sahib I trust you slept well, he murmured. 

"Yes thank you, very well," he replied returning the greeting. 

"I have taken the liberty of having hot water provided for you in the bathroom. His Majesty wonders if you would have breakfast with him when you are ready." 

As he spoke, two girls came in carrying his clothes which they laid on the bed. Another came in carrying his shoes and the riding boots. All had been washed and ironed and the shoes and boots gleamed. 

When they had left, he hopped out of bed, wound the Mundu around him and then collected his cutthroat razor and shaving brush from the Gladstone bag on his way into the bathroom. 

Chapter 4 

The servant, who he finally discovered was called Peshawar, collected him at his room and conducted him along the corridors, coming to a halt by a wide terrace where a table and chairs, had been placed by the ornate railings. 

A tall man dressed in a linen suit not unlike his own, had his back to him as he stood at the railing looking out over the city. 

"Mr. Ramage, your Majesty," announced Peshawar. 

The man spun around, a wide smile on his face. David stopped and bowed his head, "Your Majesty," he murmured. 

The Prince extended his hand and David shook it surprised at the firmness of his grip, "Mr. Ramage it's so good of you to undertake the journey to be here. Peshawar you may now serve breakfast," he said, indicating that David should take a seat. 

"I hope you like scrambled eggs Mr. Ramage," the Prince said as he seated himself. 

David studied him as he sat down. He judged the Prince to be in his early forties, roughly six feet tall, with a lean body clad in a linen suit beautifully tailored to fit his body. He noticed the Prince, like himself, wore a soft turned down collar rather than the more formal, stiff bat-winged collar favoured by most of the senior politicians and men of means he had met in India. 

He smiled to himself seeing his Oxford tie. But the most striking feature of the man was his face and eyes. 

He wore a short pointed beard and a thin moustache with a lean hawkish nose his eyes were almost black below thick eyebrows. It was, David concluded, a face of intelligence and power. 

A trained and experienced observer, David, took this all in in a glance. 

"So Mr. Ramage I see you batted for the other team," he chuckled, indicating David's Cambridge tie. 

"I'm afraid so, sir," he replied adjusting his serviette. 

They talked about their respective universities during breakfast. Afterwards, the Prince led him into a small room that held two large cane chairs with a low coffee table between them. The Prince offered David a cheroot from a case he had in his inside pocket. 

After lighting it he sat back, "You must be wondering why you are here David. I hope you don't mind me addressing you as David?" he asked. 

David shook his head, "Of course not, sir.' 

The Prince smiled, "I know quite a lot about you and what I have learnt makes me think you are the ideal man for the task I have in mind." 

David frowned still mystified as to why he was here. 

"I know why you resigned your commission and the circumstances that led up to that. You deliberately ignored an order to retreat - a retreat which would have meant the certain death of the men trapped in that ambush - In order to redeem the withdrawal of your commanding officer, who panicked. I understand from my sources that the officer concerned has a history of such..." he hesitated, "...nervousness." 

"Instead, you led your platoon in a flanking attack that took the enemy by surprise allowing the trapped men to escape, bringing their dead and wounded out with them. I also know that the charge brought against you was structured to prevent the full facts from being brought out into the open at trial. 

"Further, I know that you were a career soldier who has not had any outside advantage to help further your career. Your promotions have all come about from your personal ability to lead men in battle. The men in your command idolised you, and would have followed you into hell if you led them." 

The Prince looked at David and shook his head, "How the British Raj has managed to be so successful when such incompetents such as General Fitzroy lead its army, is a constant mystery to me." 

"If I may ask Sir, how is it your are so well informed about me? It's only just over a week ago I resigned." 

The Prince chuckled, "I knew within three days of your resignation David. I make it a point to know what is going on in the corridors of power and the British army. It was a foregone conclusion that you would be treated as you were, my agents informed me. They also informed me of your unique ability to inspire loyalty in the troops in your command. I have need of a man of your ability." 

"I don't follow you, sir," he replied. 

The Prince's face became serious, "This room is one of only a few in my palace in which I can be sure of that I cannot be observed or overheard. There are those in my Kingdom who would be well rewarded by John Company or the Afghans for any information they can pass to them, leading up to an overthrow of myself, if they have their way. 

"You have been invited here in the pretext of reviewing my army. The real reason I invited you here was to train a force to guard the Khana Pass, a force that could hold the Pass against the incursions of the Afghans. 

"I'm afraid my present army is composed of no more than toy soldiers. They look picturesque in their flamboyant uniforms but they are not fighting men. My brother, who is the General of the Army, parades them now and again, but most have never left the city in their service career, content to stay in their comfortable barracks. 

"The only troops I have of any worth are the Gurkhas, who man the border crossings. They have their own barracks 40 miles outside of the city. It's more of a fort than a barracks, due to its isolation. 

"Officially there are 57 on their muster rolls, but I have a further 36 who are under training there. My agents recruit more, particularly any who have seen service with the British Army. 

Unfortunately my brother's loyalty to me is questionable, but better to know your enemy than not. 

"So, David, look over my troops as if you are evaluating their worth. You will have free access to go were you wish, then report back to me in four days' time." 

David sat stunned, but his professionalism won through and he asked, "Why don't your own troops guard the Pass?" 

The prince smiled but not with his eyes, "My brother claims his duty and that of my army is to protect the city and me and he has managed to convince a number of my senior adviser with this approach. His argument is that it's better to employ Gurkhas to carry out the menial task of guarding the Passes into my country. Fortunately he has very little to do with them. The ride out to their barracks is too far for him. He likes his comfort you see." 

"But surely, sir, you require a more senior officer than I was to train your troops?" 

"Did a senior officer train your men David or did you?" the Prince asked. 

David acknowledged the point with a nod the Prince continued, "Captain Hazzor has been detailed to show you around. He'll meet you tomorrow at eight. Needless to say, what we have talked about must remain secret between the two of us." 

Chapter 4 

Over the next four days David inspected the troops of the Prince. On the pretext of wishing to see Khana Pass, he spent a night at the barracks of the Gurkhas. On the fifth day he returned to provide his initial report to the Prince. His briefing was conducted in the room they had used for their previous confidential meeting. 

"So David, what do you think of my Army and please be frank" 

David took a deep breath, "Sir, I do not think the troops I saw in the city could even be classed as toy soldiers. True, they look dashing in their outlandish uniforms, but the condition of their rifles was appalling. Some I inspected had rust in the barrels and locks. When I asked when they had last conducted musket practice, they looked at me as if I was mad. I met General Tarbah, your brother, who seemed to believe everything was all right even when I pointed out that some of the cannons had rusted flintlocks. He merely passed it off as a minor detail that would be corrected in due course. 

"Only when I visited the Ghurkha barracks did I find evidence of professional soldiers. Their weapons were in first class condition, albeit old, and the ammunition they have been issued was, I'm afraid in a poor condition. I would consider only one in four rounds as serviceable for use. Hardly something to inspire confidence in Kanda's ability successfully to defend the major invasion route into the kingdom." 

"What you have said only confirms my own suspicions David," the Prince said. 

They sat back as the Prince considered his report, finally he asked, "What would you do, given the funds, to improve the situation of the Gurkhas out at the Fort?" 

David considered the question before replying, "I'd give them modern weapons that could offset their numbers. I've read that the next generation of rifles will be magazine fed. There has been talk in England of a perfected breech mechanism that could hold up to several rounds, and experiments have been conducted using cordite instead of black powder for ammunition. It is said that it increases range and doesn't have the resultant smoke that you have with black powder when the weapon is discharged." 

The prince nodded, "I too have heard talk about such rifles I believe Mauser in Germany have been following this line of development too." 

They sat in silence for a few minutes before the Prince spoke again, "David, would you undertake to go to England to procure these weapons and ammunition as well as any other weapons and equipment you think would be useful in defending the Pass?"  

"It would require a great deal of money to do as you request sir. Something in the order of a twenty thousand pounds." 

The Prince smiled, "Money is the least of our worries. I would furnish you with a document; to draw whatever funds you need from my bank. The main problem is speed and secrecy in this venture. 

"Should you accept this challenge, a boat can take you down to Deri Ismal Kahn to connect with the train from there to Karachi. A fast mail steamer departs from there every Monday and follows a route through the Suez Canal. It would get you to England in a little over three weeks. Today is Wednesday. If you left at first light tomorrow you would arrive in time to make the connections for the next steamer." 

He looked at David waiting for his answer. 

David swallowed, "Very well, sir. I'll go and do my best to carry out your wishes." 

The Prince relaxed, smiling. "I'll have my agents look out for you. They will be there to assist in your journey." 

Noting David's frown, the Prince recognized the unasked question and chuckled before saying, "Pigeons have their uses I've discovered." 

It was still dark when he was led to a side entrance of the Palace. An old cart was waiting for him, He was bundled up in the back and covered up from view as the guards on the gate waved it through. 

A sleek boat manned by four oarsmen waited at the riverside for him. No words were said as he was shown to the stern of the boat and within minutes it was speeding down the swift flowing Kana River. 

David began to relax. Wrapped in a blanket, he closed his eyes and slept. 

Nine hours later the boat pulled into a dilapidated dock were he alighted from the boat. A man was waiting for him and gave the usual Indian greeting, which David returned. 

"Sahib, a room has been booked for you at the Railway Hotel and a ticket for the train has been purchased for you," he said, handing David the ticket and starting to walk along the dockyard to the road. "The train leaves at seven pm so you have six hours to wait, sufficient time to have a meal and refresh yourself. It would be most advantageous if you did not leave your room until it is time to board your train." 

The man stopped by a waiting rickshaw. "It only remains for me to wish you a jolly good trip Sahib," giving David the prayer greeting once more. 

He purchased a newspaper in the reception lounge of the hotel then followed the Indian porter up to his room. The room was small but comfortable, he asked the porter to prepare a bath for him as he tipped him. 

After his bath and shave he sat in his shirtsleeves thinking of what he must do when he reached Karachi, realising he would need more clothes and a suitcase for the ship. 

He settled down to read the newspaper. Apparently there had been several clashes with the army involving civil unrest amongst the Indian population, and major skirmishes had taken place in the Khyber Pass. Some reports speculated on Russian involvement. 

David put the paper down. The British would not stand for a Russian presence on the borders of India. It was far too valuable to the British Empire and to the continuing interests of the old John Company, in particular. 

He went down to the dining room and had an early dinner of lamb chops washed down with a beer before returning to gather up his things from his room. 

He was relieved to find he had a first class compartment to himself as the train pulled out for its long journey to Karachi. 

****** 

It was late Saturday afternoon when the train came to a halt at McLeod Station in Karachi. 

As David stepped from the train, a Mr. Smithers introduced himself as the Prince's representative in Karachi. 

In the carriage taking him to his hotel, Mr. Smithers informed him of the arrangements he had made for him. He was booked into a suite at the Royal Hotel, Karachi's premiere hotel. A stateroom on the steamer Eastern Comet had also been booked for him. The ship, Mr. Smithers explained was a fast mail ship that only catered to thirty passengers. 

When David brought up the subject of clothes and a suitable suitcase, Mr. Smithers assured him that he would provide a tailor who could make whatever he required in the time available to him. 

Arriving at the hotel, Mr. Smithers took his leave telling David he would return in an hour with the tailor. 

The suite David was shown into was opulent, all the more so because it contained a private bathroom with an enamel bathtub served by hot and cold taps, as was the washbasin. The flushing toilet was a final touch of luxury. 

After tipping the porter he wasted no time in taking a bath, his first since boarding the train. 

He was wearing his long johns with a bathrobe over him when Mr. Smithers returned with three other Indian gentlemen wearing European clothing, but with Nebbi caps. 

The elder, obviously the employer of the other two, was introduced as a Mr. Pattal. Mr. Smithers took charge, informing him that David required a full wardrobe that must be ready by Monday at ten am due to his sailing at two pm. 

Whilst one of Mr. Pattal's assistants began to measure him, Mr. Pattal took out a notebook and began writing. 

"Am I to assume the Sahib requires everything from top to toe?" a beaming Mr. Pattal asked. 

Mr. Smithers replied, "Yes at least three suits of your best material, a dinner suit, overcoat and shoes to match. He'll require a dozen shirts of your best Egyptian cotton along with dress shirts, stud's, cufflinks, cravats, ties and any other necessary accessories." 

Mr. Pattal was furiously jotting down the provided information. "Shall I include underclothes and socks Sahib?" 

Mr. Smithers seemed agitated, "Yes, of course. Everything a gentleman of means requires for London society Mr. Pattal, if you please. He will also require a cabin trunk to put it all in." 

"Would the Sahib like to have a suit and shirts for tomorrow morning?" Mr. Pattal inquired. 

"If that is possible, please," David replied looking at his crumpled linen suit. 

Mr. Pattal beamed, "That is no problem Sahib. What colours would you like for your suits." 

After a further ten minutes, Mr. Pattal and his two assistants left him with the promise that he would return in the morning at nine. 

After they had left, Mr. Smithers handed him a slim briefcase extracting from it a thick leather wallet, "There are £500 in this for your out of pocket expenses, Mr. Ramage," he said before replacing the wallet back in the briefcase. 

"Thank you Mr. Smithers you have been a great help. I'm afraid I'm a little out of my depth in these matters," he said accepting the briefcase. 

"Not at all my boy," Mr. Smithers smiled, replying, "the Prince's instructions were quite explicit concerning your welfare." 

"But you haven't had much time in which to organize all of this surly," David replied. 

Mr. Smithers frowned "I've known since Thursday of your arrival. One of his agents brought me word of what was required." 

After Mr. Smithers' departure, David sat considering the implications of the Prince's disclosure of his pigeon communications system. A message capable of being carried securely by a pigeon would require some sort of abbreviated code he decided. He was developing a newfound respect for the Prince and wondered how many agents he had working on his behalf scattered around India with pigeons in their lofts. 

He placed the letters of introduction the Prince had given him to his bank in London and to the hotel he was to use, in the briefcase. 

He had room service that night and was in bed by ten. 

True to his word, Mr. Pattal arrived promptly at nine accompanied by two assistants bearing boxes. He waited whilst David dressed in his new clothes then fussed around for several minutes to ensure the fit was satisfactory before leaving David to his affairs. 

Although it was a Sunday, he still found most of the shops were open due to the difference in religion. He made a point of visiting a large book and magazine shop and purchased a number of hunting magazines and books on modern firearms and ammunition along with a notebook pencils and pen. These he intended to study on the voyage, making notes as he went. 

Back in his suite, he sat down with a drink and continued his thinking about about what lay ahead of him as he strove to accomplish the mission the Prince had given him. 

He knew you couldn't just go into a shop as if buying a pair of shoes and ask if they would be so kind as to provide him with several hundred rifles and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. 

There was also the question of whether the Government would allow him to make such a purchase. He couldn't believe they would wholly favour an enterprise that provided the means for Kanda to maintain its independence from a complete colonial takeover. 

He would have to be very careful in his dealings. 

With those thoughts, he had an early dinner before retiring for the night. 

Mr. Pattal arrived at nine again the next morning carrying a suitcase, whilst his assistants struggled with large leather cabin trunk, brass bands reinforcing the trunk at the corners and base. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 01



He wasted no time in opening the trunk and suitcase and, referring to his notepad, began calling out an inventory of the items they contained as an assistant removed the item to show David where it was before repacking it. 

David was watching the smaller items being removed from drawers set into the trunk when Mr. Smithers arrived. 

When they had finished, Mr. Smithers told Mr. Pattal to send his account to his office, at which point Mr. Pattal wished David a pleasant and prosperous voyage before departing with his assistants. 

After he had gone, Mr. Smithers removed a large envelope from his inside coat pocket, explaining these were his travel documents for the ship and his arrival in England. 

"As far as the crew and passengers are concerned, you are returning to England for health reasons," he said before handing David his card and assuring him that it would be a pleasure to provide him any further service upon his return from England. Shaking his hand, he wished David well as he took his leave. 

Chapter 5 

A crewmember loaded David's luggage onto a wheeled trolley and proceeded him along the deck to his stateroom, which proved to be placed near the bow of the ship with door access directly from the deck. The crewman and knocked on the door and a steward dressed in white opened it. Together, crewman and steward they lifted the trunk into the cabin as David followed carrying the suitcase. 

He tipped the crewman a couple of Rupees as he left. Turning to the steward, he was informed that his name was Rangi and that he would be his personnel steward for the voyage. 

The stateroom consisted of two rooms and a bathroom. 

A compact lounge housed a small settee, built into the wall, and two comfortable armchairs, all in maroon leather. A coffee table was set between the settee and armchairs. By the window overlooking the bow of the ship were placed a desk and leather chair. The wall leading into the bedroom held a cabinet with cupboards and two drawers. A ceiling fan spun silently above them. All the woodwork of the furniture appeared to be of Teak. 

The bedroom was smaller, containing a double bed with side cabinets, a dressing table and stool, and a small armchair set to one side of the bed. The wall leading to the lounge consisted of a built in wardrobe with sliding doors. One door was a full-length mirror. Another ceiling fan spun silently above. 

Off to one side of the room was a door that led to a bathroom containing a small bath and washbasin, all had ornate brass hot and cold taps. Rangi explained the toilet's flushing action to him. He ended the tour by showing him the button that, when pressed, would summons him. 

Finding that David didn't require help in unpacking, he informed him dinner that night would not require black tie as it was a port day. Returning to the lounge, he removed a leather folder from a desk drawer explaining that this would outline what facilities were on board, along with a map of the ship and information on meal times and dress codes. 

After Rangi left, David looked around his new home, well pleased with it. He knew the ship only contained two staterooms. The rest of the passengers would be below deck in cabins with only a porthole for ventilation. He sat down and started to read from the folder, familiarising himself with the ship's layout. 

He went onto the deck as the ship left port to a fanfare of ships sirens. Moving to the stern, he watched India slip away wondering when he would see it again. Returning to his cabin he referred to the information folder and found out the Eastern Comet was only three years old and held the record for the fastest passage to England from Karachi beating, its arch rival the P&O by a full day. 

In the ships lounge he accepted a sherry from a circulating waiter whilst waiting to be called for dinner. He was informed by a steward that only nine of the ship's 15 passengers would be dining, as a family of six had had their dinner earlier due to the age of the children. 

Of the nine passengers present, David realised he was the youngest. They appeared to consist of three couples, a clergyman and an elderly man, in his seventies David thought. 

He stayed on the outskirts of the chitchat, content to listen to the various conversations. A ship's officer entered and mingled with them as the Captain would not be joining them that night for dinner, it being the first night at sea. 

When they were called for dinner, he found himself sat to the left hand side of the officer, who he was informed was Richard Watts, the First Officer of the ship. The couple on his right were Sir and Lady Oliver Mantel who he judged to be in their fifties. They, it seemed, had the ship's other stateroom. 

Sir Oliver tended to dominate the conversation, for which David was grateful. He was drawn into the dialogue only when Lady Mantel asked what his business was in India. 

He explained he had been there overseeing the delivery of railway parts from his father's factory in Leeds. Which triggered off a conversation on the Indian railway system. 

It was obvious to David that Sir Oliver had outspoken views on India and the British right to rule all of it. He wasn't surprised to find out that he sat on the board of a large investment concern back in the city. 

After dinner he excused himself, as the rest of the dinners started to play cards. 

Back in his cabin he sat at his desk with the magazines and books he had bought and began to read. 

Over the following days he settled into the ship's routine, for the most part keeping to himself. 

The magazines he had purchased had, as he had expected, revealed quite a lot of information regarding bolt-action rifles. 

Handmade guns for the hunters tended to be in the forefront of modern firearms development. From what he had read, the two major developers in bolt-actions were a Mr. Lee, who worked for Winchester in America, and Mauser, in Germany. Mauser advocated a boxlike magazine whereas Winchester had perfected a tubular magazine that lay extended along the barrel of the rifle. 

It also seemed that black powder loads for bullets were being superseded by cordite as the preferred propellant. The advantages of this propellant where it's almost smokeless nature and the higher energy produced, which gave the bullet more range and a flatter trajectory, but with less recoil than experienced by black powder. 

All were factors that David considered necessary in a modern firearm, knowing at first hand the failings of the Martini Henry service rifle, and the savage recoil from its .455 Boxer ammunition 

He made his own "hunting" list of English gun makers advertised in the magazines that manufactured hunting rifles. 

To be continued.



The Tides Of War Pt. 02



 Chapter 6

The voyage went without any incident and the Easton Comet tied up at Southampton sixteen days after leaving Karachi, on a dull April morning.

He boarded the boat train to London, marvelling at the green English countryside has it passed his window. 

At the reception desk of the Ascot Hotel, he passed over the letter the Prince had given him. 

Within seconds the hotel manager appeared and conducted him personally to a suite while porters carried up his luggage.

After settling in, he bathed and changed, then took a handsome cab to the address of the Princes bank. 

The gothic columns outside its entrance giving it an imposing air.

Inside he presented the Princes second letter addressed to the Bank Manager. Once again within moments the Bank Manager a Mr Tompkins was ushering him into his dark oak lined office.

David explained that he was in England to purchase equipment for the Prince and that he would require the means to pay for it.

In short order a chequebook was provided for him along with the necessary documents to validate them, whilst he took tea with Mr Tompkins.

On the way back to the hotel he stopped off to buy more magazines on hunting, the ones he had bought in Karachi being six months old.

Once back in his suite he began to read them, has he planned his next move?

He decided not to use the more renowned London gun makers, whose clientele were normally the very wealthy or aristocracy, has some one may query his requirements. 

Two days later he took a train to Birmingham and booked into The Stratton hotel, from there he telephoned to make an appointment with a Mr Tomas Cartwright of Cartwright and Son makers of fine firearms.

The next morning at ten he was shown into the office of Mr Cartwright who was sat behind an imposing desk with a younger man who looked to be in his mid-thirties stood by his side, who was introduced has Henry Cartwright his son.

David took an immediate liking to the father and son with their bluff friendly mannerisms. 

He outlined his requirement for a box magazine bolt-action rifle firing a smokeless bullet. Mr Cartwright sat back in his chair, "Henry is the authority on such weapons has you have described," He murmured, "perhaps it would be better if you talked to him."

David followed Henry through to his office and sat down in front of his desk. 

Henry began the conversation "what calibre were you thinking off Mr Ramage" he asked.

David took a chance and explained exactly what the rifles were to be used for.

Henry listened sat back in his chair. When David finished he smiled, "what you propose is not new, most of the foreign powers in Europe and America are thinking along similar lines. Unfortunately most are loathe to give up black powder and large calibre bullets." 

He sat twiddling a pencil thinking for a moment, "I would suggest the .303 round, it has already been tested and the results of those tests are most encouraging. Regarding the bolt mechanism you have a choice between the two leading contenders in this field either Lee or Mouser. The Mouser is better for hunting but the Lee allows a faster fate of fire. We have examples of both in our workshops.

They sat talking for hours discussing the finer details of the requirement. It appeared that Henry had a small development team working on the practicality of a rifle firing 303 ammunition from a hunting prospect. 

He agreed to return the following day to continue the conversation.

Over the next three days he spent at the company, he was shown the workshops and the different bolt mechanisms, slowly the requirement became agreed. 

It would be shorter than the current Martini Henry by seven inches suiting the stature of the Ghurkha and having a Lee modified bolt action. 

In talks with the company's ammunition expert it was explained that the cordite round had a higher muzzle velocity of 1970 feet-per-second but a lower chamber pressure of 17.5 tons per square inch resulting in lower recoil, longer range and a much flatter trajectory than black powder rounds. 

On tests carried out they had found out that a square rifling of the barrel suited the .303 round best.

The only downside to it was due to its velocity a bullet was likely to pass through a body. But it was suggested that if part of the copper sheath of the bullet was removed and the lead head of the bullet was blunted creating what was called a hollow point bullet, it would spread on impact creating more damage to a body.

During his talks with Henry the question of cost came up, when informed 150 rifles would initially be required in lots off 50 rifles, a price of £25 each was agreed, to offset tooling costs of the price per rifle, dropping with subsequent lots, subject to testing it.

Henry promised a working model would be ready in a week's time.

On his return to London David made a number of purchases for himself comprising of a leather cased compass, a powerful pocket telescope and a matching brace of Smith and Wesson New Model Number 3 .44 pistols with six and half inch barrels. He added 200 rounds of ammunition to the order.

Reading the newspapers, it was full of demands for Gladstone to rise of a force, to be sent to avenge General Gordon's death at Khartoum and tensions were rising in South Africa with the Dutch settlers of Natal. It seemed to David that the British Army were going to have its hands full all across the Empire. 

When he returned to Birmingham he found a prototype rifle ready for his inspection.

The rifle had full beech furniture covering the rifle with just an inch of muzzle protruding. And angled box magazine came down to nearly level with the trigger guard. Henry demonstrated how the bolt mechanism worked. Lifting the bolt to fifty degrees allowed to be drawn back some three inches opening the breech, sliding the bolt back forward and dropping the bolt down again loaded a bullet into the breech and cocked the firing pin. There was a knurl knob on the left hand side of the rifle that could be clicked down thereby making the rifle safe.

When David tried it Henry immediately noticed that he was left handed.

"You realise that the tooling for this, to make it mass production will mean we can only make right handed rifles" he warned. 

"Yes I realise that, unfortunately" David replied.

Henry smiled "I can get Mr Jenkins our master gunsmith to make you a left handed variant but it will be hand built".

David's face brightened "If that's possible, yes please".

Later Henry along with a Peter Hynes the ammunition expert drove out in Henry's carriage to the test rifle range of the company.

Henry explained on the drive out, the sight for the rifle was calibrated to a thousand yards on a folding column operated by a knurl screw. At the foot of the column were two screws, one either side of the column for zeroing the sights to the individual shooters eye sight.

When they arrived at the range there were already some other men present. David followed Peter down to the firing pit off the 300-yard range where he took up a position alongside of him. Peter opened the breech and loaded five bullets into the magazine, whilst Henry waved a flag to the men in the butts to take cover.

Peter fired, it was a crack rather than the boom David was used too, but remarkably there was not the dense smoke that normally accrued when firing the Martini Henry.

A pointer appeared from below the butt showing a bull. The next four shots followed suite. David could see through his telescope that all the shots were in a one-inch group.

Peter loaded another five bullets into the breech, "now for rapid fire" he said. He discharged the five shots off in less than eight seconds, all hitting the target within a four-inch group. David had to admit it was remarkable shooting.

"Do you want to try now? Peter asked. 

David being left-handed found it a little hard to load it, he notice that the sight was a hole that you looked through to line up with the blade front sight. He fired getting a bull albeit on the left of the six-inch bullring, he had to change hands to cock the rifle for the next round, which too fell inside the bull. His remaining shots all hit the bull but scattered around it.

"If you hadn't had to change hands you would have had a tighter group," Peter told him.

He examined the rifle has the targets were changed noticing that the sight was calibrated in one hundred yard incidents from two hundred yards.

He mentioned this to Peter, who replied that the trajectory was so flat it only began to show around the three hundred yard mark stage. 

Looking down the range he saw two beef carcases had been raised. Peter smiled at him, "I want to demonstrate the effect the bullet has on flesh, he removed a bullet from his pocket and one from the box that held the ammunition and handed them to David.

The standard round had a sharp point encased in copper; the other bullet that Peter took from his pocket had a little of the copper removed from the lead head of the bullet the head was no longer pointed but blunt and slightly concaved. "There called hollow points," Peter told him, "the idea is when it hits the target it squashes creating more damage.

He loaded the standard round and fired at the right hand carcass then with the hollow point fired at the left hand carcass.

They had to wait while the men from the butts brought them to see the results. 

David was amazed, the right hand carcass had a neat hole through it, whilst the left hand had a neat entrance but a jiggered two-inch on exit.

Peter, then fired the rifle from 500 hundred yards and 1000 yards each time registering hits around the bull, it was really remarkable shooting. 

Has they drove back to Henrys office David mentioned that the maximum capacity of the magazine was only five rounds. "Well that is the normal capacity for a hunting rifle" Peter replied. "One supposes that if you added more the magazine would extend below the trigger guard", Henry added. 

Peter hesitated before replying, "It would spoil firing in the prone position somewhat. Let me think about the problem when we get back."

Henry changed the subject "So David what do you think regarding the rifle will it suite your purpose".

David nodded "the only thing the test model lacked that I could see were provision for the sling and a bayonet fitting".

"Those are easily rectified, I should be able to lay my hands on a suitable bayonet and develop a fitting for them.

Once in Henry's office they discussed payment. Agreeing on an initial payment off £3500 on completion off the first fifty rifles to offset the cost of the retooling and 250,000 rounds of the hollow point cartridges, followed by a payment off £1000 for the second batch of 50 and a further 250,000 cartridges ending with a payment £700 for the final 50 and 300,000 rounds with an open option for further rifles at, £7/10 shillings each and £3/5shillings per 1000 rounds of ammunition.

David handed him the cheque for the £3500 with the request that when the items were packed, the crates be marked has hydraulic pumping equipment and the address he would give later for where to send them.

Henry said he would be informed when the shipment would be ready but too allow at least five weeks.

Back in London David wrote a long letter to the Prince out lining his progress to date and the hope that he would be returning by June.

With nothing to do but wait, David took the opportunity to explore London, visiting the Tower of London and the Science Museums. He added to his book collection on histories of the American Civil War, the Indian and Afghan Wars, Gordon's Massacre has well has books describing the people of those countries. He bought up to date maps on the North West Frontier and spent long hours studying them.

Since leaving the Prince, David had, had hardly any time to think beyond the task assigned to him. Speed had been foremost in his mind. But these last few weeks had given him time to realise the magnitude off the job the Prince envisaged he was to undertake, to train a modern army unit.

He began to think on how best that could be accomplished.

Nearly four weeks after returning to London he had a visitor in the form of Henry.

He came into his room carrying a fine leather rifle case. 

After greeting him and giving him a malt scotch, Henry opened the case "your rifle is ready" he said with a smile.

The wood furniture off the rifle was made from mahogany with a rich grain showing through its waxed finish. 

When he picked it out of the case he saw it had a hatched pistol grip with an ebony end cap, and cheek rest. 

Fitting it to his shoulder he realised the balance was perfect.

"Henry it's beautiful," he enthused. 

Henry chuckled, "Mr Jenkins kicked up a fuss about the time he was allowed to make it in. 

Fortunately the metal components were already in production, but he selected each component individually checking them with his micrometre's to make sure each was a perfect fit. 

He took umbrage when I told him it didn't need engraving. He actually carried out the test firing himself.

You may not have noticed but the box magazine is slightly wider than the test model.

Peter came up with the idea; the bullets can be stacked staggered inside to allow ten rounds to be loaded now, we have had to strengthen the spring inside to allow for that.

He's working on an idea to have them carried in five round clips and loaded directly into the breach from them. 

The only problem we have is finding a suitable bayonet; we may have too design one our self."

David assured him that was not a problem and shouldn't delay the order saying if it did come to close quarters the Ghurkhas would rather use their kukris. 

"Henry I don't know what to say, you have really been most helpful in this matter," David confessed.

"Too be perfectly honest with you David, I did have an ulterior motive. 

It's only a matter of time before the idiots at the War Office realise that the future of modern weapons is magazine smokeless rifles. You have given us an opportunity to get a head start on the game. We should be well placed to submit our rifle, when they start evaluating them."

David insisted that Henry dine with him that evening in the hotel. During the meal he told Henry to submit the invoices for the rest of the order to a Mr Tompkins personally, the bank manager of the Princes bank, saying he would inform him of the arrangements. He also checked with Henry that he had the address for the bill of loading, Smithers & Smithers Import Export Karachi.

They parted that night with Henry saying he would give David a week's notice of completion of the order to allow him book a ship to transport it.

After calling on Mr Tompkins the next Day he visited the Easton Shipping Line office and collected there sailing schedules.

He wrote a letter to Mr Smithers informing him of the arrival off three packing cases six foot by four foot by three feet high, addressed to his warehouse arriving on either the Easton Comet or Easton Wave with their respective arrival dates at Karachi.

Once he was sure of the ship to be used he would send a telegram to him confirming it. 

David began to think of his return to India, he bought a stout large suitcase to pack the 

Items, he had bought in London.

Henry telephoned him to say the shipment would be ready to transport six days later. Checking the sailing schedule he found the Comet was due to sail on the forth of June in nine days' time. 

At the shipping lines office, he book passage in a stateroom, and hold space, for the creates. Later he telephoned Henry giving him the ships name and sailing date.

He spent the remainder of his time in London looking around the shops. In one specialising in safari equipment he was drawn to what was called a safari jacket.

It had two breast-patched pockets, and two patched pockets at the hips with a belt of the same heavy cotton material at the waist, patches reinforced the elbows. He was informed that trousers were available in the same material. He went into the changing room and tried the jacket and trousers and found them surprisingly comfortable, noticing the patches on the knees of the trousers. 

He bought two sets of the light fawn suites and a large brimmed hat favoured by African hunters. The hat was lighter than his pith helmet and gave more shade to the eyes.

David slowly began to pack ready for his departure having his shirts washed and ironed and his suits cleaned by the hotel. He intended to travel down to Southampton on the Friday when the Easton Comet docked, boarding that afternoon, although it would not leave until Saturday at five. But he wanted to be on hand, when the crate's where loaded.

On his last day at the Hotel he was handed a package from Henry, has he was booking out he slipped it into his brief case, determined to read it on the train down to Southampton.

He watched has his trunk and suitcases were loaded into the goods carriage, before finding his seat in the first class carriage.

The package contained a manual for the rifle, a letter from Henry and an envelope containing metal objects by the feel of it he thought.

The letter explained that Peter had developed a means of holding five rounds together. It consisted of a spring clip that held the flange of the bullet. When located at the rear off the breech, thumb pressure would slide the bullets down into the breech. He went on to say he had included 600 off these clips in the order.

Inside the envelope was a .303 bullet and the spring clip. In cross section it was shaped like a pyramid but the base was wide enough for the flange off the bullet to enter has you pressed down the sides opened up gripping the body of the bullet.

David smiled, a simple but effective solution he thought.

Chapter 7

He was delighted to find Rangi was his steward again when he entered the stateroom.

The following morning he watched has the ship was re-coaled. Then a goods train was shunted down the railway track that ran along side of the wharf, and began unloading, as a ships officer supervised. He had requested that his crates be stacked so has to allow him to check there contents later.

He watched through his telescope has they were put on one side and were amongst the last to be lowered into the hold.

The ship had been at sea two days, when David entered the hold. He located the create with H/P burnt into the wood. Using a crow bar he lifted the lid he found stout cardboard boxes with 100 H/P printed on them, in a much larger box he found the clips. He removed a box and five clips from the other. After nailing the lid back down he returned to his cabin.

Inside the box the hollow point bullets were protected by greaseproof paper. He loaded two of the clips with five rounds each and tried loading his rifle. The bullets slid down into the breech. Holding the rifle in the firing position, with the safety engaged, he ejected the bullets with a smooth click, click of the bolt.

Over the next ten days, using the manual has reference; he stripped and reassembled the rifle until he could do it without thinking. He had discovered in the gun case, the compartments that held the oil, wax, and tools along with the pull through. A cord with a weight that slid down the barrel, the other end had a small loop in which the small patches of material, also contained in the case could be pushed into, and the cord pulled through the barrel to clean it. Also the leather gun sling was placed in the case, which he fixed to the swivels of the rifle adjusting it to suite himself. 

He spent hours reading the manual, particularly the section on maintenance and commissioning the weapon, involving the removal off the protective grease in which it had been delivered. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 02



They were crossing the Arabian Sea five days out from Karachi when he received permission from the Captain to fire the rifle over the stern of the ship. Claiming it was a new hunting gun that he had yet to fire.

He had Rangi throwing spent cardboard boxes over the side and firing when they were about two hundred yards a stern. After firing twenty rounds he was delighted with the performance, the smooth action never faltering. He knew he would have to zero the weapon in, when he reached Kana.

The day before they docked at Karachi he repacked the suitcases, the smaller case was packed with his safari suite along with shirts and under cloths and also the oak presentation case holding his pistols along with thirty rounds of ammunition. He loaded the six clips he had with ammunition. The remaining rounds in the box all so went into the case. He intended to retain this case in his compartment on the train.

He saw Mr Smithers waiting on the quayside has the ship docked. He lost sight of him has he passed through customs. Mr Smithers caught up with him outside whilst a porter carried his luggage on a trolley. 

After shaking his hand and confirming it had been a good trip, Mr Smithers took charge of his luggage, saying it would loaded into a fright car along with the packing cases. David retained the smaller suitcase and gun case, and caught a buggy into the town. He knew the Deri-Ismal-Khan train left at four pm according to Mr Smithers when he had given him his ticket, which left him with nearly three hours to kill. 

He left the suitcase and gun case in the foyer off the Railway Hotel under the watchful eye of the desk clerk. And then wondered into town looking for a specific shop. He found it on Main Street. In side he asked the assistant for a left-handed holster suitable for a Smith and Wesson .44 pistol. After several minutes the assistant returned carrying one, he removed a Smith and Wesson with a six and half inch barrel from a display cabinet to prove it fitted. David bought it along with a belt.

He returned to the Railway Hotel and had lunch.

Later he watched has the crates and his luggage were loaded into the fright car before finding his compartment on the train.

Prior to arriving at Deri-Ismal-Kahn he changed in to the safari suite and buckled the holster around his waist now with a loaded revolver in it.

David alighted from the train carrying his suitcase and gun case looking around him in anguish, but a familiar figure detached himself from the seething crowd. 

"A jolly good day to you Sahib, I have made arrangements to transport you and your things to a waiting barge down by the waterfront," he said has they walked to the fright car. Six burly Indians were loading the crates onto a bullock cart along with his luggage. He followed behind in a rickshaw and watched has the men loaded the crates into a wide girthed barge, before climbing into it. He was shown to the rear of the barge, which had a rush mat covering it would be his home for the two days it would take to reach Kana.

Has the six men poled the barge out into the sluggish current due to the dry season; he removed the rifle from its case and loaded it.

At night the barge was moored to the bank, it being too dangerous to continue due to the sandbanks that were now visible due to the lowness of the river. 

He shared the men's meal of unleavened flat bread and chicken curry. At the first light of dawn, they got underway again.

Fifty-six hours after leaving, the barge angled into the bank, although he judged they were still some distance from the city. Six figures he recognised has Gurkhas were waiting on the bank with a cart with two bullocks in the traces and a horse tied to the back.

Between the twelve men they soon had the crates loaded onto the cart along with his luggage. 

The Gurkhas wore a range of clothing but each had a deadly kukri at his waist. The leader of the six informed him the horse was for him and that they were now returning to the barracks his name was Trak and he held the rank of Naik (corporal).

Has he rode alongside the cart he found out from Naik Trak that the barracks now held 96 Gurkhas. 19 of them from the British Army whose enlistment had finished, and had not re-enlisted. 

They had been kept busy enlarging the barracks and walls. 

It was nightfall when they finally passed through the gates of the barracks. 

The Havildar Major, who he had met when he came out on his inspection, greeted him with a sharp salute. David requested him to place the crates in a storeroom and place a twenty-four hour guard on the door. 

The Havildar Major showed him to the senior NCO mess where on his way to it he was amazed to find Havildar Talpin his old platoon Sergeant. 

It seemed that word had reached the Gurkhas of the regiment, that Sahib Lieutenant Ramage was mustering a Gurkha unit here in Kana. Has his enlistment was up he had decided to come here and enlist. Five others from the platoon had come with him, and thirteen from other units. He said it so simply, has if it was of no consequence, and David was touched by his loyalty.

The next morning at daybreak he set off for the palace with the gun case over his shoulder, the rifle inside but now unloaded.

At the palace he was shown into the room he had met the Prince before. Ten minutes later the Prince swept in, extending his hand, "David it's so good to have you back" he said smiling. David bowed his head and murmured, "Thank you your highness".

They sat down and David began to tell him in detail what had he had been doing.

He showed him the rifle, explaining that it had been hand made because off his left handiness and then the bullets and clips. He demonstrated loading it utilising the clips. Then unloaded it, so the Prince could try the rifle. He ended his report then handed over all the receipts for the things he purchased.

The Prince never even looked at them but sat looking at David. Finally he said after a long pause "David you have succeeded better than I dared hoped for.

I should like you to accept the position of Colonel in my Army answerable to only me. 

Your only task is to train your Gurkhas to guard the Pass. You can ask for anything you like to produce that end result."

David was stunned, "Thank you Sir, but before I accept your commission, there are some things I would like clarified. 

I will never fire, or order fire, on British troops, no matter what the provocation. On that understanding I'll defend your interests at the Pass with my blood."

The Prince smiled "I would not have offered you the commission on anything less than those terms."

They shook hands. "So what are your plans?" The Prince asked.

David took a deep breath, remembering the thoughts he had, had back in London. "First to change their uniforms. Second to begin training with the new rifle. Third I should like to have the men trained in horseback riding, its twenty miles from the barracks to the Pass, we need to have a fast response force, for want of a better phrase, mounted infantry. I would want to build a strategic point in the Pass that could be defended. 

I would also like to raise two companies, a hundred men in each, with a headquarters platoon stationed in the barracks responsible for training and administration duties, and these would be older but experienced men. 

At the moment we can arm fifty with the new rifle, but another fifty will be coming in less than a month, I should like to order a further hundred rifles on top of our current order and a corresponding amount of ammonium." David sat back when he had finished for the Princes response.

The Prince stared at him for a second, realising he had been giving this problem a great deal of thought. 

Instead the Prince rose and left the room he heard him giving orders to a servant before returning to the room again.

"I've sent for Ashar Kahn my Master of Horse he is one of the few men I trust implacably I have known him since I was a baby he taught me to ride," he said smiling, "you will need to make your barracks even bigger now," he warned.

"Yes Sir but the Gurkhas will do the building I want no one I can't trust inside those walls.

The Prince said to supply him with a list off building material and he would have it delivered to the barracks.

"Have you decide what you are going to call your new command David?"

"I thought the Khana Rifles Sir," he replied.

At that moment a man entered the room, he was tall and thin with a bushy grey beard with a dark brown wrinkled face that looked like old leather with a hooked nose and dark flashing eyes. He spoke to the Prince but David could not understand the language. 

The Prince turned to David, "I'd like you to meet my dearest friend and uncle, my Master of Horse."

The man gave David the traditional Indian greeting, which he replied in kind.

"I've conveyed to Ashar Kahn your request for horses and the need to train the riders, he has agreed to take some horses out to the barracks and he and his sons will begin training your men."

He turned to Ashar Kahn, "Ashar my old friend the Colonel Sahib will require his own mounts, do we have anything suitable in the Royal stables?"

"Has you know your highness, the best horses choose their rider, but I will bring some out to the barracks that they may look him over," he said with a deadpan face. 

The Prince merely chuckled. It was agreed Ashar Kahn would arrive in three days' time after suitable paddocks had been erected, two of his sons would arrive tomorrow with the materials to build them.

Before he left to return to the barracks he arranged for a tailor to come out to the barracks the next day.

Chapter 8

The sun was setting by the time he arrived back. In his absence a room had been cleared for him and furnished with a cot, table and chairs. An enamel bowl sat on a stand with a large pitcher of water, against one wall was his luggage.

The Havildar Major asked if he needed anything else. He thanked him for the room and furniture and requested that the senior NCOs report to him after breakfast the next morning.

The next morning with four Havildar's and the Havildar Major in attendance he crossed to the storeroom and dismissed the guard, sending him to the cookhouse to bring back buckets of boiling water. 

The men's eyes gleamed when they saw the new rifles. Over the next hour he demonstrated how to clean the rifles first by pouring the boiling water over them to clear the protective grease from the outside and down the barrel. Then how to dry them using the pull through, and then oil it. When he was finished he gave each a rifle and then watched them closely, has they cleaned them.

When they were all finished, he told them he wanted them to demonstrate it to as many troops who could be made available with the remaining 45 rifles. 

He asked the Havildar Major to ensure the cleaned rifles were stacked away afterwards and the sentry put back on guard.

A Gurkha in the bright red uniform came over to him and saluted. It seemed three large wagons were outside the gates filled with timber poles.

He saw Havildar Turin and called to him. He asked him to round up has many men has he could who were not on duty to help in constructing the paddocks. He replied he would be pleased to help but he held no rank here to order men. 

"You still have your old rank here my friend, if any question you about it tell them to see me."

He watched has Turin gathered over thirty Gurkhas, had them fall in then marched them out of the gate.

He returned to his room to read the muster book the Havildar Major had left. 

It seemed there were 57 Gurkhas in the Kana Army and 48 unassigned. It also seemed 6 were assigned to guarding the Panta Pass, the entrance to Kana from India and 18 the Khana Pass. Reading the standard orders the guards were changed every two weeks.

He was prevented from reading further by the gate guard announcing a merchant from Kana was outside demanding to see him.

He walked outside the gate finding the tailor he had seen the day before stood by a cart drawn by a donkey. After the usual greeting he explained what he wanted. He let him feel the safari jacket material asking if had, material like it. He was assured he had material similar. They walked to where the men were erecting the paddock, he called out for the men to stop and fall in. Then told the tailor to measure them, has each man was measured he returned to work. When the tailor had finished he consulted his notebook, off the 33 men measured 23 were approximately the same size the remaining 10 were off roughly of another size. David knew that Gurkhas tended to be between five foot 3 inches and five foot six inches with a stocky chest size.

He told the man he required 70 suites in the first size and 30 in the second size like the suite he was wearing, but without the belt. They must have shoulder lapels and the trousers should be gusseted at the ankles. 

They should also be dyed; he picked up a rock that was light brown, like this colour, but the dye should not run when they are washed he warned. Also he would need a large roll of white tape one inch wide.

By this time the tailor was all smiles "oh yes Sahib I understand perfectly, you shall have them within four days." 

David told him that if he made a good job there would be other work for him. 

He walked over to the eldest son of Asher Kahn, and introduced himself; the boy's name was Taraq and his younger brother was called Jemal. David asked how the work was going. 

It seemed the son was impressed with the speed of the Gurkhas, "I was asked to deliver this to you Sahib by his Highness" handing him a covered basket. 

He left them to their work and returned to his room and the muster book. Inside the room he opened the basket, inside were two bottles of Dimple Haig malt whiskey and fifty cheroots, two shoulder insignia's of a Colonel, a crown and two pips.

He poured some into a glass, and then settled down with the book. 

The light was failing when the Havildar Major whose name the book gave has Para reported that all the rifles were now clean and stored ready for inspection. The two Indian boys had been feed their animals were safely inside the walls along with their wagons, and quarters had been found for them. David thank him and wished him good night.

He knew from the book that he was fifty-six years old, and had served in the British Army for twenty-eight of those years.

He lit the oil lamp then considered his notebook.

Off the 105 men, he had one Havildar Major, (Sergeant Major), six Havildar's (Sergeants) two of which were on duty at the two Passes, five Naik's (Corporals) two on duty at the Passes, eight Lance Naik's (Lance Corporals) three on duty at the Passes.

Seven men were aged over fifty, two Sergeants, two Corporals and two Lance Corporals. 

A Sergeant was in charge of stores, and the Corporals and Lance Corporals on permanent cookhouse duty.

Fifty-eight were under thirty years old.

Thirty-three under forty years old 

Eleven were over forty years old.

He closed the book and made for his bed, too tired to eat.

The revelry bugle woke him the next morning, he stood and watched has the men fell in. The front ranks with the men in red uniforms, the men without uniforms at the rear. But they all came to attention smartly enough he saw before being marched off to the mess hall for breakfast.

A Gurkha knocked and came in carrying a tray "your breakfast Sahib," he announced. When he lifted off the cover he was astonished to see scrambled eggs on toast.

"Did the cook make this," he asked.

"Oh no Sahib they are busy making breakfast for the men. I made it, is it not to your liking," he asked looking worried.

"It's fine but where did you learn to do this".

"Oh I was batman to Major Caruthers Sahib, for twenty eight years Sahib"

"What's your name" David asked. "Hanga Sahib," he replied.

David checked his notebook and has he suspected Hanga was one of the men over fifty,

"Well Hanga how would you like to be my batman?"

His face broke into a wide smile "I would be most honoured to be the Sahib batman."

"Well inform Havildar Major Para of your new duties, you start today."

The breakfast was excellent, and the tea good and strong the way he liked it. 

After the men had had their breakfast he saw the men forming up to go off to their various duties. He called Havildar Turin out of the squad of men who were going out to build the paddocks, "do we have any off our old NCOs in that group?"

"Yes Sahib Naik Rahna from 3rd Platoon and Lance Naik Pular from our platoon"

"Very well tell Lance Naik Pular he's in charge of the detail, and Naik Rahna to join us here."

He gathered the Havildar Major, and two Havildar's including Turin and four Naik's around him outside the storeroom, alongside two, long trestle tables. 

Eight rifles were laid upon the tables with their tool kits.

He picked up a rifle and held it over his head.

"This is a Cartwright .303 rifle. It has an effective range of 1500 yards. It holds 10 rounds of ammunition, and with practice you can fire those ten rounds in less than 20 seconds."

He went on to explained that this was the rifle that the Gurkhas would be equipped with, and the men gathered would be instructors for the rest of the troops.

He slowly began to strip one down, getting the men follow each step with their own weapon. After an hour he left them with the order to keep practicing until they could strip one down and re-assemble it with their eyes closed.

He walked back across the parade ground noticing the work being done to enlarge the barrack walls has he passed through the gate, to the paddock.

He found that the large paddock was finished and work had started on a second with a gate joining the two. 

Ashar's son came over to him and explained that the horses would be kept in one and the other would be used for training, when that was completed a small paddock would be built for his horses. He made the point that horse lines would need to be built inside the Fort has he called it, for protection at night.

It seemed his father would be bringing more building materials when he arrived tomorrow.

He returned to the storeroom to see the progress of the weapon training. Once satisfied, he ordered the rifles returned inside and locked up.

He asked the Havildar Major and the two Havildar's to follow him back to his room.

Once inside he explained his plans. 

The barracks would become a Fort capable off housing 200 men and horses. The new unit would be called the 1st Khana Rifles. A rifle range needed to be built extending to a thousand yards. The 50 best shots would be issued with the new rifle and form the first half company. Training would centre on marksmanship and horse riding. Havildar Major Para would be in charge off the building work, only Gurkhas would be allowed inside the walls and used for the work on it. He asked Para to supply him with a list of materials he would need. He ended by saying they would be getting new uniforms hopefully tomorrow.

He spent half an hour answering questions before the meeting broke up but asked Turin to stay behind.

When they had gone he turned to Turpin, "my old friend you will lead the first half company. But I need you to start selecting the men who will join you. I am sure that things will start to hot up in the Pass and those men will be all we have to defend it until the next batch of rifles arrive."

"The Sahib knows that I will not let him down," Turin murmured.

Later that day Havildar Major Para reported to him with the list off materials he would require and that an office for him had been made available.

He informed Hagar that he would be working there for now. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 02



"In that case Sahib I shall endeavour to make your room more comfortable," he replied with a wide smile.

In the office he sat with Havildar Major Para and discussed how the Fort should look and where to place the horse lines for the time being, after two hours of discussion a final layout plan was agreed.

He rode out of the gate to look for a suitable site for the rifle range. Quarter of a mile from the fort he came across an ideal site a deep wadi six feet deep would be ideal for building the butts of the rifle range.

Later that evening he found time to speak to Taraq, Ashar Kahn's son. It seemed that he would be bringing his eldest son Patar to oversee the training with Taraq. Ashar Kahn would stay the night to ensure everything was in order before returning to the Palace with Jemal.

From Taraq he found out that there were over a two hundred horses in the royal stables, and that Kana horses, were a prized above all others. They can trace their bloodline, back over eight hundred years from early Arabian sources he said proudly. They are renowned for their speed and endurance he proudly told David.

David agreed saying he had been impressed by the horses he'd seen.

Taraq chuckled, "the Sahib has not yet seen a true Kana horse yet."

When he entered his room he was surprised to find it altered. Curtains hung from the windows and scatter rugs covered the floor, a bed had replaced his cot, with sheets on it. A cane rocking chair was alongside an ornate coffee table and shelves had been erected on the wall. He had also acquired two more oil lamps.

When Hanga arrived with his meal, David thanked him for the furnishings but asked where he had got them.

"Oh the men gave them to me for the Sahib but I have not been able to find a wardrobe or drawers."

David suggested that has he would be returning to the city the day after tomorrow he could accompany him there to get them, he also told him that the Horse Master would be sleeping in his room tomorrow and would require a bed for the night.

That night David slept knowing things where beginning to change, they still had a long way to go, but they had started.

Chapter 9

After breakfast a detail of twelve men went out with a cart containing building materials to start work on the rifle range with a Naik in command.

David was in his new office writing out the points he wished to raise with the Prince, when he was informed a caravan was approaching from the city.

By the time he had finished his notes and started to walk to the paddocks, he found the tailor with his wagon by the gate. 

Spotting Havildar Turin he order him to bring out the men inside the barracks and issue out the new uniforms. Telling the tailor he would wish to speak with him later.

By the time he reached the paddocks he found one of them all ready containing twenty horses. He walked on to where Ashar Kahn sat upon a magnificent bay mare alongside what could only be his eldest son Patar on an equally magnificent grey stallion. Behind them where five large wagons three off them piled high with fodder.

David stopped and bowed his head "Horse Master, welcome," he said giving him the respect his position deserved.

Ashar Kahn smiled and they both dismounted "Colonel Sahib it is good to see you again. I have brought my most docile animals to carry out your training later when it is done you shall have better horses."

"Can I offer you and your son refreshment, after your long ride?" David asked.

"That would be most welcome, but first I must see to my children," he turned and gave out a command to some one behind the fodder wagons. And two men appeared leading two horses. David's eyes widened at the sight of them. One was a chestnut stallion over sixteen hands high, its chest and withers spoke off strength whilst its bright eyes showed intelligence. The grey mare being led by the other man was slightly smaller but still showing the same characteristics of the stallion but with a more pronounced Arab look to its head.

They were put into the smaller paddock, which had been dived in two, one in each section.

David turned to Ashar Kahn "I have never seen more magnificent animals," he gasped.

Ashar Kahn chuckled, "the stallion is called Kahn and the mare Sulkie. They are the cream of the Princes stables neither has ever had a saddle on them. But has I warned you, they must pick who rides them." He gave out further instructions to the men in the wagons then he and his son followed him into the fort. 

They sat inside his room drinking lemon juice; Patar had gone to join his brothers for a meal in the mess hall.

"So Horse Master how should I go about winning their trust," he asked.

Ashar Kahn smiled "you must get them to love you, and for that you will need patience, a great deal of patience. But you will be rewarded for it. It is easy to break a horse to your will, but you will never truly have its love, and so you will never have the best it has to offer.

Sulkie has a loving nature and you will find she responds to you the first. Kahn is arrogant and full of pride, has is his right, has the king of his line. But he will become curious when he sees Sulkie getting more attention than him. Colonel Sahib you will need to let them get to know you, your sight and smell. You must try to find time to feed and water them, and each evening offer them an apple, I have brought some for you. 

By the time they returned to the paddocks, Ashar Kahn's men had placed water troughs in the paddocks and forage for the horses.

Ashar Kahn sent the men off to get their meals. Saying when they returned they would unload the wagons in the fort. "I have brought grain has well has fodder and the saddles. My sons will instruct your men in the welfare of the animals." They moved to the paddocks that Kahn and Sulkie were in; Kahn was snorting and pawing the ground whilst Sulkie merely chewed on her fodder.

"He is not used to being penned up Sahib and is showing his displeasure," Ashar Kahn chuckled. He gave a low whistle "Sulkie my dove here". Sulkie turned from the fodder and slowly walked over towards them, stopping about six feet from the paddock bars. "She smells you Sahib," he whispered. He reached into his robe and brought out an apple handing it to David. "Hold out your hand with it Sahib." Sulkie saw the apple her ears standing up but hesitated pawing the ground.

"Talk to her Sahib she is a woman and loves praise." 

"Sulkie my pretty do you want this apple, come take it." 

Sulkie advanced a step and stopped tossing her head. It took nearly an hour before she took the apple from his hand and then bolted away with it.

"Observe Kahn Sahib." David looked to see Kahn standing ten feet away by the dividing rails looking at them.

The unloaded wagons were returning from the Fort has they made their way back.

He noticed the men in their new uniforms looking happy with them as they passed. He excused himself from Ashar Kahn and went over to see the tailor who was distributing the last off the uniforms.

Taking him on one side, he explained he wanted a further order of the same numbers, plus two sets to fit him. He asked if he could produce hats like his own. 

The tailor said he had a brother who could make them after examining David's. Finally David said he needed a flag making, he told him the colour and drew in his notebook the motif he wanted on it, also the same motif has a patch that could be sewn onto the arm off the jackets and he would need 400 of them. 

The tailor said has it may take a little time for such a big order. 

So he was told to bring out when he had a hundred ready. He told him he was going the city the next day and would call in at his shop to pay him.

The tailor took out his tape measure and measured him up saying his suites would be ready when he called.

He found the Havildar Major in the company office sewing on his stripes and crown.

"How do you like the new uniform," he asked.

His face broke out into a wide smile "this is a soldiers uniform Sahib not the woman's uniform we had."

David asked him to mount a strong guard over the paddocks to ensure the safety of the horses, before wishing him goodnight.

In his own room Hanga told him the Horse Master had thanked him for the offer of a bed but would be sleeping in the wagons with his sons out by the paddock.

The column of wagons set off back to the city after breakfast the next morning Hanga rode in the wagon with Ashar Kahn's youngest son, Patar and Taraq would be staying to do the training.

Once the column was under way David and Ashar Kahn totted on ahead rather than stay with the slow moving wagons.

"When you have finished your business with his Majesty Sahib seek me out we need speak of the saddles you will need" he said.

They separated at the gates to the palace and David was conducted to the normal meeting room, where he was offered sherbet to drink. 

When the Prince arrived they got straight down to business, David opened his notebook and began to explain what he had done to date. Ending by saying that he required funds to pay the tailor, and handed over the materials list for the fort alterations. On a more personnel note he thanked the Prince for the whiskey and for the horses saying he only hoped he could be worthy of their trust.

The Prince smiled when he had finished. 

Then he began to say what he had done. 

An account had been opened in his bank in London in David's name and £1000 would be deposited in it each month. 

The Gurkhas pay and conditions would be brought in line with his household troops.

The Khana Rifles would be given a war chest off 100,000 rupees, thus being able to purchase their own food and incidentals rather than rely on rations sent out to them.

He ended by saying he had been informed by his agents that a further fourteen Gurkhas were making their way to Kana to join up, nine of them from Nepal.

"Has for the whisky I'm afraid I developed at taste for it at Oxford, You shall have a further supply before you leave but don't let my mullahs know" he said laughing.

In a more serious tone he went on to say, "From information I have received, it would seem that the unrest in the Sudan and South Africa, whilst deflecting the British Army's attention from Kana, is being welcomed in Russia. My agents in Kandahar and Kabul have reported seeing European's with some off the more radical chiefs.

If Britain becomes embroiled in war in those areas mentioned, then I'm afraid it may prompt Russia to try to invade India. Their main route of invasion would be through the Khyber Pass but if they attack Khana Pass and took it, they could swing around and take the Khyber Pass from the rear.

So you see David why I place so much dependence on the Khana Rifles, they may be our only chance of survival."

"Do you think they would use Russian troops Sir?"

"I don't think so initially, rather they would encourage the Afghans to take Khana. That way it's just classed has local disturbance on the world stage. But that doesn't mean to say they won't support the Afghans with weapons, technology and intelligence, not to mention money."

David left the meeting mulling over the sobering information from the Prince.

He was shown to Ashar Kahn, who was in the saddle hall.

Who in turn introduced him to the royal saddler.

"Now Sahib what sort of saddle do you and your men require," he asked.

"Basically it needs to be comfortable the men will spend long hours in the saddle covering rocky terrain, and they will require saddle bags to carry ammunition, food, and extra clothing. Provision to tie a bedroll on the back and a water canteen at the front. For my own saddle I would like provision to fix a holster like the one I'm wearing and a rifle scabbard."

Ashar Kahn had been interoperating to the man has he spoke.

"And how many would the Sahib require," he asked.

"Fifty one including mine has soon has possible, but another hundred and fifty after that to be delivered in batches of fifty, but we will all need halters and reins to go with them"

Ashar Kahn finished talking to the man then turned to David saying work would begin immediately.

He found Peshawar waiting for him with a stout wooded box and a covered basket by his feet by the entrance to the palace "I have been ordered to give you this Sahib" he said indicating the box and handing him a key. 

Inside were heavy bags of rupees; he told him he would require a cart to transport the box. But it seemed that Peshawar had already thought of that, and a mule and cart was at his disposal.

It took the two of them to lift it into the cart. He tied his horse onto the back and then drove down into the town locating the tailors shop; Hanga was waiting outside of it.

He removed a bag from the box and relocked it.

Hanga came to him "Sahib I have found the very things for your room, but the thief off a shop owner will not budge below thirty five rupees." 

"Very well Hanga," he said counting out the coins, "but he must help load it on the cart, you must stay here and guard that box," he said going into the shop.

The tailor came out of the back to meet him "Are Sahib you are just in time, we have now finished the Sahib suit, come this way and try it on please."

David followed him to a curtained cubical. He had to confess it was a good fit and told the tailor so, who beamed at the praise. After paying him for the work so far, he found the cart now loaded with the wardrobe and chest of drawers. David replaced the bag back into the box and put the key in his pocket. With Hanga taking the rains he mounted his horse and they left the city.

Night had fallen by the time they reach the fort, a few of the men helped to unload the cart whilst Hanga saw to the mule.

He wearily fell on his bed and was asleep instantly.

Chapter 10

The next morning after his wash and shave David fixed Colonels rank to his shoulder straps of his new uniform before putting it on. After his breakfast Havildar Major Para reported to him for his approval off his standing orders.

He had broken the command down into three groups, two groups of twenty would be either be horse training or on the rifle range, forty-five would be on building duty, and twelve on guard duty. His plan was to rotate the groups each day. David approved and signed, but added that he would like to address the entire command before dinner that night.

He picked up two apples from the stock Ashar Kahn had left and walked around to the paddocks. Patar and Taraq had the twenty Gurkhas already mounted and walking around the paddock and then he realised that they had started with this group yesterday. 

He moved on down to the small split paddock. Kahn moved to the far end of it when he saw him. But Sulkie followed him with her head, not moving. He stopped at the intersection off the two paddocks and just stood there. Kahn stood pawing the ground his nostrils flared. But Sulkie turned her body to face him. He took the apples out of his pocket and pushed his arms through the bars, one arm in each paddock with an apple offered. Then just stood silently watching, he knew the horses had seen them. Minutes passed then Sulkie took a step forward and stopped. 

"Sulkie my pretty girl do you want an apple," he said softly. She looked at him and took another step forward, "come on girl," he encouraged. She moved stopping four feet from him, she lifted her head and he could see her nostrils flaring, she smelling me he realised. After a while with him talking to her she took another step and lowered her head and slowly took the apple. But she didn't bolt away this time just stepped back.

"That's a good clever girl," he murmured. Then he noticed Khan, he had moved silently across the paddock to stand twelve feet away with his head over the rail watching them.

He returned has the men were finishing for the day making their way back to the Fort.

This time when he offered the apples Kahn moved to the dividing fence but stopped six feet away again to watch. But Sulkie seemed more confident slowly walking towards him has he talked to her. When she took the apple she stood chewing it her eyes on him all the time.

It took a week before Kahn would take an apple by that time Sulkie would allow him to rub her velvet like mussel, she would trot over to the intersection has soon has he came into view.

By that time the brothers had the Gurkhas riding in formation across country. He had found time to zero in his own rifle to the point that he could place five bullets in a three-inch group at 500 yards.

He had informed the troop of their new pay and benefits to load cheers. Havildar Major Para had control off the cash box, for which he kept scrupulous account records. The Havildar cook would use the mule and cart to visit the city two or three times a week to buy food. Has a consequence the food had improved out of all proportion for the men.

A flagpole had been erected in the centre of the parade ground from which the unit flag flew. Lovet green with the legend 1st Khana Rifles with a kukri crossed with a rifle has the motif. Smaller versions of the flag were appearing on the shoulders of their jackets has supplies arrived. The first shipment of hats had arrived and went to the men who achieved the highest score on the rifle range. 

The work on the Fort gain pace, new quarters were being added and the old wall on the west torn down and a new one fifty feet further away built.

But despite the constant work load David found time to visit his horses in the morning and in the evening. Stables for them were being built inside the fort near his room.

Twenty new recruits had arrived, six from the Gurkha Rifles. Havildar Turin had said it was rumoured amongst the regiment, that they would be shipped overseas, and this may be, why they had not re-enlisted.

At the start of the second week Patar and Taraq came to see him.

"Colonel Sahib it is time for us to return these horses and bring out the mounts your men will use, how many will you need?"

"Thank you for the work you and your bother have done. It is remarkable how quickly you have shown the men how to ride. As to how many horses I need now, fifty is the number I would like to have, but it depends on how many saddles have been made, also is it possible to leave five horses behind for the new men to train on, who have just joined us."

"Colonel Sahib your men are very fast learners and are not afraid. We shall bring has many horses has there are saddles to go on them, and leave the horses you require to train with. We shall also be bringing with us more food for the horses, will the Colonel Sahib have rooms to put it in?"

"We shall find room Patar," he shook hands with them both and wished them safe journey.

He discussed this point with Havildar Major Para and he replied he would attend to it. Whenever he crossed the parade ground now he would receive sharp salutes from the men, which he always returned. The men were coming together has a unit he knew. So far there had been no reported incidents from the Pass, but he felt it was only the lull before the storm.

Work had begun on making a proper armoury a ten-foot deep trench thirty feet long by twenty feet wide had been dug and was now in the process of being lined with blocks from the old wall. When completed steps would lead down to it and the roof would be reinforced, all the ammunition would be kept in it along with weapons.

Wherever he looked men were hard at work in one task or another, and his pride in them created a lump in his throat.

By the end of the third week Sulkie would let him brush her with a currycomb and no longer trembled when he touched her, Kahn would have his head over the fence and whinny has if jealous off her attention. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 02



When he came to see them now Sulkie would gallop over to him and stick her head over the rail for him to stroke her whilst chewing his apple. Kahn was more couscous he would take the apple and chew it but if he raised his hand to stroke him he would back away. 

Havildar Turin had given him a list off the fifty men who had impressed him the most on the range and in the saddle, and had suggested a Lance Naik who should be made up to a Naik and two others who should be promoted to Lance Naik's.

The formation would be made up of a Havildar, two Naik's, each in charge of a twenty-four strong unit, and two Lance Naik's, per unit.

David had the names and ranks of formation posted on standing orders next day, under the name Tiger Company.

Two days later Havildar Turin came to his office accompanied with a Lance Naik who was in the Tiger Company the two men came to attention and saluted which David returned. 

Turpin asked how the men would carry their ammunition and how much would they need to carry. The question took David off guard, he said he supposed in their pockets and about fifty rounds. He then asked, why they asked.

It seemed that the Lance Naik had been considering this question and had experimented with a clip and spent cartridge cases, and had made a little leather case in which two clips loaded with spent cartridge cases fitted. The Lance Naik went on to say the case could be attached to a belt slung over the shoulder so has not to impede the kukri on their waist belt. Five or six cases could be held this way. David was immediately impressed with the idea. He gave them his permission to go into the city, the next time the cook went in and locate a shop that could make them. He would need to see the first one and if satisfied would order the making 150.

Havildar Major Para was now taking a lot of the day to day running from David's shoulders and he trusted the man's long experience and loyalty. Which allowed him to start considering the Pass, he was determined that has soon has possible to reconnoitre it. 

He found out in discussions with the Havildar Major that it was the General who had initially had the fort built at this location. To keep the Gurkhas separated from the general population due to their different religions and customs. The site had been chosen due to the well. The fort was ten miles from the main caravan route that hugged the hills climbing up towards the Pass. With the addition of horses and the increase of personnel the well was vital to the Fort. He had been told it had never run dry and was only twenty-five feet deep. The problem was that two men were almost constantly drawing water. David decided to bring this up with the Prince at their next meeting. There was also the question of communication; it took nearly five hours of riding to reach the city from the Fort, and over three hours from the Pass to the Fort.

The work on the Fort, with now almost a hundred men available was progressing fast.

His new quarters had been completed, separated from the other buildings. It consisted off an office, and a bedroom with a separate lounge. Hanga had made frequent visits to the city to purchase items for it. The stables for his horses were complete and were alongside it Hanga had his room which doubled has his bedroom and a kitchen.

When he had broached the subject of it to Havildar Major Patar, he was told Hanga had come to see him claiming that the Colonel Sahib was a proper English gentleman and couldn't be expected to eat the same food has the men. So he had given him the funds from the Company chest to buy kitchen equipment and proper English food.

David had chuckled when he heard this, but had been grateful because now he was enjoying bacon and eggs for breakfast and beef with dinner. How Hanga had managed to buy these was a mystery to him has pig was considered unclean and cows worshiped by the Indian people.

The day came when he could lead Kahn and Sulkie into their new stable. Once in their new stalls Sulkie showed her approval by rolling in the hay while Kahn looked on aloofly.

Chapter 11

The lookouts announced the arrival off a large column approaching the Fort three days later. Through his telescope he picked out Patar and Taraq along with Ashar Kahn herding a large group of hoses with six large wagons bringing up the rear.

He ordered a Havildar to organise water for the approaching column, then walked round to the paddocks. Kahn and Sulkie were in the large paddock. The five men receiving instruction from a Naik sat on their horses in the smaller paddock watching the fast approaching column. David opened the gate and called to Kahn and Sulkie, they came over to him, Sulkie dropped her head sniffing his jacket, she could smell the apples "Come on my beauties, follow me" he lead them round to the divided paddock once inside he closed the gate standing inside with them. When he produced an apple Kahn pushed Sulkie's head away with his to take it. "Never mind darling I have one for you too" he said offering it to her, he stood between them rubbing their necks has they chewed.

When he turned to leave the paddock he saw Ashar Kahn sat on his horse watching him, a thoughtful smile on his face.

"I came to see my children, but I find they have a new love" he murmured. He dismounted and walked along side of David leading his horse, whilst his sons lead the horses into the large paddock, the wagons moving towards the gate.

Has they walked towards his quarters David told him of his progress with them. Inside his lounge Ashar Kahn sat in the rocking chair, Hanga appeared "would the Horse Master like some refreshment" he asked. Ashar Kahn looked at the decanter sat on the sideboard, one of Hangar's acquisitions. 

Is that whisky wine he asked? 

David poured out a good measure for him and a smaller one for himself.

"His Majesty has shown me the medicinal benefits of whisky wine" he murmured taking a drink.

He then began to explain that they had delayed coming out until the fifty saddles were complete, adding that it was now ready. He also had a message from his Majesty to say the package from England was now on its way and arrangements made to receive it. They began to talk about the progress of the Fort and David mentioned his concern regarding the water supply. 

"In the city we have wells that are powered by windmills, once the flow has started it continues until it is stopped by a handle Colonel Sahib."

He went on to say he would arrange for men responsible for making these to come out to the fort.

"Tomorrow we will let the horses choose their riders then I must return to the city, my sons will stay to help.

Later he watched has details unloaded the wagons under the supervision of an old Havildar who had been made Quartermaster for the Company. Havildar Turin distributed the saddles and tack to the men in his command, there were also Lovet green saddle blankets edged with gold piping.

Taraq brought his saddle tack and blanket to him, along with a jar of saddle soap.

The saddle was beautifully made in black leather with all the additions he had asked for. The rifle holster had straps to adjust the fit and was lined inside with a thick green material.

Ashar Kahn had advised him to place the saddle between the stalls of Kahn and Sulkie to let them get use to the sight of it, also to saddle his horse were they could see him doing it. He said his sons would be showing the Gurkhas how to care and lookout for diseases in the animal. 

"But you will need a blacksmith to shoe them. I have in mind", he said "the eldest son off the royal blacksmith. He is not only skilled in shoeing but also versed in the art of treating ailments in the animals. I am sure he would agree to work here at the fort if accommodation for him and his young wife could be found". 

David had agreed at once and said he would leave the matter of pay to the Horse Master to agree with him.

That night he stood behind David has he gave them their evening apples caressing their necks has he spoke to them in their stalls.

"Colonel Sahib you will soon begin to accustom Sulkie to the saddle" he murmured.

The next morning he followed Havildar Turpin's unit out to the Paddock each man carried either half an apple or a carrot. Ashar Kahn and his sons walked with them.

At the paddock Ashar Kahn addressed them.

"You will need to spread out on the opposite end from the horses. Make no sudden moves but whisper to them has if addressing a child. When a horse accepts your offering it means it has chosen you. Stroke it and talk soothingly to it, and then lead it with its halter out of the paddock.

The men filed into the paddock, the horses moved to the end away from them. The men spread out in a line and offered up their piece of food talking to them. Nothing happened for several minutes, and then a mare broke from the herd and walked slowly over to a Gurkha and took the offering standing patently chewing has the Gurkha made a fuss of her, before leading her out of the paddock. Soon others followed David noticed a black stallion selected Havildar Turin.

Hanga had his horse waiting by the horse stalls when he returned, Kahn and Sulkie's heads looking at him has he removed the saddle from the post dividing them. Sulkie whinnied thinking he was about to give her an apple. But they both watched has he saddled the docile mare he rode, before he gave them their morning apples.

Kahn snorted has he mounted and rode over to where Ashar Kahn now mounted waited. They rode out of the gate together.

The Prince was already seated waiting for them when they were shown in to the usual room that they had their meeting in. 

After the customary greetings David began his report. The Prince listened nodding his head when David mentioned about the blacksmith and windmill and that the Horse Master would organise that. Ending by saying he was concerned about communication stating how long it would take riding to deliver a message.

The Prince said he would look into the matter. "And now my news" the Prince murmured "the next package from England is due to land, in the next week, a further package three weeks later. I have written to Mr Henry Cartwright ordering a further 150 rifles and halve million rounds of ammunition, I think it only prudent to stock up with ammunition, because it could well be supplies of cordite will soon become scarce if the British War Department has its way.

The meeting came to a close with David saying he was returning to the Fort that day.

Ashar Kahn said he would have a fresh horse awaiting him.

Before leaving the city he visited the leather shop Havildar Turpin had mentioned regarding the cartridge belt. The merchant produced the one he had made. David slipped it over his shoulder and immediately the merchant said "the Sahib has it on the wrong shoulder". David realised he'd put it over his right shoulder due to his left-handedness. He explained why, and the merchant said he could rectify it in a few minutes. 

While he waited he tried on some riding boots finding a pair that had soft black leather uppers but with a stout sole's and heels. When he returned with the modified belt David tried it on again and found he could flick the lid of the case quite easily and close it using the brass stud that held the lid. Satisfied he told the merchant to make 150 of them but to deliver the first 51 he made to the fort where he would be paid, also to add the cost of the boots and have another pair just like them made.

The bay stallion that Ashar Kahn had left for him, was big and strong and eat up the miles back to the fort, but the sun had set before he passed through the gates.

He warned Havildar Major Para that the next consignment of weapons and ammunition were due in roughly ten days' time knowing he would take care of it the next day. He also mentioned about quarters for the blacksmith and his wife and that someone was coming out from the city to sort something out for the well.

Para made a note in his book and said it would be attended too.

He made a point of seeking Patar and asked him how the horses would react to gunfire. 

He said they might try to bolt, to overcome this he suggested that he take the unit out to the rifle range whilst it was being used. 

He would keep them lined up some distance away and gradually over time bring them closer. Once the horses were accustomed to that, the men should try firing their rifles whilst on horseback. 

David had a detail off new men sent out to the range using the Martini Henrys.

Later he brought the stallion he had rode, out to the paddock in which Kahn and Sulkie where in. 

First of all in walked around mounted in the inside of the paddock, the two horses backed in a corner watching, then he dismounted and unsaddled. He waited a few minutes then re-saddled mounted a walked around again, he repeated this half a dozen times before Kahn and Sulkie lost interest and looked else were. 

After his meal that night he went out to the stables with the apples and saw Kahn and Sulkie smelling his saddle. They recognised him when he was still twenty feet away, their ears going forward and whinnying. Now when he produced an apple Kahn normally won, being the more aggressive, but after they had eaten them, Sulkie would put her head over his shoulder has he stroked her neck whispering to her.

Havildar Turin reported to him the next morning has summoned before joining his unit. David had a request of him. He told him the next fifty rifles were due soon and he needed to start considering who would make up the next unit. He had his own idea of who should lead it, but respected Turpin's judgment.

Turpin said he would give it some thought and report back to him. 

He watched has the men lead their horses from the horse line out onto the parade ground before mounting and Taraq and Petra lead them out of the Fort.

He crossed to where Havildar Major Para was overseeing a group emptying out a room built into the wall at the bottom end of the Fort, when he saw David he saluted "For the blacksmith Colonel Sahib" David smiled and told him he would be at the paddocks if required.

He carried his saddle and the blanket has he led them to the small paddock. Once inside he gave them an apple and caressed each of them in turn talking to them in a calm voice.

He started with the blanket with Sulkie. 

Placing it on her back while talking to her. She swung her head around to see what it was, but remained calm, he took her halter and led her around the paddock twice, and then stood in front of her stroking her head while she muzzled his face. 

Next he gently placed the saddle on her back, she took half a step sideways and he felt a slight tremble in her body. 

He went to her head again soothing her "It's all right darling I won't let anything hurt you" he whispered in her ears. He stood like that caressing her while talking to her for over ten minutes, until she has settled down.

Finally he fastened the girth strap, but not too tightly, she had her head turned to watch him but he kept his face turned to her talking gently while he did it.

He stood away and watched he reactions she swung her head from side to side has if to see what was on her back, when he called to her she trotted over to him and took the apple he offered. 

Kahn in the other paddock snorted at not getting one. He left the saddle on her all that day, only removing it when they returned to the stable in the evening.

The next morning he saddled Sulkie outside her stall while Kahn watched, she made no fuss has he did so, happily chewing her apple. He led them round to the paddocks putting them in their separate ones carrying the rest of the tack.

He stood in front of her talking softly to her has he removed the rope halter she had come from the city in. Then slowly lowered the leather bridal over her head. She didn't fight the bit when he put it in her mouth merely shook her head a few times has he adjusted the straps, once he was satisfied he stepped back to see her reaction. She trotted around the paddock and shook her head a few times but apart from that was quite happy. He left them and returned to the Fort, deciding to return later to fit the remaining tack.

He saw a detail mucking out the horse lines, wheel barrowing the soiled straw out to the rear off the Fort. He remembered, Hanga had said the cooks were starting a vegetable garden with the horse manure. 

Back in his office he watched has Havildar Turin's detail rode in. they unsaddled, then rubbed their mounts down with straw, then watered and fed them, before going for their meal.

He was in his office going over the muster book when Havildar Turin reported to him.

"Colonel Sahib I have been giving your question a great deal of thought. And it is my opinion that Naik Sultar would be the best to lead the next section. But, has you allowed me, he should suggest the men he would have to command"

After thanking him and dismissing him, David sat back in his chair.

Naik Sultar he knew from the records was twenty-six years old, quite young for his rank. He had joined the Princes Army has a seventeen year old recruit straight from Nepal. The fact that Havildar Major Para had promoted him over older men spoke highly of his capabilities.

He checked the range scores book; he was in the top ten for marksmanship. 

He called out to the guard outside his door and asked him to finds Naik Sultar. 

Most of the recruits who had served in the British Army could speak English to varying degrees, and had been teaching those who couldn't. Naik Sultar was one such who had, had to learn.

The guard announced the he was outside and David told him to enter.

Naik Sultar came to a halt and gave a sharp salute, David answered it and told him to stand easy.

He began to explain that another fifty-man unit like Tiger unit was to be formed, and he had been selected to lead it. David saw his eyes gleam at this. He went on to say that Sultar would need two Naik's, and four, Lance Naik's for the unit. What he required was a list of those Sultar would wish to be in it from the men available in the Fort. You are free to suggest any one for the ranks of Naik or Lance Naik, you are promoted to the rank off Havildar off has this moment.

David added that there was no immediate rush for the list, but he would like to have it in ten days' time. Adding this unit would be called Cobra Company. 

After he had gone David realised that he would soon need the next string of horses for the new unit, and made a note to himself to speak to Taraq about it.

Has he left to return to the paddock he noticed a large wagon drawn by two mules down at the end of the fort, a detail under the Havildar Major were helping to unload it. 

The blacksmith had arrived.

He had no problems fixing the reins to Sulkie, although she thought she was going to get an apple "sorry darling but you must wait until this evening" he murmured patting her neck. He tied the reins to the pommel of the saddle.

He sat on the top rail of the paddock to watch her. At one stage she moved over to the dividing rail and put her head over it, Kahn came up to her and sniffed her head. David chuckled just like a woman showing off her new jewellery.

He returned them to the stables earlier that evening; Hanga had mucked out there stalls and laid new straw for them. Kahn watched has he removed the saddle had halter sniffing it when he placed it between their stalls. He spent two hours brushing them until their coats gleamed, and then rewarded them with their evening apples.

When he turned around he found Taraq watching him with a smile on his face.

"The Colonel Sahib has lovers now" he murmured, "My father will be most pleased."

David asked him if he knew their bloodline. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 02



Taraq said that Kahn was the son of his father's mare Jazal, and his father had been Mogul a stallion that had never been broken, just used for breeding. Sulkie was the daughter off the Prince's own Arab stallion Swift and a daughter off Mogul.

He went on to say that there were over 200 horses in the royal herd and over 600 in the market herd. 

When David asked what the market herd was, he was told the horses that were for sale. 

It seemed the horses the men had, came from this herd. 

David told him that he would need the next batch of horses, has soon has the saddles were ready for them.

Taraq said he would return to the city to find out, and return with the horses if the saddles were ready. 

He said the training of accustoming the horses to gunfire was going well and the next stage would to be the riders firing from horseback, adding the men might suffer a few bruises in the process.

After Taraq had left David realised that Kahn and Sulkie would have to undergo the same training.

David had to let Hanga take the horses to the paddock the next morning, has the men for the well had arrived. 

They had left their two wagons outside the Fort. He waited has an elderly man dressed in rich clothes walked about the fort with Havildar Major Para accompanying him.

When they returned to his office Para interrupted for him. 

It seemed that a river passed beneath the Fort fed by the mountain streams from the snow.

Further it would be no problem to drill a well at the point the man had found it was only he estimated, twenty feet deep. 

The spot he had picked was at the lower end of the Fort, down near his own quarters, away from Para's beloved parade square. 

He left to let the Havildar Major assembling a detail and to organise the installation.

He found a Lance Naik in charge off a five man detail helping to build a forge for the blacksmith. 

Who was a broad muscular man in his mid to late twenties David judged.

The Lance Naik told him he had worked for his father for twenty years learning the trade, but his mother didn't get on well with his wife, has they all livid under the same roof. 

The man had bowed his head and smiled at David when introduced and David had shaken his hand. 

Discovering his name was Jolah, from the few Kana words he could understand the man was grateful to work for the Colonel Sahib. 

He returned to his office going over the inventory from the Quartermaster Havildar, authorising the replacement of uniforms and boots requested.

After he had left David decided it was time to put into motion his plan for the restructuring of the Company.

He called Havildar Major Para into his office and told him to sit down in front of his desk.

He started to explain that the Company was expanding fast, they're being 148 men now in the muster book, and that number would rise to 230. 

There would be two Companies off 100 men in each company, and 30 men in administration duties eventually. 

He wanted Para to take charge of the Fort's administrative duties with the rank of Subedar Major effective immediately. 

He was to select his own team from the men hopefully too old for combat. He went on to say that he needed him to take the weight of administration from his shoulders. To release him to concentrate on the training of the troops, who from now on would have the title of Rifleman. 

He would be free to promote those in his section he saw fit.

He watched Para's face, at the news, a mixture of shock, pleasure and pride registered.

He came to attention, saying he would have his recommendations on his desk by the morning, giving a smart salute has he left.

David sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair feeling tired his head aching with the decisions he had made, and the decisions he had yet to make.

The following morning he had Subedar Major Para's list, which he approved.

He sent for Havildar Turin and asked him to assemble his unit by the armoury.

The Quartermaster was on hand noting the serial numbers of the rifles has they were issued to the unit. David couldn't help but notice the men had sewn a patch, to the top of their jackets arm, with a Tiger embroider. Each man was issued with six clips of ammunition, to zero their rifle in. He watched has they mounted up, the rifles slung around their shoulders, has they rode out the rifle range.

Four days later three things happened, the weapons and ammunition arrived, the remount horses and saddles arrived, and he sat on Sulkie.

It was hard to know which he was most pleased about. Havildar Sultar unit was detailed to clean and service the rifles.

Has usual he had saddled Sulkie in the morning and fitted her bridle, before leading her and Kahn out to the paddock. After making a fuss of her he had sat on the rail of the paddock watching them. Sulkie had come over to where he sat almost leaning on his legs. He had slowly swung his leg over her back, keeping his weight on the leg standing on the post, then slowly lowered himself down into the saddle.

He was softly talking to her all the time. He felt a tremor pass through her body, but he lent forward and stroked her neck, has she bent her head to look at him.

"Sulkie my brave darling don't be afraid" he murmured scratching behind her ear. 

Slowly he felt the tension leave her body. He reached down and adjusted the stirrups and slipped his feet into them. 

"Ok girl lets walk" he said giving her ribs a genital squeeze with his boots. 

Sulkie began walking hesitant at first, unused to the weight on her back, he let her find her own way round the paddock. 

When she stopped a light tap with his boots would start her again. 

After a while he started guiding her with the reins. By mid-morning they were making figure of eight turns in the paddock. 

Sulkie seemed to be enjoying this new game. 

He stopped and dismounted and cuddled her head whispering to her, before mounting again.

He was engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't see Taraq sitting on his horse watching until they started moving again.

Taraq smiled "I see the Colonel Sahib has made a conquest" he chuckled. 

He leant over and opened the paddock gate.

"Come ride at the side of me Colonel Sahib, and see your new horses"

Sulkie fell in alongside Taraq's stallion and the walked slowly down to the big paddock where his brother was guiding the new mounts in.

Five big wagons were making their way in to the Fort.

"So Sahib when did this little miracle happen" he asked.

"Oh about three hours ago" and he explained how it happened.

"Because she loves you, is why she has not made a fuss" Taraq replied. 

It was only mid-afternoon, but he decided to take the horses back to the stable, he had more paper work to sort that couldn't wait now.

Kahn snorted when he lead him sat on Sulkie, she almost seemed to preen at her new position.

As he entered the Fort the men laughed and clapped, at the sight of him mounted on her.

Hanga was standing outside with a huge smile on his face, has he dismounted and handed him Kahn halter.

Hanga led him into his stall while he removed the saddle and bridal from Sulkie.

Once in her stall, she came and pushed her head against his chest for him to fondle her.

Hanga came and gave him the apples. He gave Sulkie hers first, before turning to Kahn.

Stroking his velvet nose "now you see boy how easy it is don't you" he murmured giving him the apple.

He rested his head against Kahn's for a few moments, before leaving them.

David sat at his desk going over the list Havildar Sultar had left for him.

Of the two Naik's he had requested, one was already a Naik the other a Lance Naik

Of the four Lance Naik's, he would need, two already had that rank.

He had recommended a former 2nd Rifleman for the rank, but his last choice for Lance Naik was a 21year old, who, had only been in the unit three years coming from Nepal.

He checked his range record and discovered he was the best shot in the Company, beating Havildar Turin by 2, the second best shot.

Sultar must have his reasons he thought has he signed it; the list would go on the bulletin board in the morning.

To speed up Cobra units training, he would have them sort their horses out in the morning and riding them until lunchtime.

After their meal he would have the Quartermaster issue them their rifles and forty rounds of ammunition per man. 

Then ride out to the range on their horses they could be picketed some distance away, whist the men zeroed in their rifle and began practice.

Taraq would know when to bring the horses nearer.

He drafted out the order and sent it over to be pinned up on the bulletin board along with Cobra Units list.

The sound of Last Post, ringing out over the parade ground has the flag was lowered, alerted him to the time.

He sat in his rocking chair with a glass of whisky waiting for Hanga to cook his dinner.

He had made his mind up that when the ammunition belts arrived he would take a section of Tiger under Havildar Turin up to the Pass,

They would be stationed there for two weeks being relieved by the second section at the end of that period. 

He realised that the Naik in charge of the second section would have to be the better of the two Naik's in Turin's unit.

He would have to speak to him on that, Hanga came in with his dinner, lamb chops.

He was sat outside enjoying a cheroot, one of fifty the Prince had given him along with the two bottles of whisky.

When Taraq passed calling good night, David called him over and asked if he would take his stallion with him, when they went out to the rifle range tomorrow.

Sulkie swung her tail the next morning has he saddled her, has if impatient to be off.

Hanga passed him Kahn's halter rope, and they set off for the paddock. Once Kahn was in, he closed the gate.

"Ok girl lets go for a ride, they rode out into the open country in a walk, and then they trotted has Sulkie became use to his commands. 

He increased to a canter and then gave her, her head "go on girl let's see what you can do" he urged has Sulkie leapt forward has he lent over her neck.

Her long legs were eating up the ground. If he hadn't had his chinstrap down, his hat would have been torn off with the wind of her passage.

The ride was exhilarating, after a few miles he slowed her down to a trot again has they turned heading back to the Fort.

She had been cooped up in the paddocks, for over five weeks, and he knew she had to take things slowly before she regained her full strength.

Back at the stable he removed the saddle and bridal and rubbed her down with straw to remove the sweat from her chest and gave her head a hug.

She followed him without a halter back to the paddock.

The Quartermaster way laid him as he entered the Fort again.

A merchant from the city had delivered 51 cartridge belts the Subedar Major had paid him and they were now in his store. He had also been accompanied with another man, with a mule cart and four baskets of pigeons.

He's down at the end of the Fort with the Subedar Major.

When he reached them the man was unloading his cart off wood.

Subedar Major Para explained to David that the man was going to make a sort of dovecote to house his pigeons. 

He handed David a letter that the man had brought. It was from the Prince.

The letter explained that the man, Ali, was conversant with the code used by the Prince, all he need do, is tell him what he wanted to say, and Ali would convert it to code and dispatch a bird. The letter went on to say that he would train birds to fly from the Pass and return to the Fort. 

But he would need to create a code of his own to fit the slips of papers used on the pigeon.

It seemed Ali knew the blacksmith and was going to lodge with him, so Para informed him. David thanked him and said he would leave it to him. 

On his way back up the Fort he saw Havildar Turin working with his men on the buildings. He asked him to follow him back to his office.

Once inside he told Turin to sit down, and he began to explain what he intended to do.

When he reached the part of the section change over, and his concern about the Naik left in charge. Turin said he would stay behind to take charge of the section, saying, "These are my men Colonel Sahib".

David said for him to draw cartridge belts and 60 rounds of ammunition and 30 clips per man. They would need to draw rations for two weeks and grain for the horses. A further 500 rounds of ammunition, packed on the docile training horses. The men would need to take a blanket roll and extra clothing in their saddlebags. 

He told him he would be going with them, and remain for a few days, while he reconnoitred the Pass. 

The section would move out after their midday meal. After he dismissed him, he went and informed the Quartermaster, and drew six clips. He still had 65 rounds left from the box he had taken on the ship along with the six clips.

He warned Hanga of his intentions, has he packed his saddlebags. Hanga warned him that it would be cold at the Pass. He loaded the clips with bullets and fitted them into his ammunition belt cases. He then packed 30 rounds of pistol ammunition and his telescope, compass and notebook. Hanga returned carrying a thick blanket and a ground sheet made from oiled canvas. 

The blanket was not standard issue, when he queried it. Hanga had replied, "The Colonel Sahib will be most grateful for it. It gets ducally cold up there at night". They wrapped up the blanket with the ground sheet over it too protect it. 

He was returning Kahn and Sulkie back to the stable when Havildar Sultar's section walked in with Taraq leading his stallion. After seeing them into their stalls, he turned to watch has they unsaddled and began to currycomb their animals prior to feeding them. He sent Hanga to attend to his stallion has he began to brush Kahn and Sulkie.

He released them into the big paddock to give them more room the next morning.

When he returned he saw Havildar Turin down by the armoury drawing ammunition with his detail, ammunition belts thrown over their shoulders.

He took his stallion from the horse line and led it to the rail by the stable and saddled it. 

It took him nearly half an hour adjusting the rifle holster until he was satisfied he could draw the rifle easily whilst mounted. 

Finally, he loading it and slipping it in, with the safety on. He attached the saddlebags and bedroll and the two-pint water bottle to the pommel and his loaded pistol into the saddle holster. He stood back satisfied, patting the horse's neck.

Looking across at the horse lines he could see riflemen engaged in the same task.

To be continued.



The Tides Of War Pt. 03



Chapter 12 

After their mid-day meal the men lined up on the parade ground, standing alongside their horse, Havildar Turin standing a little in front. 

David mounted the stallion and walked to Turin "Carry on Havildar Turin" he ordered. 

Turin shouted over his shoulder "detail prepare to mount, mount". The twenty-six men moved as one. "Left by twos, forward" he cried giving the sign with his arm. 

David sat on his horse has the men passed their rifles slung over their shoulders, the last man leading the two packhorses. 

He trotted to the front of the column taking his place alongside Havildar Turin. 

The joined the caravan road and followed it, has it snaked higher into the hills. 

It took nearly five hours for the slow moving column to reach the entrance of the Pass. 

The eighteen men detailed for guard duty were surprised to see them especially with the Colonel Sahib in charge. 

He told the Havildar in charge that they were relieved of duty and could return to the Fort in the morning. 

Turin in the meantime had set up a picket line for the horses, and had them unsaddled. His men would sleep alongside of them that night; they're not being enough room in the crude building used by the guards. 

Later that night after a meal, David sat alongside Turin by the campfire. 

"We will have to do something about housing the men, but I'm not sure this is the right site for a guard post. I intend to take a small section and scout the pass for a better location in the morning. 

David had an uncomfortable night feeling the cold. 

The next morning the guard detail marched away. But leaving behind their cooking equipment and blankets. 

David, Turin and four Riflemen mounted up and rode up into the Pass. 

At this point in the Pass the walls slopped down to the road with outcrops of rocks. 

A difficult place to defend if the Afghans got amongst those rocks he realised. 

They followed the road has it rose up into the mountains, the sides becoming steeper. After two hours of climbing they came to a section of the pass where the walls were almost vertical and a buttress jutted out, and the distance between the walls reduced to only about thirty feet, beyond this point the road continued to climb, and the walls started to slowly recede. 

David returned to the vertical point of the Pass. "This is where we need to make the guard post Havildar" he said. A bitterly cold wind blew down the Pass the steepness of the wall let in very little sunlight. 

He discussed at length the logistics off setting a guard post up there. Water and firewood would need to be brought up from the entrance and a building to house the men erected and provision for the horses found. 

Once he was satisfied Turin understood his requirement, they returned to the entrance. 

On the way back he said he would dispatch wagons with building materials and large earthenware jars to hold water. The men would require warmer cloths and more blankets. In the meantime Turin would have to make the best off it. 

It took him three hours to return to the Fort pushing the stallion. Handing over the stallion to Hanga, he collected Subedar Major Para and the Quartermaster and told them off what he needed. 

The Quartermaster was dispatched to the city to purchase warm coats and thicker blankets along with four of the largest earthenware jars he could locate. 

Para said there were four wagons pulled by bullocks, currently in the Fort. Unloading materials, he said he would have them reloaded with sufficient materials and equipment, to build quarters for the men, and have it sent back to the Pass that day. 

He returned to his quarters and had a bath and changed his cloths. Hanga saw to his saddlebags and rifle scabbard. 

He walked out to the paddock to see the horses; before he had even arrived they saw him, and galloped across the paddock their tails held high whinnying. 

Both vied to push their heads against his chest, has usual Kahn won. He stroked their velvet noses talking softly to each. 

He decided that he would start to accustom Kahn to the saddle in the morning, if time permitted. 

When he returned to the Fort he sought out the Naik commanding the other section of Tiger. To have four riflemen with a Lance Naik, to draw ammunition to accompany the supply column that had set out for the Pass. They should catch them up before they reached the caravan road he reasoned. He also said he would need another detail to guard another wagon when the Quartermaster returned. 

He had an early dinner that night and was in bed has the bugle sounded Last Post, exhausted from lack of sleep and the hard ride from the Pass. 

He started on Kahn has soon has he had him in the paddock with the horse blanket. By the afternoon he had the saddle on him, he had trembled and rolled his eyes, but had stood still. Sulkie looked at him has to say what's all the fuss. He left him with the saddle on to grow accustomed to it, and returned to the Fort. 

A large wagon with three earthenware pots almost has tall has a man sat inside it. The Quartermaster along with the tailor waited for him by the office. 

"Colonel Sahib I could only get three pots, the merchant said he could get another in a weeks' time. I have bought twenty-six sheepskin coats, the warmest I could find, from this thief of a tailor along with the heaviest blankets available." 

The tailor looked pained at being called a thief. "Colonel Sahib I understand that you require warm clothing for your men. I have brought some samples that may be of benefit for you". 

He proceeded to show David fine woollen long johns and woollen shirts. While David examined them he rummaged around in the pile of sheepskin coats finally selecting one. "I have brought this for the Sahib has it is the longest in my store". 

David tried it on, there was no doubt it was warm and it had a high collar that when fastened protected his ears, and came down to his knees. The only problem was you couldn't ride in it. 

David explained to him he needed a heavy winter coat, but with a slit up the back that a man could sit on a horse with it on. 

The tailor assured him he could make such a garment from wool. David also said it would need epaulets on the shoulders. 

He asked if he could supply twenty-six long johns and shirts immediately, one set of long johns and shirt to fit him. 

The tailor said he could have them at the Fort in two days' time. 

David watched has the wagon set off for the Pass guarded by the detail, knowing the men there would welcome the coats and blankets. 

He decided to wait for the tailor to return, and then he would take the long johns and shirts to the pass himself. 

The next morning after breakfast he saddled Kahn outside of the stable, and then fitted the bridle on to him, having to adjust it due to Kahn bigger head, Kahn rolled his eyes at the bit but remained still has he talked to him. 

David was surprised at how easy it had been with Kahn so far, has he led the two to the paddock. 

Later that day he returned to fit the reins on and tighten the girth. 

He was sat in Subedar Major Para's office when he asked about the pigeons. 

Para, told him that Ali had said that ten off the birds have to recognise the dovecote has their home that way they would return to it when released from somewhere else. But the remaining five birds were kept in their baskets. 

These when released would return to the Palace. 

He opened a drawer and removed a small cylinder with a soft ribbon attached to it and a strip of rice paper half an inch wide and two inches long. 

This is the message paper, it's rolled up and slipped into the cylinder Para explained. 

Back in his own office he began to give some thought to what code could be used at the Pass. 

Logically, the only time a bird would be sent is in the event of an attack. In which case the numbers off the enemy would be important, the only other emergency, he could at the moment envisage was a shortage of ammunition. 

The next morning he made a big fuss over Kahn has he saddled him, much to Sulkie's displeasure. 

In the paddock he repeated what he had done with Sulkie, once sat in the saddle he lent foreword talking to him, has he felt his trembling. 

David could almost feel what was going through his mind. 

Torn between his love for him, and anger at this weight upon his back. 

For fifteen minutes David didn't know how he would react, then slowly the trembling ceased. 

He waited a few more minutes, and then gently tapped him in his ribs, with his boots, and Kahn began to walk. He let him find his own way around the paddock at first. Then he started to guide him, responding to the bit. He stopped him and dismounted, then went to the front to make a fuss of him scratching between his ears has Kahn lowered his great head "Oh you cleaver brave boy" he said kissing his nose. 

He remounted and they set of walking again, he gave another light kick and Kahn started to trot. They started doing figure of eights has Kahn responded to the reins and knee pressure, they'd stop and reverse the direction. Sulkie trotted alongside of them has if it was a game. 

He rode him into the Fort that evening with Sulkie walking along side of them. They men cheered and clapped has they saw him. 

Has he unsaddled him, he realised that if the tailor arrived he wouldn't be able to ride him the next day. Once in the stalls, he fondled both of them has Hanga brought him the apples. 

The tailor arrived shortly after breakfast. He brought a package over to David's quarters "Colonel Sahib the cloths you requested" David thanked him, and told him the Quartermaster would pay him, but he needed a further 100 sets. 

"The coat you requested Sahib should be ready in four or five days, once I have found suitable material" 

He called out to a passing Lance Naik to pack the cloths the tailor had brought onto one of the training horses, while he brought his stallion over to the stable. Hanga saddled it while he changed into the long johns. 

He packed the shirt into his saddlebag and Hanga took it out to the horse. He placed the ammunition belt over his shoulder, and had a last look round to see he had everything. Outside he saw Hanga had tied the sheepskin coat over the bedroll has he mounted. He gathered up the halter rope of the packhorse, and led it out of the Fort. 

It took nearly five hours to reach the Pass due to the fact you were climbing. 

Four Riflemen were chopping up firewood when he reached the entrance. 

He continued up into it coming at last to the vertical buttress that closed in on the Pass. He saw at a glance that Havildar Turin had not been idle. 

A low block building had been built against the vertical wall of the buttress where it jutted into the Pass. 

Horse lines were near to it offering some protection from the cold wind that blew constantly through it. Turin came hurrying up followed by two riflemen who took charge of the horses. 

David congratulated him in the work he has achieved. He was shown a small hut that had been made from blocks and boulders, which housed the food and ammunition. 

But Turin was most pleased, that they had found a lookout point, which could look down the Pass for some miles. 

David followed him has they walked some two hundred yards back along the Pass, 

until they reached a path of sorts that climbed up the side off the wall, in places steps had been cut out, and the path widened. The path angled up until at last they were higher than the buttress that nearly blocked the Pass. 

David's legs were aching by now, they continued climbing then he saw the glow of a fire. The path suddenly dipped down and he saw the entrance to what appeared to be a small cave. 

Two riflemen were sat huddled over a fire set further back inside it, both wearing sheepskin coats. They needed them; he thought the wind cut through you up here. 

Turin waved to the men, then started climbing up again, David followed. They reached the top, and David could see the track snacking down the Pass, for almost two miles before it was lost in the haze. 

Turin asked something, he turned and realised the question was not directed at him, but at rifleman sitting behind a wall off boulders. 

The wall had been to protect the sentry from the bitterly cold wind that screamed this high up. He had a sheepskin coat on too, buttoned right up with the collar snug around his ears, and he noticed he had socks on his hands. 

They turned and went back down to the cave, the men inside were about to stand but David told then to stay has they were. 

Turin explained that three men spent twenty-four hours up here on guard. The lookout spent three hours on and six hours off. When the light failed at night he retreated to the cave, they cooked and slept init. The next relief group would bring their rations and firewood up with them when they were relieved. 

When they reached the valley floor again he was grateful for the fire the Riflemen had blazing. 

He had told Turin about the long johns and shirts, and he ordered them to be distributed. 

A rifleman came to him with his coat and a mug off steaming hot tea. He shrugged on the coat grateful for its warmth and the tea. 

Turin came out of the building where he had been changing into the new clothes. 

"Colonel Sahib the men asked me to thank you for the coats and clothes" 

David smiled to himself, the Gurkha was a hardy soul used to harsh conditions in the mountains of Nepal, but even they could experience cold and discomfort. But unlike others, would never complain. 

They sat down on a log by the fire; the light had almost gone down here on the valley floor. 

He took out two cheroots and offered one to Turin. 

"Sahib a small caravan passed this morning, our look out spotted it. I told all the men but five, to go into house and stay there until they passed. It may be the Afghans will send someone to see what we do. When you arrived the men were making firing points" 

David considered what he had said, "I understand it takes a caravan five days to reach Kabul, off course the Afghans may have men closer. Tomorrow we will prepare positions. When the next lookouts go, up they can take my telescope with them" 

His saddle and rifle case, had been put in the building, on top of a crude but effective bunk bed, the bed had rope crisscrossed along it to support the bedroll. 

A new thick blanket lay on the bed. The temperature was falling fast now, the light had gone has he spread his bedroll. He removed his jacket and put on the shirt from his saddlebag, before putting on his jacket again. A rifleman came in bringing a tin plate full off strew and a slab off bread and a spoon. 

He ate it with relish, not realising how hungry he was. 

Afterwards he climbed into bed between the blankets spreading the sheepskin coat over him. 

He woke up, and stretched, his feet, sliding them over the edge of the bed. He smiled ruefully. The bed had been made for a Gurkha not a Sahib. 

The building was empty, he looked at his watch, winding it has he did so. 

It was seven am; he threw off the bed cloths and shivered in the cold air. 

He slipped on his boots and sheepskin coat quickly, buttoning it up. 

It was still semi dark outside, but the men were already hard at work. 

Some feeding the horses, others cooking, Havildar Turin came over to him. 

"We need to do something to camouflage the horse lines" he told him "I notices bushes on the approach to the entrance of the Pass". 

Turin immediately realised what David intended, and dispatched six men on horseback, David noticed the men were taking all the canteens of the other men. 

Turin saw his glance, they fill them with water at the well to replenish the water pots, he was told. 

They began walking around the area where the Pass narrowed. David stood in it looking back down the Pass towards the entrance. 

From here the house and horse lines could not be seen, only when you were out of the entrance, did they come into view. 

The enemy would need to turn right to attack the house a distance off approximately 100 yards. 

David outlined his plans to Turin. It would depend on how many were sent against them. But if the Afghans thought there were only five guarding it, then he thought no more than twenty or thirty. If that is the case then none must be allowed to escape to report back about our rifles. We must draw them all in, if they attack on horseback, we must prevent the horses escaping down the cleft. 

Firing pits were dug in a crescent around the entrance about two hundred yards from it. Turin checked each to make sure that they were deep enough to conceal a rifleman. 

He detailed five men to appear to be working around the building, when attacked they would take cover but to return fire slowly, has if using a single shot rifles. 

Only when the concealed men opened fire could they use their rifles has intended. 

By mid-morning the horse lines were obscured by the bushes the men had dragged behind their horses. Other bushes had been used to break the outline of the house. 

David was writing in his notebook the items the men stationed here would need. 

Palliasses, gloves, telescopes, and fur hats he wrote down. 

It was September, but winter was approaching, soon the snow would fall and blizzards would rage down here has well has on the heights. 

He added, potbellied stove, oil lamps to the list. 

He showed what he had written to Turin and asked for his recommendations, and added warm boots and scarfs to the list. 

Turin told him that the caravans would stop when the snows came and blocked the Pass in November, and the Pass would remain blocked until March or April. 

Two days later one of the lookouts came scrambling down from lookout post above. 

They had countered twenty-seven walking on horseback. 

Turin ordered the horses taken back down the pass out of sight and tethered. 

The men took up their positions, David and Turin checked to see they were out of sight, before jumping down into their trench. 

David checked his rifle, loading a round into the breech then put the safety on. 

From his position he could see down the narrow defile. 

The riders appeared bunching up as they entered it. Fierce looking men with long beards and turbans, they stopped fifty yards from the entrance. 

One dismounted and crept towards the entrance, dropping down on his belly he looked around the corner, seeing five unarmed men sat around a fire eating. 

He returned to group and spoke to a man who in turn said something to the others. 

David watched has some drew their wicked looking sabres; others removed their rifles from their backs. 

The leader raised his sword, and then slashed it down giving out a wild yell the band galloped out screaming. 

Has the last man cleared the entrance he and Turin fired, the signal for the riflemen to fire. 

Utter confusion resulted amongst the Afghans, in less than two minutes it was all over. 

Twenty-seven men lay dead or dying, the dying were finished off with a kukri, has was a wounded horse. 

Two riflemen were dispatched to round up the horses, while the rest stripped the corpses of weapons and jewellery. 

The only casualty amongst the riflemen was one who had a scratch from an ejected cartridge case. 

Their weapons were a hodgepodge of, Jeziels the long barrelled single shot rifle similar to a Kentucky rifle, stolen or captured Martini Henrys, but two were quite new of a make he had never seen before. They were bolt-operated single shot, firing cordite rounds. 

They had all carried sabres along with wicked looking knives, some with jewels in the hilts. 

David ordered Turin to pack all the weapons and valuables up, to be taken back to the Fort. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 03



The men came back herding the horses. David ordered the saddles removed and the bodies draped over them, "Take then beyond the entrance and leave them for the wolves, we have no time to bury them". 

Some of the men were butchering the dead horse; it would be a useful addition to their food. 

"I shall have to take the horses back to the fort along with the weapons and valuables, can you spare two men to assist me" he asked Turin. 

"Of cause Colonel Sahib, it will be many days before they send anyone else." 

The horses of the men were returned to the horse line, when the men came back from dumping the bodies, they took the dead horses remains out too. 

One of the riflemen saddled his stallion whilst two others saddled their horses. 

Turin had said if a bigger force was sent against them they could easily defend the entrance to the narrow defile. 

David looked at his watch it was a little after one. They set off herding the horses before them, one rifleman lead a horse with the packs on its back. 

They reached the Fort at five, the horses were led into a paddock were food and water was provided for them. He gave the list of requirements to the Quartermaster, to find has much has he could within the Fort, saying a mule cart could return with the two riflemen in the morning. 

Subedar Major Para listened has he described what had happened, ending by saying he intended to go to the city at first light taking the packs with him. 

Hagar had unsaddled the stallion and had placed it in the stable. 

David had a bath in the galvanised tin tub Hagar had found in the city. He changed his cloths knowing that Hangar would have them washed and ironed by his return from the city. 

The Quartermaster came to report that he had 26 palliasses; a detail was stuffing them with straw. He had issued 25 pairs of socks, and three oil lamps with four one gallon cans of oil for them, and four five gallon water skims. But had not located fur hats, gloves, scarf's telescopes or a stove. They would be loaded on to the mule cart ready for the morning. 

David thanked him, and ticked off those items from his list. 

Hanga was cleaning his rifle when he entered his quarters. 

"I'll have dinner early tonight Hanga, I intend leaving at first light, I'll be riding Sulkie" he told him. 

Chapter 13 

Hanga had his breakfast ready, it was still dark has he saddled Sulkie, he left his rifle scabbard off and his bedroll, Hanga had unpacked his saddlebags. 

Kahn had snorted at seeing Sulkie saddled "don't worry boy your time will come "he murmured to him. 

He mounted and accepted the rope for the packhorse from a rifleman. He noticed the two from herding the horses, were preparing to leave, one held the reins of the mule cart with his horse tied to the back. 

They trotted out of the gate, the guard presenting arms has he passed. 

They made good time considering the packhorse was not in the same league has Sulkie has they entered the city. Peshawar was waiting for him at the gate to the Palace; he had grooms take care of the horses. 

Two other servants carried the packs has they followed them to the meeting room. 

The Prince was waiting when he arrived; after the servants and Peshawar had left he began his report. 

When told of where they had left the bodies, the Prince murmured, "It is fitting that the wolves devour the wolves". 

The Prince examined the rifles he had brought, "Russian" he pronounced. 

He asked David how the men had reacted to the combat. 

"There Gurkhas Sir, they relish a fight, but the biggest enemy they face is the cold. 

They are 1000 feet higher than at the entrance, due to the steepness of the cliffs, they only have sunlight for a few hours, when the sun is right above them. 

The wind blows constantly down through the Pass creating a chill factor of nearly freezing. At night it falls well below freezing. 

The men, who have lookout duty above them, have it even worse. The wind is even stronger up there and much colder than on the Pass floor. 

The lookout can only stay for two hours now before he becomes frozen." 

He went on to say what he had provided to ease their hardship, but there were items he had not yet been able to acquire. 

The Prince looked at David's list, and then summoned Peshawar. 

He turned to David "these items of clothing you will need for all your men?" 

"Eventually Sir, but the immediate need is for the men on duty there now." 

When Peshawar arrived, he gave him instructions. 

When he had gone the Prince said, "We will eat, it will give him time to acquire what is needed". 

They were enjoying a cheroot after the meal, the Prince had promised him some to take back to the Fort along with more whisky. Finding out that David had not taken a bottle to the Pass for fear off breaking it, he had given him a silver half pint hip flask. 

Ashar Kahn had come to see him, finding out he had ridden Sulkie, and wishing to know how the training was going with Kahn. 

Finding out he had ridden Kahn he was delighted with the news, "the Colonel Sahib must have a way with horses, to have progressed so fast" he said in praise. 

An hour later Peshawar came to say if the Colonel Sahib would like to see what he had gathered. He led him to a room, laid on tables were fur gauntlets, large fur boots, which looked like riding boots. The scarf's Peshawar explained, were blankets that had been cut up. Two large brass telescopes, and fur hats that had flaps to protect the ears. The pot belled stove with smoke stack was outside on a cart with two mules. 

David thanked him and said to have them loaded at once, has he was anxious to leave for the Fort. 

He returned to thank the Prince and to say he was leaving. 

"Goodbye my friend, take care" the Prince said embracing him. 

Outside Sulkie was waiting alongside the cart with the packhorse tied to the back. 

The stove although used, appeared to be about five feet high. 

They set off at a trot, the driver of the cart urging the mules. 

Night had fallen by the time they passed through the gates. David told the guard commander to take care of the mules and packhorse and to feed and find quarters for the driver. The driver lifted up a basket "this is for you Sahib" he said handing it to him. 

Hanga was waiting by the stable has he dismounted, "I'll see to Sulkie Sahib" he said giving him an apple. He removed the bridle and fondled her head "you've been a good girl today darling" he murmured giving her the apple, she pushed her head against his chest has she chewed it. 

In the bedroom he removed his boots then fell back onto the bed exhausted he was asleep in seconds. Hanga put a blanket over him, before turning out the light. 

It was late morning by the time he awoke, he washed and shaved and dressed in the long johns and shirt before putting his jacket on, before having breakfast. Hanga packed his cutthroat razor and soap brush into his saddlebag along with the filled hip flask and cheroots, and went out to put it on the stallion, along with his bedroll. His rifle scabbard had been fitted to the saddle. 

The cart had left at first light driven by Tiger riflemen, Hanga had said. 

He set off in a fast trot to catch the cart. 

He caught up with it a mile from the entrance of the Pass. 

They passed the lookout stationed to watch for caravans coming down the Pass and finally arrived at the buttress. 

From the road David had to look hard to recognise it. 

Turin had further camouflaged the building breaking up its outline. The horses were behind a thick hedge off bushes that from the road seemed to grow against the cliff wall. They started to distribute the clothing out to the grateful Riflemen. 

Turin sent one off with three sets off cloths and a telescope up to the guards on the top look out. 

While one took care of his horse another brought him his sheepskin coat, which he gratefully put on. 

Once the stove and pipe were unloaded the driver was ready to set off back to the Fort anxious to be away from this cold place. 

David told him to hand the other telescope over to the Subedar Major. 

The men had already started to cut a hole in the roof for the stovepipe; others were mixing up clay to go around it to protect the roof. 

When he entered the blockhouse he chuckled, his bed had been lengthened. 

A palliasse was now on it, along with socks fur boots, fur hat, gloves and scarf. 

"They were the biggest Colonel Sahib" a rifleman told him with a grin. 

The man who had taken the cloths up to the lookouts returned and gave him back his telescope. "They said to thank the Colonel Sahib and say they are most welcome" 

Turin came in has he was fitting the fur boots on, "you have raised the men's spirits Colonel Sahib" he said. David smiled "you can tell the men that the Prince has authorised a 200 rupee bonus to each man this month". Turin's smile grew even wider. 

He put on the scarf and hat has his saddlebag bedroll and rifle scabbard were brought in for him. He propped the scabbard up against the wall, then opened one of the bags taking out the hip flask and slipped it into his pocket, and went outside to make room for the men working inside the blockhouse. 

Later he sat on a log by the cook fire a lit a cheroot, then took a sip from the flask, feeling the warmth of the whisky. 

The men no longer looked like soldiers, more like bears, he thought but at least they were warmer now. 

That night he was given steak to eat, albeit horse steak, it was chewy but he enjoyed it. 

The blockhouse had the three oil lamps suspended along it giving some light, whilst the potbellied stove gave off a ruddy glow of heat. 

He slept well that night. 

Shortly after breakfast the lookout came racing back on his horse, he had sighted a caravan. 

Turin gave the order to douse the fires, and for the men to stand by their horses holding their heads, to prevent them making a noise. 

He and Turin checked the area, to make sure there was nothing to give them away. 

Then went behind the screen to hold their horses. 

The caravan came into view, ten wagons, and the drivers urging the mules on against the cold wind that funnelled through the narrow cleft. They never gave the camp a glance. 

They waited until they had passed through the cleft, before lighting the fires again. 

Havildar Turin smiled in satisfaction at the subterfuge. 

"I am thinking Colonel Sahib that the Afghans may be thinking that their men have killed us and gone on to raid in Kana". 

"It would be a logical answer, but I wonder how long it will be until they are missed," 

David climbed to the top off the lookout post, worked had been carried out to improve the path. 

The wall the lookout sat behind had been improved and all that showed was a telescope pocking out of a hole. 

When he looked through it he realised it was more powerful than his, the caravan was still in view. 

When he asked the lookout how was conditions, he lowered the scarf from his mouth smiling, "much better Colonel Sahib." 

The cave had been improved has well, they had walled it up so only an entrance was visible. In side there were only two beds one was occupied. 

He motioned to the rifleman to stay has he was, and whispered, was everything all right and did they need anything. The man whispered back that everything was fine and they had everything they needed. 

David noticed there were three blankets on the beds, and realised the men must be hot bunking, the man coming off lookout, using the bed off the man going on lookout. 

He returned to the valley floor, a detail of five men, were just leaving with five horses on leads ropes. 

"We send the men to collect and chop wood well away from the entrance, we don't wish to alert any one to our presence." 

"But wouldn't the caravans be used to seeing troops at the entrance" David asked. 

"Yes you are right Colonel Sahib, I will send five men to the entrance at once" he said. 

"Tell them not to wear their furs at the entrance if a caravan comes into view, it's a pity we don't have Martini Henrys for them to have on show" David added. 

"I'll order them to leave their fur cloths here, and I can dispatch a man, with a spare horse, to act has pack horse to the fort, to collect five Martini Henrys, he could be back before night fall." 

David agreed, and soon Turin was giving orders. 

They sat on the log smoking "Is there anything else we need to do Havildar" he asked. 

Turin sat quietly considering the question, "the only thing I can think off Colonel Sahib, is if we were attacked by a much bigger force, we can hold the cleft quite easily. But if it was a long battle then ammunition could be a problem. We have, including the ammunition we brought seventy rounds a man." 

David thought for a moment "I'll have 1500 rounds sent up, 500 rounds clipped up ready, but you will need to keep the ammunition separated form anything else. The position will need to be weather proofed against damp." 

"I'll start preparing a position tomorrow Colonel Sahib." 

"I'll return to the Fort tomorrow and have it sent up to you" 

He left his fur clothing behind, when he left the following morning. Feeling the chill in his standard uniform. Not until he got lower down the Pass, were the sides let in more sunlight did he feel warmer. 

The guards at the entrance under the command of a Lance Naik came to the present, with the Martini Henry rifles, he returned the salute. 

He reined in at Subedar Major Para's office and entered, he told him about the fear of ammunition in the event of a major conflict, and his decision to send 1500 rounds up to the Pass. He asked that it be placed in a stout box covered with an oilskin. The Quartermaster was present and suggested that each box off 100 bullets could be wrapped in the greaseproof paper the rifles had wrapped around them. 

The job off clipping the 500 rounds up could be taken by the remaining men of Tiger section. 

Once he was sure they understood his orders he returned to his quarters, Hanga took care of the stallion, whilst he stripped of the shirt and long johns, sweat was running off of him. He had a bath, shaved and changed. 

Later he walked round to the paddock Kahn and Sulkie galloped to the rails when they saw him, Kahn demanded first attention. 

He placed his head against Kahn's head "we'll go riding tomorrow boy, and you can show me what you can do" he murmured has he gave him an apple. 

Sulkie curled her lip has if smiling, has he fondled her head "I have one for you too darling" giving it to her. 

Taraq was sitting on top of the rail looking over the Afghan horses in the big paddock, when he joined him. 

"What do you think of them" he asked. 

"Fifteen of them would be suitable for your Riflemen Colonel Sahib, the others could be used for pack houses. Julep is going to check if any need shoeing. I would use those fifteen has back up horses for when your mares come in season, they will need to be kept in a separate paddock away from the stallions. 

It was something David had not considered. "How do I tell when one is in season" he asked. 

Taraq chuckled, "the mare will tend to pee a lot, the pee may be a different colour, and she may lift her tail up high if a stallion is near. She will present her bottom to him. I have explained this to your men what to look for. At this time of the year they don't come into season all that often, but in the summer months it could be once a month. The season lasts about a week like a woman. 

"I'll have to keep a close eye on Sulkie" he said. 

"Colonel Sahib Kahn would give her a fine fowl, they both have the blood off Kings in their veins. I must return to my father soon, my work here is done, But Julep is wise in the ways of the horse, he will tell you what to do." 

David walked slowly back to the Fort thinking it's not only the men, I have responsibilities too. 

When he reached his office he found the latest muster report from Subedar Major Para. 

The command now had 171 effective Riflemen not counting the 24 Fort Staff. 

100 of those were either in Tiger or Cobra Company's. 

Off the remaining71, 47 had served in the British Army. 

6 were over 50 years of age, (all had held rank, and 1 has a Havildar Major) 

5 were over 40. 

9 were over 30 

27 under 30 

24 were under 20 from Nepal. 

He had added a postscript 

I recommend that the six fifty year olds join my staff. 

The Havildar Major retains his rank. He and 2 Naik's to be used for drilling new recruits. 

2, a Havildar, and a Lance Naik join the catering Staff. (They formally worked has cooks) 

The remaining Naik be assigned to the Quartermaster Stores. 

Sir it is my recommendation that the Quartermaster and Cook be promoted to Havildar Major. 

David reread it, and then walked over to Subedar Majors Para's office. 

Sat down opposite him, he asked how the kitchen coped with so many men now. 

Para admitted that it was strained, and that men had to be detailed to cook house duty to help out, the fact, that the Havildar had to buy fresh meat every other day. Which meant he had to drive into the city puts a strain on the system. 

David considered his remarks, before replying, that the cookhouse staff needed to be enlarged to be self-supporting. He knew that there were only currently, three full time cooks. They need at least five more along with the two you have recommended. 

I intend to have Havildar Johan promoted to Havildar Major, his responsibility to be the administration and purchase of rations. 

I intend also to promote the Quartermaster Hanga to Subedar with the same responsibility and his staff will need to be enlarged. 

David knew that the Quartermaster not only had the responsibility off purchasing clothes, but the hundred and one other items required for the Fort from lamp oil to horse shoes. 

"See if you can find the men amongst the forty year olds Subedar Major to volunteer. 

You can put the promotions on the bulletin board tonight. 

He stopped to salute the flag has it was slowly lowered as Last Post rang out over the Fort. 

Hanga, had brought Kahn and Sulkie in from the paddock, he took time to fondle them seeing Hanga busy in his kitchen. 

The next morning he watched through the window has he eat breakfast, has the mule cart protected by two mounted riflemen set off with the ammunition for the Pass. 

Later has he saddled Kahn he saw the horses being led out to graze outside off the Fort. 

They set of with a trot, then after a mile, he broke into a chanter. 

He could feel Kahn quivering, eager to run. 

He leaned over his neck "alright boy lets go" he said, giving his ribs a light kick. 

Kahn went off like a rocket, his legs eating up the miles, has he stretched his neck out. 

David had never ridden faster than this; he pulled up after five miles and leapt down from his back. Kahn was hardly breathing heavily and almost seemed disappointed at stopping. David held his bridle has he looked him in the face "you were showing off, wasn't you" he chuckled kissing his nose. Kahn lowered his head and pushed him in the chest gently. They returned to the Fort with David practicing knee and foot commands. After putting him in his stall he set about rubbing him down but he had hardly broken into a sweat. 

In the afternoon the tailor arrived carrying the overcoat. 

"I have made it in the Colonel Sahibs measurements" he said "It is made from heavy oiled wool and will offer protection from rain" he claimed. 

David tried it on noticing it was in the brown colour, has the uniforms. 

It appeared to be lined with a material that looked like silk and at the bottom off the coat were small belts. 

"I have added them so you can fasten the skirts of the coat to your legs to prevent them blowing open" the tailor added. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 03



There was no denying the coats were warm, it had large leather buttons, to button it up to the throat and a flap pockets on either side. 

He called for a horse and sat on it mounting and dismounting with no problem. 

He was sweating has he removed it. 

"I will require 200 like this one. Supplied in batches off fifty. How soon can you deliver" he asked. 

"The material has to be weaved especially for the coats. It will take several weeks to make fifty" the tailor replied. 

"Very well, see the Quartermaster and agree a price" he told him knowing the Quartermaster was an old hand at bartering. 

He went to see Ali now called the Pigeon Master by the troops to find their progress. 

Half a dozen birds were circling the dovecote when he arrived. 

Ali said the birds would be ready in a week, he recommended that five birds should be taken to the Pass and that three be released to see if they flew back to the dovecote. 

Next he then went to speak with Julep, the blacksmith. He was in the process of shoeing a horse with four more waiting for attention. 

"The Afghans do not know how to take care of horses Colonel Sahib," he said. 

David had asked if these were some of the horses brought down from the Pass. 

Finding out they were. 

When asked if he and his wife had settled in all right, he was informed that they were very happy in their new home. 

From there he crossed to the windmill, which rose above the twenty-foot wall of the fort. 

The mechanism was boxed in to prevent dust getting into the gears he had been told. A large trough lay under a pipe with a leaver attached to a valve, when he pressed it down; he was surprised at the force of water that came from the pipe. 

He was returning to his quarters, has Hanga was leading Sulkie in, she pulled at the halter rope trying to get to him. He made a fuss off her has Hanga put her in the stall. 

David was sat outside, smoking a cheroot with a glass of whisky in his hands watching a Naik circling the battlements checking the guards; he noticed it was cooler now at night, and wondered how the men at the Pass were managing. 

Later sat down at his desk he reached for a paper, he had decided to adopt Roman numerals has a code for enemy numbers at the Pass. 

V= 5, X = 10, L=50, C=100, M=1000, E would represent Enemy. A, would represent Enemy Ambush. GA would represent Gurkha Ambush. R A would represent Ammunition Required. I E N would represent Injured Evacuation Needed. 

He decided that he would instruct the officers and senior NCO in the codes tomorrow. 

The following morning Subedar Major Para along with the newly promoted Subedar's 

Three Havildar's and six Naik's assembled in the mess hall. 

David had written the codes on a black board. 

He began by saying the Pigeon Masters work was almost done, and soon pigeons would be kept at the Pass. Messages sent by them to the fort would be on slips of rice paper. He handed some out to the assembled men along with the cylinders carried by the pigeon. The slips couldn't' contain much information, hence the code. 

He started with the roman numerals. He explained how XV would represent 15. How LXV would represent 65. 

After half an hour, he was satisfied the men had understood. He then progressed to the other letters explaining their significance. 

Finally he tested them by splitting them up into two teams of six. He handed one team a paper with a message and told them to break it down into code and pass it over to their opposite member sat on another table. That member would then write the message out in full and compare it with the original message. 

After a few hours of this David was satisfied that they had understood. 

He went on to explain to the Havildar's and Naik's who commanded mounted troops, that they must instruct their command in this code. 

He spoke to Para before the class broke up, about the need for someone to take care of the pigeons, after Ali left. He was pleased to hear from Para, that a Naik who had attended the class was assigned that duty already. 

After the mid-day meal he rode Sulkie with Kahn on a halter rope out to the rifle range 

He stopped about 500 yards from where the men were firing. Initially the horses fidgeted at the sound, but once they settled, he edged closer, until by the end of the day, they were stood directly behind the firers. 

He requested Havildar Sultar report to him after the evening meal. He knew he had been out practicing formation and firing practice with his section after the lecture of that morning. 

He told him to stand easy, when he stood in front of his desk. 

"Havildar Sultar I have been impressed by the training you have given your section, which has off now will be referred too has a troop. 

In a little over two weeks' time you will be leading a half troop off 25 men to the Pass for duty there. You will find the conditions harsh, for you and your men. 

At the end of this week the second half of Tiger Troop, leaves to replace the men currently stationed there. Havildar Turin has volunteered to stay in command of them. 

I want you to take command of them up to the Pass, and then confer with Havildar Turin, who will inform you of the duties there. You in turn will inform him of the code you leant today and the use of paper, and cylinders. You will also be taking a basket of five pigeons. On reaching the camp, release three of them." 

David paused, "you may also inform him that he is promoted to Subedar, has are you, effective immediately. I shall take in to consideration any restructuring to your troop that you think fit". 

Sultar's face showed shock then pleasure, "Thank you Colonel Sahib I shall not let you down." 

"You will need to draw clothes along with Tiger's men and ammunition before going up". 

After he had gone David smiled at the thought of Sultar dressed in his furs. 

The next morning at offices conference he informed Para about the promotions, and Subedar Quartermaster Hanga that Tiger Troop would be requiring the cold weather issue along with Sultar, also the issue of ammunition belts and ammunition to fill them. 

After Kalar had left. He said to Para. When the current Tiger Troop returned from the Pass he could give them four days leave. 

Para had replied some would wish to see their wives. Which raised a question that David had not considered. 

"How many men have wives in the city" he asked. 

"Twenty six Colonel Sahib including the two Havildar's" he went on to say that the married men took it in turns going to the city whenever to the Subedar Cook or Quartermaster went in to the city. 

When asked where they livid, Para said he didn't know but he thought in the poorer part, due to the attitude off the people. 

He asked Para to create a list of address for him, to raise the question with the Prince when next he reported to him. 

He took Sulkie out for a long ride after the conference, allowing her to learn his signals. After his midday meal he took Kahn out. Both horses loved to gallop, and when he brushed them down after, he could feel the muscles hardening up in their legs. 

Two days later he watched has Subedar Sultar led Tiger Troop out of the Fort, three packhorses followed, one with a basket with pigeons on it. 

It was reported to him the three pigeons had returned at noon. 

He had the Naik in charge of the returning Tiger Troop report to him when they arrived at the fort in the late afternoon. 

The man said an Afghan rider has passed three days ago; they had concealed themselves at the Cleft. But the rider had ridden back when he saw the guards at the Pass entrance. The lookouts had reported snow two days ago but non-had fallen in the valley floor. 

When asked off the condition of the men. He reported two had slight frostbite on their ears and one on the fingers, but this had occurred before they received the fur cloths. 

David told the Naik to inform the men they had four days leave starting the next day. 

Later sat on the veranda smoking his cheroot with his whiskey in his hand he considered what the Naik had said. 

The Afghans must be wondering what had happened to the men sent down the Pass. 

If they had gone on to raid the countryside they should be returning now. 

He decided to return to the Pass when Sultar returned to the Fort. 

He returned the following evening. 

He reported that Turin was expecting the Afghans to try to breach the Pass soon. 

When asked when he released the pigeons he said just before noon. 

David realised it had taken them less than two hours to fly back to the dovecote. 

Hanga had already packed his saddlebags it only remained to pack his razor and brush in the morning. 

He told him he would be taking Kahn, has he filled his hipflask. 

Chapter 14 

It was still dark has he trotted out of the Fort, once on to the road he broke into a gentle canter. Kahn's long legs eat up the miles. 

The sun was just appearing over the mountains to the east has they trotted through the entrance, the guards surprised to see him, has they came to the present, he acknowledged with a salute. 

The wind cut through him has he neared the Cleft. 

When he dismounted a rifleman led Kahn away around the brushwood screen. 

He walked into the blockhouse and warmed himself by the stove, has men brought out his furs. He dressed quickly; changing his hat for the fur one and his boots for his others. 

Once he had the coat on he started to feel warmer. Subedar Turin waited until he finished and the men had left the room. 

"Sit down my old friend" David told him. They sat opposite each other on the bunks. 

"The Colonel Sahib is here because he senses an attack is imminent". 

David laughed, "You know me too well old friend". 

"I have not thanked you for my promotion Colonel." 

"It is nothing you have not earned" David replied, "How are the men?" 

Turin chuckled "I think it was a shock to them, but I told them they were women. They should have been here, before the Colonel Sahib brought the furs and the stove." 

A rifleman entered with two mugs of hot tea for them. 

"We have made more firing position since you were here last, and have devised a way of the lookouts warning us off any approach. They drop a rock attached to a cord and write with charcoal the number that approaches. It save a lot of time from scrambling down, has they have to be careful has the path has ice on it now." 

After they had their tea Turin showed him the new firing positions. They were on the opposite wall of the valley. Steps had been cut into the cliff, David climbed up them, the rose to about twelve feet, stopping at what looked like trench some five feet deep filled with rubble. 

The trench extended along the cliff for roughly ten feet. Turin behind him explained, "It was much deeper, Colonel Sahib but we filled it up with rocks so three or four Riflemen can now be concealed there now." 

David realised that not only did it give an excellent field of fire for the area around the blockhouse but also down the Cleft itself. 

"I have assigned my best marksmen to this position," Turin added. 

They climbed back down where Turin was called away for something. 

David went behind the brush cover to find Kahn; he was down near the end tied to the rope that ran along the face off the cliff. 

He patted his back has he moved to his head "Hello boy, are they looking after you" he spoke quietly to him. He could see a few grains off oats left on the ground sheet in front of him. The wind was not so fierce here by the cliff, but it was still bitterly cold. His saddle blanket had been left on him, has had all the horses. 

They need better protection against the cold he knew, something else he would have to look into when he got back to the Fort. 

His saddlebags and bedroll were on his bed, and his rifle and scabbard rested against the wall when he entered the blockhouse. His saddle was placed under his bed. 

It felt warm in there after the cold of outside. 

He unfastened his bedroll, and spread it out over the palliasse with the groundsheet below the heavy blankets. Men coming off duty or guard came in and warmed themselves by the stove before going to their bunks. 

David knew two men would be on guard duty, at the entrance to the Cleft all through the night, but they only stood guard for an hour before being relieved, due to the bitterly cold wind that blew from it. 

David smiled, they never complained or protested, and just accepting it has their duty. 

Someone lit the oil lamps, but he noticed there were only two of them. The other was up in the cave he was told. 

The five men from the guard at the entrance to the Pass entered, carrying their rifles and a Martini Henry. Going by the banter from the men that was classed has an easy detail. Due to it being much warmer down there he reasoned. 

Turin came in and sat on a bunk opposite him, 

David asked if the men up on the cliff still stood guard all night. Turin said no once the light was gone and you couldn't see the road, he returned to the cave to sleep. 

David also mentioned about the horses and his concern for them. Turin said he too was concerned, but at the moment there was little he could do about it. 

The blockhouse was filling up, men started coming in handing out plates and bread. 

David took his; it was some sort of stew with rice. He didn't know what, but he cleaned his plate and eat the bread he was hungry. 

Afterwards he slipped between his blankets and spread his coat over him, he kept his fur hat on and pulled the flaps down over his ears, he was asleep in seconds. 

He was woken the next morning by a rifleman shaking his shoulder, when he opened his eyes; the man was offering him a steaming mug of tea. 

He looked at his watch and wound it at the same time, and realised it was nearly eight. 

The blockhouse was empty except for two men sleeping further down. 

When he got out side. He saw the men were carrying out various duties; some were carrying the horse droppings in ground sheets. Others were on kitchen duty, whilst others were feeding the horses. 

Turin came over to him to ask if he had slept all right. When he complained that he had been allowed to sleep so late. Turin said he must have set off well before dawn the previous day. 

He asked about the horse dropping, he was told there was a deep fissure about two hundred yards away, similar to the one the men used for a latrine. 

It was just before midday they got the warning from the cliff. All that was written on the rock was L+. 

Immediately the fires were put out, and the horses moved further down the Pass. Turin conferred with his Naik's and they ran to take up firing positions, David saw the three climbing up to the fissure. 

"They won't know we are here Colonel Sahib, they can only come through the Cleft at the most five abreast, by the time they are all through, and they will only be fifty yards away from the nearest trench. 

David ran to the blockhouse and removed his pistol from the saddle holster. Then put his ammunition belt over his shoulder and removed his rifle from the scabbard and checked the load. He stuck the pistol in his belt after checking it was fully loaded. Then checked the load from the pistol in his holster has he walked back to his trench. 

He noticed some of the men were removing clips from their ammunition belts and placing them in easy reach. 

He and Turin had a look round to see everyone was concealed, before dropping into the trench. 

"The men at the Pass entrance have orders to open fire on any one coming up to them if they hear firing from us" he told David. 

They heard the Afghans before the saw them, they were trotting has they came out of the Cleft, has Turin predicted, in four and five abreast. 

They were almost on top of the nearest trench when he and Turin opened fire. 

David aimed at the leader sat on a beautiful white Arabian stallion, he fell dead with a bullet through his head, has he worked the bolt and shot five more in has many seconds. Men were falling from their horses has the riflemen killed them. Horses were rearing and bucking and two went down shot. The Afghans had been taken completely unaware. Two bolted with their riders up the Pass a few minutes later they heard gunfire from the entrance, and two empty horses came trotting back. 

The riflemen sprang from their trenches; the wounded were dispatched with their kukris has well has two horses. 

One of the men in the fissure shouted that one has escaped; he was wounded slumped over his horses back. 

The men started collecting weapons and valuables. The horses had their saddles removed and reported finding food in the saddle bags has well has bedrolls. 

It appeared to David that they had intended staying several days in Kana. 

In all there had been fifty-four in the raiding party including the one who got away. 

In the weapons found were thirty-five Russian rifles. 

David ordered all the ammunition for them to be collected in a separate pile. Anything of value was retained, after wards the bodies were draped over the horses and led away, he found a fine telescope, in a leather case, and he gave it to Turin. 

Some of the men were butchering the horses to supplement their rations has was the food found in the saddlebags. 

"The horses will be more comfortable tonight", he said indicating the bedrolls to Turin "we will need to send their horses back to the Fort, along with weapons and valuables when they get back, can you detail four men to take them. If they start off now they should make the Fort before full dark." 

Turin said he would attend to it. 

David watched has the men kicked sand over the blood stains on the floor, whilst other brought their horses back. 

David picked up a bedroll that he thought had belonged to the Chief, along with two belts. He found Kahn and unrolled one along his back, it draped down from his hindquarters to his chest, he connected the two belts together and fastened it over him. The second blanket he left on his bed. 

The fires were relit; he saw the butchered horse's remains being taken away on the back of two Rifleman's horses. 

He walked over to Turin who was briefing a Lance Naik. 

David waited until he had finished. "I've instructed the Lance Naik to hand the packs to Subedar Major Para Colonel Sahib", Turin reported. 

David nodded, "The guards at the entrance can come back now, the cat is out of the bag, now that one got away." 

Now the adrenaline from the fight was draining away, he could see on the faces of the men the realisation of the massacre that they had achieved. 

Seventeen Riflemen had killed more three times their number in less than six minutes. 

David knew the victory was down to surprise. But that no longer existed, even if the one that got away was dead or died; the Afghans would know some dreadful calamity had occurred in the Pass. 

He tried to put himself in their minds. To annihilate their force, there must have been at least three times their numbers. Assuming they knew nothing off the Cartwright .303. 

He shared his views with Turin has they cleaned their rifles. 

"It is my opinion too Colonel Sahib" Turin said, "When they come again, they will be in much larger numbers, they will be cautious, more so when the reach the Cleft. If it were me, I would send men forward on foot to scout it first." 

David agreed with him, "We must contain them in the cleft, if they broke out of it in large numbers, they could swarm over us". "We shall have to dig new rifle pits, giving a clear field of fire down the Cleft, some two hundred yards from it, and hope the scouts don't go much further from the entrance." 

Turin nodded, "I shall instruct the men to take more ammunition in their saddlebags and a water bottle when they get in. It may prove to be a long fight Colonel Sahib." 




The Tides Of War Pt. 03



Turin set the men to digging the new rifle pits, it was slow work due to the rocky nature of the ground, and they used the rubble they dug up to fill the old pits. 

When it became too dark to continue the men retired to the blockhouse. 

Loose cartridges, were distributed to fill the clips of the ones they had used that day. 

Then each was given twenty clips that were put in a saddlebag. 

David put his in a saddlebag, along with his hipflask and cheroots and his water bottle. 

He ate horse again that night. 

It was still dark when they were aroused; David noticed that six bunks were still occupied by sleepers. 

Turin explained, the four who had returned to the Fort, had taken fresh horses and had ridden back through the night. He also added that the lookouts, which had changed with the others, had taken three bedrolls up with them. 

David stood by the cook fire drinking tea, and watched the men digging the rifle pits; they had removed their fur coats. 

It must be warm work he surmised. 

Has each pit had been completed, Turin order a couple of men to climb into it. He would then stand by the cleft entrance to see if any sign of the pit was visible. The men were told to stand up, if too much off them showed they were ordered to dig deeper. 

Due to his height the pit he shared with Turin, had a step in it. 

By the time of the midday meal, the pits were completed. 

Turin gathered the men around him, and then explained how the attack was likely to develop. Stating the Afghans would have their rifles ready this time. 

It was four days later at ten am, when one off the lookout came scrambling down the cliff. 

Four mounted Afghans were slowly approaching, but behind them about 500 yards back a large body, estimated at 400 Afghans were following. 

"If we could take out those four silently, we could still take them by surprise" David murmured. 

Turin gave a wolfish smile "this is work for the kukri Sahib, I will place four good men in the fissure. They will leap down on them as they pass. The horse should bolt down the Pass. 

Some of the men had already started to move their horses down the Pass, has Turin spoke to four others, who then took their rifles and saddlebags and began climbing up to the fissure. 

The rest were dropping down into their pits. David removed six clips from his saddlebag, and placed the saddle holster pistol on top of it. 

A lookout that had been sent to entrance of the cleft came running back to say the riders were a hundred yards away coming slowly. 

Turin waved to the men in the fissure to get ready, then waved to the rest of the men to get down. 

David's mouth had become dry, has he waited sliding the safety off the rifle. 

The first he knew if the ambush had been successful was the sound of a curse followed by body's striking the ground. 

He looked over the top of his pit to see the four Riflemen climbing to their feet. 

Four bodies lay in the dust one whose leg was twitching. They wiped their kukris on the dead men's cloths before returning them to their sheaths. 

The bodies were quickly dragged away whilst dust was kicked over the bloodstains. 

The horses had, has Turin predicted, bolted down the Pass. 

The men returned to their positions and crouched down. 

They heard the sound of the horses has they entered the cleft. 

They were almost upon their position when he and Turin opened fire. 

The nearest Afghan was only fifty feet away, at that range you couldn't miss. 

Pandemonium broke out with the Afghans; horses were rearing, throwing their riders off. Some tried to retreat back down the cleft but became blocked by the horses coming forward, whilst all the time, the deadly .303's wrought havoc among their ranks. David had reloaded three times, some of the Afghans who had been thrown lay behind the bodies of the dead and returned fire, but were picked off by the men in the fissure. 

Dust swirled from the rearing horses has screams off pain came from both men and horses, David found it harder to find a target due to the horses bolting down the pass blocking his vision. Slowly the firing petered out, until the only sounds were those off the wounded men and injured horses. 

The men in the fissure shouted that the cleft was clear and the Afghans were fleeing back down the Pass. 

The men climbed from their pits and began to dispatch the wounded men and horses. 

But they had suffered their first fatality, a rifleman had, had he scull crushed by a horses hoof has it leapt over his pit. Other than that, little grazes from stones again from the panicking horses. 

The men fell into the usual routine of stripping the bodies of weapons and valuables. 

Four men were dispatched to round up the horses that had fled. 

David stood by the relit cook fire, taking a drink from the hipflask, waiting for Turin to report, has he watched, their horses being brought back. 

Turin reported sixty-one bodies, and surmised there would be has many wounded. 

He also reported fifty-three Russian rifles; he had ordered them along with their ammunition to be packed separately. 

"I think it will be some time now before they try again," David said, "I shall return to the Fort with the men detailed to take the horses and the packs along with the body." 

The men returned with fifty-four horses, the saddles were removed and the saddlebags searched, while the bodies were draped over them and led away. 

"The wolves won't be going hungry this year Sahib" Turin murmured. 

It was an hour and half later sat on Kahn that they set off herding the horses. 

David held the halter rope of the horse with the dead rifleman's body wrapped in a ground sheet. 

Chapter 15 

The lights of the Fort reminded him, he told the Lance Naik to draw two oil lamps from the stores when the returned to the Pass. They were the same four-man detail that had driven the first herd down to the Fort and were anxious to get their horses back. David smiled at the bond the men had formed with their own mounts. 

He took the ropes of the other three packhorses has the men took the herd to the paddocks. 

He reined up outside Subedar Major Para office, men were running unbidden, to take charge off the packhorses. "Take them to the Quartermasters store" indicating the packs; 

Para said he would take care of the body. 

He gave Para a quick report of the action, before walking Kahn back to his stable. 

Hanga was outside "I will unsaddle Kahn Colonel Sahib, your bath is ready for you". 

David shook his head in amazement at how Hanga had managed to heat the water so fast. 

Never the less he was grateful has he lowered himself into the tub. 

An hour later having removed a six-day growth of beard from his face, and changed his cloths, he felt more relaxed. 

He sat in his rocking chair with a glass of whisky reviewing the day in his mind, has Hanga cooked his dinner. 

He requested that Subedar Hagar report to him, after he had breakfast. 

When Hagar reported he told him to replace has many of the Martini Henrys with the Russian rifles he had in store and twenty rounds of ammunition. Saying it was a better weapon. Also to have the valuables packed on a packhorse ready to leave in an hour, has he intended to see the Prince. 

He left on Sulkie; the packhorse was his old stallion so they were able to maintain a fast trot. 

Peshawar was waiting has he rode up to the Palace; grooms took the horses while servants carried the packs. 

They left them in the room and left leaving David alone. 

The Prince rushed in extending his hand "David how are you I understand there has been a battle at the Pass". 

David frowned at how the Prince knew so fast. "Yes Sir we engaged the Afghans twice in the last six days." 

The Prince now frowned "Twice" he repeated. 

Then David began to explain how they had fought 54 Afghans, all were killed except one who escaped, and they had captured 51 horses. 

He pointed to one off the packs, "Those are the valuables we found on them". 

He then recounted the fight that had occurred yesterday in detail, saying they had killed 61 and captured 58 horses, that's their valuables, indicating the other pack. "We 

also captured 98 Russian rifles and a large amount of ammunition for them. I have given orders for them to be issued to replace our current Martini Henrys. 

The Prince gave orders to a servant, and the man returned carrying a decanter and two glasses, the Prince poured out the drinks handing David one. 

He sat down again and took a sip, "I knew of one engagement through my brother the General, he came to see me two days ago demanding to know what Army I had stationed at the Pass. I told him in no uncertain terms that it was none of his business. But then he made a mistake; by saying this army had attacked the Afghans and had cursed numerous casualties. I then demanded how he could possibly know this. He tried to bluster that it was common knowledge in the streets. 

I had him placed under arrest. I had long known that he was in contact with the British and Afghans through my own agents. But this was the proof I had been waiting for. 

Last night he escaped, he along with his family and five high-ranking Army officers and their families left the city heading for the border. 

"But he didn't know about the rifles did he Sir." David asked alarmed. 

"No David the only ones who have been out to the Fort, are sworn to me. He knew we had been recruiting Gurkhas, and the uniforms had changed, that is all." 

David considered the Princes remarks, before putting forward his request. 

"I'd like to bring 30 of my Riflemen to the Palace, to act has your personal guards Sir" David said. 

"Why, do you think it is necessary?" 

"We can't assume all the rats have left the ship." 

"But wouldn't that show our suspicion?" 

David thought for a moment, "Quite a few of my men have wives and families living in the city, mostly in poor accommodations. You could let it be known that they are here in the pretext, of finding better homes for them, and the guard duty is a way of keeping them employed while they do so." 

The Prince nodded his head, "There is a barrack room here in the Palace. I could empty it on the pretext of conducting an inquiry on how the General escaped" 

David smiled "I'll have the men here tomorrow Sir. One other thing Sir could Ashar Kahn or his son come out to the Fort and take the captured horses off our hands, we don't have sufficient feed for them and our horses." 

The Prince gave instructions to a servant and ten minutes later Ashar Kahn himself appeared. 

David explained the problem and Ashar Kahn said he himself would come, and bring more oats and fodder, "It will give me an opportunity to see my children" 

David returned to the Fort and asked for Subedar Major Para to report to him. 

Once inside his office and sat down opposite David he told him what had happened at the Palace and his plan to have 30 men guard the Prince. He told him off the excuse about the married men. 

Para said he thought there were 18 married men who were not in his staff and available, but he would check. 

David emphasised that the chosen 30 must be good dependable Riflemen able to use their own judgment. A Havildar would be in charge of the detail with what Naik's Para thought fit. 

The detail would assemble in the mess hall immediately after breakfast and armed with the Russian rifles. 

Para said he would have a list made out by last post. 

Hanga had the currycomb on Sulkie when he returned to his quarters. 

"The Horse Master is coming tomorrow to check up on these two Hanga, so make a good job of it" 

Hanga grinned, "They will gleam like new Rupees Colonel Sahib." 

He found Subedar Sultar waiting for him, outside of his office. 

He asked if David if he would tell him about the engagement at the Pass. 

David told him to come in and take a chair. 

He told him in detail, from the moment they were told of the Afghans approach, the positions taken, and the ensuing battle, finally the clean up afterwards. 

David knew the young Subedar needed to know these facts, has he may have to face a similar situation himself. 

Sultar remained silent at the end of David's explanation thinking, finally asking, "Is there anything the Colonel Sahib would have done different" 

"No, the only thing that could have been improved was in the manner of the warning we had. 

A lookout had to scramble down the path to inform us. That was dangerous for the lookout in case he fell, and also the time lost in giving the message." 

Perhaps it would have been better if a written message had been attached to the rock cord. But then the lookout would have to know how to write." 

Sultar listened intently to what David was saying. 

"Some off my men know how to write a little, has do I. I will ensure one of them always takes the lookout duty. It may be better to use a tin can to lower the message, and if a few pebbles were in it, it would gave a warning." 

"That's an excellent idea Subedar, you can draw a notebook and pencils from the stores" 

"Colonel Sahib it is a pity we do not have someone to teach writing to all the Riflemen" 

David nodded his head in agreement, thinking he would raise it up with Para. 

Subedar Hagar reported to him, to say he had held 30 Russian rifles back for the men detailed for the Palace duty. Also the cremation of the dead Rifleman was scheduled for noon tomorrow, all ranks ordered to attend. 

David in turn told him the Horse Master was coming tomorrow bringing more food for the horses. Knowing the 164 Afghan horses already captured would be creating a hole in his feed stores. 

Later he walked round to the paddocks, all of them now contained horses. 

He climbed up on to the top rail to see them, picking out the white Arabian Stallion. 

He noticed Jalap the blacksmith doing the same thing further down the main paddock, and went over to him. 

"The horse Master arrives tomorrow to take most of them away Jalap". 

"How many does the Colonel Sahib wish to keep" 

"I'd like to hold on to fifty of them for the next troop, but the blood stock the Horse Master will need." 

Jalap nodded "Does the Colonel Sahib wish me to select them for him" 

"Please Jalap, I will send men to assist you, if you can put them in the smaller paddock" 

"Very well Colonel Sahib" he replied scanning the horse more intently now. 

David sent five men to help him when he returned inside the Fort. 

He stopped at the stable, due to the paddocks being full they had not been out. 

Both vied for his attention, their coats gleaming, pushing their heads against his chest. 

"All right my lovelies, one at a time" he said chuckling. Hanga came out from his kitchen giving him two apples. 

He gave them, to them, "Your father arrives tomorrow, I hope you'll be on your best behaviour". 

The list was on his desk when he sat down, he checked their names against the muster roster. 

Havildar Talaq was 49 married with four children, and had served twenty years in the British Army. 

There were two Naik's both in the forties, one of which was married with children. 

Looking down the list he realised that all were either in the forties or late thirties. 

All had severed in the British Army. 

In all there was 21 who were married. 

Last Post rang out, has he left his office. 

The men were sat down when he entered the mass hall; he noticed the Russian rifles stacked by the wall. 

He explained that several senior officers including the General had been in league with the Afghans. 

These men had now fled form Kana, but there may be sympathisers still at large in the Palace or city. 

Their orders were to guard the Prince and his family. Two Riflemen were to be with him where ever he went. 

Anyone wishing to see him must be searched before entering the room for weapons. 

Food must be tested before he or his family eat it, Peshawar is a trusted servant would see to that. 

They must be on constant guard of any one, male or female. 

He would leave it up to Havildar Talaq to organise the guard roster. 

On no account were they to discuss anything about the Fort or the new rifles, which included their wives. 

Finally he said they would be issued with the Russian rifles explaining they were superior to the Martini Henry. 

He took one and showed them how to load it, and how to engage the safety catch, and issued them out to them, allowing the men to practice. 

You will be assisting the Horse Master to herd horses back to the city when you depart. Go now to the paddock and select your horse Jalap the blacksmith will tell you which. 

He asked Havildar Talaq to remain behind has the men filed out. 

"Havildar Talaq I am depending on you to keep the Royal family safe. 

You can trust the Horse Master, if you have any concerns or require help, inform him, and he will send a rider to the Fort." 

Talaq said his men would defend the family with their lives. 

David smiled at his response "Take my stallion for your horse Havildar Talaq" 

He glanced at his watch it was almost ten, has he crossed to his office, some of the detail were returning into the Fort leading a horses. 

He had been doing some paper work, when Subedar Major Para entered his office. 

"Colonel Sahib the lookout says the Horse Master approaches with some one of importance with him. I checked myself with the telescope. It's his Royal Highness" 

David sat up, "Make sure the guard is ready to give full military honours, when the Prince enters the gate". 

He shouted for Hanga informing him to have something ready to welcome the House Master and Prince. 

By the time he left the office, Tiger's half troop and Cobra Troop had formed up into ranks, noticing they had staffs with a pendent depicting either a Cobra or a Tiger on it. 

Subedar Sultar stood proudly in front of his Cobra's, whilst a Havildar stood in front of the Tiger's The thirty man detailed for the palace had formed up with Havildar Talaq in front of them The rest of the riflemen had fallen in with either Havildar's or Naik's in front of the various sections. 

Has the Prince and Ashar Kahn rode through the gate, the guard came to attention and presented arms has the Naik in front gave a blistering salute. 

The Prince smiled and waved his riding crop. 

David looked at the Princes Horse a really magnificent pure white Arab stallion, so this was Swift he thought. 

David, Para and Hagar waited at the flagpole. 

When they dismounted two riflemen took charges of the horses. 

David saluted the Prince and welcomed him to the Fort, then introduced Para and Hagar. 

David asked if he would like to inspect the Rifles, the first group were the half troop of Tiger's. David told him these were the men who had first engaged the enemy at the Pass. The Prince spoke to the Havildar in front of the men, who then fell in with the Prince has he walked along the ranks stopping to talk with a man here and there. 

He then went on to the Cobra troop and did the same thing. 

It took an hour for him to review the entire command, before David led him to his quarters, has Para dismissed the parade. 

Ashar Kahn was standing by the stables has they arrived, and followed them into the lounge. Hanga had found an old armchair from somewhere for the Prince and Ashar Kahn took the rocking chair. David poured out whisky for them, before taking a chair. 

"David I'm truly amazed at what you have achieved in such a short time not only with your men but with the Fort" the Prince began. 

"Not only that my Prince, but he has captured the hearts of my children" Ashar Kahn added. 

David blushed at the praise; "You have to thank the men Sir, their Gurkhas for all of this. They train and work far harder than any other troops in the world. Pride of being is born into them. Their motto is Rather death than cowardice. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 03



"I trust you don't mind me coming out like this unannounced" the Prince murmured. 

"Not at all Sir, it's a great moral boost for the men to see you" 

David glanced at his watch, "You will have to forgive me Sir but we are cremating the Rifleman who lost his life at the Pass shortly and I must attend". 

"Do you think the men would mind if I attend also" the Prince asked. 

"Of cause not Sir they would considerate a great honour that you was present" 

The men were already drawn up in ranks when they arrived at the pyre the shrouded body on top of it. David stood before the men. 

"We are here to whiteness the passing of Rifleman Subar, who gave his life protecting the Pass. In the days, weeks, months and years ahead, it may be further men will die, protecting this country from a cruel invader. But that is the duty of a soldier, to lay down his life for his comrades and people, so they do not have to live in fear. So we honour Rifleman Subar today. His ashes will be returned to his village in Nepal along with his kukri and his pay, with a 300 Rupee bonus. Further his Majesty is providing his family with a 150-Rupee pension a month. 

Once the pyre was lit, he and the Prince walked back leaving the men to their ways of mourning. 

Ashar Kahn was standing on rails looking at the horse herd when they joined him. 

"There's some of my bloodstock that's was stolen last year amongst them my Prince" he said climbing down, "A son and daughter of Swift, run's with them" 

They walked back into the Fort passing the five heavily laden wagons. 

"Your guards will help drive the horses back to the city Sir. Could I ask that you look into the problem off accommodation for the families living in the city Sir?" 

"I shall ensure that the families of the Khana Rifles are well looked after David" he replied. 

Hanga had laid on some food for them when they returned to quarters. 

The Prince looked around the room and chuckled, "It seems the commander of my troops does not have much in way of home comforts." 

"I'm sorry Sir but Hanga my batman has only been able to acquire these things from others or bought from the stalls in the city." 

"Are, that accounts for the spring sticking out of the seat in this armchair," he replied laughing. 

Hanga had just appeared carrying a tray of titbits. 

"Hanga" the Prince said, "I would like you to come to the Palace and ask for my servant Peshawar, he will know of your coming. You may select what you will to furnish Colonel Sahib's quarters more fitting for his rank." 

"Thank you you're Royal Highness, it is only fitting that a fine English gentleman like the Colonel Sahib should be more comfortable." 

David waved has the Prince and Ashar Kahn set off back to the city flanked by two Riflemen, the rest of the detail ringing the herd of horses. 

He had heard nothing from the Pass and had to assume things were still quite up there, never the less he was anxious to return. 

He had spoken to Subedar Major Para about teaching writing to the men, and discovered that one of his Lance Naik's had served has a clerk in the 2nd Gurkha Rifles. Para said he would arrange for him to give lessons to the men in the mess hall. 

He was in Subedar Hagar's office three days later, going over stock reports, when Subedar Sultar arrived. He wanted to know what provisions he would have to take up to the Pass. 

Hagar started to reel off the things he would need, adding that the troop would need to draw two heavy blankets, long johns, shirts has well socks to go over their own.. "The blankets in use up there would need to come back and be washed, they would be smelling a little ripe by now" he added chuckling. 

David said to take more lamp oil has the days were growing shorter, also more oats for the horses, to offset the cold. 

David had noticed that both Hagar and Para now wore a pistol holster on their belts. They had taken them from the weapons brought back to the Fort. 

On impulse he took the armoury key and had Sultar follow him. 

Inside the armoury, he found were the pistols had been stored most were in a sad state, but he found two Smith and Wesson Russian revolvers. So named because that had been ordered for the Russian Army, they had a distinctive finger grip below the trigger guard. He handed one to Sultar along with thirty rounds of .44 bullets. He found the holsters for them and gave one to Sultar. 

"You may has well ware one, if for no other reason that your men will know you are an officer" he said grinning. 

Sultar thanked him, but said if the enemy got too close he would prefer to use his kukri. 

David took the other pistol, holster and ammunition to give too Turin when he got back. 

He had been taking each horse in turn for a long ride each day, each time extending the distance they galloped. By now they responded to either knee pressure or sound. 

He only had to press a knee for the horse to go that way. It almost seemed to David that they wanted to show him how clever they were. 

Two days before Sultar was due to relieve Turin, a rider from the Pass rode in. 

Reporting to David he said Subedar Turin requested that more lamp oil be brought by the relief Troop has they were burning an oil lamp all night in the Cleft. 

It seems that they suspected Afghan scouts had been trying to view what was behind the Cleft but by placing an oil lamp twenty yards inside the Cleft had deterred them. 

They had also found a way up to the top of the cliff on the other side off the valley, and were making a hut from boulders to house the guards. Subedar Turin also requested if another telescope could be found for this positions use. 

David told the Rifleman to report to Subedar Sultar and repeat what he had told him. 

Subedar Major Para was with him has the man gave the report, and said after he had gone, they could have the Fort's telescope. He would ask Hagar to get another when he went to the city. David said for him to ask Peshawar at the Palace for one. 

Sultar joined Para and Hagar for offices call the next day. The main topic was the forth-coming change over at the Pass. 

I've provided Subedar Sultar with two out door oil lamps, there better than the indoor ones and give off more light. I'm also giving him all the oil I currently hold in stock, eight gallons in one gallon cans. I shall be leaving for the city tomorrow hopefully to get more. He's also been given the Forts telescope; I shall inquire at the Palace to see if I can get a replacement. 

David turned to Sultar and asked if there was anything else he needed. He replied no, but wondered if his troop could be issued with their ammunition and belts, has well has their cloths and bedding. All so there rations, oats and oil cans and lamps so to know how many pack horses he would need and how best to load them. 

Hagar said if he assembled his troop they could start immediately after this meeting. 

David warned Hanga that Subedar Hagar was leaving for the city the next day, and would be visiting the Palace if he wanted to go with him. 

Also he would be leaving for the Pass on Kahn and to leave his cloths out for it, along with his blanket roll. 

David checked to see his hipflask was full has was, his cheroot case before packing them in his saddlebags along with his telescope. 

He intended to shave that night, so has to save time in the morning. Knowing they would leave at first light. 

He checked his cartridge belt and rifle before replacing it in its scabbard; he knew Hanga would have fixed the saddle holster back on with the pistol in it. 

Chapter 16 

David waited on Kahn has Subedar Sultar gave the men waiting alongside their horses the order to mount. They trotted out of the Fort has the first rays of sunlight broke over the far away mountains. David pushed the troop hard wanting to arrive has soon as possible while sunlight lit the valley floor. 

They arrived just before eleven; Tiger troop already had their horses saddled outside of the brush wood fence. 

They had their uniforms on but with an Afghan blanket wrapped around them. 

Turin told the Cobra troop to go into the blockhouse where they would find their fur clothing on the bunks. 

David and Sultar followed him in. Turin indicated to Sultar, which was his bunk with Turin's furs upon it. Has they changed into the furs Turin brought them up to date. 

It seemed the Afghans were preparing for some move against them, but were trying to discover what they were up against. The cleft has so far deterred them, but Turin thought their next move might be to either launch an attack from the top of the valley walls or send men along the top to look down on them. 

The men had managed to cut a path to the cliff top opposite the blockhouse and secure a good defence position. Unfortunately there was no handy cave to provide shelter. 

So they had built a shelter of sorts from boulders, but they had been unable to fill in the gaps with mud due to it freezing. They had solved the problem by tearing up spare Afghan blankets and blocking them with those. 

There was also a problem with the water pots freezing over night; they had to put hot coals around them to prevent this. 

While Sultar started to organise his troop David brought Turin up to date with the Palace, saying the men had five day leave, and he ten days. If they decided to go to the city they would find a billet in the Palace, but to warn the men not to discuss anything about the Fort, or rifles with any one. 

He watched has Turin led his men out taking the packhorses with them. Then watched has men burdened with rifles, blanket rolls, rations and firewood started to climb the paths to the top. 

He went to check up on Kahn finding him with two blankets over him, has were all the other horses, satisfied he was all right. He returned to the Cleft two riflemen were already on guard, and he noticed that the outdoor oil lamps had been set into the niches of the wall to prevent them being shot out by any Afghans. 

Sultar was consulting with his Havildar and two Naik's obviously setting up guard schedules he thought. 

Inside the blockhouse he found his saddlebags and bed role on his bunk. The rifle scabbard was propped up against the wall and his saddle underneath his bed. 

He smiled one of Tiger troop must have unsaddled Kahn he thought. 

He removed his saddlebags while he unrolled his bedroll, placing the groundsheet under the bed. 

Some of the rifle men not on duty were doing a similar thing, noticing a large kettle on top of the stove, that glow a dull red. 

He picked up his saddlebags, removing a cheroot, then put them at the top of the bunk, his pillows. 

He lit the cheroot drawing in the smoke and relaxed. He would keep a low profile allowing Sultar to organise his command, without his commanding officer breathing down his neck. 

He wondered if he would climb up to the two look out points to check himself, knowing that is what he would do. 

It was over an hour later Sultar entered the blockhouse, and went straight to the stove warming his hands. The fur hats flaps were down round his ears, and the scarf was up over his face. He turned seeing David laid on his bunk. 

"It's cold up there on the lookout posts isn't it" David said smiling. 

"Yes Colonel Sahib, bitterly cold" he replied, wondering how he had known he had been up there. 

David sat up on the bunk; "I shall go up there too tomorrow. How are the men fixed for blankets?" 

They have five for each man; the Tigers have made stoves out of the oil tins, which they place around the cave and hut to spread the heat out. The man on lookout also has a blanket to wrap around him. 

David asked "Do you think the Afghans would try come along the crest at night time?" 

"They would be mad to do so Colonel Sahib, the ground is treacherous and all so icy." 

Someone brought him a mug of tea, but he refused it "I must check the guards at the Cleft." 

"Drink your tea Subedar I shall check them," David ordered him. 

He went out, the light was almost gone. The guards stood either side of the cleft entrance, with their rifles slung on their shoulders. When they recognised him the came to the present. "Stand easy men" David ordered "anything to report?" 

"No Colonel Sahib, but I think we should light the oil lamps now" one of the men said. 

David looked down the cleft dark shadows were forming in it. "Yes I think you are right Rifleman" 

He watched while one lit the lamps, noticing the other had un-slung his rifle to cover him. The light from the lamp lit up either side of the Cleft. No one could pass it without being seen. 

"Listen hard men, the lives of your comrades, are in your hands. Also remember, if the Afghans are out there they will be listening too. Should they appear then shoot right away. It doesn't matter if you hit them or not, the main thing is that we have warning." 

"Very well Colonel Sahib" they replied. 

He returned to the blockhouse and told Sultar that the lamps were lit, and what he had warned them about. 

Sultar thank him, food was served early, so the men could get some sleep. It had been a long day for them. 

During the night David heard men shuffling out to relieve the guards, and then the relieved guards coming in to the blockhouse. 

He was woken with a mug of tea; he swung his legs out from beneath the blankets, feeling the shock of cold air, even though the stove was a bright red. 

He cradled the mug in his hands for the warmth, and drank quickly before it went cold. 

Once he was wearing his fur boots and coat, he began to feel a little more comfortable 

He pulled down the flaps of his hat, and putting on his gloves went outside. 

The men were engaged in various tasks, a rider was returning from the well at the entrance off the Pass, with water skins draped over another horse. He watched has the kitchen detail poured the water into a pot on the fire. The other skin was taken down to the horse lines. Then David saw the men tending fires around the water pots, and realised they had frozen up. 

Sultar came over to him, seeing him looking at the water pots. 

"Subedar Turin advised us to keep our water bottles filled in the blockhouse, so there would be water in the morning for tea Colonel Sahib" he murmured. 

David nodded; he went on to say that a four-man detail had ridden out, leading horses to collect firewood from outside off the Pass. 

David knew that the troop, required a great deal off wood to keep the fires going. 

"I'm going up to see the lookouts positions, is there anything they need". 

"Perhaps some firewood Colonel Sahib" 

"Have the men make up a bundle, which I can put on my back. I'm going to collect my rifle". 

In the blockhouse he slipped his ammunition belt over his shoulder. Then retrieved his hipflask and telescope from the saddlebag, slipping them into his pocket. Finally putting his rifle over his shoulders. 

Outside the firewood was ready for him, this too went over his back. 

It took over half an hour struggling with his load to climb the steep path up to the new lookout post, buffeted with the freezing cold wind. 

At the top the wind was even fiercer. 

The hut was built against on outcrop that offered a degree of protection from the cold wind. 

He un-slung the wood and rifle from his back, then crouched to enter it, pushing aside the blanket that served has a door. 

The two Riflemen inside started to rise, but he indicated for them to stay has they were. 

There was not sufficient headroom to stand, so he sat down on the spare bed. 

They had three small fires in old oil tins burning placed around the small chamber. 

Smoke escaping from a small hole in the roof kept it reasonably free of it. 

David looked around, and saw the tin can with a coiled cord attached to it, and smiled to himself. 

The men had thanked him for the firewood, and asked if he would like some tea. 

He smiled and nodded, and then his eyes were drawn, to some black rocks that had been used in the building. 

He asked one of them if he could dislodge a piece that protruded out from it. 

The man frowned but drew his kukri and pried apiece off. 

David put it in one of the fire tins and watched, after a few minutes it began to burn. 

He had been right it was coal. 

The riflemen look in amazement. 

"We must look for the black rocks" he told them. 

They went outside and began to look around the area. Then one of the men cried out he had found them. 

It was behind the buttress, a coal seam almost three foot wide thrust up to the surface. 

He told the men to collect the pieces that had broken off, while he entered the hut. 

He wrote a message in the notebook. 

'Send four men up with bars and hammers. With a long rope and 2 packhorse panniers.' 

Putting the message in the tin he lowered it over the edge. 

Someone jerked the cord to say it had been received, and he pulled it back up again. 

While he waited for the men to arrive, the guard was changed. He chuckled to himself, has one of them explained to the man coming off guard that the Colonel Sahib had found rocks that burnt. 

He went foreword to the lookout position. The lookout was laid on slopping slab with a palliasse under him and a blanket over him. 

David could see with his telescope that there was only about 500 yards that could be seen along this rim, before outcrops masked the view. But the opposite rim was clear for about a mile, with a clear view of the road below in the valley. 

He heard excited talking coming from the hut area, and returned to find the men had arrived. 

He quickly explained what he wanted them to do, showing them the seam, stressing that it was only the black rocks that were to be removed. 

When a pannier had been filled he told the men to lower it down to the valley. 

"When you have lowered twelve panniers you may return back down again, but leave the panniers, rope and tool here" 

He collected his rifle and set of back himself. 

On the valley floor quite a large pile of coal was growing. Sultar came over to him a perplexed look on his face. 

David picked up a piece of coal and walked to the cook fire with Sultar following. 

He threw it in, and then watched Sultar's face when it ignited. 

"It burns Colonel Sahib" he gasped. 

"Yes, it's called coal, it burns slowly and gives out more heat than wood" David explained. 

Sultar gave orders for the coal to be brought over to the blockhouse and piled up. 

David explained to him they would still need to use wood to start a fire, has coal needed a lot of heat to start it burning. 

"I will send men up to the other lookout with a pannier and rope. So they can draw up the rocks for the fires up there." 

Pleased with the discovery David sat down on his bunk, has a rifleman brought him a belated breakfast. 

Sultar's troop soon settled into a routine. Guards coming down from the crests reported snow flurries occurring during the nights. 

David was beginning to think the Afghans had decided to ignore them, when on the fifth day, a message came down from the buttress crest. 

Five Afghans were slowly making their way along the opposite crest. 

David and Sultar grabbed their rifles and began to climb up to the hut crest. 

They took up position on the slab alongside of the lookout, keeping well down. 

"We must kill them all, no one must get back to warn that we have lookouts up here" David said. 

It was half an hour before the Afghan came around the outcrop, rifles in their hands. 

They waited until they were only two hundred yards away, before opening fire. 

Three of the Afghans were peering down onto the camp talking amongst themselves. 

The .303 bullets hit them, two falling over the ledge has the third crumpled. Sultar's rifle fired again followed by David's, the guards a split second later. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 04



Then suddenly the cleft was filled with screaming men, brandishing swords and rifles as they appeared in the light of the oil lamps. 

Twenty-two rifles spat out as one and the front rank fell. It was rapid fire now. 

The bodies of the dead and dying filled the cleft, Afghans were using the bodies as protection as they tried to return fire. Suddenly, first one lamp was shot out and then the second, and the cleft was in darkness. 

David lit the gunpowder fuse and said a silent prayer. The flame streaked across the ground until it reached the brushwood, briefly flared and then went out. It seemed he had failed, then one or two small flames flickered, the oil caught and with a whoosh the night lit up. 

About 50 Afghans were cautiously advancing out of the Cleft. The rifles cracked out again. David was working the bolt as fast as he could; at this range it was impossible to miss. When the rifle fell empty, he picked up his pistol and fired that into the throng. When that fell empty, he used his belt pistol. 

The Afghans were screaming and dying, treading on their own comrades as they tried to escape back down the cleft, the darkness swallowing them up as they withdrew. The riflemen fell silent and became busy reloading their weapons. 

David reloaded his, watching as two men threw more bushes onto the fire. He slipped the empty clips into his pocket. Feeling the hipflask, he drew it out and took a long swig, feeling the warmth glowing in his stomach. 

Sultar climbed out and ran to check the pits. Some of the Afghan wounded were moaning or screaming, but a series of shots rang out, methodically silencing them. 

More wood was added to the fire and it flared up again, illuminating a scene of carnage. David estimated there were over 80 bodies in and around the cleft entrance. 

Now and then a rifle would be fired from the other end of the Cleft, the bullet whizzing high above their heads. 

Sultar came back, reporting two riflemen had slight gunshot wounds, one in the arm, the other in the shoulder, and both were only grazes. 

David could see the light brightening in the sky above, although it was still black down here on the valley floor. 

Half an hour later, a message came down reporting that the Afghans were retreating, with bodies draped over horses. 

They waited until the Cleft was lit with daylight. A rifleman went to scout the end of the Cleft, returning to say it was clear. 

They then began the gruesome job of clearing up. 

David stood by the re-lit cook fire drinking tea while the men stripped the bodies of valuables, weapons and ammunition. 

Horses were brought and bodies draped over them and led away. 

Eventually Sultar reported 93 dead, with some having been shot three or four times. Eighty-one new Russian rifles had been collected, five of which had been hit with bullets and ruined. The rest of gathered rifles were outdated muzzleloaders. Of seven pistols recovered, five were Smith and Wesson's like his, and looked new. The other two were Colts. 

He saw to the packing or the weapons and ammunition, along with the holsters for the pistols. The valuables would be in another pack. 

"Without your idea for a fire, Colonel Sahib, we could have been overrun," Sultar murmured. 

"But we wasn't. The men fought in the best tradition of the Gurkhas," David replied smiling. 

"I very much doubt they will be back now until the spring, but of course we cannot be sure." 

"I shall return to the Fort. We will need more wood to provide a fire should they return at night. The gunpowder from the muzzleloaders should be kept here. Can you spare two men to lead the pack horses back to the Fort?" David asked him. 

"Of course, Colonel Sahib, I shall send the men on when we have completed here." 

He sent a man to bring Kahn, while he went to make ready to depart. 

David rolled up his blankets and removed the clips from his saddlebag, while someone saddled Kahn. He left his furs on the bunk, immediately feeling the change in temperature once they were off. 

He mounted, and with a final wave set off in a brisk trot. Once out of the Pass he put Kahn into a canter. The horse responded eagerly, as if keen to be away from this place. 

It was after one when he trotted into the Fort. At the stable he told Hanga to give him a good rub down after removing the saddle and feeding him. 

Turning away, he saw Para and Hagar walking fast towards him. Once in his office, he recounted the battle to them, saying that there could have been well over a hundred casualties as the lookout had sighted bodies over some of the horses retreating. He mentioned the quantity of Russian weapons taken adding, "It's obvious that they are arming them with the intention of taking the Pass." 

When they were gone, he felt his beard, looking forward to a bath and shave. 

When he entered his quarters his eyes widened. The cheap furniture was gone, replaced by gleaming sideboards, a table and chairs. Two maroon leather armchairs had replaced the rocking chair, a brass coffee table lay between them. On the floor were thick Persian rugs and a chandelier with five oil lamps hung from the ceiling. 

Hanga came in grinning, "This is much better now for an English gentleman like the Colonel Sahib." 

David could only nod his surprise and pleasure. 

The tin tub had been replaced by bigger enamel one. The clothes he had worn were gone, and a new set lay on the new brass bedstead. 

After he had dressed, Hanga asked if he would like a drink. David nodded from his seat in one of the new armchairs. Hanga opened a cupboard door and removed a cut glass decanter with six matching glasses on a silver tray. He poured out a good measure handing it too him. 

"I hope you left something for the Prince?" David chuckled. 

After his drink he went outside taking an apple with him. Sulkie's stall was empty. Out in the paddock he reasoned. 

Kahn stood in his stall, all attention on David. Hanga had brushed him down and his coat gleamed. 

"Hello boy," he said as Kahn thrust his head against him, "is it nice to be back home?" 

Kahn could smell the apple and his lip curled as he pushed David again. As David fed him the apple, Kahn's eyes never left David's as he chewed. 

A squad of 20 Riflemen were being drilled on the parade ground as two riders with four packhorses came through the gate. 

They reined in outside Subedar Quartermaster Hagar's office. Hagar came out and the men removed one pack from a horse and left it on the veranda, then followed Hagar leading the other packhorse down to the armoury. 

David recognised the two as those who had been wounded. He called out to them as they passed to report to him when they were finished. 

David found Hanga in his kitchen and asked if he had anything for cuts or wounds. 

"I have some iodine, Colonel Sahib. It stings like the billy hoe, but it is good to stop infection." 

David told him to get it out and gather some bandages as he had two wounds to dress. 

When the men reported, he had them strip to the waist. They had strips of blankets covering the wounds. 

Hanga used warm water to soak the blanket strips until the congealed blood released its grip on them. 

When he had cleared the area of dried blood, he warned them about the sting, then dabbed the iodine on their wounds. Neither man flinched, but David noticed their jawbones clenched. 

Hanga bound them in clean linen bandages. When they were done and redressed, David told them to stay at the Fort that night to rest their horses, but to report to Hanga when the troop returned so he could inspect their wounds. 

At 6 pm, David told Hanga he was going to bed; the loss of sleep the night previous, plus the battle and the ride back to the Fort had finally worn down his strength. 

He climbed onto the bed and collapsed, asleep in seconds. Hanga put a blanket over him later. 

The sound of men drilling on the parade ground woke him. Groggily he glanced at his watch, blinking his eyes to focus. It was nearly 9am. He climbed off the bed and realised he was still dressed. He called out for Hanga as he took off his jacket and staggered into the bathroom. 

He started to chastise Hanga for letting him sleep so long and then apologized, knowing it wasn't his fault. 

Hanga said he was cooking a big breakfast for him seeing he hadn't eaten the night before. 

David changed his clothes after he had washed and shaved. He asked Hanga, as he sat down to eat, to tell Subedar Hagar to secure the valuables pack onto a packhorse as he was leaving for the Palace soon. Hanga asked which horse was he taking and he said Sulkie. 

He hadn't realised how hungry he was until he had sat down to eat. Now, after his second mug of tea, he felt human again. 

Outside he found the packhorse tied to the rail alongside Sulkie. They set off at a fast tot, breaking into a canter once upon the road. 

They made good time, reaching the Palace by 1pm. Peshawar led him to the meeting room. Two riflemen stood guard outside, where the Prince was already waiting. 

The Prince sat listening as David recounted the battle, concluding by observing that nearly all the weapons recovered were Russian and of new manufacture. 

The Prince asked if, in David's opinion, they would attack again. 

"I doubt it, sir. The Pass will be blocked by snow in a few weeks. It would be too late for the Russians to start an invasion. Their line of supply would be cut. I believe the only reason the Afghans attacked was purely from a thirst for vengeance for losing a hundred-odd men in their earlier attacks. Now they have to live with the knowledge that they have lost over two hundred men." 

"So, David, you think we have gained a breathing space?" 

"I do, sir, but when the Pass reopens I believe they will hit us with everything they have." 

"Will you be ready David?" 

"By then I should have at least 200 riflemen trained and ready." 

"You said two of the men were wounded. How seriously?" 

"Only flesh wounds, sir. We treated them at the Fort, but it does raise the question of medical treatment. We really need a doctor and medical equipment, not only at the Fort but medical equipment that can be used at the Pass. It would be useful to have a number of men who could apply first aid to the troops." 

"Yes, of course, leave it with me. I'll attend to it. One thing I'm concerned about is you. I understand that you have been present at every engagement that has occurred. You should be delegating and let others do the fighting" 

"I'm sorry, sir, but the way to command is to lead and you lead by being in front of your troops." 

The Prince shook his head, "We will talk about this at a later date. Now to other matters. David, it may be that in the spring, more sophisticated weapons could be used against you. Do you have any knowledge of such weapons?" 

David thought about the question before answering, "The key to our defence is the Cleft. Only five men on horseback can ride through it side by side; if on foot, perhaps eight men. The options open to the Afghans are, to destroy the buttress that forms the Cleft, to inflict damage to us on the other side of the Cleft without risking casualties of their own, or to generate superior firepower when forcing an entrance through it. 

"The first option - destroy the buttress - would require a great deal of explosives and could be counterproductive if the explosion were to block the Pass completely. 

"The second option - to damage us on the other side of the cleft at minimal risk to themselves- that would be possible with artillery. Howitzers or mortars, to be precise. The high angle of fire of these weapons give them the ability to lob shells over the buttress. 

The last option - greater firepower - could be possible using quick firing weapons like the Gatling gun or one of the new machine guns that I believe are being developed. I have heard they are capable of firing 600 rounds a minute." 

The Prince sat pondering David's reply, finally saying, "But if we had such weapons, would it not redress the balance?" 

David hesitated before replying, "It could, sir, but I have no idea where they could be procured from." 

"But you have friends or contacts in England who may know. David, my agents in Afghanistan have warned of increasing Russian presence there. When the Pass reopens in the spring, they may either use such weapons against us or train the Afghans to do so. We have, at most, six months in which to prepare. Would you return to England to seek out weapons to counteract the threat?" 

"If that is your wish, then of course, Sir, but I shall have to set things in order at the Fort before I leave." 

The Prince smiled, "I will make all the necessary arrangements, and provide you with documents to ease your task." 

Outside the room he asked Peshawar to locate Subedar Turin for him and put a saddle on the packhorse. 

An hour later Turin was trotting out of the gate with David at his side. 

Once clear of the city he began to explain why he had cut Turin's leave short. 

"I'm promoting you to Subedar Major. Your responsibility will be the welfare and training of all riflemen for active service. I'm going to be out of the country for at least three months, maybe more. By the time I return Cobra and Tiger should each be up their full company strength of 100 riflemen. I hope to start forming a third company, Panther. Rifles and ammunition should have arrived to arm them." 

He went to explain the reason for his absence, ending by saying Turin could use his office in his absence. 

Once back at the Fort, he summoned Para and Hangar to his office, where Turin waited with him. 

David quickly announced Turin's promotion and the plans that drove his decision. 

"We have two, maybe three weeks before the snows come. Prior to that, I intend to have a second blockhouse built to house 25 more men and fully ready for occupation in the spring when the Pass reopens. The three of you can work out the logistics of what is required. Speed is paramount, gentlemen. Subedar Turin can requisition whatever personnel and material he requires to carry out that task." 

The three men adjourned to Para's office whilst David returned to his quarters. 

David summoned Hanga, explaining he was going to England and directing him to pack his sea chest and suitcase accordingly. 

The following afternoon, Ashar Kahn and his son Taraq rode into the Fort. Whilst Taraq went to see Julep, Ashar Kahn sat in an armchair in David's office, with a glass of whisky in his hand. He produced the usual letters for the bank and hotel, adding that Mr. Smithers would have further documents for him in Karachi. A mule cart would arrive at dusk to take him and his luggage to the river, where a boat would be waiting. The Prince's agents would be looking out for him. 

David asked if he would take Kahn and Sulkie back with him to care for them. 

"They will pine for you Sahib, for they have a new love in their lives now. But I will care for them like my own children, which they are." 

He stood outside the stable fondling their heads as Ashar Kahn and Taraq waited astride their horses. He kissed each on the nose, fed them a last apple, then watched sadly as they were led away. 

Chapter 17 

Four days later he was sat in the suite of The Royal Hotel Karachi, listening to Mr. Smithers. 

"You are in luck Mr. Ramage. You are again booked on the Comet. It sails tomorrow. You will find your ticket and documents here in the briefcase along with £750 for your out-of-pocket expenses. When you return, inform me in the usual manner and I shall arrange things at this end. It only remains for me to wish you a pleasant and successful voyage." 

During the long voyage, David had time to reflect on his life now. Over the past five months never a day had past without some incident or problem requiring his physical attention or mental consideration. The day-to-day requirements of creating the regiment, and the sheer size of the obstacles and planning needed to accomplish it, had left very little time for David to consider his own life. Now, for the first time since coming to Kana he had time to reflect. 

His life had changed dramatically, since accepting the Prince's commission. 

Financially, he was secure for the first time in his life, although that somehow didn't matter as much as the fact that he was responsible for the lives of 184 men, and the many more that seemed certain to be recruited to their ranks in the future. That was important. That did matter. 

He respected what the Prince had done for his people and sympathised with his efforts to remain outside the clutches of the British Raj, whilst at the same time ensuring his people were protected from the ravages of the Afghans. 

On the personal side David realised he had a good life. He had comfortable quarters, and Hanga to look after his needs. He had Kahn and Sulkie, who he adored. The only thing significant thing missing was a woman in his life. 

David gave a start. Why had he thought that? He'd not thought of women since Samantha, and that was over two years ago. 

He could still see her in his mind's eye: Tall and slender with blond hair and startling blue eyes. He had met her in Amritser when his company was stationed there. 

She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant who had a grand home in the hills above the town. She and her mother had journeyed there from England to see her father. To pacify the mother's dislike of India, her husband had organised balls at his home, to which the officers of the regiment had been invited. 

He had been infatuated by her at first sight, and although there had been plenty of others vying for her attention, she seemed to be attracted to him. 

He had begun seeing her whenever duty allowed. He had finally kissed her and she returned his kiss. He knew she was returning with her mother to England, so a week before they were due to go he had asked her to marry him. 

She had laughed as if he were joking. She explained that, as much as she had enjoyed his company, he had served his only purpose in her life by making her stay in this tedious country bearable. 

The experience had closed David's heart to women. 

He knew his fellow officers saw Indian girls or even had Indian mistresses, but while many were beautiful, he had never succumbed to the temptation. Not that the colour would have mattered to him, but if he had married one, his career in the Army would have been over He pushed the thoughts from his mind. 

Unlike his first mission he had nothing to refer to this time. The hunting magazines purchased in Karachi had been the primary source to lead him to Cartwright & Sons during his first trip to England on the Prince's business. Still, they represented an active relationship with a company engaged in weapons manufacturing. He would contact Henry Cartwright he decided. Perhaps he would know of current developments in rapid-firing weapons and artillery, or direct him to someone who did. 

The Comet nosed into her berth on a cold, foggy, early November Friday morning. Southampton's waters echoed to ghostly sounds of foghorns and the movements of ships obscured by the damp fog. 

The train journey to London was uneventful, the fog pursuing him into London itself. 

David produced the Prince's letter upon his arrival at the Astor Hotel and was shown into his suite by the manager himself. 

The banks being closed at the weekends, he left his unpacking for later and took a hansom cab around to the bank, presenting himself to Mr. Tompkins, the Bank manager. He had coffee with him whilst a chequebook and covering document were prepared for him. 

Once back at the Astor, he put a telephone call through to Henry Cartwright, asking if he could visit him on the Monday and briefly outlining the questions to which he was seeking answers. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 04



Henry insisted that he should stay with him and, further, he could come up to Birmingham the following day. 

Upon arrival at the Cartwright home, a maid ushered him into the parlour where Henry was sat with his pretty wife and two children, both boys, who looked to be eight and ten. 

After introductions, Henry informed him that his wife, Gladys, and their sons, Robert and Richard, were just about to go out to visit Henry's father. 

Gladys showed him to his room. After refreshing himself and changing his clothes, he returned downstairs to find, as expected, that Gladys and the boys were gone. 

As David reentered the room, he found Henry standing before the welcome heat of a roaring coal fire. Seeing David, he crossed to a cabinet and poured drinks for them, indicating that David should sit down. 

David began by telling him of the success of the Cartwright .303 rifles and cartridges. 

He went into detail about the conditions at the Pass and the engagements with the Afghans. 

Henry asked about the Russian rifles, saying, after Davids's description, that they sounded like a copy of the French Lebel. 

David went on to explain about the Pass being blocked during the winter until March or April, and his fears of a major Afghan assault when it reopened. An assault almost certainly supported and motivated by the Russians. 

David then described his thoughts about how that assault could feasibly be launched with some expectations of success on the part of the Afghans and their Russian allies. 

Henry sat quietly contemplating what David had said. 

"I'm not too well informed about artillery developments," he admitted, "but there has been talk about a man called Maxim, an American, who it is claimed has invented an automatic firing gun which utilizes the recoil of the weapon to load the next round. The Gatling gun and its copies uses a hand cranking mechanism to fire it. Peter is more up to date in that field than I am." 

David knew Peter from testing the rifle and developing its ammunition. 

"I'll get him to come around tomorrow, and we can pick his brains," Henry said. 

The following afternoon Peter was shown into Henry's study, where Henry and David awaited him. 

David recounted the actions at the Pass ending with his fears for the future. 

Peter listened intently, before responding, "From what you have described, David, the only weapons that are currently available that would seem to pose a real threat to your troops would be mortars. If they use howitzers, the shell is likely to explode some distance beyond this buttress you talk about, due the arc of its trajectory. 

"The only fast firing weapon currently available is the Gatling gun. It's big and unwieldy and is notorious for jamming. The Maxim machinegun is not yet, to the best of my knowledge, commercially available. 

"No, the only thing I can think that could cause you an unacceptable level of damage is a mortar. A mortar's projectile is fired steeply upwards, but can be adjusted to fall almost straight down. These projectiles can be time-fused to cause them to explode either in the air or after contact with the ground. When the explosives in the projectile explode, they release rifle balls or chunks of metal. 

"The downside to them, is depending on size, they are normally heavy, and have to be solidly emplaced on the ground due to the recoil of their firing. They all use black powder for the propellant and explosive charge at the moment." 

David sat back taking in Peters remarks. 

Peter continued, "If a Russian Artillery officer saw your buttress, he would know immediately that a mortar was the only means to inflict damage on you." 

"Logically then, our only reply to that eventuality would be to have mortars of our own," David replied. 

Peter nodded, "How wide is the passage of the buttress, and how high" he asked. 

"It's about a 800 yards long and 400 hundred feet high, of almost sheer rock," David informed him. 

"So you wouldn't require a big mortar for those sort of ranges. I'll start to ask around tomorrow. At the moment, with the threat of war in the Sudan, and things boiling up in South Africa and on the North West Frontier, armaments are undergoing a minor revolution in developments." 

Henry broke in, "We had a problem acquiring the cordite for your last order for ammunition. The War Office has nearly commandeered all the supply of it". 

"They're finally looking at magazine bolt action rifles," Peter said, "We've submitted one for evaluation". 

The meeting broke up with David agreeing to accompany Henry to the office the following morning, when Peter would begin to make inquiries. 

It was late morning the following day when Peter entered Henry's office. 

"I think I have a contact for you David. A Scot named Andrew Ferguson who worked at Vickers in Leeds. He was trained as a chemist and, by all accounts has been doing research into guncotton as a propellant. Anyhow, when Vickers withdrew his research grant he left them to start up on his own. Now, the interesting thing is, he was trying to develop a light mortar that could be transported and fired by three men. 

"Unfortunately, he has a cash flow problem and has had to struggle on his own resources which has seriously slowed his progress. I have his address, if you are interested." 

The three of them started discussing how best to proceed. In the end Henry suggested that Peter, being more conversant with propellants, accompany David. 

They made arrangements to meet Mr. Ferguson at the hotel they had booked into in Sheffield. 

When Andrew Ferguson was shown to their rooms in Sheffield, David assessed him to be in his mid-thirties. 

David let Peter do all the talking as the conversation quickly turned to technical issues, firing angles and propellants. 

But, from what David could glean, it appeared that Ferguson had developed a shell that used fins at the back of the projectile to stabilise its flight. 

The mortar was a simple five-foot steel tube with a firing pin set in the base. The shell was dropped down it, and the firing pin ignited the propellant in the base of the shell, rather like a rifle cartridge. 

From what David could understand, the main problems facing Ferguson were the guncotton used as the propellant, and a means of varying the range of the weapon. 

Peter and Ferguson discussed velocities and shell explosives, the more technical aspects of which David did not understand. 

They agreed to go round to Ferguson's workshop the next day and see what he had developed. 

After he had gone Peter said he thought Ferguson was on to something that could be of use to David. 

Later Peter spoke on the telephone to Henry, he was on some considerable time David thought. 

Ferguson's workshop proved to be a shed some 30-feet by 10-feet. It contained a bench with chemistry instruments upon it and another with a comprehensive array of workshop tools. 

The mortar, was covered by a sheet that, once removed, revealed a piece of four-inch diameter steel tubing approximately four-feet in length and attached at the base to a round steel plate about three feet in diameter. Two steel legs attached to a band on the near the open end of the tube, prevented it from falling down. 

The tube was resting at an angle of approximately 45 degrees David thought. 

Ferguson unlocked a cupboard and removed an object. The top part resembled an artillery shell but the base was a tube smaller that the diameter of the shell. Four fins stuck out of the tube equally spaced around it. 

Ferguson showed them the base, which resembled a rifle cartridge case, and explained that a fixed firing pin in the base of the steel tube ignited the charge in the tube of the shell, propelling it out of the tube. 

He went on to say that altering the positioning of the legs on the steel tube altered the range of the weapon. It seemed that the range of movement of the legs, as the weapon was currently designed, was between 45 and 40 degrees. 

David asked if the mortar was capable of reaching 500 feet in height and travelling a 1000 yards in range. 

Ferguson frowned before responding that, with a precise load of propellant, it would have no problem accomplishing that. The main thing was ascertaining the correct amount of propellant. 

Then Peter surprised David by asking if Ferguson would consider working for Cartwright & Sons in the pursuit of a finished weapon. He would have a fully equipped laboratory at his disposal as well as a modern workshop. 

David went back to study the mortar as the two men talked. 

Later Peter confessed that his talk with Henry had been about offering Ferguson a job in order for him to develop his idea. 

When David said he thought Cartwright only specialised in firearms, Peter chuckled saying that, with all this talk of war, Cartwright was looking at all new developments. As one example, he said his department was already involved in developing a grenade. 

Ferguson had, it seemed, accepted the Cartwright offer and Peter made arrangements for his mortar and equipment to be sent down to Birmingham. 

"There are still some problems he has to sort out with the mortar shell, David, but once he gets down to Birmingham, at least he will have adequate facilities and trained staff to assist him. You may as well return to London. I'll let you know if anything comes of it." 

"Very well Peter, but I am on a tight schedule time wise." 

"I realise that David. I'll request that Ferguson concentrate on a mortar shell performing to the specifications to suit your buttress situation. As soon as we develop one, you'll be informed." 

Chapter 18 

David returned to the Astor. For three weeks he spent his time reading, shopping and going to the theatre. Then, one evening he was sat in the lounge of the Astor having coffee and a cognac when he struck up a conversation with an elderly man in his sixties who had served in India in the medical corps. He introduced himself as Major Watson, retired. 

He told David harrowing stories of the mutiny and of the conditions under which he had conducted surgeries in the field. He said that for every soldier killed with a bullet, three died of disease; most prominently, malaria, tetanus, typhoid and dysentery. 

"Of course things are much better now, with modern medicines and surgical procedures. The young doctors nowadays are much more knowledgeable than when I was out there." 

David indicated that he commanded two companies of Gurkhas on the North West Frontier, deliberately staying obtuse, not wishing to disclose any thing about Kana. He rather casually mentioned his concern about not having a doctor or medical equipment to call upon when conducting operations in the field. 

It transpired that Major Watson was conducting a series of lectures on tropical medicine at The London Medical College. But the major said there were few medical students interested in tropical medicine. He asked David if he would mind speaking to some of them informally. 

David said he was willing, but how to dress a wound in the field was the limit of his medical knowledge. 

The major said their real interest would be his first hand knowledge about field conditions on the frontier. 

Two days later, after dinner he found the Major with a young woman and man. 

The major introduced them as Doctor Susan Fletcher and Doctor Oliver Penrose. 

David sat down as the major explained to the two Doctors that David served on the North West Frontier. 

The Doctors started firing questions at him, concerning conditions of water, hygiene, and available medical care. Also, had he seen any cases of the common tropical diseases whilst stationed there? 

David replied as truthfully as he could, saying being stationed up in the mountains negated the risk of the more common tropical diseases. It was down in the lower elevations where they could be endemic. The problems of disease were quite often seasonal. In the dry season, for example, water was the problem, with Typhoid and dysentery being the main killers due to the water becoming contaminated. People used the same sluggish dry season river water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and for removing human and animal waste. 

On the other hand, during the wet monsoon period, malaria thrived. 

Tetanus was always present, due to the fact that the people, for the most part worked with their hands and often went barefooted. 

Dr. Fletcher asked David was his main what his main medical concerns were for his troops? 

David replied that the main problem, or at least most serious, would always be wounds sustained in action from rifle and pistol fire, or cuts and stab wounds from knives, swords and bayonets. But the most common injuries were from falls, or being thrown from a horse, resulting in broken bones or sprains. 

Whilst the two Doctors were talking to the major, David found himself studying Dr. Fletcher. Her hair, he realised, was the same colour as Kahn's coat, a deep chestnut, which women called auburn The colour complimented her dark green eyes. She was, David realized, quite pretty. Her manner, though, was quite direct and forceful; not at all like the women he had met at various functions in India. Those tended to be frivolous and giggly. 

At the end of the evening her handshake was firm as she thanked him for the meeting. He had replied he had been glad to help and, if she required any further information on India, that he was staying at this hotel. 

It was on Sunday morning he received a call from reception to saying a young lady wished to speak with him. 

He found Dr. Fletcher waiting for him, dressed in a heavy coat to protect her from the cold December wind. 

He guided her into the lounge where a waiter took her coat and took his order for tea. 

Once she was settled she began, "I do hope this is not an imposition mister . . . I'm sorry, I don't know what your rank is?" 

David smiled, "It's Colonel, in the 1st Khana Rifles." 

Her eyes widened, "You're young for such a high rank," she exclaimed. 

David quickly explained about Kanda, the Prince and his commission. 

"Oh, I see," she murmured, "The reason I wanted to speak to you again was to ask about the Khyber Pass, but I don't suppose you would know much about it." 

"On the contrary, I served for a year there with the 2nd Ghurkha Rifles as a Leftenant. Why do you wish to know of the place?" 

Her face became solemn "My brother was killed there. We, my parents and I discovered from a fellow officer later that William had been wounded and left behind when his platoon had to retreat from an attack by the Afghans. But they managed to find his body when they attacked again. If a Doctor had been present, he may have saved Williams life." 

David's jaw clenched. The golden rule on the frontier was never to be taken alive by the Afghans. If Dr. Fletcher's brother had been alive when the Afghans found him, then his death would have been unspeakable. 

"Is that why you became a Doctor," David asked gently. 

She gave a little nod, "I intend to go to India, to the frontier actually. To offer my services." 

"Doctor Fletcher, women are not allowed in the Army, also Doctors are some way back from any action at aid centres. The wounded are brought to them. Sometimes several miles separate them from any conflict." 

"But surely the authorities would accept help from a trained Doctor," she replied. 

David looked at her, how could he explain the horrors of men with their entrails hanging out, or half their head blown off and their brains leaking. 

"The sights of men wounded or not for a women's eyes," he murmured. 

Her eyes flashed in anger, "Colonel I have dissected human cadavers. I know exactly what a person's body looks like from the inside." 

"Dr. Fletcher that may be true," David replied gently, "But they were already dead. It's somewhat different when the body is screaming in agony, crying out for his mother or wife, and blood is spurting all over you." 

Her face paled, and then her jaw stiffened, "What you say is true, which is why I am determined to go." 

"I'm afraid you will find that the British administration doesn't share your liberated views Dr. Fletcher. In some respects they are, what one might charitably say, "behind the times."" 

As the afternoon had been drawing on, David invited her to continue the conversation over dinner. As they dined, he discovered she had studied at Oxford. Her parents lived in a small village in Dorset, where her father was the local vicar. It seemed both parents supported her wish to go to India. 

He in turn told her about Kanda, mentioning that the Prince had himself studied at Oxford. He described the Fort and the men who served there. His affectionate descriptions of Kahn and Sulkie lead to discovering that she also loved horses. 

At the end of the evening he asked if she would like to accompany him to the opera, and she accepted. 

Over the following weeks he saw a lot of her when her studies permitted. By now their friendship had developed to a first name basis. 

One evening she asked if there were any European Doctors in Kanda. He replied that, to the best of his knowledge, there were none. 

Her face registered disappointment, "Oh. I was hoping there was, so that I could have joined a practice." 

"Why not open your own practice" he replied. 

She sighed, "It takes money to open a practice, what with instruments, medicines and basic medical requirements." 

"But if you had that money, Susan, would you open one?" 

"Of course, David, you have made it sound so wonderful; the country and the people." 

"So what would you need in the way of money to set it up?" 

"Oh at least £500 to start a basic practice," she murmured dejectedly. 

"So if you had £1000 would you be able to acquire all you need?" 

She shrugged her shoulders ,"With that I could purchase the latest equipment and medicine, but that's just wishful thinking." 

David studied her face. She truly was pretty, but dressed severely and used hardly any makeup to enhance her features, unlike the other women who passed through the hotel. It was almost as if she wanted to down play her femininity and to just be accepted as a doctor. 

He glanced at her again and came to a decision, "I could give you the necessary funds, on condition you looked after the medical needs of my troops as well as the people. You would also train some of my troops an how to render first aid in a war zone." 

Her eyes widened, "Do you mean that? It goes without saying I would tend to the needs of any one who needed my help." 

"You must think about your decision Susan before accepting, but if you are sure . . . I do have a tight schedule and shall have to leave by the end of December, at the latest, if you wish to come." 

"There's nothing to think about David. I would go to India no matter what I was offered." 

David smiled, pulling out his chequebook he filled out the cheque, handing it to her, "It seems you have a lot of shopping to do Dr. Fletcher. Don't worry about your travelling arrangements, I shall take care of them." 

Susan became excited and asked about clothes she would need to buy. He suggested that he take her to a shop that sold safari equipment where she could see clothes and accessories suitable for the climate at their destination. 

Once there, he bought another safari suit and broad brimmed hat for himself . He noticed she was trying one on too. Outside, as he surveyed the substantial pile of packages they had acquired, he asked her about it. 

"Skirts are a hindrance in practicing medicine," she said, firmly, "Trousers are much more suitable and, as I don't have to worry what other women think, I shall make it my mode of dress." 




The Tides Of War Pt. 04



The following day he received the long awaited call from Henry. 

He found Peter and Ferguson in Henrys office waiting when he arrived. 

"David we think we have solved the problem of your buttress" Henry began. 

Peter continued, "We have perfected a mortar shell to comply with your requirements regarding height and range. But you will need to fire from approximately a hundred feet from the buttress in order to clear it." 

Ferguson moved to a table where there were several mortar shells sitting. He picked one up, gave the tail a twist and it separated from the shell. 

"These, Mr. Ramage, are solid shot shells, they don't explode," he said pointing to the shell that was painted green, "These can be used for ranging shots, if you are in a position to check their fall. They can be used again by just attaching a new tail to them. All the tails in your order have the same amount of propellant in them. The explosive shells and the solid shells all weigh the same. For safety reasons the shells and tails will be transported separately." 

He picked up another tail showing David the base of it. A tin cap hid the igniters. "The cap just pulls off," he said, demonstrating it. 

"The thing you must remember, David, is that the base plate must be placed on solid ground. The recoil will tend to compact soft ground and alter the settings," Peter added. 

"Now the sighting is crude but effective for what you want," Ferguson said moving to an assembled Mortar. He pointed to a plumb bob hanging from the legs, "This lines up with the marks on the base plate, and you will see there are four. They represent 45 to 70 degrees; 70 degrees will drop the shell close by the buttress wall on the far side, 45 degrees will drop it approximately 800 yards further out. But if you lowered it any further you run the risk of hitting the buttress on your side. When the shell explodes it will release shrapnel for close to ten yards in all directions." 

"Now, we've amended your order, David, to include 10 solid shells and a hundred spare tails for training and ranging," Henry said. "in addition to your original order of 4 mortars and 400 shells. The shells and tails will be separated for transport. I suppose you want the usual manifest reading "pumping equipment?"" 

David nodded, reaching for his chequebook. 

Peter handed him a manual, "All the things we have discussed are in this. One last thing, David," Peter added, "After about 10 shells have been fired the tube will start to get hot and expand, just throw water over it to cool it down." 

"When will you be ready to ship," David asked. 

"Were ready now," Henry replied. 

"I'll make all the arrangements when I get back to London, Henry, and inform you of them," David answered. 

Immediately he returned to London he picked up the Eastern Star shipping schedule. The Eastern Sky was scheduled to leave Southampton in seven days time; A slower ship than the Comet, but larger. He booked two staterooms on her along, with the necessary cargo space for the "pumping equipment" and the medical supplies Susan was acquiring. 

He phoned Henry back at the hotel, informing him of the ship and departure date. 

He managed to get Susan at the hospital and informed her. She said she had almost completed acquiring everything what was needed. David told her to make sure it was crated stoutly and labeled "Medical supplies for Mr. Smithers, Import Export Karachi." 

Susan said she intended seeing her parents and would meet him at the hotel on the Friday at noon so they could travel down on the train together. 

Finally David sent a telegram to Mr. Smithers to expect three crates - two of pumping equipment and one of medical supplies - and that he would be arriving with a companion. 

To be continued



The Tides Of War Pt. 05



Chapter 19 

Two porters were required to assist with their luggage. Susan had three large suitcases, mostly taken up by reference books, she claimed. 

Their staterooms were port and starboard. David told her to take the starboard one, as she would get more sun that side. 

His stateroom was bigger than his quarters on the Comet, but he noticed eight years at sea had taken its toil on the furniture and fittings. His steward helped to unpack while he went out to the deck to check the loading of the cargo. 

Once satisfied everything was on board he returned to the cabin. 

At dinner that night he learnt that, whilst 12 passengers had bordered that day, 46 were due to board the following day. 

Susan was looking around excitedly. This was the first big ship she had ever been on, although she did confess she had travelled to the continent on a cross channel steamer. 

They stood by the rail waving as the tugs nosed the Sky out into Southampton water. 

"I wonder how long it will be before I see England again," Susan murmured. 

"Getting home sick already," David chuckled. 

"No," she smiled sadly, "It's just the thought of the great unknown that awaits me." 

David glanced at her, a young woman travelling to a distant land, to some extent completely on her own apart from him. She had to be extremely brave - almost stubbornly so - to undertake such a mission. His respect for her grew with each passing day. 

He had warned Susan not to mention his, or her, future involvement with Kanda, explaining explained the Prince's problem with the British Administration and its Army. 

"John Company would dearly love to get their hands on the wealth of Kanda," he told her. 

She asked one day, whilst they were sat in deck chairs with rugs over them, how he had 

become connected with the Prince. 

She deserved his complete honesty, so he explained about the court martial and the circumstances leading up to it, and how he had no option but to resign his commission. 

"But if there were witnesses when this Captain turned tail and ran, then surely the charges should have been brought against him," Susan said angrily. 

David chuckled, "Captain, the Honourable Clarence Fitzroy, is the son of General Sir Reginald Fitzroy, Commander of the British Army in that region. What is the cost of a Lieutenant's career, against the honour of a family that has served British Army for over 400 years." 

"But that's not honour, but nepotism," Susan snarled. 

"Susan, could you, a woman, have become a Doctor thirty years ago? Doctoring was considered to be a man's profession. That was a similar form of nepotism." 

Once the ship entered the Mediterranean, dances were organised in the dining room twice a week. A small band sailed on the ship and performed most evenings. 

He and Susan had attended one or two of them. The Military Two Step and the Viennese Waltzes were favoured by the passengers and Susan was in demand to partner some of the ship's officers. David could not fault their choice; Susan was by far the prettiest girl on the ship. 

They celebrated Christmas and New Years at sea, and Susan had kissed him on the cheek as 1888 changed to 1889. He had remembered the softness of her lips long after the party ended. 

When the ship passed through the Suez Canal, Susan clapped her hands in delight at the sight of a camel caravan plodding along the far bank. 

Her face was beginning to turn a golden brown from hours spent on deck with her head buried in medical reference books. 

David, on the other hand, spent hours in his cabin reading and re-reading the mortar manual, until each aspect of its function was memorised. 

One night, as the ship crossed the Arabian Sea they were standing on the stern looking at the phosphorous created by the ships wake. The heavens ablaze with a thousand stars. 

"David," she murmured, "this voyage has been magical. On nights like this I can really believe there is a God." 

He looked at her touched by her faith and thinking of the other side of the coin. He had seen abject poverty and suffering. He had been a part of battles where men had fought each other with unrestrained brutality, using every skill and trick they could muster to kill before they themselves were killed. Where was God then he thought? 

Her voice interrupted his thoughts, "David do you have someone waiting for you in Kanda?" 

He chuckled, "A 180-odd men and two horses, why do you ask." 

"No," she continued, "I mean do you have a sweetheart waiting for you?" 

He shook his head, "No Susan, my life is pretty full looking out for the men at the Fort and Pass." 

"But you must have met someone before going there, didn't you?" 

He hesitated before replying, "I did meet someone once, who I was attracted too. But it seemed I was just a distraction for her. As it turns out, she didn't like India or the people. What about you? You must have had men falling at your feet." 

She smiled, "Of course there were suitors at University and the Training College, but they all suffered from the Victorian mentality that a woman's place was in the home having children. I want a man that will treat me as an equal." 

David laughed, "Well in Kanda, you may well get your wish, seeing you are the only white woman there." 

Susan smiled, "And by all accounts, you are the only white man there. Interesting, isn't it?" 

David was taken back at her remark, his mind trying to understand it. 

As the ship docked at Karachi, David searched the crowds lining the dockside for Mr. Smithers, finding him at last, and breathing a sigh of relief. 

Susan was standing with her eyes wide and with a smile on her face as she took her first look at India. 

Mr. Smithers was waiting at the gangplank as they disembarked, with a crowd of porters to take charge of their luggage. 

David introduced Susan as Doctor Fletcher and Smithers doffed his hat as he kissed her hand. He said the train was due to leave at two, which only gave them three hours to unload the crates and get them on board. 

He went on to inform David that their journey to Kanda from the train's terminus would be conducted by wagon due to the river being in flood with winter rains. 

Under the insistent supervision of Mr. Smithers, the crates and luggage were offloaded from the Sky and expeditiously transported to McLeod train station in order to be securely loaded aboard the train prior to their departure. David and Susan each retained a suitcase, which the train's porters placed in their compartment. 

As the train pulled out Susan had her face against the window, determined not to miss a thing. 

Although David found the familiar journey tedious, the sights that passed by the window enthralled Susan. 

Before the train was due to arrive at Ismal Deri Kahn, David excused himself, took his suitcase to the toilet, changed into his safari suit and buckled on his pistol belt. Hat in hand, he returned to the carriage. 

Susan said she needed to change too and left with her suitcase. When she returned his mouth dropped open; she was wearing a suit just like his, complete with hat. 

She laughed at the expression on his face, "I think the expression is, 'what's good for the goose is good for the gander.' I bought two sets in the shop, but I had to alter the trousers to fit my waist," she explained. 

David had to admit she did look rather fetching in them, with the way they emphasised her slim figure. She had brushed out her long auburn hair, which, tied with a green silk ribbon, now hung down over her. He could not help thinking how it resembled a sleekly brushed horse's tail. 

He spotted the Prince's agent as the train pulled into the station. When he climbed off, the agent hurried over. David could see mule-drawn wagons backing up to the goods van, half a dozen men around them. The agent explained everything was being taken care of and they would get on their way as soon as all was loaded and accounted for. 

As David carried his and Susan's case towards the wagons, he suddenly realized the men were his from the Fort. Although the men wore common Indian clothing, there was no mistaking the kukris sheathed in their belts. 

One was smiling with a smile that almost split his face, and David recognized Subedar Sultar. David extended his hand to him. Sultar hesitated, his own hand caught at the beginning of a salute, then he grasped David's, murmuring, "Colonel Sahib it is so very good to have you back again." 

David suddenly remembered Susan who was standing back with an amused smile on her face. David introduced her to Sultar as Memsahib Doctor Fletcher. Sultar bowed his head in acknowledgement. 

As the smiling men loaded up the wagons, Sultar informed him they had horses waiting at the edge of town. The enigmatic smile that accompanied this announcement puzzled David. 

Its meaning became clear when the small convoy reached the grove where the horses were tied. Kahn was amongst them. He leapt down from the wagon and rushed over to him as Kahn began to whinny. David wrapped his arms over his head talking to him. 

Susan came and stood alongside of him, her eyes bright, "David he's magnificent," she whispered. Kahn bent to sniff her hair as she stroked his neck. 

"We have brought a spare horse, if the Memsahib Doctor wishes to ride," Sultar said. 

Once out in the country, the men removed their rifles from where they had been hidden in the wagons, and slung them over their shoulders. 

Susan was mounted on a bay mare and soon fell into the manner of riding that the men used. David was asking how things were at the Fort and Pass. 

Sultar said the pass had become blocked by the winter snows three weeks after he had left. Turin had managed to build the second blockhouse, although blizzards had raged at the time. 

There were now 275 men at the Fort, and Tiger and Cobra were now up to full company strength. 

They had 350 rifles now and all the men were now issued with them. They were training 40 of the new recruits in musketry and horsemanship. Of the new men, 27 were former British Army. Most had served only one tour with them, and were in their twenties. 

The Horse Master had brought word of David's impending return, bringing with him Kahn. When Turin learnt of the river's state, he had issued orders for Sultar to meet the arriving train and escort the Colonel Sahib back to the Fort, along with another who was expected to arrive with him. 

Susan was riding by the wagons, questioning the drivers about the names of the birds and vegetation along their route. She seemed enchanted by it all. 

That evening they pulled off the road into a clearing alongside the river and the men began to make a camp for the night. 

Sultar apologised that he hadn't brought a tent for the Memsahib, not realising that David's companion was a woman. Susan laughed, saying it was of no consequence, but was touched when two of them returned with armfuls of long stemmed grass to form a mattress for her bedroll. 

The meal that night was the usual goat stew with rice. The cook looked worried as he handed Susan her plate, but beamed when she cleared the platter and mopped up gravy with her bread. Sultar posted guards, who discreetly moved away when Susan disappeared into the undergrowth. 

At break of day they continued their journey. By late noon they reached fork where the road to the Fort diverged from the route to the city. 

Sultar redistributed the loads on the wagons, placing Susan's crate and luggage in the lighter of the two wagons. Susan handed him the reins of her mare and climbed onto the wagon alongside the driver. Informing Sultar he would be returning to the Fort the following morning after delivering the Memsahib Doctor, David pointed Kahn toward Putan and they set off for the city, arriving as the sun set. 

Peshawar met them at the steps of the Palace, and while servants took care of the luggage and Susan's crate, conducted them to a room where the Prince and Ashar Kahn waited to receive them. Susan's eyes opened wide when she saw the Prince dressed in European clothing. 

"Your majesty, I should like to present Doctor Susan Fletcher, MD. Susan it is my honor to introduce his Royal Highness, Prince Hazid Ibram Kahn." 

David saw the faint smile on the Prince's face at the formality of the introduction. 

The Prince bowed to Susan and kissed the back of her hand. "Doctor Fletcher, I would like to introduce my uncle, Ashar Kahn, Guardian of the Royal Stables." 

Ashar Kahn bowed, "Memsahib it is a pleasure to meet one so lovely as yourself." 

Susan blushed at the compliment. 

David smiled, "Horse Master the Memsahib Doctor will have need of a horse." 

The Horse Master smiled, "I shall be delighted to show the Memsahib Doctor some of the royal herd, though I fear finding one to match her beauty will be difficult." 

Susan and Ashar Kahn moved to one side and began talking. 

David took the opportunity to tell the Prince what he had done in England and about Susan wishing to practice here in Kanda. 

"It seems my friend, that you are a man of many talents. Not only do you solve military problems, but also our medical problems as well." 

David told him about the £1000 he had given Susan to buy the necessary equipment and medicines and hoped he hadn't overstepped his authority. 

The Prince chuckled, "David I told you that you have a free hand in everything. I must arrange a suitable location for her to open her clinic and arrange quarters for her in the Palace. But I have to say, David, that I most heartily approve of your choice of Doctor he finished with a smile. 

It was David's turn to blush. 

Over dinner that night, he asked Ashar Kahn about Sulkie. He replied with a smile that she was going to make him a grandfather. It seemed that Kahn had not been idle whilst David had been away. David agreed with the Horse Master that she should remain with him during her confinement, but said he would like to see her before returning to the Fort. 

The next morning David and Susan followed Ashar Kahn down to the stables. Sulkie was in a small paddock nibbling fodder, her back to David as he arrived. He stood by the rail and called her name softly. He saw her ears twitch. He called again. She lifted her head and, with a snort, came galloping to the rail pushing her head against his chest as he fondled her. 

"Hello darling have you missed me?" he murmured in her ear. 

"David, you have a way with the girls it seems," Susan chuckled beside him, "But I don't blame you she's beautiful," she said stroking Sulkies neck. 

"She's a hussy, aren't you Sulkie, letting Kahn have his wicked way with you," he said chuckling. 

Ashar Kahn was standing behind them smiling, "Now we must find something for the Memsahib Doctor" 

Mounting Kahn, David took his leave saying he would return in a week or so. His smile of farewell communicated to Susan a fondness that she returned in her own smile. 

Chapter 20 

David drew Kahn to a sudden halt by the gates of the Fort. The entire garrison was drawn up on parade. Turin stood proudly in front of Tiger Company, whilst Sultar stood in front of Cobra Company. A Havildar stood in front of the rest of men on parade. 

Subedar Major Para cried out, bringing the men to attention and then to the present arms. He turned, giving David a fierce salute. David returned it, slightly shocked at the transformation of his command. 

Then Para turned, dismissing the Parade, and suddenly, his officers, keen to welcome him home, surrounded David. 

When he finally entered his quarters, Hanga had already poured out a whisky for him before going to attend to Kahn. 

At officers call the next morning, he listened as they reported the progress they had made. Turin reported the blockhouse was built, but had no stove installed. Hagar reported that he now had three stoves similar to the one currently in use, as well as two smaller ones for use in the lookout posts. The tailor had delivered 50 overcoats. 

Sultar said coal was difficult to burn on a wood fire, but worked fine in the stoves. He added that they had created a stockpile of it before leaving the Pass. 

Para reported that Ghurkhas were joining at the average of four a week, now mostly from Nepal. 

When they finished, David told them about the mortars, explaining their function and directing that training would begin with Turin, Sultar and their Havildar's. They, in turn, would train the men and select 12 men from each half troop to fire them. 

He then turned to Para and Hagar, telling them the Fort would soon have a Doctor. Accordingly, a building would have to be found to turn into a hospital and dressing station and provisions made for quarters for the Doctor. 

Hagar said there was a storeroom near David's quaters that could be utilised for it. 

David warned it must be scrupulously cleaned and freshly whitewashed inside, and have windows. Hagar said one end of the room could be converted into a bedroom. 

David said he would check it before work began. 

He followed Hagar down to the armoury where the crates containing the mortars and shells were stored. 

Once the crates were open, he set a detail to removing the protective grease in which they had been transported. He showed Hagar the shells and tails, pointing out the significance of the tin safety cap. He ordered that the shells and tails be stored separately. 

Later that night Turin came to see him. They sat outside smoking as he asked what plans David had in store for the coming spring thaw. 

"I think, old friend, we will have a major battle on our hands when the Pass opens. We are going to have to change our tactics. If, as I suspect, the Russians do attempt to use artillery, they will need to use a spotter to register where the shot falls. That can only be achieved from the crests, so they will need to clear out our lookouts first. 

"Also, we will need to move the horses well away from our encampment area. The Cleft will be garrisoned with a full 50-man troop, with 10 men on each crest. We will have to find a means of sheltering them because, if an attack does come there, it most certainly will be at night. My only problem at the moment is to devise a method of creating illumination up there if an attack does develop. 

"We will also need to send out regular patrols to the Pass at the end of February to check if it is clearing. I mean to be there as soon as we can to start finishing off the camp." 

Turin said I'll need to check with Hagar to see if he has acquired a further 25 sets of furs. Yours, by the way, I gave to Hanga. 

The next morning Turin, Sultar and eight Havildar's - the combined Havildar's of Cobra and Tiger Company's - drew a Mortar from the armoury, and four green painted shells and sixteen tails from the magazine. They met David outside the Fort. 

David stressed that a firm area to assemble and mount the mortar was essential. Once an acceptable firing point was found, he talked them through how to assemble it. David could not help noticing the doubtful glances the men gave it. 

David explained the marks on the baseplate and the function of the plumb bob. He then explained the difference between the solid shells they would use today for practice and the explosive shells they would use in battle. He finished by showing them how to clip a tail to the shell and then, finally, how to remove the tin end cap. 

He watched as Turin and Sultar set the mortar up at a 70 degree firing angle. Then, picking up the mortar shell, he ordered them to cover their ears. 

Once he was sure they were clear, he let the shell slide down the tube. 

There was a loud bang and the mortar shuddered on the baseplate. 

David could actually see the shell climbing. It reached the top of its arc and then fell straight down, raising a puff of dust. David started to pace out the distance. At 1125 paces, he reach the shell. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 05.5



Part 5.5 

Chapter 22 

The Officers Call had been delayed until David got back from the Palace. 

He opened the meeting by telling them a British Army inspection team was coming to Kanda to inspect the 'Rabble' that guarded the Pass. 

The reaction of his officers were what he expected: Anger and disbelief. 

After they had cooled down, he went on to say the label "Rabble" had been conferred on them by their former General, Sir Reginald Fitzroy. 

He smiled. "The Prince has suggested - and I concur - that the "Rabble" be paraded in the city. Therefore, Gentlemen, the soldiers of Tiger, Cobra and Panther Companies will pass in review in front of the Prince and his guests. Subedar Major Para will lead the review. I am sure he will ensure our "Rabble" well be well turned out." 

The glint in Para's eyes spoke volumes. 

"Also, I have reviewed the recommendations you provided me regarding command of Panther Company and I concur that Havildar Rhana has demonstrated the qualities necessary for command. I am promoting him to Subedar and look forward to his leadership of Panther in the upcoming parade." 

The smiles of his officers was more than sufficient validation of his decision. 

"It has also been suggested that all the weapons recovered from our engagements at the Pass be put on display for the inspection team. I'll leave Subedar Hangar to arrange that." 

Then David spoke about the Magnesium, "Memsahib Doctor Fletcher has suggested a solution for the problem of illumination at night at the Pass." He went on to describe its brilliant light and how, once ignited, it was almost impossible to extinguish. 

"We need a means of igniting the powder and delivering effectively it without it endangering our men. What we need to devise is a receptacle for the powder that includes some sort of fuse that will give the thrower four or five seconds before it ignites. The receptacle must be tough enough not to break once thrown or the powder will disperse without generating the illumination we need. 

Everyone started suggesting things and David smiled knowing that, between them, they would arrive at a solution. 

Before the meeting broke up, Turin reported that patrols continued to reconnoiter the Pass and found that it remained blocked at point about a 1000 yard from the entrance, mainly as a result of new avalanches. That indicated the snow was melting during the day and triggering the avalanches. He estimated that it might be possible to reach the cleft in four or five weeks. 

Over the next nine days, the Fort was a beehive of activity in anticipation of the review. Equipment and clothing was cleaned and mended; saddles and tack was polished until it gleamed; the horses were brushed and brushed again until they shone 

Subedar Major Para would lead the units out to drill using David's Thor for his mount. 

Two days before leaving for Putan, a dress rehearsal was staged outside the Fort. David sat on Kahn to receive the salute, which was rendered by Subedar Major Para, using his kukri in place of a sabre. Behind him came the colour bearer with the Lovat green flag emblazoned with 1st Khana Rifles. Turin and Tiger Company followed, its guidon proudly displaying the crouching Tiger. Sultar's Cobra Company trailed Tiger Company with Rhana following at the head of Panther. 

David's chest swelled with pride at the sight of his command, every man's back ramrod straight as they passed in review. 

Chapter 23 

Peshawar led General Sir Reginald Fitzroy and his staff of three officers into the audience room of the Prince, who for once was dressed in the full robes of a Maharaja. 

Fitzroy bowed his head and introduced his Officers, Major's Barton and Keeling and Captain Fitzroy. 

The Prince appraised the men before him. The General he judged to be in his sixties, short with a prominent waistline. The redness of his face was emphasised by his white mutton chop whiskers. He had an impatient look verging on arrogance about him. 

Of the two Major's, Barton had all the hallmarks of being a "yes man,' whilst Keeling had a look of intelligence to go with his professional bearing. Keeling's face regarded the Prince coolly. 

The Captain did not favour his father, he saw. He was stick thin with a pasty complexion and is eyes were darting all about the room as if expecting an attack. 

After welcoming them, the Prince bid them to sit, waiting for the General to start the engagement. 

The general coughed to clear his throat and began, "Sir, Her Majesty's government is alarmed at the reports that the Khana Pass is being guarded by an undisciplined rabble. As you are aware, that Pass, along with the Khyber, are the two main routes by which a land attack into India could be launched. Therefore, Her Majesty's Government think it only prudent that the British Army should guard the Pass." 

The Prince gave a thin smile, "On what reports do you base these assumptions General?" 

The General coughed again, and Major Barton replied, "The report came from no less a person than your own General, Sir." 

The Prince looked surprised, "The man you mentioned is not my General. He was stripped of his rank and imprisoned for treason for conspiring with the Afghans and Russians to attack this kingdom. Unfortunately, he escaped, along with several senior officers. Should they return to Kanda they will be executed." 

"So no one is in charge of guarding the Pass?" Major Barton interjected 

. 

"On the contrary," the Prince replied, "I have a Colonel who is responsible for that duty. Actually, a former Officer in your command, General, and one whose performance in several battles does great credit to Her Majesty's army." 

The four officers looked at each other, trying to think of whom the Prince could be referring. 

The prince continued, "You will have the opportunity to meet him tomorrow and see the . . . "rabble" he leads. Before the Pass closed this year ,he and his men repulsed four attempts by the Afghans to take the Pass. An effort during the course of which the Afghan's lost at least 200 men, for the unfortunate loss of one man from our forces." He paused before continuing, "Am I right in saying General that your troops are armed with the Martini Henry rifle?" 

The general gave a curt nod. 

The Prince smiled, "I thought so. Then you may be interested in inspecting what the Afghans were armed with." 

He led them to another room where the weapons recovered from the engagements were laid out. He picked up a Russian rifle from the 168 that were on display and handed it to the General, "I am informed that this is a bolt action rifle firing a smokeless cartridge that is vastly superior to the Martini Henry." 

He watched in amusement as the officers examined the rifles examining, their silent sharing of looks of concerned surprise communicating volumes. 

Finally the General blustered, "So the Afghans have a better rifle than the Martini Henry. All that proves is that you are as disadvantaged as our troops are." 

The Prince shook his head, "I am sure the Afghans wish that were true but, unfortunately for them, it is not. Our soldiers have a rifle considerably superior to these," he said, indicating the captured rifles. 

He went to the door and called a guard. The rifleman came in and gave a sharp present arms. The kukri on his web belt clearly identified him as a Ghurkha. The Prince told him to stand easy. 

He let the British officers stare for several moments at the rifle in the soldier's hands, before resuming the conversation, "This is a Cartwright .303 rifle. It holds 10 rounds of smokeless-powder ammunition in its magazine and, in the hands of a well trained professional soldier such as this, can discharge those rounds in less than fifteen seconds. It has an effective killing range of 1500 yards and all the troops guarding the Pass are armed with one." 

The Officers gathered around the motionless rifleman looking at the rifle. 

"Where did you get these weapons?" demanded the General. 

The Prince smiled sweetly, "They were procured in England by my Colonel." 

Now irate almost past his ability to control himself, the General demanded, "And just who devil is this Colonel you keep speaking of?" 

"His name is Colonel David Ramage, formally of the 2nd Ghurkha Rifles. I understand he was forced to resign his commission from your command." 

The officers froze, the captain's naturally pasty face going even whiter at the disclosure. 

The General blustered, "That man chose to resign his commission rather than face a general court martial for willful disregarding an order in combat; in my book a coward's way out." 

The Prince's face took on a look of surprise, "Really? How remarkable. You see, amongst my troops I have a number of Ghurkhas, men who were present on the day of the incident to which you refer. In light of your characterisation of the event, I find it hard to understand their decision not to re-enlist in the British Army due to their distaste for the outcome of that enquiry. In fact, it was based on their information about what actually occurred that I offered Mr. Ramage a commission in my Army."  

A deathly hush fell upon the group. 

Then the Prince smiled, "But enough of the past, you gentlemen must be hungry and tired. Food has been prepared for you and your quarters are ready. Tomorrow you can judge for yourselves the calibre of the men who guard the Pass, and speak with Colonel Ramage in person." 

David, followed by his command, had arrived at the city in the early morning that same day. Entering at the West gate, they followed the road, which led around the back of the Palace before ultimately arriving at the Royal Stables. 

Ashar Kahn was there to greet him, while his grooms showed David's men where to put their horses. As the soldiers and stable staff went about their duties, Ashar told David his men would be shown to quarters after they had seen to the welfare of their horses. 

With a twinkle in his eyes he said, "Memsahib Susan is in her apartment, should you wish to see her. I can take care of Kahn for you." 

David stuttered his thanks. Throwing his saddlebags over his shoulder, he set off to find her. 

An hour later she was laid across his naked chest, kissing his neck, "You smell of horse," she whispered. 

He chuckled running his hand over her naked back, "And you smell of disinfectant." 

Later they bathed together in the large sunken bath. Afterward, he watched as she wriggled her hips getting into her tight jodhpurs, tucking in the silk shirt she wore. That almost resulted in the need for another bath. 

They had a late breakfast served on the terrace by two Indian girls whose continuous giggles as they attended the couple unnerved David beyond what the snap of Afghan bullets had been able to accomplish. 

Susan chuckled delightedly at his discomfort, "Darling they are only doing that because they approve of my choice of man." 

He shrugged his shoulder, but before she could frame a suitable response, a disturbance in the streets below distracted them: A column of red-coated British soldiers marching towards the Palace gates, lead by four mounted officers. 

David squinted his eyes, "General Fitzroy himself," he muttered, "and Barton. Don't know the other Officer, but . . . my God, Captain Clarence Fitzroy! The old boy must have placed him on his staff. At least he can't harm anyone there," he said, the bitterness apparent in his voice. 

Susan put her arm around him, "David, you have to meet them tomorrow, but the Prince asked that you keep out of the way today. So, can you bear to spend the day with me?" 

David frowned. "Does the Prince know about us," he asked. 

Susan laughed, "I think the whole Palace knows about us. That costume I wore was Princess Yasmin's, and she knows why it is worn" 

The following morning Peshawar led David down along the lower level of the Palace. Finally, coming to a halt by a rather nondescript door, he indicated that David should enter. 

The marble floored room appeared empty, except for the throne sat on a raised dais. 

Then he noticed the Prince between the columns that opened the room to the outside. He was standing by the rail looking out over the city. He turned, seeing David, and smiled at the look of surprise in his eyes before walking towards him, "I know, my friend, you have never seen me in the Royal robes before. But I have had to make an exception for today, to remind our guests who rules here in Kanda." 

The Robes were magnificent: The coat, of white silk, had gold threads running through it; a broad, blue silk sash was fastened by a star encrusted with diamonds; around his neck he wore a heavy gold chain; the turban he wore had a huge ruby in the centre; his fingers sparkled with diamonds and emeralds, and a large pearl hung from an ear. 

The Prince chuckled, "Contrary to appearances, I don't mind telling you, David, that it is most uncomfortable." 

David smiled at the comment and the tensions of the coming meeting started to dissipate. 

It was true that the men he was about to meet had orchestrated the ending of his career in the British Army, but that had led to his meeting with this man, and he had changed David's life for the better. 

"Peshawar has informed Subedar Major Para that the parade will start when we go out on to the terrace." The Prince chuckled, "he informs me that the men were up before dawn cleaning their equipment and horses." 

He looked keenly at David, "How do you feel about meeting these men David. The men who ruined your career?" 

David paused before replying, "I should feel angry I know, Sir, but instead I feel gratitude. Indirectly they have given me a better life. A life I would not have had otherwise." 

The Prince looked fondly at David, "Their actions did a great service for me and my country, David," he said as he moved back inside, seating himself on the throne. 

Peshawar announced the British officers and stood to one side as General Fitzroy came bustling in with the other three officers behind him. They came to an abrupt halt, seeing David stood at the right hand of the Prince on his throne. 

"Good morning gentlemen. I trust you all slept well and your quarters proved adequate?" the Prince purred. "I should like to present my Colonel in command of the 1st Khana Rifles. Colonel Ramage." 

David took a step forward and saluted General Fitzroy, who hesitated a second before returning the salute. 

"You may present your Officers to Colonel Ramage, General Fitzroy," the Prince said with a hint of a smile on his face. 

The General coughed, "Major Barton my aide de camp" he murmured. 

Barton looked at David hesitating before offering a salute. David returned it adding, "The Major and I have met before" 

The general moved to the next officer, "Major Keeling, representing central Command at Bombay." 

Major Keeling gave David a sharp salute, which he returned. 

"I've not had the pleasure of meeting you before Major Keeling," David murmured, thinking he must be on the staff of Lieutenant General Horace Makpeiece, Supreme Commander, India. 

"No, Sir, you have not. I'm here to evaluate the military situation at the Pass and report back to my superior." 

The General moved next to his son, "Captain Fitzroy, a member of my staff." 

David looked at him, his face had gone a deathly white and his eyes wouldn't meet David's. 

He offered up a sloppy salute, to which David replied crisply and precisely. 

"Are yes, Captain Fitzroy, we have met before." 

The Prince smiled, "Well, gentlemen, now that we know each other, I'm sure there are questions you wish to direct to Colonel Ramage." 

Major Keeling was the first to respond, "How many men do you have to guard the Pass, Colonel Ramage?' 

"Which Pass? The 1st Khana Rifles guard two, Major Keeling." Keeling frowned, David continued, "The 1st Khana Rifles are responsible for guarding both the Patena and the Khana Passes from invasion." 

There was silence as the full implication of what he had just said sank in. 

Barton broke the silence, "We have been given to understand that only a rabble guards the Passes." 

David's eyebrows rose, "The 1st Khana Rifles is comprised only of Ghurkha troops, over half them trained by the British Army. I'm sure I don't have to tell you gentleman about the fighting abilities of a Ghurkha soldier. During the engagements that have been fought since the Rifles were formed, on one occasion only 25 Ghurkhas blocked the assault on Khana Pass of several hundred Afghan warriors. After the attack we counted over 200 dead Afghanis." 

"But how many troops do you command," the General demanded. 

David smiled, "The current muster book stands at 332. Of those I have 250 that can be put into the field at a moment's notice." 

"Pah! I should like to see these troops," the General said belligerently. 

"And so you shall," the Prince said, rising from the throne and moving out on to the terrace. "I should like you to take the salute General Fitzroy," the Prince murmured. 

They looked down on the wide boulevard below them as, in the distance, a band struck up a military march. The Prince smiled at David and whispered an aside, "'Over the Hills and Far Away,' I heard a military band play it at Oxford and made it a staple for the Royal band upon my return. Rather appropriate, wouldn't you say?" 

David watched the faces of the British officers as Subedar Major Para came into view with the colour bearer behind, then Turin in front of his Tiger Company, arrayed in ranks of ten. Cobra and Panther Companies followed crisply. 

Major Keeling gasped, "They're cavalry!" 

"No, Mounted Infantry," David replied. 

As Para drew level he gave the salute with his kukri. David's arm snapped up instantly to return it, followed by the British officers. 

David's heart swelled with pride at the turnout of his men as they passed. 

When the last rank disappeared around the bend of the boulevard, the Prince turned to the assembled officers, "I'm hardly one to judge, gentlemen, but those troops hardly look like a rabble to me." 

They returned inside where refreshments were served. 

A short time later Para, Turin, Sultar and Rhana joined them and David introduced them to the General and his staff officers. The Prince noticed that General Fitzroy, his son and Major Barton kept to themselves, while Major Keeling was in deep conversation with the Ghurkha Officers. 

"I would hazard a guess that Major Keeling is the one to convince here," the Prince murmured to David. 

At the reception later that evening, has the General was availing himself of the Prince's malt whisky, David moved out to the terrace to light a cheroot. Turning at the sound of footsteps, he found Major Keeling approaching. 

Keeling accepted David's offer of a cheroot, "At Subedar Major Para's invitation, I took the opportunity to visit your men today. Colonel. I was struck by the loyalty the men have for you. You failed to mention that you were present at all the engagements that took place at the Pass. I have to say, I'm impressed by what you have accomplished." 

His voice lowered as he looked around to make sure he wasn't being over heard, "The British Army is being stretched like at no other period in its history. The Sudan and South Africa are close to war, and we are not prepared for it. The War Office is stripping troops in India to serve in those coming conflicts, leaving barely enough men to guard the Khyber Pass. 

"The Army has begun to be equipped with weapons like yours, the Lee Metford rifle, but they will go to the Armies of Sudan and South Africa first. It may be a year or more before we have them in India. If we had to station troops in Kana, we would have been badly exposed to a serious Russian threat to the Khyber. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 05.5



So I'm delighted to say that I've full confidence in the ability of the 1st Khana Rifles to carry out the task of guarding the Khana Pass." 

David was surprised at Keeling's willingness to share with him such a frank assessment of the British situation. 

Keeling continued, "On a personal note, there are going to be changes in the command structure here in India. General Fitzroy is to be retired along with his son." 

David looked up, startled. 

Keeling chuckled mirthlessly, "Command at Bombay are well aware of what transpired when you resigned your commission. It's not the first time an incident like that had happened. The fact that so many Ghurkhas had declined to reenlist and so few in Nepal were willing to enlist, had a significant bearing on his dismissal." 

Stubbing out the remains of their cheroots, they turned to return to the reception. 

"Thank you for being so honest with me, Major Keeling. I assure you, I'm deeply grateful," David said. 

The following day, after the British officers' departure, David was once more in the company of the Prince, now dressed in shirt and trousers. 

"I had a long discussion with Major Keeling last night," he told David, "He said he was confident that you could hold the Pass." 

"He confided much the same to me Sir." 

"This coming spring there will be a major battle at the Pass won't there, David?" 

David shrugged his shoulders, "I would assume the Russians have reached their own understanding of the strained condition of the British Army, as Major Keeling described it for us. They may well realize they won't have a better opportunity of forcing their way into India than they will this spring. They know the Khyber has been the traditional route into India for centuries, and they know the British army is concentrated there. Khana Pass may look the easier target. If we manage to stop them here, they will have to concentrate on the Khyber. But I very much doubt that they would be willing to commit any significant numbers of Russian troops until a Pass has been breached." 

The Prince chuckled, "Everyone knows that the Afghans raid into India. It's almost regarded as a national sport. So no one much cares or notices. But if the Russians invade, then that's a direct threat against a sovereign nation. For all intents and purposes, an attack on England itself." 

David nodded his head in agreement. 

"I think, when the Pass reopens, that Susan would be better positioned at the Fort, where her skills would be better appreciated and more readily available," The Prince added. 

David nodded in acknowledgment, "She's returning with me to the Fort today, Sir, with supplies for the hospital." 

Chapter 24 

Susan rode Tana beside him, with a rifleman driving the cart behind them. 

"So the Rifles passed the inspection?" she asked. 

"Yes, it seems the Army does have some honourable officers who can see sense after all." 

Susan laughed, "Have you decided how you are going to use the magnesium yet?" 

David shook his head, "Turin and Sultar are working on it. Essentially, we need a fuse for igniting it and something to house it so it can be thrown in sufficient concentration and quantity to generate the required illumination when and where we need it." 

"Well, make sure that they are careful. It's not the sort of material to take chances with. I've been giving this some though, and I think you'd be better using it in a rocket rather than throwing it," Susan replied. 

David looked at her in surprise, "Darling, would that be possible?" he asked. 

"I don't see why not. Rockets are propelled by gunpowder with a container at the end of the rocket for an explosive charge. Your rockets would contain Magnesium instead. The heat and flame of the gunpowder could be made to ignite it. Well, that's my theory anyway." 

"Susan that's brilliant!" he said, excitedly, "If we only had a means of making them" 

"Well I've seen them going up in the city, when someone gets married. Perhaps someone there makes them." 

The Fort had returned to normal after the furor of preparing for the inspection. Men went about their duties supervised by their NCOs. 

David wasted no time informing his officers of Keeling's decision regarding the Rifles' future, knowing they would pass on the information to the troops. 

He turned to Subedar Hangar, "Can you return to the city and locate anyone who makes fireworks, rockets in particular. And bring them out to the Fort with their materials for making them." 

Hangar frowned, "Of course, Colonel Sahib, I'll leave immediately". 

David explained Susan's suggestion to them, seeing the light of understanding appearing in their eyes. 

Turin said a patrol had been dispatched to the Pass and that they should have their report on conditions there the next day. Para said six mules and three carts had arrived from the Horse Master. Also, the building materials for improving defenses in the Pass had been arriving and were being stockpiled, but they were still waiting for sufficient rope to arrive for the blocks and tackles. 

David was in his office when Susan came in. She smiled and sat down opposite his desk. 

"Have you finished your restocking all ready" he asked. 

She nodded, "All done. I've been checking some of the work your aid men have done. They brought their patients for me to check. They had done it right." 

He smiled back, "So where did you store the Magnesium," he asked. 

"I've put it in my bedroom, since I won't be using it as a bedroom anymore," she said demurely. 

He looked at her, surprised by her frank admission, "Susan we should get married. The problem is there's no minister in Kanda." 

She laughed, "Well, that's not the most romantic way of asking someone to marry you. But darling, I can wait until we find someone. Anyhow, in God's eyes we are already married," she said softly, coming around the desk and kissing him. 

"I'll buy you a ring the next time I'm in the city, darling," he promised. 

The following morning, Susan left with an escort of four riflemen. The parting had been sad, neither wanting it. But both knew they had duties to attend to that couldn't be put off. 

Later that morning, three large wagons arrived with oats and fodder for the horses. 

David was informed the wagons and twelve mules were to stay at the Fort after unloading. 

With nearly 300 horses and mules to feed, it could have posed a problem except for the ready grazing available just outside of the Fort. The winter rains had assured an abundance of grass to feed them. 

Turin suggested that some of the building materials could be transported and stored at the entrance to the Pass, to reduce the time of transportation from the Fort. 

David agreed, and the wagons were reloaded ready for the following morning. 

The patrol returned from the Pass, to say they had managed to get to within half a mile of the Cleft before being halted. 

"The sun is melting the snow on the crests, Colonel Sahib, and causing avalanches. But in the narrowest passages it only gets sunlight for perhaps two or three hours a day," the Naik patrol leader reported. 

At the Officers Call that day, David explained he wanted no hold ups, "Once we can safely get men up to the crests, I want those lookout posts expanding to take ten men. The key to holding the Pass will depend on the lookouts on either crest. 

"If, as I suspect, the Russians intend to use artillery against us, then they will need a spotter to report the fall of shot. They must be prevented from this, therefore the lookouts must be our best marksmen." 

"They will surely attack at night Colonel Sahib," Sultar murmured. 

David nodded, "If it were me, I would," he replied. 

Para coughed, "Do we have anything to illuminate the crests and cleft yet Colonel Sahib" 

"I'm hoping when Subedar Hangar returns we may have a solution to the problem," David replied. 

Hangar returned later that afternoon, David was in his office when he appeared at his door with a man and a boy, "This is Mr. Tamar and his son, Colonel Sahib" Hangar said. 

Mr. Tamar looked to be in his late fifties, whilst the boy looked, to David, to be a teenager. 

Mr. Tamar looked worriedly at David, wondering why he was here. 

He tried to put him at ease and asked about his business, finding out that it was a family-run enterprise that stretched back four generations. 

David explained he wanted a rocket that could explode with a dazzling white light, going on to say he had the material for the light, but could it be harnessed to Mr. Tamar's rockets? 

Mr. Tamar explained he would need to see the material first. 

David had Hanga bring the tin tub from Susan's bedroom. Expecting a powder, when David removed the lid he was surprised to find what looked like metallic shavings. 

Tamar smelled the contents then picked up a pinch and rubbed it between his fingers. Finally, he took a small amount outside and placed it on the ground. Then, using a long taper, he placed the burning end into the small mound of shavings. Nothing happened for a second or two and then, with a whoosh, it ignited with a dazzling white light and a thick pall of white smoke. 

Mr. Tamar looked satisfied, "How high does the Sahib wish the rocket to fly?" he asked. 

"Only a hundred feet. We wish the bright light to show what is on the ground at night" David explained. 

Tamar nodded understanding, "And how many rockets will the Sahib need?" 

"At least a hundred," David replied. 

Tamar looked worried, "Sahib I do not have here sufficient gunpowder or other materials to make that number." 

"We can give you gunpowder and perhaps your son can return to bring the materials you need from the city." 

Tamar smiled and began telling his son what was needed, while Hangar arranged for a mule cart and escort to take him to gather the necessary materials. 

Mr. Tamar moved his cart outside of the Fort and set up his camp. 

The next morning David rode out with the patrol to check the Pass. 

At the entrance, the men put on their overcoats and gloves to combat the freezing cold wind that blew down it. 

As they slowly rode down the Pass, David could see that the snow had gone from the heights. Not until they were three miles into it did they see remnants of it shaded spots along the route. 

They were less then half a mile from the Cleft before the way became blocked. David could see the top of the buttress through his telescope. Icicles hung down, reflecting the sunlight, and he noticed they were dripping. 

The ground underfoot was a mixture of mud and slush, with small streams of water soaking into the sand. 

"It has retreated nearly fifty feet since the last patrol, Colonel Sahib," the Naik said pointing to a mark on one wall of the gorge. David watched as he marked the current position. 

They returned to the entrance and made camp for the night. 

As he and the patrol rode through the Fort gate, David noticed that Mr. Tamar's camp had grown. Several others were now helping and he saw Sultar amongst them. 

Back in his quarters, he asked Hanga to prepare a bath and arrange a meeting with his officers in an hour's time. 

Once the Officers were sat down he began, "At he rate that the snow is melting, I would expect us to be able to start work on improving the defenses in the Pass by next week. One of the things I have been thinking about is how we can register the fall of shells from the mortars. The cave lookout point is directly above our camp, as is the other one. As I remember it, the cave crest is fairly clear for about a mile along it. So in order to see the fall of the shells, we need to be looking down at the other end of the cleft." 

He let his comments register with them. 

Turin was the first to reply, "We would have to move the lookout post almost a thousand yards in order to do that, Colonel Sahib." 

David nodded slowly. 

"And how would we report the fall of the shells to the mortar crews in the valley, Colonel Sahib?" Rhana asked. 

David smiled, "That is the next problem we must solve gentlemen" 

He changed the subject and asked if any progress had been made with the rockets. 

Sultar replied that he could see a demonstration that night. He went on to explain the problem had been igniting the Magnesium. The gunpowder propelling the rocket burned so quickly, that it would not reliably ignite the Magnesium, but Sultar had overcome this by placing three match heads inside it. The burning gunpowder had ignited the match heads and wooden shafts they were attached to. Experiments had proven the slower burning match heads were almost completely reliable igniters of the Magnesium flakes. 

He then produced a bag made from cloth. It was tightly bound at the neck, from which a fuse stuck out. 

David immediately grasped the idea: An illumination grenade! 

"I've taken the idea of using match ends at the end of the fuse. The bag is soft enough not to burst when thrown. You can see the result tonight with Tamar's rockets." 

He handed the bag to David. He hefted in his hand. It weighed about half a pound he judged. 

"What about the fuse?" he asked. 

"Its ordinary cotton cord soaked in tallow and gunpowder, Colonel Sahib." 

He removed one from his pocket; the end of the fuse had three match heads bound to it. They went outside so Sultar could demonstrate. 

"The fuses are all cut to give five seconds before exploding," he said, lighting it and tossing it on the ground in front of them. 

The fuse hissed with a red glow until it reached the match heads then burst into flame. 

"We could use these at the Cleft Colonel Sahib," Sultar said. 

David congratulated him, saying he looked forward to the demonstration. 

Only the oil lamps inside the barracks and offices cast their light across the parade ground as David, accompanied by his officers made, his way outside the Fort to Mr. Tamar's encampment. 

Mr. Tamar welcomed, him introducing him to his two other sons who had come from Putan to help him. 

"I think I have succeeded in what the Sahib asked for. It took a little trial and error to find the correct proportion of gunpowder to lift the rockets to the desired height. I also had a problem getting the Sahib's substance to ignite. But you may judge for yourself." 

He picked up a rocket from a pile of about a dozen and showed it to David. The rocket was about 2inches in diameter and roughly two feet long. It was attached to a cane stick about 36 inches long. 

"The Sahib's substance is packed in this part of the rocket," he said indicating about five inches from the tip of the rocket. 

One of the sons stuck a metal rod with a vee-shaped end into the ground and Tamar placed the rocket so the cane rested in the vee, the end of which was just below the body of the rocket. 

Every one moved back as Tamar lit the fuse. 

For a few seconds nothing happened and then, with a whoosh, the rocket took off, climbing almost straight up and leaving a trail of red sparks behind it. 

David followed the red glow until it faded and then, suddenly, the night sky was lit up with a brilliant white light that illuminated everything below. 

David's eyes were for a moment dazzled by the light, which lasted for about six seconds before it went out, leaving a shower of brilliant sparks falling to the earth. 

"That rocket Sahib climbs the highest, but I have made others that explode closer to the ground." 

He demonstrated the second design. This one didn't illuminate as much area as the first, but the light lasted slightly longer. 

David ordered 150 of this size and 100 of the longer range size, an order that delighted Mr. Tamar. He told David it would take four days to complete the order. 

Sultar then demonstrated his 'grenade.' After lighting the fuse, he threw it overarm out into the darkened waste ground. David heard the plop as it landed, and then a second later it exploded in a shower of white sparks and a brilliant white light that lasted for eight or nine seconds before fading. 

"If the Magnesium is not so tightly packed it burns longer, Colonel Sahib," a smiling Sultar explained. 

David laughed, congratulating him, "It seems, gentlemen, that our illumination problem has been solved" 

Turin solved the problem of signaling the fall of shells two days later. 

"I got the idea from the rifle range, Colonel Sahib. We use flags to warn the butts when we are about to fire and to help indicate where on the target the bullet has hit. So why not use flags during the day to direct the fire? 

If we had two flags - say a red one and a green one - the red would mean to increase the range and the green one to reduce it. There are only four marks on a mortar, so one wave of a flag would mean either reduce it by one mark, or increase it by one mark depending on the colour of the flag, Two waves would mean reduce or increase by two marks and so on. 

"Waving both flags together could be used to adjust the fall of the shells to the left or right: Wave both flags in the direction - left or right - the fall of the shell needs to move and the mortar crews would move their alignment in that direction. 

Someone on the forward lookout could signal someone overlooking the camp, and they could signal the ones firing the mortars. We could use a similar method at night using a white lantern and lanterns with coloured glass. The white lantern would let our people know where to look for directions. Moving a red lantern up and down over the white lantern would mean to increase the range, a green lantern moved up and down over it would mean a decrease. Moving the red and green lanterns sideways to the left of the white lantern would mean move the shot left, waving them sideways to the right of it would mean right. We would shield the lanterns so they couldn't be seen from the enemy side." 

David was amazed at the simplicity of it, giving it his immediate approval. 

Turin had teams practicing the new signaling system, with one man outside the Forts wall signaling a man on the Fort's wall, relaying it down to the mortar crews inside the Fort. This reproduced, in miniature, the situation they would face in the Pass: Sending signals from one high point to another and then down into the mortars in the Pass. 

They practiced both day and night signaling, using specially adapted oil lamps Hangar had altered for night firing. While David did not expect much mortar firing at night, having the ability to do it might prove critical and he suspected the Russians were unlikely themselves to have solved that problem for the type of situation they would find in the Pass. 

Meanwhile, the clothing, blankets and other equipment necessary for doing battle in the Pass was checked and rechecked. Men were clipping cartridges into clips and placing them in ammunition boxes. Weapons were cleaned, tested, and cleaned again. Saddles, bridles, and horseshoes were subjected to similar scrutiny. The sense of urgency affected the entire Fort. 

They all knew that spring would soon open the Pass and the Afghans would be close behind. Battle was a certainty. 

An argument broke out at an Officers Call when Turin, Sultar and Rhana all claimed the honor of being the first company to guard it, each insisting it should be them. David solved the problem with straws and Turin won. Half of Tiger Company - 50 men - would be the first at the buttress. It would fall to them to carry out all the new construction and other defensive preparations. 

Turin had the blacksmith forge additional picks and crowbars, along with heavy hammers and chisels, to help force the granite rock of the Pass to help them defend it. 

Chapter 25 

A week later, the patrol reported that, although the cleft was still blocked, the buttress camp was now accessible. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 05.5



Turin's men began loading the heavy wagons, while he and Hangar checked off the items on their lists. 

Later that night he reported to David that he and the Tigers would be leaving at first light. 

David told him he would be report to the Prince, in Putan, and then join him at the Pass the following day. 

He stood on the wall of the Fort as the first rays of the sun rose above the Eastern mountains, watching the wagons and soldiers leave the Fort. 

Later, he rode Thor to the city, arriving a little before noon. 

The Prince was with Ashar Kahn, when he was shown into their presence. 

The Prince looked hard at David knowing why he was here, "The Pass is clear?" 

David shook his head, "Not all of it. The Cleft is still blocked, but we can begin work at the camp, making our preparations," he replied. He then went on to explain about the rockets and system his officers had devised for signaling the mortars.  

The Prince smiled sadly, "So, there is to be a battle and men will die. Yet the men dying do not belong to my kingdom. It seems so unfair to ask them to do this." 

David smiled, "They do not belong to your kingdom, Sir, it is true. But they belong to the Khana Rifles, which binds them tighter than a kingdom. It binds them to each other. They are Ghurkhas. They fight for the man alongside of them, as he fights for them. They fight for their troop, their Company and Regiment, and the flag that flies above them." 

Ashar Kahn said quietly, "And for you Colonel Sahib." 

"And I for them," David replied. 

When it came time for David to leave, Ashar Kahn embraced him whispering, "Be careful my Son, I have promised Sulkie you will be there when she foals." 

The Prince took David's right hand in both of his, looking deeply into his eyes, "David, you must know you are more than my Colonel to me. You are a true friend and I do not wish to lose that friendship. You do not have my permission to get yourself killed." 

Susan was waiting outside the room, "I heard you had arrived in the Palace. You're going to the Pass aren't you?" she murmured her eyes glassy. 

He nodded, "Yes, tomorrow." 

Later as he dressed, he looked down at her beautiful naked body. Her eyes were red from crying, but she made a brave attempt at smiling, "Come back to me darling" she whispered. 

The Fort was in darkness by the time he arrived back. 

Hanga had cleaned his weapons: His rifle, pistols and kukri lay on the table. The furs he wore at the Pass were rolled up along with his blankets. His saddlebags were on an armchair. 

"I've filled your flask, Colonel Sahib, and have put in thirty cheroots as well as forty rounds of pistol ammunition and your telescope. Your cartridge belt has fifty rounds of rifle ammunition. Is there anything that I've forgotten?" 

David smiled, "No, old friend, you have done well. Kahn will have a heavy load to carry tomorrow." 

Hanga left to take care of Thor, leaving David to eat his dinner. 

The next morning, clad in his long johns and shirt after a breakfast of bacon and eggs, he went outside to find Hanga finishing loading Kahn. 

Para, Hangar, Sultar and Rhana were waiting for him. 

"I'll send up the cart with the ammunition, rockets and pigeons in two days, as ordered, Colonel Sahib," Para said. 

David nodded as he mounted. 

"Don't start the battle without me Colonel Sahib," Sultar added. 

Kahn set off at a brisk trot, eager to be away and seemingly unaware of the heavy load he carried. 

When he arrived at the buttress, the sight that met his eyes was one of seemingly organized chaos. Men were hoisting pallets of stone building blocks up to the crests. Others were building storage boxes for ammunition and supplies close to the buttress's walls, while others were on the blockhouse roofs fixing chimney vents and reinforcing the roofing. 

A rifleman took charge of Kahn when David dismounted and removed his furs and bedroll, hurrying into the blockhouse to change, already shivering from the cold wind that blew constantly down the Pass. 

He was changing his boots for the warm fur ones when Turin entered, "Sorry I was not here to meet you, Colonel Sahib, but I was on the crest overseeing the building of the lookout post." 

David waved aside the apology, "So have you found a suitable site for it?" 

Turin explained he had found a step in the rock face about thirty yards beyond the other side of the cleft. At its highest, it was a little over six feet, so he was building the lookout house there, as it would only require three walls. Towards the rim, the step dropped down to about three feet, but provided excellent cover for firing from. He said should be completed by the end of the day, adding it now required only the roof and a chimney for the pot-bellied stove. The same was true of the other lookout post on the other side of the gorge. 

"I've men digging out the coal seam and we are stockpiling it. Tomorrow, when we lift the bunks up, we will also send coal up there as well." 

"How does it look on the other side of the cleft," he asked. 

"The wind has drifted the snow high against the buttress, Colonel Sahib, and the road is hardly visible. I have given orders that should anyone appear, the men are to stop work and hide. That applies to everyone, both on the other side and in the valley." 

David nodded his agreement, then added, "When the lookout posts are completed, we must turn our attention to the safety of the men in the valley. Their biggest danger will come from whatever artillery is used against us, which I'm sure will be mortars. The biggest threat will be shrapnel when they explode. I think it is impossible to drop a shell down the side of the buttress, but a well-aimed or lucky shell will be able to land some yards away from it. Therefore, we shall dig a trench hard against the buttress wall, six feet deep, that the men can drop into when the shells fall." 

Turin nodded, "We can use the material removed to create an earthen wall for the mortar ammunition and rocket storage bins. It may prevent damage to them." 

Turin returned to the crest, leaving David to sort himself out. 

For two days the men laboured from first light until there was no longer any light to work in. David had climbed each crest in turn, viewing the results of their work and providing his own strength to the work when circumstances permitted. 

The new lookout post - surprisingly snug - was now finished. The constant wind brought snow flurries, but inside the new post, prefabricated bunks had been erected and a potbellied stove glowed red from the burning coal. When David looked over the lip he, could see sections of the road appearing through the snow. In front of the step there, was a clear field of fire for roughly 600 yards before outcrops blocked the view that could be seen between the flurries of snow. 

Looking across to the other side of the Pass, he could see the ridge was more broken up, difficult terrain to traverse, he knew. 

The main attack will be against this lookout he surmised. The Afghans had already sent a handful of men to reconnoiter the other crest. Turin and his men's alertness and rifle marksmanship meant they had never returned. Yes, he decided, this will be the next one. 

He expressed his views to Turin that night. 

"In hindsight, I would like to have more men up there now. We will almost certainly lose the two men who have to signal the valley." 

Turin pondered the problem, "The only thing that prevents us placing more men up there is the sleeping arrangements. There are two men on guard throughout the night, so two beds are empty. By squeezing the beds together we may fit in another two or three beds." 

David did a quick calculation in his head, "With 25 men here on the crests and twelve men needed for the mortars, which only leaves 13 for defence of the cleft. We need more men," he decided. 

"I can send for another 25 men from my company, Colonel Sahib." 

David nodded, "Also I intend putting a mortar up there. It will have a greater range than the valley ones." 

A rifleman suggested mounting the beds on top of one another, the legs on the ground bed shortened and the top one nailed and screwed to it. That solved the sleeping arrangements. 

A firing position was found for the mortar outside of the lookout building, bins were built to store the shells and rockets alongside it. 

Six days later, it was possible to clamber over what snow now remained in the cleft. 

David used 16 of his precious tails to fire the dummy warheads to determine the range of his mortars. At the conclusion of his testing, he knew the three mortars in the valley could drop a shell within twenty yards of the buttress wall and eight hundred yards beyond it. The lookout mortar could fire 2000 yards beyond it. 

The additional Tiger Company men had arrived and settled in quickly. The trench was extended to allow for them and additional rifle pits dug to further block the Cleft. 

That night, he sat beside the cook fire sipping from his flask while enjoying a cheroot with Turin, "Well, old friend, have we done enough? Can you think of anything else we can do to be better prepared?" he asked. 

Turin chuckled, "Colonel Sahib, my only fear is that there won't be enough virgins in paradise for the Afghans." 

David laughed "Well, Subedar, that's their worry." 

Two days later the lookouts reported three riders coming along the road. All the fires were put out and the men took cover. 

The riders stopped at the buttress and looked down through the Cleft. They didn't dismount, but turned their horses around and slowly rode back the way they came. 

As soon as they left, the Tigers moved all the horses about half a mile back down the Pass to a spot they had found where the Pass doglegged and provided room and cover for a simple corral. 

David rubbed Kahn's head, talking to him. The horse cover Hanga had made for him from Afghan blankets fit the stallion perfectly. With a last kiss on his nose he left, wondering if he would ever see him again. 

The Afghans started to arrive the next day. At first there were about a hundred with wagons and carts. They stopped a mile from the buttress and began erecting tents. Many more soon followed. 

David climbed to the lookout post. Through his telescope he could make out men making camp and crowding around fires. I bet it's colder for you than for us, he thought grimly. 

By the next morning more had arrived, and even more tents were erected. By late afternoon the tents stretched back beyond the range of the telescope. 

"There must be over a thousand men down there," he observed to Turin at his side. 

"What are they waiting for Colonel Sahib?" he asked. 

"For the artillery to arrive," David replied. 

It came the next day. Six bullocks drew a large heavy wagon. David could make out the squat outline of a heavy mortar. The wagon drew up roughly a thousand yards from the buttress and then a swarm of men began to off load it. 

David focused on the two men who were supervising the work. Both had pale faces under their heavy fur hats. 

One was stamping the ground near in front of the wagon. At first David thought it was because his feet were cold, but then realised he was searching for a firm site to place the mortar. It took them over an hour to remove it, and then lever it into the position indicated by the pale-faced man. 

Once the bullock cart had been sent back, further wagons came forward. Three bell-shaped tents were erected, similar to the ones used in the British Army. 

One was erected several hundred yards away from the mortar, close to the Cleft wall. 

The reason became clear when barrels of gunpowder were stacked in it. A line of men struggled to carry heavy round balls - David counted 40 of them - into one of the other tents. 

One of the pale-faced men was supervising the movement of the equipment going into the last tent, which included what looked like camp beds. Finally, from another cart, a ridge-pole tent was erected and boxes and a camp bed moved inside. A tall man cocooned in furs stood with his back toward David, watching the proceedings as a brazier was lit by it. Then, as if to confirm David's suspicions, four men came and saluted the tall man. Russians. 

By now, the light was fading fast down in the gorge, so David returned to the lower camp. 

That night around, the cook fire David, told Turin about the Russian mortar. 

"It's an old one, probably made forty years ago of thick cast iron. It must weigh over two tons. The barrel is roughly two and a half feet long. But the hollow, cast iron ball it fires is over twelve inches in diameter. It will have, I imagine, a fuse that it burns down and ignites the gunpowder inside ball causing it to explode and disintegrate hundreds of pieces of flying cast iron. They may even have musket balls stuffed in there as well. 

"The fuse will be something of a challenge for them," David added. "Ideally, the fuze will reach the explosives as the ball hits the ground or, if they want it to burst in the air to scatter the fragments more widely, a fraction of a second before it hits. In mountainous conditions like these, that will be very hard to do since the time of flight from the mortar to the point of impact is going to be hard for them to determine. 

"If they cut the fuse too long, the ball may bury itself in the ground, reducing the explosion. If they cut the fuse too short, it may burst so high in the air that the fragments have little power. The age of the fuse, its temperature, whether it has been kept dry, the different weights of the balls, the skill of the crew; all of those things will affect the accuracy and effectiveness. The design of our mortars and their ammunition make them much more reliable and much less subject to chance." 

"A nasty weapon, Colonel Sahib. So we will have no warning of it coming?" Turin asked. 

"You will hear the bang when it goes off, then it will be perhaps ten or twelve seconds before the ball it fires lands. The men must be under cover by then." 

"Do you think it will fire tonight?" Turin murmured. 

David shook his head, "I don't think so, they only have forty or so balls. They won't waste them until they have someone to spot for them." 

"So they will come tomorrow then?" 

David nodded, "I'm going to move up to the lookout point tomorrow and take command there. Whoever holds that position will win the coming battle." 

"You have my best marksman up there with you. I think I should increase the amount of ammunition to two hundred rounds per man, Colonel Sahib." 

David nodded in agreement. 

It was still dark in the gorge as his rifle, bedroll, saddlebags and water skins were winched up to the crest. A rifleman he was replacing waited for him to arrive before descending himself. 

David began by checking the mortar ammunition and rocket supply. There were thirty mortar shells and forty rockets in the bins, along with twenty of Sultar's 'grenades.' 

Three riflemen stood by the mortar, which was placed on a bed of sandbags atop a slab of rock. A set of signal flags was rolled up alongside it. 

"The sgnal lanterns are just inside the door, Colonel Sahib, I will be giving the signals down to the gorge," one said. 

David nodded his approval, and went towards the step. 

A Havildar stood and acknowledged him without the customary salute. There was no need to identify their leaders to any especially observant Afghan sniper. 

"All is quiet, Colonel Sahib, they are just lighting their fires for a meal," he reported. 

David moved down the line of Riflemen crouched behind the step, having a quick word with all of them. 

The last one by the rim of the gorge was looking down into it with a telescope. He moved over to make room for David, handing him the telescope. 

One of the Russians was using his own telescope to view the buttress, while the taller Russian - apparently in conversation with an Afghan clothed in rich furs - was gesturing up towards the crest David was on. 

The Havildar came and crouched beside him, "Do you think they will come today Colonel Sahib?" he asked. 

David looked at the Afghan who was issuing commands to others, "Yes, today, and if we hold, tonight as well" he replied grimly. 

"The only way those shaitans will pass this position is over our dead bodies," the Havildar growled. 

To be continued.



The Tides Of War Pt. 05



The men were looking at, but now in amazement. He explained the mortar had to be set up approximately 100 yards from the buttress in order for the shell to clear it. 

He then let each man fire it, changing the settings to 60, then 50 then 45 degrees. Each time he had the men pace out the distance to the fired shell. 

By the time of the tenth shell, the tube was very hot and it was noticed the range dropped off. This was due to the pipe expanding as a result of heat generated by the ignition of the charges that propelled the shells. The expansion permitted some of the propelling gases to escape around the shell, David explained. To combat that, water should be poured over the tube to cool it. 

He spent an hour answering questions, then directed that each 50-man troop would need to select 12 men to fire the four mortars. 

"You have 59-tails and five solid shells with which to practice, gentlemen, so make them count," David told them. 

He left them to collect the practice bombs and return the mortar to the armoury. 

Returning to his office, David started on the pile of documents Para had left on his desk. Last Post blew as he closed the door to go to his quarters. 

Over the next eight days David was kept busy getting up to date with the changes that had occurred in the Command and managing the rigorous training program. There were 43 men now training in the Panther troop, soldiers from Tiger and Cobra were marched out to receive instruction in the mortar, whilst other troops had drill or musketry or horse training. 

Spring was approaching, its normal promise of renewal overshadowed by the certainty of the violence that would accompany it. 

Subedar Major Turin had introduced a competitive award to the musketry drill. Those who scored 95 or over were awarded a small silver badge of a rifle that was to be pinned to the chest. Those awarded it also received 20 Rupees a month extra. Competition to win it was fierce in the ranks. 

The blacksmith had five mares that were in season confined to the small paddock and 

the tailor had at last delivered 50 more overcoats. 

Subedar Major Para had added to the Prince's guard with three former British Army recruits who were in their late forties and married. He also informed David that accommodation on the same street had been found for the families. 

The Hospital had been completed and an annex had been added to create a bedroom and bathroom. Hanga had furnished it after a trip to the city. 

Of such events, great and small, was the fabric of a frontier garrison woven. 

The lookouts report of riders approaching alerted David. 

He was standing outside on the wooded walkway when Ashar Kahn and Susan rode through the gate accompanied by a small mule cart with a horse tied behind it. 

David's eyes were on Susan; she was dressed in tight cream coloured jodhpurs, black riding boots, and a white open-necked shirt under her opened safari jacket. Her hair was in her now familiar "horses tail" swaying beneath the broad-brimmed hat perched on her head. 

They dismounted and Ashar Kahn came forward with his hand extended, whilst Susan was petting the grey Arab mare she had been riding. 

"Colonel Sahib," Ashar began, "I have brought you a replacement for Sulkie. He is from the Prince's own string, but broken to the saddle already." 

David glanced at the horse tied behind the cart. It was almost as big as Kahn, a jet-black stallion with Arab blood in him he judged. 

Susan came up to him and surprised him with a kiss on the cheek. "Hello David what do you think of Tana? Isn't she gorgeous?" she bubbled happily. 

David chuckled, "And I bet you spoil her." 

He invited them into the lounge whilst men took care of the horses. 

He poured out whisky for himself and Ashar Kahn while Hanga made tea for Susan. 

Once they were settled, he asked her how she was settling in. Her face radiated happiness. It seemed a building just outside the Palace walls had been made available to her. It had been stripped and cleaned, then repainted by an army of workers. 

Susan had her supplies and equipment stored in it. There was provision for six beds and a small laboratory for her microscope and test equipment. The front of the building was arranged into a reception and dressing station. 

"I have two assistants that I'm training. Both are daughters of the Ghurkha guards," she said, obviously proud of her achievements. 

"Memsahib Susan's happiness inspires confidence in all who meet her," Ashar Kahn added with a smile on his face. 

David was surprised at Ashar's use of her Christian name. She had obviously made a conquest there he thought. 

"So what brings you out here?" he asked her. 

"Well, you said I'm responsible for your troops and that they needed instruction on medical aid and . . ." then she grinned, "it also it gave me a chance to ride Tana." 

Ashar and David laughed at her admission. 

"Well, your aid station is complete. When you have finished your tea Hanga will show it to you." 

As she left with Hanga, David asked Ashar how well she was really settling in. 

"The people are suspicious of a Doctor, more so because she is a woman," Ashar replied, "It will take time for them to overcome that. But they see the Ghurkha families bringing their children to be treated. I have also ordered any of my men in the stables who are injured to go to her." 

David changed the subject, "Has the Prince had any word from his agents in Afghanistan?" 

"Only that there is more Russian presence in Kabul, but the roads and passes are as closed to them at this time of year as they are to us." 

The talk turned to horses, it seemed Tana was one of the Prince's daughter's horses, but she no longer rode. The stallion was called Thor, after a northern European god. Ashar said the Prince had named him. He was six years old, older than Kahn, but a strong fast horse. 

Sulkie was doing well and should drop her fowl in six months, Ashar predicted. 

Susan returned, enthusiastic about the Fort's hospital. Hanga was unloading the supplies for it from the cart, along with her suitcase. It seemed, he was informed, that she would be staying for a few days. 

Susan went to clean up and change after her ride and Ashar Kahn took his leave, saying he had to return to the city. 

David detailed a rifleman to request the Fort's officers to report to his office in an hour's time. 

Susan had changed into a skirt and blouse when she reappeared from her quarters. 

The four officers were already present in the office as he presented them to her, "Memsahib Doctor Fletcher will be instructing our men how to give medical aid, both in battle and here in the Fort. Two men from each troop need to be selected, and two men from your command Subedar Major Para, making ten men in all. They need to report for training tomorrow at eleven at the hospital." 

He stood back as the Officers began questioning her. 

Later, in the lounge, as they waited for Hanga to lay the table, Susan commented on how nice his officers were. David chuckled, thinking to himself that "nice" was not among the words he suspected would come to mind if she could see them in battle! 

During dinner he asked if she was happy at her decision to come here to India? 

"Oh David it is everything I dreamed of and more. I feel I can be of real benefit to these people and practice medicine the way it should be practiced; not as a result of wealth or privilege." 

He smiled at her enthusiasm, her green eyes reflecting in the light of the oil lamp like two emeralds. 

Later, as he escorted her back to her bedroom, she had linked her arm in his. 

They stood outside the door she looked up at him and murmured, "I don't consider you a diversion David." 

He was startled for a moment, then looked at her, slowly lowered his head and kissed her. Her lips were so soft and warm, and for a brief moment he forgot who he was. 

He raised his head and saw a tear slowly rolling down her cheek, "Susan please forgive me I had no right to do that," he stammered. 

She smiled, wiping the tear, "I've been wanting you to do that ever since the night on the ship," she whispered. 

He watch as she entered the door, his heart pounding. 

The next morning, after breakfast, they took Kahn and Tana out for a ride. At one point, after a fast gallop, they dismounted to rest the horses and he kissed her again, her arms around his neck, clinging to him. 

They rode back to the Fort slowly, glancing shyly at one another. 

David knew he had fallen in love with Susan. He knew he had been attracted to her from the first meeting, but he had never suspected that she could have feelings for him. She had always struck him as very self-assured young woman who was devoted to her profession. 

Hanga took care of the horses after they dismounted and she rushed away to the hospital where a crowd of riflemen were waiting. 

He didn't see her again until five, when she entered his office. 

"So how did it go Susan?" he asked. 

She smiled tiredly, "Very well, considering. They're all keen to learn. I've started them off on basic first aid and dressings. Tomorrow we'll go onto resuscitation and trauma wounds. Later I'll set up some tests with them using each other as patients." 

"You look tired Susan," he murmured. 

She smiled again, "Not really, but it's been an interesting day in many ways. The men were telling me about the conditions up at the Pass. You do know that the men idolise you? I heard how the Colonel Sahib has improved things for them with clothing and facilities to make it more bearable for them. How the Colonel Sahib been present at every engagement with the enemy. How the Colonel Sahib . . . " 

"The men talk too much," he growled. 

"Perhaps, David, but it's the truth isn't it? You do fight every time the Afghans attack. 

The men also told me how they would kill themselves rather than be taken alive by them. 

You knew that when I spoke of William, didn't you? The same could happen to you," she quietly sobbed as she said it. 

He took her into his arms, "Susan, I guessed as much regarding William. But my job is to lead these men, and I can't do that from behind a desk." 

"David, I don't know what I would do if I lost you, now that I've just found you" 

"It will never happen. Two-hundred kukri-wielding Ghurkhas will see to that," he chuckled. 

Later, as they were having dinner, he asked her how she was getting along with the Prince. 

She chuckled, "He's not at all like I imagined a Maharaja to be. He is dressed like a European most of the time when I have seen him. I eat with him and his daughters if I'm back from the hospital in time." 

"I've never met his family" David replied. 

"He lost his wife three years ago, but he has three daughters and a son. Prince Izarb, his son, is six; then Princess Isasar, who is eight; Princess Ishwar, who is fifteen; and, finally, Princess Yasmin, who is nineteen. 

"Tana was Princess Yasmin's horse, but she had never ridden her. She is suffering from what I suspect is a respiratory infection. I've started her on a course of drugs that have had good results back home." 

She smiled, remembering, "When we eat, we sit at a table and use knives and forks, just like back home. I asked him why, once. He said that during his college days he had learnt a lot that he admired about English manners and customs." 

David laughed, "Yes, and an appreciation for malt whisky." 

Later, in the deep shadows cast by the porch at her bedroom door, he kissed her goodnight. 

"I'll see you in the morning darling," she whispered. 

But the next morning, he was prevented from joining her on the ride by a letter and newspaper delivered from the Prince by a rifleman guard from the Palace. The headlines were about a Colonel Kitchener who had been appointed Major General of an Army given the task of retaking the Sudan. 

This Army was to be equipped with modern bolt-action rifles. The article went on to detail how many British troops that would be employed and what numbers of Egyptian and Sudanese troops would be added to this force. 

David was already aware of this. London had been abuzz with it while he was there. He looked at the date of the paper, noting it was over three weeks old. 

He frowned in thought about why the Prince had sent it. Then, when he opened the paper it became clear. 

The Prince had ringed a small article in ink. It stated that the modern rifle to be employed by Kitchener's Army was similar to the Mauser rifle being developed by the Germans, in that it was a bolt-action magazine rifle capable of holding several rounds of ammunition. 

It listed several European countries who were showing interest in it, Russia being one of them. 

David remembered what Peter had said about the Mauser; that it was equally as good as the Lee Winchester bolt action, but fired 8mm ammunition. 

The rest of the day was spent in conference with his Turin and Sultar, discussing the problem of the lookout shelters and how to make them large enough to house ten men. 

It was finally agreed that the quickest way to solve the problem would be to build them, from blocks of the same type that had been used on the blockhouses. 

While certainly this construction would offer sturdy protection against both the cold weather and enemy attack, it required a solution to the problem of lifting the heavy blocks up the 500 feet to the crests. It was decided a trestle and block and tackle would have to be found and assembled at the summit. Turin said he would speak to Hagar about obtaining the equipment, and the means to transport it to the site. 

David found Susan by the stable fondling Tana, Kahn looked on expecting an apple. 

He took two from the bowl in the lounge before joining her. Kahn whinnied at his approach, thrusting his head forward to be cuddled by him. 

Susan laughed at his antics, "He really does love you." 

David smiled, "He's special," he replied, giving him his apple. 

She looked amused watching Kahn chew the apple. 

Handing her the second apple, he said, "Here try Tana with one." 

Tana looked at it, then sniffed it before taking it in her mouth and chewing. 

"You're giving her bad habits Mr. Ramage," she said coyly as they turned to go into the lounge. 

Hanga asked if she would like tea, as David poured out a scotch for himself. 

"I must find out where to get a bottle of Sherry," she chuckled, then responded to Hanga telling him tea would be fine. 

Replying to his question about the progress of her students, she said they were doing very well and that tomorrow they would begin packing the medical bags they would carry in the field. 

"I shall issue them all some chloroform, along with all the other items they'll need. I'm going to have to order more from England. The Prince said he would send the order when I'm ready. Have you given any consideration on how you will get stretcher cases back to the Fort?" she asked. 

David had a sudden thought, and leaving Susan's question unanswered for the moment, asked her, "You know chemistry. Is there any simple element or compound that can give off a sustained bright light when ignited in open ground?" 

Susan frowned, "The one that springs to mind is Magnesium, why do you ask?" 

David's face beamed, "Of course, I knew I had heard of something that might have those characteristics," he then went on to explain why he needed it. 

"It's not the most stable compound, once burning it's hard to put out. Water only makes it burn more intensely," Susan muttered. 

"Better and better," David enthused, "can you ask the Prince to order say, fifty pounds of it?" 

Susan nodded slowly. "But how would you use it," she asked. 

"We will need to experiment with it to find out how to ignite it and deliver it. But we'll find some way of doing it," he said happily. 

Chapter 21 

Susan departed two days later, escorted by two riflemen. Their farewell had been hard for both, each making the moment last as long as possible. 

It was a week after that Para, Hagar, Turin and Sultar unexpectedly entered his office one morning. 

David frowned seeing the officers. 

Subedar Major Para broke the silence, "Colonel Sahib, you command the 1st Khana Rifles is this not so?" 

David nodded. 

"Is it not also true that the men of the Khana Rifles are Ghurkhas, and that a Ghurkha is not a Ghurkha without a kukri?" 

Again David nodded, now even more curious about the purpose of the conversation. 

"And yet, Colonel Sahib, there is one man in your command who does not wear a kukri." 

David's face was creased in thought trying to think to whom they could be referring. 

Then Turin brought from behind his back a sheathed kukri. Its hilt was ivory with silver-chased bands around it. 

Para continued, "Colonel Sahib, you are that man. It is not fitting that you do not wear one," he said as Turin presented it to him. 

David was overcome, "Gentlemen, the honour you do me with this gift is beyond any words that I am capable of expressing. Needless to say I shall wear this in full knowledge of the traditions and courage that mark a Ghurkha." 

David learnt afterwards that it had been ordered two months ago by one of the rifleman, who had returned to Nepal on home leave. 

One of the advantages of issuing home leave had been that the returning men returned were invariably accompanied by more volunteers for the regiment. 

David examined the kukri after the men had gone. The fifteen-inch blade was razor sharp, easily slicing off the hairs on his arm. 

With Susan's Tana gone, David was able to move Thor into the stable alongside Kahn. At first Kahn resented the fuss David made of Thor, but eventually grew to accept him. 

At Officer's Call, Sultar brought up a question that some of the medical team in his command had posed. It was Susan's unanswered question: How would men seriously wounded on the crests be brought down to the valley? 

David considered the question. It would be very dangerous to try carrying a stretcher down the steep paths. 

"The obvious answer is to lower the stretcher down, which will mean having a block and tackle trestle on both crests," he said. 

"Also, how do we intend to get the wounded back to the Fort?" Sultar asked. 

David chuckled, "It is clear the medical teams take their positions seriously." 

Turin said the road within the Pass was not that good, owing to frequent rock falls, but stretchers could be carried to the entrance slung between mules and then transferred to a cart for the journey to the fort. 

Which then raised the question of mules and carts. The Fort only had two mules and one cart, which used by Subedar Hagar for trips to the city for replenishing stocks. 

David made a note in his book, promising to bring it to the consideration of the Prince. 

"We must now turn our attention to Panther Company," David said, "We now have sufficient men to make up a troop. Subedar Major Para's men have been commanding it up to now, but we need to decide who within the troop should be promoted to lead it. I would like you to discuss this amongst yourselves and give me your recommendations." At that, David brought the meeting to a close. 

It was two weeks later that David was free to visit the city. Mounting Kahn, he informed Hanga that he would be away for several days. 

David had been hoping to get away before this, but something always came up that demanded his attention. Now, at last, he was now free to go. It was, of course, necessary, in part, to secure mules and a cart for the hospital, and to organise the heavy wagons and building material for the Pass. But he knew the underlying reason for his urgency was to see Susan. 

As always, he was shown into the presence of the Prince by Peshawar. After the usual greetings, they got down to business. David's requests were soon sorted out, the Prince telling him to see the Horse Master for his requests for draft animals and the necessary carts and wagons. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 05



The Prince's face grew sombre, "My brother has been up to some mischief, informing the British Authorities that only a rabble guards the Pass, and it would seem that his lies have been taken seriously. 

"A General Sir Reginald Fitzroy and his staff are due to visit me in two weeks' time to discuss the safety of the Pass." 

The Prince smiled at the look on David's face at the mention of the name. 

"I was wondering if we could not lay on a demonstration of the 'rabble' so the General could see for himself." 

David's face became grim, "I could have 250 men parade for him, he could judge then himself if they are 'rabble.'" 

"I see we are in accord David," the Prince replied, "It may help if all the captured Russian rifles were at hand to show the success of your defence of the Pass as well. I will have quarters prepared for your troops. They should be here a day before the parade." 

David acknowledged the Prince's order. 

"Now I mustn't detain you any longer, as I know a certain Doctor is most anxious to see you," the Prince said, with a broad smile on his face. 

She was in the stables talking to Ashar Kahn when he appeared. 

"David!" she cried throwing herself into his arms and kissing him. 

"It seems the Colonel Sahib has made another conquest," Ashar said chuckling. 

David blushed with embarrassment as he gently broke free from her embrace. 

"Colonel Sahib it is too late to blush. Everyone in the Palace is aware of your feelings in this matter," he murmured, still chuckling. 

David quickly explained the need for the mules and cart, and the wagons and building materials. 

Ashar smiled, "I shall bring them out to the Fort at the end of the week. Perhaps Memsahib Susan would like to accompany me to give Tana some exercise?" he said, with a knowing smile. 

Susan led him to her quarters and they stood on the terrace looking out over the city his arm around her waist. 

"I've missed you," she whispered resting her head on his shoulder. 

"I think of you every night before I sleep," he replied. 

"Well you won't need to tonight, I've told the girls we shall eat in here this evening." 

"I'll have to find where Peshawar is putting me so I can wash and change beforehand," David replied. 

"No, you don't. Your saddlebags have been brought. You're sleeping here tonight," she whispered. 

David looked at her, astonished, "Susan are you sure about this" 

She smiled, "Oh yes David, I'm sure, but only if you want too." 

For a reply he kissed her, holding the kiss for several seconds in an attempt to communicate his feelings. 

"I'd better go and clean up, I'm dusty from the ride," he murmured. 

She smiled and clapped her hands. At the sound, the doors flew open and two girls in sari's appeared. Susan addressed them, "Sula, Patta the Sahib needs a bath prepared." 

"At once Memsahib," one of the girls replied as they closed the door. 

David looked at her in amusement. She returned the look, explaining they were the maids that Princess Yasmin had assigned to her. 

"So you know the Princess quite well then?" he asked. 

She chuckled, "Oh yes, she's like a younger sister. We spend hours talking about England and fashions. She wants to go to University in England. She has piles of books that she has read. She's very much like her father in that respect." 

David was pleased she had someone to relate too. He knew she was twenty-four so the age difference between Susan and the 19-year-old Princess was not great. 

The door opened and Sula announced the bath was ready for the Sahib. 

He found his saddlebags in the bathroom. After his bath, he shaved and changed, then slipped the bags over his shoulder, taking them back into Susan's room. 

She smiled as he entered, bending to pour out a drink from a crystal decanter. She saw his forehead wrinkle in surprise. 

"The Prince sent it," she explained, "He must know your habits" she chuckled, indicating the box of cheroots that lay on the table. 

"Why don't you take your drink out to the terrace while I go and change. The view is breathtaking at this time of the evening." 

'Not the only breathtaking view,' David thought as she left. After she had gone, he moved out to the terrace and sat in a large cane chair. As promised, the view was magnificent. He could see the snow clad mountains, their tips edged in gold from the setting sun. But beyond those mountains lay Afghanistan. 

'I wonder what lies ahead for the Rifles,' he thought. His mind started going over what had to be done before the battle that he knew was coming. The fate of this peaceful land and its people depended upon him getting it right, he knew. He had implicit faith in the men he led, remembering the Ghurkha motto 'Rather death than cowardice.' 

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he unaware of Susan's return until she murmured, "You're thinking of what will happen when the Pass opens." 

He turned round and froze. She had changed into Indian attire. A sleeveless blouse covered her breasts, leaving her midriff bare. It was complemented by a sort of sarong whose wrappings hugged her hips, the end of the wrap was placed over her left shoulder. Both were a deep red. 

Her face had been made up with eye shadow and lipstick that matched the colour of her clothes. Her hair had been brushed back straight to hang behind her back. 

Her feet were bare, and she had bangles on her ankles and arms. 

The sarong's material was so fine he could see the outline of her legs through it. 

He licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry. 

"Do you like it David," she said, her voice suddenly concerned. 

"Darling you look devastating," he whispered. 

She smiled, relieved at his answer. "Yasmin picked it out for me and helped me dress. It's worn for a woman's lover or husband, apparently." 

"There's a lot we can learn from India and its customs," he said taking her into his arms. 

She broke away breathless, "The girls will be serving dinner soon," she murmured. 

She refreshed his drink, which gave herself something to do as she attempted to deal with her arousal. 

"Oh, the supplies I ordered are at sea and should arrive by next week. It includes your Magnesium," she said, gaining control over herself. 

She could feel his eyes on her body. Torn between Victorian modesty and the need to enflame him, she had chosen the latter. But somehow, the clothes were having the same effect on her. 

"Oh, that's nice," he said offhandedly, before reaching out for her. 

She moved out of reach just as the doors opened and the girls came in carrying trays of food. 

David couldn't remember what he ate, his eyes fixed on her throughout dinner. He could see the swell of her breasts through the thin material of the blouse and feel the discomfort of his arousal. 

When the girls had finally cleared away and closed the door for the last time, they sat staring at each other, both afraid to move. 

Finally Susan asked in a low voice, "Would you like to go to bed David?" 

He couldn't trust his voice to speak but just nodded. 

They moved to the bedroom both overcome with shyness. 

David turned his back on her as he quickly undressed and slipped under the silk sheets. 

She had her back to him as she finished undressing. He gazed at her ivory skin, the slimness of her waist and her firm bottom, the slenderness of her long legs, and the way her hair cascaded down over her back. 

She slipped between the sheets and lay on her back, the sheet pulled up to her chin. 

"David," she whispered, "you don't think I being too forward doing this, do you?" 

He bent over her and kissed her gently, "No, darling, I don't. I just thank God that I have you in my life." 

She lifted her arms, putting them around his neck, the sheet slipping to reveal her breasts as she kissed him. 

Their tongues entwined as the kiss deepened and his hand cupped her breast. 

She groaned at the touch, "David please be gentle with me." 

They were hesitant and clumsy as they discovered the mysteries of each other's bodies, 

She stiffened and clenched his shoulders as he entered her. He stopped, concerned. 

"Okay," she gasped, "I'm alright now darling." 

He began slowly but soon the passion that had enflamed them took over their actions. As their bodies responded to it, all hesitancy and clumsiness vanished. 

Susan cried out in their mutual release at the end. 

David struggled to draw air into his tortured lungs and sweat covered his body. 

He looked up from where he lay on his back. Susan gazed down at him, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, a look of wonder on her face. 

"David that was incredible," she whispered, "I know how it is explained in medical journals, but it never describes the emotion or feelings one has." 

David looked at her, concerned, "Susan, I hurt you didn't I?" 

She giggled and kissed him on the nose, "Only for a moment, but it was worth it for what followed." 

Another concern griped him, "I may have made you pregnant." 

She smiled again, "I don't think so. Sula gave me some of the herb tea that the women take to avoid pregnancy. She claims it's very effective." 

He frowned, "So you had this all planned, knowing what would happen?" 

She looked solemn and nodded, "Don't hate me for it David." 

Smiling, he held her in his arms, "I could never hate you, I love you too much for that." 

Later they made love again, but with more assuredness this time. 

At his departure the next morning, he held Susan close before mounting Kahn for the ride back to the Fort. She promised to accompany the Magnesium to the Fort when it arrived. 

There was a hint of something in the air. The edge of spring? 

To be continued



The Tides Of War Pt. 06



Chapter 26 

David was arranging his bedroll on a bunk. He'd placed his saddle pistol inside a saddlebag along with the ammunition for the pistols and his telescope. 

A cloth bag containing forty clips of rifle ammunition hung by it's strap next to his rifle. 

All the men had similar bags within arm's reach. 

He had almost finished the cup of tea the mortar team had made for the men, when the Havildar report movement along the crest. 

David rushed back to his position by the rim. Looking through the telescope he saw about twenty men emerging from broken ground some 800 yards away. 

Sighting his rifle on the leader, David said, "Wait for my signal." 

He waited until they were only 300 yards away before squeezing the trigger. 

It was over in less than thirty seconds - at that range, the well-trained marksmen his men had become didn't miss. Not one of the bodies stirred. 

David looked down into the gorge where hundreds of faces were looking up at the sound of gunfire. 

The Ghurkhas efficiently stripped the bodies of their fur coats and weapons, bringing them back to the step. 

One handed David a coat, "It will be more comfortable to lay on, Colonel Sahib." 

David thanked the man noticing there was no blood on it. 

Through his telescope, David could see a heated discussion going on between the tall Russian and the obvious leader of the Afghans. A discussion they were taking care to have well beyond effective rifle range of the 1st Kana Rifles' position. 

The Havildar came over to him, "The men only used two or three rounds of ammunition, Colonel Sahib, and they all aimed for the head." 

David nodded, "They'll be back tonight, but there will be a lot more of them. They know we are here now." 

"I will rig trip wires out by outcrop. It will give us some warning of their approach, Colonel Sahib" 

David watched as the riflemen put pebbles into tin cans then attached them to a series of long cords placed across the most likely routes of approach for the Afghans. 

He told the men to eat early and put out any fires before the sun went down. After they had eaten, leaving only a couple of men on the line for security, he gathered them around him, "When the rockets go up, don't look at them, the light will blind you. Instead, look to your front and fire fast and accurately. There will be many more tonight than today, but they must not get past us." 

The men looked grimly at him. He continued, "The Afghans are tough fighters, but they have never fought a real battle against Ghurkhas before. We will make sure that, after this battle, they will never want to meet them again." The smiles on their faces looked more like snarls of pleasure. 

He moved his position to the centre of the line and placed a rocket rest firmly into the ground at a slight angle. The Havildar and six men along the line did the same. They had divided the rockets and grenades between them. Each had a length of greased rope that, when lit, would smoulder for many minutes and thus act as a match for lighting the fuses of the new weapons. 

Just before full dark David went along the lines checking each man. Their weapons bags were open revealing the clips of rifle ammunition ready for use. Some had clips resting on top of the firing step for more rapid access, others had their unsheathed kukri's there. 

The night was moonless, its light hidden by dark clouds. Only the sound of the wind disturbed the darkness. David sat with his back against the step, his rifle in his gloved hands, the sights set for 500 yards. His pistols rested on top of the step. Strangely, he was thinking of Susan. He'd done everything he could think of, now it was a matter of waiting. 

An hour passed, and then another, and then out of the blackness the wind brought the sound of pebbles rattling in a tin can. 

David blew on the smouldering rope's end and touched the rocket fuse. The night sky was suddenly torn apart by a brilliant light as the rocket exploded. 

A mass of men stood frozen their hands gripping rifles as they looked up at the light. 

Twenty rifles fired as one, cutting them down as the night erupted into screams. David was working the rifle bolt as fast as he could, not bothering to aim, just firing into the sold mass of men. As the Havildar's rocket went up, David's rifle fell empty and he placed another rocket in the rest before reloading. 

With suicidal courage, some of the Afghans charged forward, only to be met by death from the sustained fire of the .303's. 

David was working like an automaton; firing, reloading and releasing rockets. Many of the Afghans had gone to ground to return fire from behind the dead bodies of their comrades, some less than a hundred yards away. 

He lit the fuse of a grenade and threw it with all his strength at one group of Afghans bunched up behind a pile of bodies. The grenade ignited in a shower of burning magnesium, adding a new horror to the battlefield, igniting clothes and burning flesh. 

Men leapt up, their rifles forgotten while trying to beat out the flames, only to be shot down by the Ghurkhas. 

The Havildar must have thrown one as well, David reasoned, as more burning clothes lit the battle area as the Afghans withdrew. 

For the rest of that night they waited in the dark, listening to the screams and groans of the wounded and the smell of burning flesh carried to them by the wind. 

Two of the Riflemen had been wounded: one in the arm and the other had an ear torn off by a bullet. 

They were lowered down on a pallet to the gorge below. 

The true horror of the battle was revealed the next morning. 

Piles of bodies littered the area, some stacked three deep on top of each other. 

David sent two riflemen forward to the outcrop 800 yards away to check if any Afghans remained. When they signaled all clear, the rest went out to clear the bodies. 

David was sitting with his back against the blockhouse wall taking a drink from a flask when the Havildar reported. 

"143 dead, Colonel Sahib. Some of their rifles were hit by our bullets and destroyed. We will lower their weapons down to the gorge. We have thrown the bodies down a fissure, and reset the alarm tripwires." 

"Thank you Havildar. Return the rockets and grenades to their bins and have two more men sent up from the gorge to replace the wounded. Tell the men they fought well, like true Ghurkhas." 

David took his telescope to the rim to look down at the enemy. 

Twenty or thirty Afghans were surrounding the Russians, obviously angry as they pointed up at the crest. 

David smiled grimly, 'So what's your next move,' he thought. 

He returned to the valley floor to arrange for rockets to be sent up to replace the ones used. While there, he told Turin about the battle and the deadly effect of the grenades. 

"Have the wounded been sent to the Fort," he asked. 

"No, Colonel Sahib. Memsahib Doctor is at the entrance of the Pass. She has erected tents for the wounded and has two assistants with her as well as ten riflemen to help." 

David was horrified at the news of Susan's close proximity to the battle. He gave the order to saddle his horse, but before it was acted upon frantic signals were seen at the crest. 

David was torn between seeing Susan and knowing what was happening at the crest. He rescinded his order about the horse and hurried back up the path to the crest. 

At the top, the Havildar met him, "They are repositioning the mortar, Colonel Sahib, to fire up here". 

David rushed to the rim to look down. The mortar had been moved much closer to the buttress and now faced the lookout position. Wedges had been placed under the front of it giving the mortar a steeper angle so that,through his telescope, he could almost see down the barrel. 

A cask of gunpowder stood alongside the mortar, as the Russians charged it from another cask. 

David had to think fast. There was no cover for the riflemen to hide from the blast Russian mortar bombs. 

"Tell the men to lay flat against the step and cover their ears," he yelled at the Havildar, before rushing to their mortar. He didn't wait to see if he was obeyed, as he began adjusting it to a 60-degree firing angle. 

He heard the crashing boom as the Russian mortar fired and then the thud as the bomb landed just behind him. He spun round, expecting to be torn to shreds with the blast, but the ball lay there with the fuse hissing. Without really thinking, he rushed forward and nipped out the fuse, burning his fingers in the process. 

With his heart pounding, he realised the Russians had not allowed for the shorter distance the round had travelled and had cut the detonating fuse too long. 

The men climbed to their feet, amazed at what he had done. But he gave them no time to comment, ordering the mortar team to adjust it to his directions as he stood on the rim in line with the mortar below. 

Bullets were whizzing past him, some plucking at his clothes, as the Afghans below opened fire on him. He dropped back down, satisfied with the alignment. As his crew fired, he raised his head between two rocks in order to observe the shell's impact. 

The Russians were frantically trying to reload when the first mortar shell landed a hundred feet beyond them. With a savage crack, it exploded, scything down 20 or so Afghans among the hundreds crowding around the Russian mortar. 

Once again moving up on the rim, David gave the hand signal indicating that the mortar team should to increase the firing angle to 70 degrees. The next shell fell at the correct range, but to the right of the enemy's mortar, killing more of the Afghans as they rushed to get away but leaving the mortar intact. The Russian carrying the ball for their next firing, dropped it as he dived for cover. 

David rushed to his mortar team and twisted the base of the weapon a little to the left before nodding for them to fire. 

The shell landed almost on top of the gunpowder cask by the Russian mortar, exploding it and, in turn, setting off the other casks of gunpowder stacked in a nearby tent. The resulting blast shook even the crest. 

The Russian mortar position was obscured by thick smoke and dust. As it cleared, bodies were strewn all over the place, some still displaying life as they tried to drag themselves away from the blast area. 

The mortar had been blown over onto its side, with some of the thick timbers that supported it either blown off or smashed. 

David sat down as the Ghurkhas cheered. He reached into his saddlebag, removing his flask, and took a long drink, noticing his hand was shaking violently as his adrenaline began to dissipate. 

It had been close, he knew. Too close. If the ball had exploded he, along with half the men, would have been killed or wounded. 

The Havildar stood in front of him and saluted, "Colonel Sahib, are you sure you were not born a Ghurkha?" he said with a grin. Then his face grew serious, "Sahib, you are wounded," grabbing David as he fell over. 

Only then did David feel the pain lancing through him. A bullet had struck him and blood was running down his legs. 

He'd never felt it, but now he was suddenly so tired that he struggled to keep his eyes opened as his strength deserted him. 

He dimly remembered being lowered into the gorge on a pallet before everything went black. 

For four days David's life hung in the balance. On the fifth day, he opened his eyes, 

It took a while for his eyes to focus. As they did, he saw a pretty olive-skinned face peering down at him. He tried to open his mouth to talk but his lips seemed fused together. 

The girl shook her head at him and placed a damp flannel against his mouth, at the same time twisting around to shout something to someone behind her. 

David looked in that direction seeing a figure bent over a table with the head supported by folded arms. The head lifted and he realised it was Susan. 

The next moment she was bending over him, her face glowing with relief. 

She tenderly raised his head to allow him to drink. 

"Where am I?" he mumbled. 

"You are at the Pass entrance, in hospital, darling, now rest please." 

He shook his head, "No I must get back," he said trying to raise up. 

Susan firmly pushed him back, "David there's nothing to get back for. The Afghans have all gone." 

He looked confused, "Where? How?" 

"David, don't excite yourself. You have been very seriously wounded,and you almost bled to death. Now you have to regain your strength." 

David noticed the blood stains on her white smock, "How long have I been here?" 

Susan realised he would not rest until he knew some answers, "Four days. The day after you were brought in, there was a big battle at the Cleft. I'm afraid seven of your men were killed and 14 wounded, but after it, the Afghans left." 

David's face registered shock at the loss of his men. 

"Now if you will eat a little chicken soup, I'll send for Turin or Sultar and they can explain in detail." 

David frowned at Sultar's name what was he doing here he thought. 

Two hours later he saw Susan talking to both Turin and Sultar at the tent's entrance. 

When they walked to his bed he noticed Turin had his left arm in a sling. 

Both Officers gave him a salute, with broad grins on their faces. 

"It is good to see the Colonel Sahib back amongst us again," Turin said. 

David thanked him then asked for a report on what had occured. 

Turin explained that, when David had been taken to the hospital, he had sent a pigeon requesting Sultar's presence at the Cleft. He had intended replacing David at the lookout post and wanted Sultar to take over the Cleft guard. 

Sultar arrived three hours later, riding the spare horse he had taken with him in anticipation that his first mount would not be able to maintain the pace for the entire trip to the Pass. 

Turin continued his report, "Down below, I saw the Afghans were in an angry mood as their chiefs argued with each other. I thought they would leave, but I forgot what a proud people they were, and you had hurt their pride. 

"Just before darkness filled the gorge, I saw large bands of them moving up towards the buttress. I fired a rocket over them and saw many hundreds of them filling the area near the Cleft. I order the mortar at the crest position to open fire and signalled the ones in the gorge to fire as well. I gave the Havildar the order to have the men fire down into the gorge and keep the rockets going. 

"Before leaving I lit the fuse of the ball you had extinguished and rolled it over the edge. It exploded in the air in the cleft and you could hear the screams of the wounded and roars of rage. 

"I started down the path knowing the attack would come from the Cleft, but before I reached the bottom there was an explosion. That's when I got this little scratch." 

"A scratch that needed ten stitches to close it," Sultar added. 

Turin glared at Sultar before going on with his report, "The explosion had taken us by surprise, killing three of the mortar teams and wrecking two of the mortars. Then a few seconds later there was another explosion, but muffled this time. 

"The Afghans were rolling the mortar balls down the cleft after lighting the fuses. The second ball had rolled into a rifle pit where two riflemen were. The sides of the pit took most of the force of the explosion and nothing was found of the riflemen in it. 

We were still stunned when the Afghans came charging out of the cleft. It was hard to see in the darkness until Sultar started throwing his grenades. They landed near the entrance slowing down the Afghans. My arm was useless for firing a rifle, so I joined Sultar in throwing them and firing my pistol. 

"In places, the men were fighting hand to hand. The men on the other lookout post started dropping grenades down into the Cleft, effectively stopping any more from coming through. It was a scene from hell. The Afghans could not retreat on our side of it, so it was either be shot down or burnt alive. 

The battle essentially ended at that point and we gathered up our wounded and dead. Most were caused by the first explosion. The Memsahib would not rest as she treated the wounded, but two died later. Their wounds were too severe for her to save them. 

We gathered 289 Afghan bodies up from the camp area and the Cleft the next day. By then the Afghans had left, taking with them the bodies of those who died on their side of the buttress. I examined the Russian mortar. The casting was split. It will never fire again. We also found 36 Russian mortar bomb balls by the buttress. I had them divided between the two lookout posts. They can be lit and rolled over the edge should the Afghans attack again. 

"The wounded," David asked, "How bad is it?" 

"One has lost an arm, but Memsahib Doctor says he will live. The others are not so bad and all will recover in time." 

David looked at the two Officers, "Gentlemen Kana owes you a debt of gratitude for what you achieved." 

Turin shook his head, "Colonel Sahib, it is you who is owed the gratitude. When you were brought down on the pallet, the men had to be stopped from rushing through the Cleft to seek revenge on the Afghans. They fought for you that night. Not for Kana, but for you." 

Susan came to his bed, "The Colonel Sahib must rest now gentlemen." 

"And you must rest too, Memsahib Doctor. You have had none for over three days now," 

Sultar murmured. 

Susan pushed a stray strand of hair from her face and nodded tiredly. 

Chapter 27 

It was another three days before Susan would let him get out of bed for an hour. 

As he recuperated, he expressed his alarm about her putting herself so close to the battle by placing the aid station at the entrance to the Pass instead of at the Fort. 

"If I had," she replied, sweetly, "you, along with half the wounded would be dead by now." 

On the fifth day, against her protests, he said he was fit enough to return to the Fort and gave the order to prepare to move. The tents were broken down and the equipment packed, then loaded into carts. 

When he emerged from his tent, David found Kahn tied to one of the carts. He whinnied when he saw him and tried to lick his face, as David fondled him. He mounted awkwardly, his chest still bound where the bullet had broken two ribs. Then, with Susan mounted on Tana beside him, they started back slowly, following the carts. 

It was late afternoon when the Fort came into sight. The escort had trotted on ahead, but David had been more than content just to let Kahn walk slowly, his chest feeling each step Kahn took. 

At the gate, the cart stopped and Susan dismounted, "Go on ahead darling I need to check something," she said. 

He passed through the gate and then stopped. His entire command was lined up on parade. 

Subedar Major Para roared out the order and, as the entire command came to 'present arms,' he wheeled about and saluted David. 

David's throat constricted with emotion as he returned the salute. Then the entire command started cheering throwing their hats into the air. 

He managed to dismount by his quarters where Hanga, a huge smile on his face, took charge of Kahn. It was only then that he noticed the Prince and Ashar Kahn standing on his porch watching him. 

David stopped and started to bow his head but the Prince took hold of his shoulders, 

"You will never bow to me again David," his voice filled with emotion, "it is I who should bow to you." 

David tried to protest as the Prince led him inside, placing him in an armchair. 

Ashar Kahn handed him a whisky, "My Son, I think you have a need of this," he said, smiling. 

David took a sip as the Prince and Ashar sat down with their drinks. 

"Your Officers have given me a full report of what happened in the Pass." 




The Tides Of War Pt. 06



"Then you must know that my Officers, Turin and Sultar fought the battle, not I Sir." 

The Prince chuckled, "Yes, so I heard. You, on the other hand, were apparently distracted putting out burning fuses on Russian mortar bombs or standing in full view of a thousand rifle-firing Afghans while directing the fire of your mortar that destroyed the Russian one. Is that not so?" 

David stuttered that the real fight had happened when he was absent. 

Ashar Kahn smiled, "My Son, your modesty does you credit. From the tales I have heard from the men who were there, your courage inspired your men. Yours and Memsahib Susan's. She refused to let you die, she stayed by your side for over forty-eight hours. Such a women should be a wife, if a man had sense enough to know." 

"I've asked Susan to marry me, but we have to find a priest and I have to get a ring," he protested. 

The Prince and Ashar burst out laughing. 

"It so happens that a Reverend Makpeiece will be visiting Kana in a week's time, at my invitation. I'm sure he could be prevailed upon to carry out a wedding. As for a ring, I'm sure this would fit," the Prince said, removing a heavy gold ring from his little finger. 

"Thank you, Sir," David stammered, "But Susan should pick the ring." 

"What makes you think she didn't?" a female voice said. 

David twisted around in his seat. Susan was stood in the doorway. She came and sat on the arm of his chair, bending over to kiss the top of his head. 

David flushed with embarrassment. 

The Prince smiled at them, "So that takes care of the wedding ring, but what of the engagement ring?" 

David looked confused, "I...I haven't had time to look for one," he stuttered. 

"Of course you didn't. You were far too busy saving my kingdom," the Prince murmured, "See if she would like this one," he said, handing David a velvet bag. 

Susan craned her neck to look as he opened the bag and then gasped, inside was a gold ring with a huge blue-white diamond. 

He looked at her as he took it out, her eyes were wide and she nodded as he slipped it on her finger. She kissed him and then leapt up and kissed the Prince and Ashar on their cheeks. 

The Prince took David to one side as Susan chattered to Ashar. 

"My agents have reported the Afghans lost over 500 killed or wounded. It seems the tribal chiefs are not happy with each other, trading allegations of cowardice as the cause of their defeat. This has now triggered old animosities amongst them, resulting in open warfare. Russians have been killed in Kabul for not doing enough to supply and support them. So I think it is safe to say we should have no trouble from that corner for quite a while now." 

"That's just as well, Sir. I need to order replacement mortars and shells, as well as more rockets when we get more magnesium." 

The Prince smiled, "You also need to visit Susan's parents and seek their approval. So I think a visit back to England for the two of you is in order." 

David looked in surprise at the Prince. 

"A sea voyage would be ideal for starting a honeymoon, don't you think? But, before your wedding, I need first to honour the men who fought so bravely for this kingdom and its people. I should like you to draw up a list of those who need recognition. We will hold the ceremony at the city to let the citizens know what these brave warriors have done to save them." 

The following day David brought up the Prince's instructions at Officers Call. 

Turin and Sultar put forward several names of men who had committed various acts of bravery: 

The two men who continued to fire their mortar even though their comrades lay dead or dying around them and they themselves were wounded. 

The three Ghurkhas who had leapt from their rifle pit to fight hand to hand when a group of Afghans threatened overwhelm them. 

The Havildar on the crest whose quick thinking in throwing down grenades into the Cleft halted the Afghan advance. 

They also mentioned men who had died in defending their positions against overwhelming odds. 

Turin said the Memsahib Doctor should be recognized, along with her assistants. 

"They never slept for over three days in order to tend to the wounded. Without them we would have lost more men." 

David added Turin and Sultar's name to the list. Then asked Subedar Major Para to write up a report on the events of the battle and dispatch it to the Palace. He knew the award ceremony was scheduled in four days. 

He had missed the cremation of the Ghurkhas who had fallen, due to still being in hospital at the entrance of the Pass, but was informed the Prince and Ashar Kahn had been there. 

He was slowly getting his strength back, but was under strict orders to report daily to the hospital to have his dressing changed by Susan. 

She, along with an assistant, had remained at the Fort to treat the more seriously wounded. He had been upset when she insisted on sleeping in her own bedroom with her assistant,. 

"Any exertion by you could open your wounds again and I need you fully healed for the wedding," she had said firmly, adding shyly, "And the honeymoon." 

David couldn't help but notice the looks between Turin and the pretty assistant who assisted Susan in dressing his arm. He discovered her name was Shera. 

Susan ate with him each evening, Hanga fussing around them. 

"Have you decided who is giving you away yet?" He asked her as they relaxed after dinner one night. 

She chuckled, "Ashar Kahn has agreed to it. He was so pleased when I asked him." 

David laughed, "The Prince said he would have stripped me of my rank if I had not asked him to be my best man." 

The day finally came when David, with Susan by his side, rode out of the Fort at the head of his riflemen. Turin came behind at the head of the survivors of the battle. Many, including Turin, still bandaged. Then came Sultar at the head of fifty of the Cobra troop. Behind them, Para and Hanga escorted the wagon carrying those unable to ride, with Shera acting as their nurse. 

Crowds thronged the city streets cheering as the riflemen made their way to the Palace. 

The men dismounted and, while grooms tended to their horses, set about cleaning themselves up from the dusty ride. 

Peshawar directed David and Susan to a room where the Prince, resplendent in full Maharaja regalia, waited with Ashar Kahn and, David surmised, what could only be the Prince's children. 

The eldest, who must have been Yasmin, rushed to Susan to hug her and admire the ring she wore. 

The Prince chuckled, "Women and their baubles." 

David smiled and started to bow his head when the Prince's voice cracked out, "I have forbidden you ever to bow to me again," he said sternly. 

"My apologies, Sir," David replied, chastised. 

The Prince smiled at him, "As I have already said, it is I who should bow to you." 

He led David to a table and removed the sheet that covered it, "We do not practice the British method of awarding medals for valour. That is something we will change today." 

The table contained a mass of gold medallions with a tiger's head on them and suspended from a Lovat green silk neckband. "Every man who fought there will get one today." 

He pointed to a another row of decorations, "For extreme service to my country, we have commissioned these, the Khana Cross." They were simple gold crosses, each attached to a rifle made of silver, each again suspended from Lovat Green silk ribbons. Engraved in the centre of each cross was one word: Hero. 

Not trusting his voice, David nodded as his eyes became misty. Just a bit of stray dust, he assured himself. 

David stood on the rostrum behind the Prince, looking at the ranks of his men arrayed in front of them. Crowds thronged the open plaza. 

The Prince began with a brief description of the battle, telling his people how these men, natives of another land, had crushed the Afghan invasion of their country; telling them how some had died and others been seriously wounded in defence of them. Afghans might well have been standing here today, ruling over the kingdome, if not for these men who had risked their lives to protect the citizens of Kana. 

Then, one-by-one, the Ghurkhas came forward to receive their medallion, giving a sharp salute to the Prince as they did so, then bowing their heads as he slipped the neckbands over their heads. 

Then came the award of the Khana Crosses. As they came forward, Subedar Major Para announced how each had earned it. 

David smiled with pride as Susan and her assistants came forward to receive their crosses. 

When the last recipients had received their award, the Prince held up his hand to still the roaring crowed. 

"There is one last honour to be awarded, to a man who inspired these brave men by his actions in that battle. Who proved himself a true warrior and faithful friend of Kana by repeatedly putting his life at risk in defence of our country. This man, along with the men he leads, is not a citizen of Kana, and his homeland is far away. But as of today he is a citizen of Kana because I adopt him into my family." 

The Prince turned to David and, removing the last Khana Cross, pinned it to his jacket and then kissed him on both cheeks. 

The crowd and riflemen erupted in cheers while David stood dumbstruck. 

Later, as David and Susan walked down to the stables after the ceremonies, she complained at receiving the award. 

"It's ridiculous us getting the Khana Cross! We did nothing brave." 

David held her around the waist, "Do you know what the Afghans would have done to you and the girls, if they had got past us at the cleft? At the very least,they would have raped you and the girls, hundreds lining up to take their turn." 

Susan shuddered in his arms, "We needed to be close in order to help the wounded as soon as possible," she whispered. 

"And that took courage darling." 

They lapsed into silence watching Kahn and Sulkie in their shared paddock. He had his head over Sulkie's neck as if protecting her as she stood with her head against David's chest, clearly enjoying it as he scratched behind her ear. She was quite heavy with her foal now. 

Ashar Kahn materialised out of the dark, "I thought I would find you here," he chuckled, "As you can see, father and mother are doing well. Have you decided on a name yet my Son?" he asked David. 

David shook his head, "Not really. I thought Zana if it is a filly, but I don't know about a colt's name yet." 

Ashar smiled, "She will foal while you are away, but I will hold back on naming it until you return. I came to find you because the British Officer, Major Keeling is asking to see you. He is with the Prince at the moment." 

David was conducted to the presence of the Prince. 

He found Keeling, Turin and Sultar smocking cheroots with the Prince out on the terrace. 

Keeling rose and saluted David before extending his hand, "Your Officers have been telling me and the Prince of the battle and its aftermath, Colonel. It seems I was too late to warn you of the information we had received that the Afghans intended to make Khana the main point of their attack. The British Government are indebted to you and your men, and I shall be sure to inform them when I return to HQ." 

David smiled, accepting a cheroot and glass of whisky from the Prince. 

"I'm interested to know about your mortars and your illumination methods, Colonel," Keeling added. 

"I'm sure my officers will be pleased to show you if you return to the Fort with them after the wedding," David murmured. 

Keeling looked surprised until the Prince informed him of the coming marriage and invited him to attend. 

Later, by the rail of the terrace, Keeling confided to David that Fitzroy and his son had left India and David's old Colonel had been promoted to Brigadier. It seemed that the major's sources had made him aware of the friction between the Afghans and the Russians since the battle. 

"It will take some considerable time before that rift is healed. In the meantime the pressure is off the Khyber and Khana Passes." 

David told him of his plans to return to England and visit Susan's parents. 

"You will find the country gearing up for war. Kitchener is demanding the latest weapons before he will move on the Sudan. Concurrently, interested parties in England have their eyes fixed on the gold and diamond finds in Natal and are pushing the Boers into war. 

"I served with some of the Boer commandos during the Zulu war and anyone who attacks them could be in for a very unpleasant surprise as we found out at Majuba Hill in 1881. Every man over fourteen is a crack shot and they fight as you do: From horseback as mounted infantry. They also have the money to buy the most modern weapons. They'll fight back and the army will be up against men who are defending their way of life, and not with spears this time." 

"You sound like you sympathise with them Major," David murmured. 

Keeling looked hard at David before continuing, "I'm a realist, and this Empire we have, was bought by the blood of soldiers. No one gave us the land. We took it, and often for no other reason than that we could. As long as the faces were brown or black, the public thought it was all a bloody good show. But if England wages war on South Africa and the Transvaal, the faces will be white; people who worship the same God as you or I fighting to preserve their way of life. 

"The American Revolution may have been a century ago, but its lessons should still serve as warning to Whitehall: When a people fight for their own country they have a reason to die for it. The British soldier has only the next pay parade to fight for. So, to answer your question, am I sympathetic towards them, yes, I am. But I'm a professional soldier and, if I'm called to serve there, then I will try to kill them before they kill me." 

David looked at Keeling with new respect, touched by his honesty. 

The next day was taken up by preparations for the wedding. David was excluded from Susan's room, as a procession of giggling women entered and left. 

The Grand Audience Chamber was chosen for the ceremony and Peshawar busy was instructing servants where to place flowers, tables and chairs. 

David spent a few moments with the reverend before escaping to the stables to see his horses. Sulkie whinnied in excitement at seeing him and came trotting over, but Kahn walked, allowing her to be fondled first. 

He gently rubbed her velvet nose, "I won't be here for your foaling darling," he whispered in her ear, "but I promise I'll be thinking of you." He kissed her nose, then staggered as Kahn pushed his head into his chest. David chuckled at the display of jealousy, "Okay, okay, you're loved too," he said stroking his forehead. 

"They're magnificent animals," a voice said from behind him, David turned to see Major Keeling there. 

"The way they act with you means they are yours, am I right?" 

David chuckled, "Yes, the big boy is Kahn, and the girl he got into trouble is Sulkie." 

"I don't suppose I could buy a horse from the Prince could I?" Keeling asked, "The one I arrived on is a remount, willing, but no bottom to her." 

David looked over Keeling's shoulder, "Well this is the man you should ask. The Horse Master Ashar Kahn." 

David introduced Major Keeling to Ashar and said he would like to buy a horse from the stable. 

"Alas Major, all the horses in this stable belong to the Prince with the exception of David Sahib's. But I understand you have been of great service to both the Prince and David, so I think I can give you, as a friend, a horse." 

He lead them down through the stables until they came to a stall where a horse stood in the dim light of a stall, watching them. 

Ashar entered the stall and led out a grey stallion almost as big as Kahn, "His name is Fleet, and he's four-years-old with Arab blood lines. He used to belong to the Princess Yasmin, but he proved too strong for her." 

Keeling's eyes gleamed at the sight of the horse, "He's magnificent," he said stroking its muzzle, "But you must let me pay for him, if I can," Keeling gasped. 

Ashar chuckled, "No my friend, no payment is necessary. An animal like this needs to be ridden, not cooped up in a stall. He is yours." 

Major Keeling's face betrayed the pleasure of his new acquisition. 

He thanked Ashar, then turned to David, "What can I say? Thank you seems so inadequate David. Oh, I'm sorry, Sir, I mean Colonel, please forgive me." 

David laughed, "David is fine. I think we can forget rank as friends." 

Keeling smiled, "In that case, I'm Robert." 

"Well Robert, I trust you will be at my wedding tomorrow?" 

"I'm looking forward to it David. I was rather hoping to have seen your Fort and the Pass, but you'll be off on honeymoon." 

"There's nothing to stop you. You could use my quarters to stay in, and my batman Hanga would look after you. It would give you the opportunity to see our training methods, as well as the rifles, mortars and rockets. I'll be away for at least two months, but my Officers can show you anything you like" 

Robert accepted the offer, sure that HQ would sanction his stay. 

David introduced him to his Officers later that night, informing them that Robert would be visiting the Fort to study their training and the Pass. His Officers assured Major Keeling that it would be a pleasure to introduce him to their unit and it's methods. 

The Prince took David to one side during the evening to comment about the visit, asking him whether they should be concerned about what he might see and report. 

"The more the British know of our capabilities, the less likely they are to force any issues concerning Kana," David replied. 

The Prince chuckled, "A soldier and a diplomat. You are wise beyond your years, my son." 

Chapter 29 

The next day, David, now dressed in a white linen suit and with the Prince at his side, stood in front of a raised dais in the Grand Audience Chamber. He looked behind him at the seated men. In the front row sat his Officers, along with Robert, and behind them were the riflemen who had been lucky enough to win a seat in the drawing. On the other side of the aisle sat the Ghurkha families and residents who used the city hospital. 

When he saw the Reverend suddenly look up and smile, David swung his head round. 

The little Prince was slowly walking down the aisle strewing handfuls of rose petals from a basket to the floor. He was followed by Susan's assistants in light-blue silk saris. Behind them came Princess Yasmin in the same sari. And then came Susan in a white silk sari holding on to the arm of Ashar Kahn in his full robes of state. 

David's heart leapt at the sight of her. She looked so beautiful as she smiled shyly at him. 

The ceremony got under way, but to David it was a blur. He was conscious only of the girl at his side that had consented to be his wife. 

Later, at the wedding breakfast, Ashar Kahn gave a speech about the honour of standing in for Susan's father. The Prince followed with his own story recounting how he had first met David. 

And then it was David's turn. He couldn't remember afterwards what he had said, but knew he spoke from the heart. 

Susan went to change ready for the journey and the Prince took the opportunity to hand David letters for the bank and hotel in London. 

As they emerged from the Palace, his Officers and Havildars formed an arch with their kukris. 

A carriage conveyed them to the waterfront where a sleek boat with six oarsmen awaited them. With their luggage already on board, they set off down river. 

Susan had changed into trousers and a jacket with a cream coloured blouse underneath. 

She lay back against the cushions that were piled at the back of the boat under the awning that protected them from the sun. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 06



"It was a wonderful ceremony, David," she whispered. 

He chuckled, "Going by the way Turin was looking at your assistant, there could be another shortly." 

"Oh, not only Turin. Yasmin was asking me about Sultar. She seemed very interested in him. She said that she was going to ride out to the Fort and stay in my quarters to oversee the hospital." 

"The Prince may have something to say about that," David replied. 

Susan laughed, "She can twist him around her little finger. She'll probably take Ashar with her. I feel sorry for Sultar. He doesn't know what he is in for." 

They lapsed into silence watching the view as they sped down stream. 

At the jetty, they transferred to a coach, which took them to the railway station where they boarded the train. They had to wait for an hour while the train was coaled and water taken on board before setting off. 

Susan had removed her jacket in the oppressive heat as they waited at the siding for the train to complete it's preparations for departure. Once underway, the heat dissipated. 

Having the compartment to themselves, Susan stretched out on the seat and was soon asleep. David smiled. He knew she had been up since before dawn preparing for the wedding. 

They changed their clothes before reaching Karachi; Susan, into a smart suit with long skirts, whilst David changed into a cream-colored linen suit. 

Mr. Smithers was there to welcome them as the train drew to a halt. With his usual efficiency he directed the gathering of their luggage before whisking them away to their suite at the Royal. David asked him to send Mr. Pattal to them as they would require some new clothes for him and his wife. 

Mr. Pattal arrived accompanied by a young woman whom he introduced as his daughter, Deepti. She would look after the Memsahib's requirements. She and Susan disappeared into the bedroom closing the door behind them. 

David ordered some shirts and casual trousers, but the main reason he had asked for Pattal had been for Susan He knew she had travelled to India with a practical wardrobe comprised of clothes designed for her work. She more than deserved an expanded wardrobe designed to highlight her beauty, grace, and charm. 

After the Pattals had gone, David went down to the lobby to buy a newspaper, then settled into an armchair in the hotel lounge to read it. 

The paper was only a month out of date. The main topic was the aftermath of Kitchener's battle at Omdurman. There also was mention of trouble in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State in South Africa, with Boer opposition to Whitehall's interference in their countries' affairs. 

Another war waiting to happen, David thought. 

That evening, over dinner, David mentioned that they would have to stay in London for a few days to carry out business for the Prince and the Fort. Susan own plans included checking on supplies for the hospital and a visit to her old college. 

"I need to find out what work has been done with blood transfusions. It's a procedure that has advanced significantly in recent years," she continued. 

David listened in genuine interest as she explained some aspects of it. 

Later that night, as he lay recovering, Susan giggled, "Well its official now, darling, you have just consummated our marriage." 

He pulled her towards him, "Till death us do part," he murmured, kissing her. 

To be continued.



The Tides Of War Pt. 07



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 was 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" David 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."




The Tides Of War Pt. 07



It sounded worrying to David and he thought to speak about it later to Martin.

When they entered the gun shop there was a distinctive smell off gun oil in the air. The racks were full off rifles most off which looked second hand.

The man who served them was friendly enough when he found out they had no intention of hunting big game.

"Basically what we are after is something to kill for the pot, buck or something like that." David said.

The man showed them one or two rifles that had been used in the past but all fired black powder bullets.

"Do you have any smokeless cartridge weapons in stock" David asked.

The man thought for a moment, "Well I have a couple off Winchester .30 carbines I've taken delivery off," he went into the back off the shop returning with the two rifles, "there a lever operated rifle with a five round box magazine feed" he said handing one to David.

David put it to his shoulder noticing its lightness over his own .303, it had a basic vee sight with a plain blade front sight. 

"They don't have much range about 400 yards effectively, but they'll put down any buck you find, but don't try it on lion" the man warned. 

David bought them along with 100 rounds of ammunition and a pistol holster. Intending to lend Martin one of his Smith and Wesson pistols.

Susan had not yet returned when they got back to the hotel. Martin went back out again to buy some clothing more suitable for their coming journey and a hat.

David looked at the Winchesters wishing he had his own rifle, but content with them.

Susan arrived back an hour later, full of praise for Ali's bartering powers.

"He was marvellous and saved us a fortune" she gushed "we got the tents second hand but Ali insisted that they were put up first so he could check then. They had to erect five before he was satisfied with two, the same happened with the camp beds and mosquito nets. He says he can sell them back when we have finished with them."

David smiled at her enthusiasm noticing the parcel under her arm.

She saw him looking at it, "I bought some trousers shirts and boots for myself, the man in the shop thought I was buying them for my brother" she said chuckling.

"Did you remember to buy food" he asked.

She smiled "off course silly, and all the other bits and bobs. Ali knew what we would need better than I did. Are those our horses tied up outside?"

"Yes I must take them round to the hotel stable. Is Ali still out side?"

"Yes he wants to know when you want to set off"

"Well we have everything how does, tomorrow suit you darling"

Susan nodded happily.

Ali was sitting in his cart and hopped down when David appeared.

"So do we have everything Ali" he asked.

"Yes Sir, I have only to fill the water barrel and skins and we can leave whenever you like"

"Tomorrow at dawn then, can you let N'debi know?"

Ali nodded his head happily "tomorrow at dawn then sir."

Chapter 31

N'debi was with three other men all off a similar stature to himself, dressed in kilts off either leopard or cheetah tails. Each carried an oval shield made off cattle skin with a short broad bladed spear and a club. They stood alongside Ali's cart has Susan, David and Martin rode down the alley way from the hotels stable.

The four men set off in a loping run with the three riders behind and Ali bringing up the rear. 

The pace set by N'debi eat up the miles, by noon they had passed the last signs off road way, and now followed a faint track.

Now the vista off the veld has the countryside is called opened up before them. Mile after mile off rolling savannah with occasional trees or bushes to break the monotony. The far distance was shrouded in a heat haze; 

David called a halt, by a group off trees that offered some shade, for both them and the horses.

Ali started a fire and soon had coffee ready for them. David watched has N'debi and his three companions took a ladle of water swished it around in his mouth and then spat it out. Susan noticed it too "They have to be super fit, we must have covered nearly twelve miles, and their pace has hardly altered."

When they resumed their journey Susan sat beside Ali in the cart, her horse tied to the back.

They began to see more game now, has herds off antelope would stop grazing and lift their heads to look at them as they passed. Susan clapped her hands in delight at the sight off a family off giraffe eating the leaves off a tree.

N'debi had trotted on a head off the group. They caught up with him has the sun started to set.

"We camp here Bwana" he murmured in his deep voice.

David nodded dismounting, N'debi came over to him, "There are antelope near here Bwana, come I will show you"

David followed him for about a quarter of a mile, until he dropped suddenly onto his hands and knees, David followed suite, then crawled up alongside off him.

A small herd off antelope were drinking from a water hole. N'debi pointed to a young buck about 200 yards away.

David brought up the Winchester, adjusted the sight, then sighted and fired. The buck dropped has if pole axed. The herd scattered, N'debi leapt to his feet and ran towards the downed animal.

In mere minutes he had skinned and butchered it, placing all the edible portions into the skin, which he tied up, slinging it over his shoulders.

"The Bwana shoots straight" he said has they made their way back to the camp.

When they got there David was surprised to find the camp encircled with a wall off thorn bushes. Once inside the gap into the camp one off N'debi men's pulled a bush closing off the gap.

David looked closely at the thorn bush, the thorns were over an inch and half long.

Ali already had a fire going and N'debi laid the skin bundle at his feet. 

The tents were already erected, and Susan was sat outside one drinking coffee while Martin watered and fed the animals.

She chuckled has David looked around the campsite, "They obviously have done this many times" she said, "Ali said they call those bushes 'Wait a Minute' thorn bushes, it was amazing at the speed they worked at"

David saw the men making their own fire well away from theirs.

"I found out quite a bit about them from Ali" Susan murmured, "they are all Matabele, N'debi is a sort off chief, but there's only about twenty left in his tribe.

There was a war with the Afrikaners hundreds of miles away, and they lost everything, their wealth was gauged by how many cattle they owned, and between the Afrikaners and disease they lost even them.

N'debi is trying to start a new life for them here, so they hire out has guides until they can find a home for themselves, its sad really"

"You can tell their proud people in the way they act. I like them" David murmured.

The antelope steaks were delicious, as was the corncobs smeared with butter. David and Martin sat with a glass off scotch listening to the sound off hyenas laughing in the distance. "They've found the carcase of the antelope" David observed.

Martin smiled "it's on nights like this, that you're glad to be alive" he said whimsically.

It took another day before the hills started to rise up before them, and a further day before N'debi found the stream. David reckoned they had climbed almost a thousand feet before finding it. They followed it until they reached the wall of rock exactly has Guy had described it.

They followed the wall until they reached the gap, then gasped once through it.

It was everything Guy had said and more. They moved up the slope of the crater up to the top setting up camp by the small lake. Once camp was set up Martin started taking soil samples.

David had his arm around Susan's waist "Do you think you could be happy living here darling" he asked.

She looked up to him "with you and this land who wouldn't be."

He went out with N'debi and shot a buck for dinner. Has N'debi skinned it he turned to David "Does the Bwana think off buying this land" he asked.

"I think so N'debi, I would raise cattle and horses on it if I did".

"This is good land, cattle would grow fat on it Bwana"

"If I did, I would need help. Men who knew how to look after cattle and be able to build homes here for their families, such men could have cattle of their own and land to plant crops on. Do you know off such men N'debi?"

He stared at David for a few seconds, "I know off men who would defend your land with their lives Bwana."

"Then I would have such men come and live here with me," he said shaking N'debi's hand, knowing a pack had been made between them.

When they got back Martin had his soil test results, "It's fantastic, this soil is even better than back home, it's perfect for horses and cattle David. The outer edges off the crater could benefit from irrigation canals to improve the water supply for the grass. But that's a minor job."

David chuckled at his enthusiasm "So Martin if I buy it will you and Jill come out and take charge off rearing both the horses and cattle"

"Like a shot David it's what we've always wanted to do."

Later that night around the campfire they made plans.

David and Susan along with N'debi would return to Nairobi and buy the land, he would organise for builders to come out and build homes for him and Martin, and the materials that Martin would need for paddocks. N'debi would bring his people out to the crater and settle in.

He and Susan would return to India and resign, and then return. Once back Martin would return to England and buy the cattle needed to start the herd and return with Jill.

The last thing was to ask Ali if he would work for him has cook, which he accepted with obvious delight.

They set off back the next morning; without the cart they made it back to Nairobi in less than two and a half days.

David opened an account with the local bank with £100,000 and then went to the land office of the East African Company. The man in charge was surprised when David pointed to a spot on the map.

"There's no agriculture land out there just raw veldt and hills."

"So how much is it" David asked.

The man looked astonished at David "you could have it for £1 a square mile" he said.

"Fine I'll have a hundred and fifty square miles then, indicating the hills."

The man drew an oblong block that took in the hills and an area before them. David paid him the hundred and fifty pounds and had the deed notified legally.

Outside he told a delighted Susan "We now own a hundred and fifty square miles of Africa"

Their next stop was to an architect, office were they picked out a design for their home. The young architect agreed to personally undertake the supervising the building of it and any subsequent building that were needed, especially when he found out that another home would be required.

He told N'debi he had bought the land and he would need to guide the builders to the crater, bringing out a large smile on N'debi's face.

They left Mombasa the following week crossing the Arabian Sea to Karachi and on to Kana.

Chapter 31

Peshawar showed then into the Prince's presence "Welcome home my Son, how was the honeymoon" the Prince asked.

David replied it had been fine and the order for the new Mortars and shells had gone off without a hitch.

The Prince looked keenly at David, "Something is troubling you what is it?"

David started by thanking him for his generosity on behalf of Susan and himself. But explained that his work with the Rifles was complete, "you have a force that can guard the Pass now without my help any more. 

The officers under your command are more than adequate for the task. But Susan and I need to build a home for our self's away from a military life. I have bought land in East Africa and intend to raise horses and cattle on it. But should you ever have need of me, I shall return immediately."

The Prince had a sad smile on his face when David had finished.

"I have expected this when you got married, and I'm delighted that you have finally found something to live for. You are not resigning your commission, merely retiring, has such you still shall still receive a pension.

Now you shall need good breeding stock for your horses, Ashar Kahn will select them for you. 

David I regard you has my son, the service you have given me, and my kingdom goes far beyond normal duty. You will always find a home here in Kana."

He had Kahn saddled and rode out to the Fort.

He received a warm welcome from the men has he rode in. Hanga was overjoyed to welcome him back. 

He called an Officers Call and when they were assembled he broke the news to them about his retiring his commission. Their faces fell and began to protest, but he calmed them down.

"My last command will be to announce my successor, and that will be Turin he is to be promoted Colonel off the 1st Khana Rifles. Turin appeared shocked has the others clapped him on his back.

Later alone with David he asked where he was going. David told him off East Africa and the Crater and his hope to raise horses and cattle.

"You will need help out there, Gurkha help. I have a problem that could be solved by you Sahib. Some off the men have found Kana girls, but their families are set against them. They would be indebted to you if you would take them with you."

David frowned "how many men" he asked.

"Eleven Sahib, they could take their horses and weapons with them, and I would ensure you had ammunition. The Prince himself suggested this might be a way off overcoming the problem, for them to move away."

David agreed but only if the men were told were they were going, and what lay ahead of them.

Then it was Hangar's turn has soon has he entered his quarters, news had travelled swiftly, "Colonel Sahib is it true you are leaving us" he asked.

David nodded "Yes old friend".

"But you will be taking me with you. Who else can look after you and Kahn and Sulkie" he protested.

David smiled at him "if you really want to come, then so be it".

The next morning David met the eleven Gurkhas who wished to go with him. All were young in their early twenties, Rham a Nike spoke for them all.

"Colonel Sahib like you we wish to start a new life with the woman of our choice, but that is impossible here, we would come with you"

David returned to the Palace where he met Ashar Kahn.

"My heart is heavy David for I hear you are leaving us" he murmured in greeting.

David said it was so, and explained why.

"It seems all the fledglings are leaving the nest, my son Patar has expressed a wish to join you. He would like to become a Horse Master in his own right. I cannot teach him anymore, he knows has much has I in the rearing off horses."

"I would value his companionship and knowledge father" David murmured.

Ashar smiled at the word father, "I have a surprise for you" he said walking along the stables, stopping at a small paddock. Sulkie was in it with her new foal.

"He is a fine colt the blood off kings flows through his veins" Ashar murmured.

David saw that he had a cream look about him, and realised he was a palomino.

Sulkie was pushing at his chest wanting him to fondle her, while the spindly-legged colt ducked his head to drink her milk.

"Hello darling have you missed me" he whispered softly to her has he scratched behind her ear.

"He will grow bigger than Kahn" Ashar predicted, "have you a name for him yet"

David smiled "Zeus, king off the gods in ancient Greece."

"A fine name for a fine animal. Now about the horses you want to breed, what are you looking for in them?"

"The country is vast, so stamina would be more important than speed. Also a strong constitution, there are diseases out there that a horse must overcome" he went on to describe the African Horse Sickness to Ashar.

"I have heard off this sickness and have seen it first-hand. But with care a horse can recover from it. Patar knows what to do should it strike. You will need five stallions and twenty breeding mares, you also have Kahn and Thor has well has Sulkie and Tana, not forgetting little Zeus. I will inform Patar, no doubt he will chose the horses, taking my best, for I have trained him too well."

It took five weeks to arrange for ship to transport them all over to East Africa helped in no small way by the Prince, who in the end charted a ship just for them and the animals.

A further two weeks to transport every one down to Karachi.

The Prince, Ashar Kahn and Princess Yasmin stood with Turin, Sultar and Rhama has they waved goodbye at the quayside has the ship set sail. 

In Mombasa they had to lay on a special trains to transport them all to Nairobi.

David had to hire just about every wagon in town to take them to the crater.

By now he could see that wagons had come this way before, and they had formed a track.

David had sent a telegram to Martin telling him, of who was returning with him a month before they left, and asking him to have temporary accommodation ready for them.

When Patar saw the crater he beamed "horses were made for such land Sahib" he said. 

David had noticed that a high gate had been put up across the gap, and realised it served two purposes to keep stock in the crater and intruders out.

Martin was waiting for him at the entrance, his eyes gleaming at the sight off the horses.

Introductions were made has they made their way up the crater to their house.

It was built in the colonial manner, single story supported on brick columns that lifted the house from the ground. A wide covered porch surrounded it, which David leant was called a stoop, in Afrikaans. While Hanga and Susan supervised the unloading off the furniture, he went round to the back to find the stables and paddocks.

That night Martin joined them for dinner along with Patar, the two off them hit it off from the start has they talked about horses and remedies for horse complaints.

Later sat out on the stoop enjoying a cheroot David looked down the crater watching the horses contentedly grazing. Martin murmured, "It's starting to take shape David, I'll leave at the end of the week, I can't wait until Jill sees this."

"Do you know what cattle we need Martin" he asked.

"Herefords to start off with, but I may cross them with a breed that is less prone to diseases like rhinderpest, which is the main problem in Africa."

"So how many would you need?"

"A good bull and fifteen or so cows but I'll also get some Jerseys for dairy use, say a bull and five cows. We'll start small and gradually build on them."

"I'll give you a cheque for £15,000 to get what you need for the animals, equipment and drugs you will need, if you need more you can draw on my account, I'll give you a covering letter. Also I ordered some rifles to be made for me. I'll give you the address and the amount off ammunition I'll need for them, you will need to pay for them."

Later Susan came out and joined them on the stoop. "Martin I've not had time to thank you for getting the house built, it's beautiful. Have you decided upon the house you and Jill will need."

Martin nodded, "They'll start on it when I leave Nairobi, but I wanted to make sure David would be happy were we are putting it."

"Where do you want to put it" David asked.

"On the other side off the lake from yours if that's alright" Martin replied.

"That's fine by me" David agreed "by the way where did N'debi settle his people?"

Martin chuckled "Over on the East side off the crater there's a natural sort off a box canyon, it's about 200 acres all told, they settled in there, they already have crops planted and their bee hive huts built."

"Can we ride over to see them David, I'll take my medical bag, in case it's needed" Susan asked.

David smiled and nodded, "I need to check up on the Gurkhas to see how they're settling in too"

Before turning in for the night he went round to the stables, Kahn, Thor and Tana had their heads out of the stalls but Sulkie was watching Zeus suckle her. He had a word with all off them. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 07



On his way back to the house, he saw a mounted Gurkha riding slowly around the herd of horses keeping watch.

Patar was on the stoop, "I hope you don't mind Sahib but I asked the Gurkhas to keep a watch over the horses"

"Thank you Patar, I should have thought of it. But one thing from now on I'm David not Sahib and its Susan not Memsahib, we are all friends and equals here now." 

Patar's face showed his pleasure "Very well David, goodnight."

He lay at the side off Susan looking up at the ceiling "our first night in our new home, do you have any regrets darling" She turned to look at him "no none, I'm with the man I love, in paradise," and then she kissed him.

Chapter 32 

Martin rode Thor the next day has he set out with David and Susan to visit N'debi's village. They stopped at the camp off the Gurkhas, they had put up tents has temporary shelters. Nike Rham came over and saluted him.

"Morning Rham, are you all settling in."

Rham smiled "Yes thank you sahib, we have started to clear the ground were we intend to build, and have found a source off building bricks."

Intrigued, they dismounted and followed Rham up to where the crater wall rose up.

A large crowed off the Gurkhas and their women were busy around a depression.

It reminded David off winemaking photographs he had seen off women trampling the grapes in a vat.

Two Gurkhas had their legs bare were trampling in what looked like clay, but every so often others would empty a bucket full off what looked like dirty grey ash into the depression.

Then after a good trample they would fill buckets with the mixture and hand them to others. Who then poured it out into a wooden mould that was divided up into four sections, a woman was prodding the mixture with a stick to ensure all the air was out of it before adding more until it was level with the top off the mould.

At another mould two Gurkhas gently lifted it off leaving four perfectly formed bricks. David picked one up from hundreds that had already been made; it was firm enough he thought.

Martin chuckled "My god they've got a brick factory going, that's volcanic ash they're adding, a perfect binder, making them much stronger than clay bricks."

Rham smiled at the complement, "to morrow we start building the first home, but we need timber for the roofs sahib."

"I'm going in to Nairobi tomorrow Rham to buy furniture" Susan said, "if some off your men came with me, we could get what you need, not only timber but also the things you will need in the home."

Rham beamed at Susan's suggestion, "I will talk to the women and have a list prepared"

"Don't worry about expense Rham, I shall pay" David added.

Once back in their saddles Martin commented on the ingenuity off the Gurkhas.

"They're a wonderful race off people" David murmured, "They epitomise the words loyalty and honour"

It took two hours at a fast trot to reach N'debi's village.

Has the reined up N'debi emerged from a large beautiful made beehive hut.

"I see you bwana" he said a smile on his face. 

"I see you N'debi" David retorted.

They dismounted and gathered around the fire, has women, brought tit bits and water to drink. David handed N'debi a bag off tobacco and a large bag off salt.

David explained to him that Martin was leaving to buy the cattle and would return in a few months' time with them. He told him he had brought back to the Crater some off his warriors from far across the great water, to live here with them. 

N'debi listened to David, "Are these warriors has big has the Matabele" he asked. 

David shook his head,

"No one is has big has the Matabele warrior". N'debi's face split with pride at David's comment.

"But it is my wish that you think off these has brothers to you. Because between you, you guard this land for me"

"I would see these warriors bwana."

David smiled "They are building homes, has you have done. It would be an act off friendship if some off your people helped them."

"If they are friends of the bwana, then they are our friends too." 

Susan had joined the women and children and was busy chatting to them, has N'debi showed with pride what they had done. They already had fields planted with corn and other vegetables.

"This is a good land for growing things bwana" he murmured.

"What you cannot eat you can barter with us and the others" David replied. 

On the ride back to the house David remarked on the drainage channels that ran from the rock walls out into the crater.

"I thought we would have to run them from the lake, but the entire wall here is seeping with water. The hills at the back off the crater must act like bloating paper. There has to be millions of gallons of water stored in them" Martin said, "one of the things we must do is to is to fence off sections for grazing. It will stop the animals wondering too far, and preserve the pasture. If we use the left side off the stream for cattle, and the right side for horses, it should create a balance.

"Yes, we still have a lot of work to do" David agreed.

"Have you thought off a name for it yet?" Susan asked, David shook his head, "Then how about Khana Crater then"

"That's perfect darling" he said.

After two months of hard work things were beginning to take shape in the Crater.

The Gurkhas had built their homes, helped by N'debi's people, they had also built a place for Susan and Martin to house their equipment with an annex that doubled has an aid station and hospital.

Paddocks had been erected for the horses and for the cattle when they arrived. Eight off the mares were in fowl, has well has six off the Kana girls and three off N'debi's women, which kept Susan busy.

Ali and Hanga had agreed that whilst Ali was in charge of cooking Hanga ran the house. They had their own quarters behind the house where they lived with Patar.

Zeus was growing fast now and ran at the side off Sulkie when David rode her.

They had bought a wagon and four mules for their frequent trips into Nairobi to pick up mail and provisions.

Patar had become fast friends with the man, a Mr Wilson who ran the livery stable.

It was from him he learnt how he salted a horse. He then began a program off salting the Crater horses. 

At first David was concerned at the state the horse were in when infected, but under Patar's care in keeping the horse isolated in its own stall they recovered.

Of particular concern was when Kahn and Sulkie were exposed to the disease, but they recovered much to his relief. Patar said he would wait until Zeus was a year old before exposing him. It normally took a few weeks before the horses were fully fit again, but with the mild temperature and abundant forage, the horses were soon trotting around the paddock once more. 

They received a telegram from Martin saying they were leaving Southampton and should dock in Mombasa in 27 days' time.

David left with four off the Gurkhas and the wagon and two spare horses. They left the wagon along with their horses and mules with Mr Wilson while they travelled by train to Mombasa. There he made arrangements to have the cattle transported to Nairobi.

David was on the quayside when the ship docked. Martin and Jill were amongst the first passengers to disembark. After greeting the newlyweds Martin was anxious to be on hand has the cattle were unloaded. 

They were herded into a pen with the bulls into it's their own. "We'll need to keep them here for a few days to get over the voyage" Martin warned.

David looked at the Hereford bull, it was enormous with short legs but with a muscular body it's colouring similar to Kahn, where has the Jersey bull was smaller but off a similar colour to Zeus.

In the hotel Martin said that they had, had a quite voyage and that the cattle had not been too perturbed by it.

Jill had disappeared to do some shopping, when she found out from David that Susan wore trousers at the Crater and for riding.

"I picked up your guns and ammunition, there in a packing case." Martin told him, "how are things at the Crater?" he wanted to know.

David chuckled and brought him up to date with the developments.

The Gurkhas helped to get the cattle into the boxcars off the train, whilst David supervised the loading off the crates and luggage.

Jill's face was pressed against the window off the train has it ran through the country side, "It's so big and brown" she whispered. Martin laughed, "Its big and green were we are going darling"

They were surprised to see N'debi waiting at the station with six off his men, when the train came to a stop. 

"Jambo bwana, we came to help with the cattle, your warriors are good with horses, but the Matabele are better with cattle" he said, has Martin laughed.

N'debi had set off with his men herding the cattle while N'debi himself walked along side off the Hereford bull.

They loaded the wagon and then saddled the horses and set off to catch them.

It took over four days to reach the crater; at the entrance the entire tribe were waiting to see the cattle. The Hereford herd was marshalled up the right hand side off the crater, has the smaller Jersey herd went up the left hand side.

"Do you know how to milk a cow David?" Jill asked with an impish smile.

That night they had a barbeque to celebrate the arrival, ever one was there, the Gurkhas and their wives, and N'debi and his tribe. One off the Gurkhas had shot two large Eland males, and Ali was busy roasting steak. 

David and Martin were drinking whiskey, watching proceedings when he noticed Susan and Jill drinking.

She saw his look and chuckled "its sherry, I told Martin to bring back a few cases"

David looked at the Jersey's grazing and sighed "Well it's down to nature now" he murmured to Martin.

"This time next year you'll have fifty cattle out there, and double that the following year" Martin replied.

To be continued



The Tides Of War Pt. 09



Chapter 35

The next morning David opened the rifle cases that Martin had brought, and gazed at the workmanship off each rifle. Their balance was amazing coming up to his shoulder like an extension off his body. The deep lustre off the figured mahogany furniture with its chequered pistol grip and cheek rest made it a weapon off beauty.

David had a gun cabinet already made; his .303 was in it along with the Winchester.

He fitted in each rifle, and put the ammunition in the drawers below, along with the tools and equipment that came with them. 

Ali in one off his visits to Nairobi returned one day with twenty Road Island Red chickens and two cocks. He found David beside the stable and asked where he could put them, they finally agreed upon a spot, long side his vegetable plot, but before he left he said has how he had met a Maasia woman with a small child who had tried to get medical help for the child but had been turned away.

Susan looked up at this "where is the woman now Ali" she asked. 

"I left her when I turned up the path to the hills Mrs" 

"Saddle my horse David while I get my bag"

"You're not going alone" he said firmly, "Hanga saddle Tana and Kahn" has they both rushed into the house, returning with his pistol belt and rifle slung on his shoulder, and Susan carrying her medical bag.

He saw N'debi admiring the Jersey's and called for him, explaining about the woman has they mounted. N'debi started off in a long looping run has the two off them trotted behind.

They found the woman staggering five miles from the crater, she crouched down terrified off them trying to protect the child.

N'debi spoke to her and reluctantly she let Susan examine the small boy.

While Susan was attending to him N'debi questioned the woman. It seemed she was the daughter off a chief off the Maasia; the child had been wounded when slavers had attacked the village, many had been killed and wounded and 28 women and children taken by the slavers. 

"This child has a nasty cut and is running a fervour, we need to get back to his home so I can treat him properly" Susan said firmly.

N'debi passed the child to Susan once she was mounted and then the woman to David.

When they arrived at the village they were surrounded by fierce looking warriors, but Susan handed down the child to N'debi and leapt down from her horse, then followed the woman who had slid down off Kahn into a hut.

A man in his fifties approached, the warriors making an avenue for him, started rapidly talking to N'debi.

N'debi translated for David. Over twenty Arab slavers had attacked a village killing and wounding thirty, taking women and young children captive and driving off fifty cattle. This had happened five days ago, the witch doctor had been one of those killed. The chief had gathered three off the villages together for better protection.

"Ask the chief how fast were they moving when the left" David said.

N'debi translated then turned to David "They move slowly it's hard to move cattle and prisoners"

David thought for a moment "N'debi return to the crater and tell my warriors I need them and to come swiftly with their weapons. Also tell bwana Martin and his woman what has happened here and that my woman may need help. Can the chief send out trackers to follow the slavers?"

N'debi told the chief and four off his men set off at a run, whilst N'debi set off back to the Crater.

David entered the hut; Susan was on her knees bathing the small boy has his mother looked on anxiously. 

"How is he doing" he asked her.

"I've dressed the wound, but need to get his favour down" she replied.

He told her he had sent for Martin and Jill "There's probably more wounded in the village Susan" he murmured.

Though a series off miming and speech she got the woman to understand she wished to see the other wounded. David helped to move those that could be moved into the hut, whilst Susan organised hot water to be boiled.

"Those bastards even killed children and old people" she hissed.

An hour later Rham arrived with his ten men squad and N'debi and six off his warriors. Rham handed him his cartridge belt with a smile, "Are we going to have a fight sahib" he asked cheerfully.

David nodded grimly, N'debi we go to see these slavers and have a harsh word with them, you may stay here"

N'debi looked disdainfully at David "we have a wish to wash our spears in the blood of the killers off children bwana."

"You may not be able to keep up with us N'debi" David replied.

N'debi gave a slow smile, then with a yell of "Hamber" to his men set off in a blistering run following the trackers, by the time David was mounted they were already a mile away. 

That night they camped without making a fire chewing on biltong that Ali had made from eland meat. The next day before dawn had broken they were off again. It was late afternoon when the caught up with one off the trackers. From questions poise by N'debi they found out that the slavers were only an hour away, there pace slowing has they entered the hilly country leading to the coast.

David led his men in a wide circle around them looking for an ambush site, finding one were the track they followed entered a narrow gorge.

N'debi, put five off his men in the rocks, at the start off the gorge, and himself and another man at the end of it, David had impressed on him to remain hidden until the firing had creased. David and the Gurkhas spread out on both sides off the trail, their orders to fire only when sure off hitting a target.

David had taken up a position at the end of the gorge with Rham on the other side of it.

The sound off cattle was the first indication that the slavers had entered the gorge, David crouched down has they came into view. 

Behind them a fat man rode a donkey armed with a scimitar with a rifle slung over his shoulder, alongside off him walked seven or eight evil looking Arabs armed to the teeth with swords, daggers and rifles, behind them two columns off women and children stumbled with ropes around their necks.

Some off the women were carrying children too exhausted to walk.

Arabs with whips walked along side off the column, striking anyone who faltered. 

David waited until the slavers were almost out of the gorge before firing. His first shot entered the fat man's head between his eyes, he downed two more before the slavers knew they were under attack, screams echoed from the gorge has the deadly fire from the Gurkhas cut them down. 

Three off the slavers ran to escape towards the end of the gorge, but N'debi rose up from behind a rock and with a savage yell stuck his spear into one off them and then turned to face the other two who had drawn scimitars. 

David couldn't shoot because off fear off hitting N'debi, but then Rham was suddenly alongside off him with his drawn kukri. 

The slaver gave a vicious smile has Rham ran towards him, and sliced at him with the scimitar, but Rham ducked under it and with a yell off "Ayo Gorkhili" almost sliced off the man's head, with one blow. N'debi who had dispatched the other slaver looked on amazed.

The trackers and N'debi's men gathered up the bodies off the slavers, while the Gurkhas and David tended to the women and children. 

They smashed the rifles off the slavers, but allowed the edge weapons to be kept by the Matabele and Maasia warriors, they used the scimitars to hack off their heads and stick them on poles at the side off the track has a warning.

The women and children were mounted on to the horses and the donkey and with the Ghurkhas holding the bridle set off back to the village.

It took almost four days to return, when they did arrive the village went mad with joy, more so because the cattle had been returned. 

A little boy had been following David everywhere, on the trip back, David asked N'debi about him.

"His name is Tamba bwana, his parents were killed by the slavers, he is alone in the world now." 

Poor little mite David thought.

Susan rushed out to meet him, grateful he was back safe, the wounded had responded to the treatment and the chief had given her a necklace, which according to N'debi gave her the status off a witchdoctor.

That night there was a feast in their honour and somehow Tamba managed to sit at the side off him.

When they emerged from the hut the next morning they found him sleeping near the doorway. David told Susan about him, he seems to have adopted me, he explained.

Susan, through N'debi asked the chief what would become of him. The chief shrugged his shoulders "someone may use him has a servant if he is lucky" the reply came back. Susan shook her head "tell the chief he is coming back with us to live"

The chief just nodded his head.

Before they left the chief presented David and Susan with a bull and four cows. Martin looked them over and nodded his approval.

On the way back to the Crater N'debi asked David where he would graze the cattle.

"I thought the chief off the Matabele should decide where, has he and his men have earned them"

"The bwana is giving them to us" N'debi asked surprised "But what of the bwana's little warriors they fought well too"

David chuckled at the description off Gurkhas being called little warriors, "They have no time for cattle, they're hearts are only for horses."

Later when David glanced back down the column he saw N'debi walking at the side off Rham examining Rham's kukri, he smiled to himself.

"What's amusing you?" Susan asked alongside of him with Tamba sat in front of her.

"I think the Matabele and Gurkhas have just become fast friends"

Has they reined in at the stable Susan handed Tampa down to Hanga "Take care of him Hanga" Susan said "he'll need a bath and some cloths to fit him, ask Ali to help he knows their language"

To be continued

Part 8



The Tides Of War Pt. 09.5







The Tides Of War Pt. 09.5



"Bwana, it is said that a village two days travel upriver gives the slavers elephant tusks to leave their people alone."

David considered what N'debi had told him. The slavers must know that only a small force had attacked them. Did they think that the force had left to get reinforcements, if so, wouldn't they try to get the ivory before retreating back to the sea?

He put forward his ideas to N'debi and Rham.

"It would make sense to try and have something to show for their efforts," Rham murmured.

"Slavers are greedy Bwana, they would not wish to return empty handed," N'debi growled.

"It will take at least three days for them to pole the boats upriver, if they decide to do that. Tomorrow we three will return to the gorge and see what they are doing."

They left three hours before dawn on foot. By the time the sky in the east began to lighten they took up a position near the encampment.

It was still dark down in the gorge; only the hot coals from the fires could be vaguely seen.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, David detected movement below. Someone threw wood onto the fires and they flared up with sparks casting some light on the scene.

He could see figures gathering around the fires as they prepared a meal.

Soon he could make out the colour of their clothes and that all of the figures carried a rifle.

Then after an hour a large group carrying what looked to be bedrolls along with their rifles began walking up river towards the boats. 

David counted sixty-five as they walked in procession, some waving or calling out to those still around the fire.

He edged back, and once out of sight ran up the lip of the gorge keeping out of sight of those down below.

Once opposite the boats, he moved into a position to observe them.

The men boarded the boats, and with six men either side of it with poles cast off, moving slowly upriver. He watched them until they grew out of sight around a bend, before retracing his steps back to the others.

"Colonel Sahib, there are twenty-nine men in the camp that I have countered, some have bandages on them. I think there are others who are injured in one of the tents," Rham reported.

David nodded looking down at the encampment; about ten men were working on the boat, whilst others gathered wood or stood with rifles at the ready by the fire.

"We will return to our camp and consider our next step."

David sat by the fire flanked by N'debi and Rham, "Do we go after the two boats or do we attack the camp first?" David asked.

"Bwana," N'debi spoke, "If they go only for the elephant tusks, then they will be back in seven or eight sunrises."

"I think N'debi is right Colonel Sahib; they will not hunt for slaves this season. They wouldn't leave the men and boats behind for that long, which it would take to gather slaves."

David looked at the two men sitting beside him. "Then we need to take their camp, before they return," he murmured.

"If we attack like last time, many will run away," Rham muttered.

"Yes," David agreed, "So we need to be on both sides of the river for the attack."

N'debi smiled wolfishly, "If we strike just before dawn, they will not be ready... still in their tents sleeping."

"Do you know where we can cross, old friend?" David asked.

N'debi nodded.

They crossed roughly half a mile below where the boats were, leaving two men behind who would take up a position opposite the boats to stop any trying to cross the river there.

With N'debi in the lead they moved silently through the thick vegetation that boarded the river until they saw the flames of the campfire through the leaves of the trees.

They dropped to their bellies and moved forward on arms and knees until they were almost at the sandbar; there they stopped.

Two figures could be seen sitting by the fire with rifles in their hands.

Rham indicated to one of the Gurkhas as he drew his kukri, watching as the man followed suit, and then the two of them snake crawled forward, soon lost in the night.

David strained his eyes looking at the two guards, one moment he could see their outlines and then suddenly they were masked by other shapes. Then someone stood and waved his arm in their direction.

They moved forward silently in the sand. David heard the sound of snoring coming from the big tent... he passed it and checked the other tents.

One contained boxes and ropes, and the other food supplies; satisfied he returned to the men, and whispered instructions.

The Gurkhas formed a semi-circle in front the tent entrance, lying down in the sand by the water's edge.

David checked their position and then nodded to N'debi who picked a burning branch from the fire and walked behind the tent.

For a few moments nothing happened, and then he saw the glow of flames through the material of the tent. A shout rang out followed by others and then bodies crowded the entrance, and the Gurkhas opened fire.

Shouts changed to screams, as the Gurkhas fired as fast as they could work their bolts. With their clothes on fire, some of the slavers ran out heading for the boats but N'debi was there with his short stabbing Assegai. 

The burning tent collapsed in a shower of sparks stilling the screams of the men inside.

David felt sick... he knew it had been murder and the slavers had not stood a chance... but only what they inflicted on innocent others, he reconciled himself.

When dawn arrived the full horror became visible; the smell of burnt flesh hung heavy in the air.

The Gurkhas threw the bodies into the river, while others checked the other tents.

"Colonel Sahib the ropes in the tent are for slaves," he said, "So they have only gone for the ivory."

David nodded, "We need to bring the horses over to this side of the river and camp here until they return."

Rham rushed off to carry out his orders as one of the men came to him with a mahogany box.

"I found this in one of the big boxes Colonel Sahib," he said handing it to David.

Inside was a matched pair of nickel-plated, ivory handled Colt 45s single action pistols, with seven inch barrels. They looked like they had never been fired to David. The Gurkha showed him which box he had found them in and inside he found two boxes of ammunition for them.

That night with the horses safely across the river they had a feast on the slavers rations.

David sat back from the fire with a full stomach; the first since leaving the Crater.

He lit a cheroot, handing one to N'debi, who bit a piece off, and began to chew. 

Rham came and sat beside him. "I've posted a guard Colonel Sahib," he murmured.

David nodded in acknowledgment, "Tomorrow we will need to send a rider to the bend of the river, to look out for the boats' return."

"Has the Sahib thought how to stop them when they do return?" Rham asked.

"I'm thinking on it, tomorrow I'll decide," he replied.

The next morning after his coffee, David walked the length of the gorge to where the river narrowed and the current became much faster.

In places it was less than thirty feet wide; the river boiling swiftly at these places.

He returned to the camp where he gathered N'debi and the Gurkhas around him.

"We will be outnumbered six to one when the slavers return. Our only weapon is surprise," he began. "We must create as much confusion as we can before attacking.

I intend to stop the boats where the gorge narrows in the middle. To do this we will need to tie their ropes across the river so they lie just under the surface. 

The boats will enter the gorge one behind the other, but once in, they cannot stop or go back, or pass.

That's when we open fire."

David looked around the group seeing the smiles of approval on their faces.

Rham and three other Gurkhas crossed back over the river and made their way up to the designated spot for the ropes. 

A thin cord with a stone tied to the end was thrown over to him, which was gathered up and pulled across. One of the slavers' ropes used for pulling the boats through the gorge was attached to the end. Once the rope was over their side, the cord was thrown back again.

Rham slipped the rope around a huge boulder as the rope was drawn back to David's side of the river. There it was attached to another boulder after adjusting it to lie just below the surface.

The other towing rope was treated in the same manner.

The Gurkhas began to move amongst the boulders finding positions to fire from. The problem was there was less than a hundred yards of field of fire. David knew if any of the slavers got ashore then the fight could resort to hand-to-hand.

He passed on his concern to Rham and N'debi, "We must kill as many as we can whilst they are still on the boats, or we could lose."

"These slavers have never come against a kukri and a man who knows how to use it," Rham murmured. "Or a Matabele warrior," N'debi added.

That night David checked and loaded the Colt pistols, and then checked his own.

It was the afternoon of the sixth day when the lookout came racing back... the boats had been sighted.

The men made their way to their prepared positions carrying their ammunition belts.

David laid the three pistols close to hand, and removed six clips from his ammunition belt ready for reloading.

He checked his rifle for the third time realising how nervous he had become.

The minutes ticked away, then he heard shouts as the slavers entered the gorge.

David raised his head. The front boat was about thirty yards ahead of the other. Two men were fighting the tiller as it gained speed starting to race down the fast flowing water, with men crowding the deck some holding poles.

When the boat hit the ropes the bow dug in for a moment lifting the stern throwing half a dozen men into the water. The boat started to turn sideways as the Gurkhas opened fire. 

David aimed at the men on the tiller of the second boat killing both with two shots, as it crashed into the first boat spilling yet more men into the water.

Screams and yells were coming from the slavers as they tried to disentangle the boats and at the same time defend themselves.

The Gurkhas fire never let up and at this range they seldom missed. 

The second boat had swung round and come to a rest on the rocks that bordered the river.

About twenty slavers leapt ashore and began running towards the Gurkhas, waving their scimitars. David's rifle fell empty; he dropped it picking up two of the pistols turning to face the advancing slavers. 

He suddenly felt calm as he coolly began to fire picking his targets. N'debi rose from behind a rock and speared a slaver who never even saw him. 

Then Rham was beside him with drawn kukri. David picked up the third pistol as one fell empty but by now there were only five slavers left from those who had leapt ashore. David killed two with his pistol but couldn't fire for fear of hitting N'debi or Rham.

Rham hacked off the arm of a slaver, with the scimitar still in his hand, as N'debi speared another, the third turned and began to run back to the boat; David shot him.

Some of the slavers leapt into the river to escape, only to be dragged down by their long robes.

As the Gurkhas moved forward towards the boats, spasmodic shots rang out stifling screams. 

David rested with a rock against his back suddenly weary as the adrenalin slowly subsided in his body.

The men began to heave the bodies into the river; four of the Gurkhas, including Rham, had been wounded but not seriously. Their injuries were mainly from rock fragments from the slavers' bullets although Rham had a slash on his shoulder from a scimitar, which required stitches and a dusting of sulpha powder before being bound up.

From the holds of the dhows they removed twenty-four prime elephant tusks, which were stacked on the sand.

"We'll bury them for the time being," David said, "and send a wagon for them later. We need to get home and have these wounds treated."

They burnt all of the dhows and watched as they sank below the surface to be washed down the river.

As they crossed back to the other bank with the horses, they saw crocodiles feasting on the bodies of the slavers.





The Tides Of War Pt. 10



Chapter 37

The Crater settled into a routine, the months passed into years. Susan gave birth to a son christened Guy Ramage. 

Martin and Jill had a daughter the same year, Barbara. 

Sulkie and Tana had foals, and Zeus was trained to the saddle.

By the start of 1899 there were over 260 horses and foals out in the crater, and over 300 cattle and calves.

People from the surrounding area would come to buy horses or cattle, mainly the Jersey's for their own dairy needs.

Susan had started a school, where her son and Barbara along with the children off the Gurkhas and Matabele came to be educated. Jill and Martin helped out by taking some off the lessons.

But whilst everything in the Crater prospered out in the world, there were rumblings of war.

The gold that had been discovered at Whittwaterrand, in the Transvaal, and diamonds at Kimberly, resulting in a gold and diamond rush into the Boer held lands.

President Paul Kruger, tried to stem the tide off foreigners now entering his country by imposing conditions and taxes. 

The situation had reached a state where there were more foreigners than Boers living in the Transvaal.

The British Government had been content to let the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State, look after themselves after the disaster of the 91 war. But the discovery of gold and diamonds in such large quantities changed their views.

In the bars of Nairobi views differed, dependant on whether you were a native white off East Africa or a newly arrived farmer from England.

Stanley summed it up when an argument had flared up in the bar one day.

"I know the Boers, I've lived with them, and fought with them in the Zulu wars. Their farmers and ranchers, they don't want their country ripped up by get rich quick merchants, and then leave when it's all gone.

Their all God fearing men, who will defend their land with the last drop of their blood, has all you farmers would do, if someone tried to take your lands.

"So you agree with them" someone in the crowd yelled.

Stanley looked sadly at them.

"I left England when I was 17 years old. My parents had 9 children, 5 died before they were four years old, and my parents died of cholera from polluted water. So I ran away, and landed up here. But although I'm English by birth, I'm White African by choice; this land has been good to me and my family. So yes, I would defend my way of life. All I will say is, if England is so good why are you here?"

His comments left the bar in silence.

Later David asked Stanley if he thought there would be a war. 

Stanley nodded "The bankers can smell money, they'll push the Boers into it. They tried once before in 91 and got a bloody nose, which they seem to have forgotten. But they won't be up against spears this time, as they have had in other colonial wars. And the poor bloody British soldier won't know what's hit him. It won't be fought like the Crimea or Waterloo. 

But by men who know every inch off the land their fighting over, each man a marksman and expert rider. Oh the British will win, but thousands will die before hand."

David rode back to the crater deep in thought.

That night sat out on the stoop with Martin and Jill he talked about what had been said.

Martin puffed on his pipe before replying "Six years ago I had never thought off Africa has such. But now I regard it has my home, for me and my family"

The girls nodded, Susan looked at David "would you go to fight?"

He sat still, thinking before replying, "If I was still a serving soldier I'd go because I was ordered too. Has an officer I never thought beyond the next order. But Kana taught me to think beyond orders, to view the bigger picture. 

The politics that create, the orders.

Britain is a greedy bully; the Empire is founded on greed. It would be understandable if that greed benefited the nation has a whole, but sadly it doesn't.

Eight tenths off the wealth off the country is controlled by less than two tenths of the population. You only have to see the poverty off the working classes in the inner cities to realise that. So to answer you darling, I would not fight for a bully."

The other three looked at him and nodded in agreement.

They heard the news at the start off November. Kruger had declared war with Britain, news slowly filtered up to East Africa, 

The Boers off the Transvaal and the Orange Free State had successfully besieged Mafeking, Ladysmith, and Kimberly.

A relief column under General Sir Redvres Henry Buller had been dispatched to break the besieged towns. 

"It will all be over now" one of the farmers said in the bar. 

He was sat with Stanley and John another professional hunter. 

"But for who?" Stanley murmured.

Martin brought the newspapers he had bought in Nairobi, the English ones were a month old, but he also had papers published in Capetown.

They presented grim reading. 

A number of battles had been fought, the Boers winning most of them it seemed, although the papers were careful not to say has much. Rather that the Army had made strategic withdrawals, but the casualty figures presented a different story. Over 3000 men had lost their lives or wounded. Lord Roberts had replaced Buller, and fresh troops were being sent from England.

In the bar in Nairobi the talk was all about the war.

One off the railway porters was telling of a story he had heard in Mombasa from a seaman from one off the ships.

"They brought the wounded on to the ship to take them home" he explained, "The seaman said the soldiers were angry at the Officers. It seemed there had been a number of blunders. In one battle outside off Kimberly the General had ordered the men to move forward in column during the night. Most of them were from the Scottish Regiments. The troops stumbled into wire that alerted the Boers. They opened fire at 400 yards from trenches dug into the base off the hill. They had Mauser rifles he said, over 700 were cut down in less than five minutes. 

The survivors were trapped out in the open for over nine hours being picked off. In the end a lot of them just ran.

At another battle at Colenso, they did the same thing again trying to cross the river. Buller was in charge. The men marched has if they were on parade. The horse artillery dismounted on one side off the river. The Boers let them set up the guns, then opened fire from the other side off the river at less than 500 yards, with those Mauser rifles they didn't miss, the seaman had said. Most off the artillerymen were killed or wounded, Buller sent more men to try to bring back the guns. That's when Lord Robert's son was killed. They lost fourteen guns to the Boers that day, along with over 1500 men killed or wounded.

Then at Spion Kopp, the army moved to take a hill at night, they advanced in mist, when they got to the top they tried to dig in, but the ground was too stony and all they could do was create a shallow hole about eighteen inches deep. 

But when the sun came up they realised they wasn't at the top at all, and the Boers were looking down on them. It was a massacre one off the wounded told the seaman. If you moved you were dead, most off those killed were shot through the head." 

David was sat at a table with Stanley, John and Ray listening, after the railway man had finished talking, 

Stanley shrugged his shoulders, "The Army is learning off a new way off fighting, or at least it should do."

"You've fought with them Stanley, what are they like?" Ray asked.

"I rode with a commando, during the Zulu war. A commando is raised from local communities, comprising off men between the ages off fifteen and sixty. They elect their own officers. 

Each man brings his own rifle and horse. These men are trained from the age off ten to fire and ride a horse. 

The boys are sent out to hunt at an early age, they learn how to use the country for concealment, to shoot knowing that the first shot must kill or scare away the game. By the time they are fifteen they are all crack shots and able to live off the land.

Most know nothing off Waterloo or the Crimea and the set pieces used by the army.

They have an ability to look a piece of land and know instinctively how best to defend or attack from it. Something the British High Command has yet to learn."

"I've heard Kruger bought not only Mauser rifles but Krupp field guns and Nothenfelt quick firers, all modern weapons," Ray added. 

"There'll need them, in the days ahead" David murmured.

"Why do you say that David?" Stanley asked.

"The British public will scream for vengeance, they won't care about them invading the country now. They'll only care that British soldiers have died. The Government will flood South Africa with troops now."

Chapter 38

The war dragged on into its second year, the besieged towns were liberated at a high cost of life. The war developed into hit and run by the Boers up against nearly 200,000 British and Dominion soldiers.

A knock on effect off the war was beef prices rocketed, and David was sending thirty head off cattle every three weeks to Mombasa for shipment down to Cape Town.

By the end of the second year, the British changed their tactics to that off the Boers, using mounted infantry and cavalry. Horses were needed, the ones sent out from England suffered by not being allowed to acclimatise to the African weather or fell fowl off AHD. Thousands died within a few short weeks.

Then one afternoon, a cart bearing a British Major and a civilian drew up at David's house. David was standing on the stoop watching them has the portly Major climbed from the cart. He waited until they stood at the bottom off the steps leading up to the house. The Major brushed the dust from his uniform before addressing David.

"Good day Sir, I'm Major Bambridge of Her Majesty's Procurement division, and I'm here to buy your horses."

David smiled, "Good day Major, I'm Colonel Ramage retired, and just how many horses do you need?"

The Major's face flushed at the mention of David's rank, he puffed out his chest before continuing, "Colonel, I'm entrusted to pay £30 a head for all your horses."

There were over 300 horses grazing out in the pasture, many with foals.

David smiled sweetly.

"There not all for sale Major, but I can let you have 100 at £100 each, and I will select them."

The Majors face went red, "That's extortionate," he growled, "These horses are needed for Her Majesties Army fighting the Boers."

"Major that is the price, take it or leave it. There all have been salted and the ones I select are broken to the saddle. You won't find better horses, and that's why the price is £100."

The Major looked daggers at David "You would make a profit whist your fellow countrymen are dying for you," he shouted.

David's face went white, "Major that is a fair price, which if you knew your job you would know. Has for my fellow countrymen dyeing for me. I would say rather they are dyeing due to the incompetence off their officers and the greed off Her Majesties Government, I wish you a good day Sir," he said turning on his heel and entered the house slamming the door behind him.

He watched from the window has they climbed back on the cart and drove back down the track.

Three days later the civilian returned, David met him on the stoop again. The man dismounted from the cart and approached the steps.

"Colonel Ramage, I'm here to apologise for Major Bambridge outburst the other day. You have to forgive him he is newly arrived from England and assumer's everyone is in agreement with this war. Never the less we do need those horses and I will pay your price for them, on condition you will deliver them to the marshalling yards in Nairobi."

"I'm sorry Sir" David replied, "but I don't know your name."

"Forgive me I'm being remiss, the name is Jackson, Lionel Jackson, and I'm a senior representative off the Imperial East African Company."

David smiled "Well Mr Jackson perhaps you would care to take refreshment whilst we discuss payment."

Mr Jackson settled into the cane chair and took a sip off an excellent malt scotch. On the cane table between them laid a cheque for £10,000.

"All the horses will be between four and five years old, they have, as I said on your last visit, all have been salted and broken to the saddle." David informed him.

Jackson nodded his head, but his eyes were looking down over the Crater.

"This really is magnificent land you own Colonel ideal for raising livestock," he murmured.

David nodded agreeing, "its only problem is it's off the beaten track somewhat."

"Some, would think that an advantage," Jackson replied.

David nodded "The main problem is news, it's always a month behind."

"We get regular updates in the Mombasa office, regarding the war. Roberts has brought Kitchener into it now. 

He's adopting Boer tactics, hence the reason for the horses. But he's proving to be quite ruthless in his treatment off the Boer civilian population. Farms owned by active Boers in the field are being put to the torch, their fields salted and the wells poisoned and their animals slaughtered. But the most distressing aspect off his strategy is the rounding up off the women and children, the old and infirmed, and putting them into detention camps."

"All off which means the Boer commandoes are still a force to be reckoned with" David replied.

"It's creating rumbling in Parliament back home. The treatment off a Christensen people in this manner, is not seen has being cricket, by a number of senior politicians.

But the main concern is the cost off the war, it's now running into millions."

David sighed "They want this war over quick, which means it will get more ruthless and dirty. Something foreign powers like Germany and Russia will be quick to condemn. Britain will be held up on the world stage has a tyrant."

Jackson nodded his head "That's already happening I'm afraid."

David watched has Mr Jackson's cart descended down to the entrance, before turning and entering the house. Without Susan and the children it seemed empty, she along with Martin and Jill and their children had left for England two months earlier, Martin's father Jack had died, and Martin was mentioned in the will.

Patar came into the room, "I saw the man who came with the British Major leaving" he murmured.

David nodded, "he's bought a hundred head, off 4 and 5 year olds broken to the saddle. I'll leave it to you to select them" he murmured.

Patar smiled "No problem David, I'll start at once, I need to separate the mares in foal, and at the last count we had sixty three."

"Stanley Owen wants a stallion for his son Brian's birthday, sort him out a good one please Patar" David replied, has Patar left. 

David felt restless and slightly bored, the crater practically ran its self, in that the Gurkhas saw to the welfare off the horses, whilst the Matabele looked after the cattle. The wives off the Gurkhas saw to the dairy herd, and two had become assistants to Susan in the aid centre.

He smiled remembering them, they copied Susan in wearing trousers, and in fact the rest of them had adopted western dress too. It was rare to see them now in saris.

He stopped and took out the .275 from the gun cabinet, and a handful off cartridges from the drawer.

Outside he told Hanga to saddle Kahn, Kahn was getting on in age now, but always ready for a ride with David.

David told Hanga to prepare his saddlebags for two or three days "I'm going to hunt for the pot Hanga, I'll go and see if N'debi is free. Have it ready for when I get back"

He rode slowly looking out down the Crater; three or four Gurkhas along with Patar were rounding up some off the horses, some off the children standing on the paddocks watching them.

Others were helping their mothers with washing or playing, some waved has he went past, and he waved back.

He stopped Kahn and gazed at the cattle herds, areas had been fenced off with wire to prevent the herds spreading too far, and also keep the different herds separated.

There was no mistaking the Hereford herd; they grazed alongside the Herefords crossed with the Maasi herd. Beyond them the Maasi herd belonging to the Matabele herd grazed, but with each herd two or three young Matabele boys kept watch.

At last he came to the Krall, smoke rose from fires has the women went about their chores. Some he could see were working in the fields tending the crops.

He found N'debi sat outside his hut in the Kraal on a low three-legged stool, looking at two very young children playing in front of him.

"I see you bwana" he growled has David approached him.

"I see you N'debi, I have an itch to hunt for gazelles, do you have a warrior who is skilled in tracking I could borrow." 

N'debi rose to his feet. He is still the biggest man in the Crater, David thought.

"If the bwana has such an itch then we must scratch it for him," he growled.

David kept his face straight has he replied "I did not mean for the mighty chief off the Matabele to track for him. For I see he has other important duties looking after the children."

N'debi glared at him, has the dart stuck home. He entered the hut, returning with his shield, assegai and knobkerrie club.

David drew out two cheroots; he lit one, handing the other to N'debi. 

Whose face lit up with a smile off pleasure?

Hanga had his saddlebags and bedroll ready along with the pack mule, when they returned to the house. Two hours later they passed through the gates out into the veldt.

Chapter 39

That night they camped by a hedge of 'wait a minute' thorn bushes tethering Kahn and the mule by it.

Has N'debi roasted meat David sat on his bedroll his back against his saddle, looking contently up at the night sky, ablaze with stars?

"It does a man good to get away from the Crater at times," he murmured.

N'debi chuckled from across the fire, "the bwana is a warrior, who misses the battle."

David thought before replying, "I don't miss killing men N'debi, it's just I've always been busy in my life. But now there is very little for me to do."

N'debi smiled, "Some would welcome being able to say that bwana."

They spent a night at the Maasi village, David gave the chief a bag off salt has they sat around the council fire.

He leant from him that the slavers had not troubled the area for years since the battle at the river. David put that down to the increased naval presence along the coast due to the war.

They left the next day moving back towards the Crater.

They had ignored game that they passed, until they got closer to the crater. Not wishing for it to spoil if it was carried for more than a day in the hot African sun.

N'debi spotted the small herd off Eland near the hills leading to the Crater. David dismounted drawing the .275 from the rifle holster. The two off them stooped low in the tall dry grass, has they began to move slowly towards the herd.

They stopped 300 yards from it, and David brought up the rifle to his shoulder, it fitted like an extension off his body. He took a breath, has he concentrated on a young Eland male, and then gently squeezed the trigger.

The young buck fell, dead before it hit the ground, has the herd scattered.

He and N'debi stood up, "Good shot bwana" N'debi murmured going forward towards the kill.

David sheathed the rifle before mounting Kahn, and then guiding the mule, rode towards the shade off an acacia tree, whilst N'debi skinned and cut up the dead Eland sixty feet away. 

He had started to swing his leg over the saddle when he heard the snarl, and was knocked completely from it, has a heavy weight hit him.

He felt teeth sinking into his shoulder and claws ripping into his back and then heard the bone break in his leg has he struck the ground. 





The Tides Of War Pt. 10.5



David grew stronger and began to ride around the crater on Zeus. 

He met up with Martin one day out in the Crater at one off the cattle paddocks. Martin was inspecting some cattle inside off it. 

"Good day Martin, I've not seen them before have I?" 

Martin spun round smiling, "Hello David, of course I haven't told you have I" he replied, "I brought them from England. Part of my father's bequeathed, their French Limousine cattle, he left me a bull and six cows. Their hardy cattle with a good meat yield. I intend to try the bull on some off the Massi cattle." 

He spoke with Martin for a further half an hour before continuing his ride. 

When he returned to the house he found a grey stallion tied up outside that looked familiar. 

On entering the house he found Robert Keeling chatting to Susan, but now he wore the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. 

He came to his feet smiling extending his hand, David grasped it "Robert it's good to see you again." 

Keeling grinned "Susan's been telling me about your run in with a leopard." 

David smiled and nodded, "So what do we owe the pleasure off your company." 

"Horses and cattle" he replied, "I'm on procurement duties at the moment. I stopped a Boer bullet in the arm, and was given light duties until I'm fit again. When I found out that this detail involved East Africa I jumped at it." 

"So they roped you into this war then?" David asked. 

Keeling's face fell grim, "They have had to rope everyone in, not only Britain but the Dominions has well, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Kitchener has nearly two hundred thousand men chasing at best a thousand Boers. 

He's had to throw away the old manuals on war and start writing a new one." 

David looked keenly at him, "From what I've heard, some off the orders he has given don't come under the rules of war." 

Keeling's eyes fell to the floor, "You mean the internment camps for the women and children, and the destruction off farms." 

David nodded "That's if it is true." 

"Unfortunately it true, women and children were dying in those camps through lack off food and disease in their hundreds. It's better now; a commission came out from England based on reports that horrified the British public. 

The problem is, that Kitchener is under an enormous strain. The government wants the war ended, it's costing millions at the moment. The British public has turned against it, based on the casualty lists and the treatment off civilians. On top off that for every soldier killed by a Boer, four die off disease. Most off the recruits already have diseases when they come out from Britain; only one in five is fit for duty. It's has, I fear, the war has turned dirty." 

Susan looked shocked at this disclosure. 

"Oh we'll win in the end" Keeling said bitterly "That's what the press will say. But the reality is the Boers will give in rather than see their families suffer any more. But we never beat them on a field off battle. I can only hope that the generals will learn from this." 

"This will create hatred for the British in South Africa that will last well into the future." David predicted. 

"Enough off this talk of war" Susan said, "Robert you will stay the night, I'll have Hanga take care of your horse" she said rising. 

After dinner David and Keeling took their whiskeys out on to the stoop, Keeling accepted a cheroot from David, lighting it he murmured, "You have found a wonderful home here David, this land must be unique for Africa." 

"I suppose there must be other places like it if you look hard enough," he replied. 

Keeling changed the subject. 

"I managed to go to Kana before I was shipped over here. The Prince was eagerly awaiting the birth off his first grandchild. But Yasmin says she wants to go to university first, Sultar is a Major of the Royal guard, I think so that Yasmin can keep an eye on him." Keeling chuckled, "The Horse Master is virtually retired now, and he must be at least ninety. Out at the Fort, Colonel Turin has three full companies at the ready. Fifty men guard the Pass at all times, the Afghans know they are there, and leave them alone. 

Turin married that assistant off Susan's, and has two fine boys now. Para returned to Nepal when he retired, and Hangar took over from him." 

David smiled, remembering, "They were good men, all off them. A man couldn't ask for better soldiers." 

"At the moment in India, I would say they were the best in that Country," Keeling added. 

David nodded in agreement, "So regarding the horses and cattle you would like. I will have to talk to Patar and Martin in the morning to find out what we can spare." 

Keeling managed to acquire forty-three horses and sixty-seven cattle off the various breeds. Between the Gurkhas and Matabele the herds were taken to Nairobi to the railhead. 

Susan kissed Keeling on the cheek has he bid them farewell, "Take care of yourself Robert" she warned. 

David shook his hand, "Don't be a stranger Robert" he said smiling. 

Has they stood on the stoop watching him ride down the track to the entrance of the crater, David murmured, "There goes a man whose heart is not in the job." 

Susan nodded smiling, "The Army needs more Officers like him, who have a conscience." 

Chapter 40 

The news arrived the following June. The war was over; the last commandos had finally surrendered rather than let their families suffer more. 

There were no calibrations in Nairobi, only a dull acceptance off the news that peace had come at last to South Africa. 

Even the most diehard off the farmers who had supported the British Army now realised the terrible sanctions that Kitchener had imposed on Boer families, and had changed their minds. 

Not all the Boers had accepted the peace treaty, which required them to take an oath of allegiance to the British crown. 

Some had gone into self-imposed exile, moving into the German areas off control, one of which'd boarded the Imperil East African Company's land and the other West Africa. 

Six months after the surrender, two horsemen were seen entering the Crater. David watched from the stoop has they made their way up the track to the house. 

They reined up in front of the house, but didn't dismount. 

David saw that one was only a boy of fourteen or fifteen, but he carried a Mauser rifle over his shoulder. The man at his side was beaded and wore homespun clothing and a large slouch hat, was also carrying a rifle over his shoulders. 

"Good day" David said pleasantly. 

The older man nodded "Good day, I'm told you sell horses, can I buy some," said with a guttural accent. 

"I do" David replied, "come inside and we'll discuss what you want." 

The man looked at David before replying, "You may has well know that we're Boers, that didn't surrender to you British." 

David smiled, "I guessed has much from your appearance," he said pleasantly. 

"So you still will sell some to us" he asked dismounting and following David into the house. 

"My name is Ramage, David Ramage, and this is my wife Susan," he said has way off introduction. 

"I'm Paul Van Smit, and this is my son Willie" he said, "I was told you were a Colonel," Van Smit added. 

David smiled "Colonel retired, from the Khana Rifles of his Majesty Prince Hazid Ibram Kahn of Kanda. Not the British Army Mr Van Smit." 

Van Smit's expression relaxed a little at this information. "My son and I are trying to start a new home in the German protectorate. I lost my wife and three children in the internment camps. I don't have much money, but it is gold. My horses are worn out, but I have land now, it needs to be tilled and planted." 

Susan cut into the conversation "Mr Van Smit would you and Willie care to join us for some lunch?" 

Willie's eyes had been sweeping around the room, unused to seeing furniture of quality, his eyes suddenly swung round to Susan at the mention of food. 

Van Smit lifted his head to look at her, "Madam my son and I do not seek charity or pity, but thank you for your offer." 

Susan's eyes flashed, "Sir, I offer neither charity nor pity, only common courtesy, has any one would, to travellers in this land." 

Van Smit recoiled at the ice in Susan's words. 

"Forgive me Madam, we, my son and I have forgotten about kindness. If the offer still stands, we would like to break bread with you." 

It was obvious that the two had not eaten much in the past, the way they sucked the meat from the chicken bones, Willie had three pieces off apple pie, before pushing his plate away. 

"Madam it is many years since we had a meal like this, cooked by a woman." Van Smit said quietly. 

David and Van Smit went out to the stoop for a smoke after the meal. 

"Where is your land?" David asked. 

"Across the river, I would think over sixty miles from here, you are my nearest neighbour, on that side off the river, the closes, is over eighty miles away." 

"So you are a long way out from the nearest town then?" David murmured. 

Van Smit smiled, "The further out you are the cheaper the land. The German administration encourages you to develop the land further out. But you have to prove you are working the land in order to get the grant." 

"Do you have a plough and seed?" David asked 

. 

"We have what you see, but we will make a home there one way or another." He replied grimly. 

David looked at him seeing the determination in his face and made a decision. 

"Paul, I hope you don't mind me calling you that has we are neighbours. I'm going to give you the things you need to start your new life. When you have your farm making a profit you can pay me back then." 

Van Smit looked confused at David "I don't understand what you mean" he stuttered. 

David laughed, "You shall see my friend." 

Three days later three heavy wagons drawn by mules left the crater, along with a Jersey bull and three cows. The horses Paul and Willie had arrived with, tied to the back off a wagon. 

Paul now rode a fine stallion and Willie a mare. 

Six off the Gurkhas went with them along with six Matabele's. 

The night before they left, Paul and David had sat out on the stoop smoking and drinking scotch. 

"David" Paul had asked "why are you doing all off this for us, we were your enemies." 

David smiled "Paul the Boers were never my enemies. You were in a war, were for the ordinary soldier, the rules are clear, kill or be killed. The rights and wrongs off the war don't matter, only survival. 

N'debi, who will be going with you to help build your farm, was once your enemy. The Boers drove them, the Matabele from their land and took their cattle. But he doesn't hate the Boers. He said you won and they lost, has simple has that. 

The Gurkhas who will go with you once fought the British and lost. 

But because of their fighting ability and devotion to duty they now fight on the side off Britain. 

You see Paul it is not the colour off a man's skin or his beliefs, but the man himself, which you must respect. Give them that respect and you have a friend for life." 

"But why are you helping my son and I David?" 

"I'm giving you a chance to start over, to create a new life for the two off you, has someone once gave me that chance. 

I don't expect you to forgive the British for what they did to you only that not all British people are like that. You have to judge the man, not the people." 

They were gone for over five weeks before two off the wagons appeared on the track leading up to the house with the Gurkhas mounted behind. 

Rham and N'debi climbed the steps to the stoop and stood before him. 

"So how did it go" David asked them. 

Rham smiled "the house is built and the ground cleared. The Sahib and his son worked from daylight to sunset breaking the ground to plant the seed. 

We built paddocks for the cattle, horses and mules, also a chicken run sahib." 

"Thank you both you have done well" David replied. 

"The sahib's farm is less than a mile from the river. We warned him about slavers, and told him about the battles we had fought with them. He was interested in the Pass and how you had guarded it Sahib" Rham added. 

David just smiled and nodded. 

The following year Victoria Yasmin Ramage was born on the 24th May, Queen Victoria's birthday. Three months later Jill gave birth to twins, David and Susan Fletcher. 

They all travelled to Nairobi, to the new church for the christening, David and Susan being the godmother and father to the twins, and Martin and Jill being godmother and father for Victoria. 

David had ridden over on Zeus, to see how Paul and his son were making out on the farm. 

They were prospering; David found natives were now helping them. 

"I used your idea with the Matabele, giving them a parcel of land in return for their help. I'm growing coffee and flax, which are good cash markets; I'm producing cheese and butter, which sells well. 

I've err met a woman in town and she has agreed to marry me. She's a good woman, farm stock. She came out from Holland with her husband, but he died off the fervour five years ago." 

David smiled, "that's wonderful news Paul, and we'll give you four more Jerseys has a wedding present." 

He stayed the night with them travelling back to the Crater the next day. 

Chapter 41 

The years rolled by and the Creator prospered, Nairobi grew larger with new settlers coming from all parts of Europe to find a new life in Africa. 

Susan had been asking him to take the family back home to England so she could show the children to her parents, but he always found an excuse to put it off. 

Finally in late 1911 he took Susan and the children to England to see their Grandparents. 

After an initial stay with them he travelled back to London so Susan could see her old Professor and catch up on medical developments, whilst he travelled on to Birmingham to see Henry and Peter. 

Sat in Henry's study he was brought up to date with developments in Europe. 

"Europe is rearming David. The Kiser has begun building a fleet to challenge the size off the Royal Navy. Their armaments factories are churning out guns, big guns, and the army has been trebled. The French have followed suite, but has usual Britain is lagging behind. 

Europe is a tinder box where a spark will set it off." 

Peter took up the story, "If it comes to war it could be on a scale never before imagined, fought with weapons never before used on such a mass scale. They have machine guns that fire 600 rounds a minute. And the British Army increases its cavalry size, the idiots. 

They've developed chemical weapons in the form off gas that can be delivered by artillery. It would make the Boer War look like a picnic party." 

David sat and digested this alarming news before commenting. "German East Africa is only sixty miles from the Crater. Would they dare attack us there?" 

"David" Henry replied "if war comes it will be on a worldwide stage." 

"Then it's only prudent that I prepare for it, to defend my home." David replied. 

Before he left for London he placed an order for three Vickers machine guns, three Mortars and 400 various mortar bomb configurations. Ten .303 rifles and 250,000 rounds of ammunition, he left instructions with them to include anything else they thought would be off help. 

On his way back on the train he remembered what Peter had said about it being a mechanised war if it came. The internal combustion engine was being used now in increasing numbers. He had seen evidence off this in the streets of London and Birmingham. 

When he reached the Ascot Hotel he found a message waiting for him. A Colonel Keeling hoped he would dine with him, the following night at his club in the Strand; an address had been attached to the message. 

David smiled, it would be good to catch up with Robert again, but he was perplexed has to how he known he had been in England. 

He was conducted by an ex-military Serjeant into the smoking room off the Officers Club. The room was filled off paintings off long ago battles that hung from the dark oak panels that surrounded the room. Leather armchairs were spread around, were men were drinking, some in uniform. 

Robert rose from an armchair a wide smile on his face with his hand extended. 

"David, it's wonderful to see you again looking fit and healthy." 

Robert passed over an order for drinks to a hovering waiter, before settling back into his seat again. 

After replying to the state off the family and home, David asked the question that had troubled him. 

"How on earth did you know we were in England," he asked. 

Robert smiled, "these are troubled times we live in David; any one entering the country is reported from immigration control. The names are checked against a register. It so happened that I noticed a Mr and Mrs Ramage and family arriving from East Africa. I hope you will forgive me but I contacted Henry in Birmingham with instructions to inform me if you purchased any armaments. That's why you got the message." 

David looked alarmed, "I've not broken any laws by that have I," he asked. 

Robert smiled, "oh course not, the reason was to find out if you took the warnings off war seriously". 

"Well I'm not sure if I do or not, but it seemed only prudent to be prepared for the worst," David replied. 

Robert relaxed visibly, "David that's exactly the reply I had hoped from you. I'm afraid there will be a war eventually, perhaps not this year but in a year or two, all the signs are there but some in the War Office have blinkers on and refuse to see what is before them. 

I'm head off a department that is looking at safe guarding our overseas interests, directly reporting to the Foreign Office. 

Now what I'm about to say is top secret. Those areas of the globe that back on to German territory will be exposed in the event off a war breaking out. 

The German standing army far exceeds our own. If war does break out the main battlefield will be Europe, and we will need every man to defend England. 

To some extent East Africa will be on its own. What troops that can be sent, will go to the Cape to resist an attack from German West Africa." Robert paused to let what he had said sink in. 

"If East Africa is to be defended, then it will be up to the East Africans to defend it. We can supply arms and ammunition but not manpower at the moment. What is needed is a territorial army to be raised and trained." 

David thought hard on what Robert had said before replying. 

"You may get a hundred, perhaps a hundred and fifty men who could fight. But bear in mind most are farmers with their own businesses to run." 

Robert nodded his head, "Yes I'm aware off that but what about the professional hunters, they know the land and can shoot." 

"Perhaps fifty or sixty, not many to defend against an army," David acknowledged. 

"How would you conduct a war like that with those men?" Robert asked. 

David smiled, "well no set piece battles that's for sure. It would have to be hit and run, disrupt their supply lines. Only attack when you can be sure off winning." He said grimly. 

"In other words," Robert said "adopt Boer commando tactics." 

David nodded. 

"David I'm empowered to offer you the commission off Colonel in the British Army reporting directly to me alone. You would have a free hand to organise and train the men to your own standards. Further you could also have 300 Ghurkhas from Kana in your command." 

David looked astonished at Robert, "I don't understand Ghurkhas from Kana?" 

Robert chuckled, "The Prince was in England four months ago to escort his daughter back from university; she'd been at Oxford. I had occasion to speak to him whilst he was in London. He agreed with me regarding the state off things in Europe, and when I mentioned how venerable East Africa would be in the event off war, he himself suggested that the 1st Khana Rifles would serve, so long has it was under your command." 




The Tides Of War Pt. 10.5



David looked at Robert in a new light regarding his manipulations. 

"I would be in sole command. What weapons would I be given and how many?" 

Robert grew serious "you would only be answerable to me. As it would be hit and run, machine guns, and mortars, say eight Vickers Machine guns, and ten mortars with a thousand mortar shells to begin with. Two hundred .303 Lee Enfield Mark 1 rifles, there the same basically has the ones you have, and half a million rounds of ammunition." 

David nodded, "The Ghurkhas how many and when?" 

"I think it would be best if you went to Kana and recruited them yourself. From what the Prince said, they all would come, but only to serve under you." 

"Pay and conditions for those who take part to be the same for all," David demanded. 

Robert nodded "plus overseas allowances." 

"Very well Robert I accept but only for so long has hostilities last." 

Robert face cleared and he smiled, "agreed, you have formally been a member of the British Army for the last week. I sort off knew you would accept," he said ruefully, "you can pick up your uniform from Masons they'll make it for you. I took the liberty of cancelling your order with Henry," said with a broad smile on his face 

When he told Susan that night, he could see the news upset her but she put on a brave face and accepted it. 

"I'll have to go to Kana and see the Prince and organise passage for the volunteers. Will you be all right if I go," he asked. 

Susan nodded "oh course darling, I'll see you when you get back to the Crater." 

The next few days were hectic for David, with further meetings with Robert and sorting out his uniform. On the fifth day he sailed for Karachi. 

Chapter 42 

He was shown into the Prince's presence where he found Turin standing beside him. 

Turin saluted him smartly with a wide smile on his face. The Prince was still lean but had a few grey hairs in his hair and beard that had not been there before. 

The Prince gave him a hug, "my son it has been too long," he murmured. 

After telling about Susan and the children and that his daughter now bore Yasmin's name he got down to business. 

Turin insisted that he could have 300 Ghurkhas if he wanted them. But David said he didn't have enough salted horses for that number, adding, 'I have horses for a hundred, but the men must be volunteers' he insisted. 

He agreed to ride out to the fort the following day and approach the men himself. 

Over dinner that night with the royal family he learnt with sadness that the Horse Master had died two years ago. He told the Prince off Kahn's death and how he had saved him from the leopard, and that he now rode Zeus, Kahn and Sulkie's son. 

Before he retired for the night the Prince presented him with a pair of ivory handled 1911 .45 Colt Automatic pistols. Explaining they fired eight bullets from a magazine. 

'They were presented to me by an American Congress Man. But I have no use of such weapons." 

The entire regiment was drawn up on the parade ground when David arrived at the fort. He entered the officer's room finding Hagar and Sultar along with others he didn't recognise. They all came to attention and saluted him. His throat constricted with emotion at this gesture. 

Turin took over "the Colonel Sahib has need off a hundred fighting men, but they must be volunteers he has insisted, so we will address the regiment to find out who." 

Before he could leave the room Sultar way laid him, "Colonel Sahib you will need a good second in command. Please except me for that post." He said earnestly. 

"Sultar you're married." David replied. 

"With respect Colonel Sahib so are you." 

"I will have to speak with the Prince and Princess Yasmin about it first before deciding," David answered defensively. 

Outside on the rostrum Turin out lined David's request for volunteers. Then David spoke saying that they would be facing superior numbers and that men were likely to die. 

Turin said for those who would like to go take one step forward. 

The entire regiment stepped forward has one man. David's eyes smarted with emotion at this. 

Back in the office he said to Turin for him to select the men, suggesting that priority be given to unmarried men. 

Turin smiled seeing the expression on David's face, "what did you expect from them, you are a legion in this regiment." 

"I'm telling you now Turin, you are not going, the regiment needs you too much." David said forcefully. 

He went on to say the men chosen men would need to bring their saddles, but not their rifles. They would be provided later. 

Back at the Palace he was surprised when Princess Yasmin came into the room where he was talking to the Prince. 

"David" she began, "Sultar says he wants to go with you." 

David hesitated before replying, "Princess I told him he was married and had to consider you." 

"But you have Susan and the children to consider too," she replied. 

He frowned confused, "I don't understand what you are saying," he murmured. 

"I'm saying my husband is a Ghurkha, he was born to fight, and you need an experienced leader to help you. So you must let him go, further has a dutiful wife and prospective mother, I shall accompany him." 

David looked startled looking at the Prince and Princess, "the Crater is no place for a royal princess," he stuttered. 

The Princess's eyes grew angry, "I have just completed three years at Oxford sharing a flat, before that I worked in the hospital here in Kana. Do you think so little of me that I need to live in luxury to be happy David? Beside which I now hold a medical degree and can help Susan in the hospital." 

David looked appealingly at the Prince, who merely shook his head and laughed, "Don't look at me for help, she's made up her mind to go" he said grinning. 

"Further" the Princess said "in future you will address me has Yasmin, not Princess, agreed." 

David nodded weakly has she left. 

"Who wears the trousers in that family I wonder," he said to a grinning Prince. 

David left two days later to return to Mombasa, leaving Sultar in charge of bringing the others over. 

Once back in Nairobi he wasted no time in gathering the professional hunters together and explaining what was happening in Europe and the fears off an approaching war, and the consequences to East Africa. 

He went on to explain the lack of support in manpower in the event of war. He let the outcries and arguments die before adding that it was going to be a case off helping themselves. 

"I intend to raise a commando, and train them to be an effective fighting force, so that we can fight back if we are invaded by German East Africa." 

He went on to explain about weapons, and pay and conditions, ending by saying, "I'd like you to think about it. But remember if you do join up then you have to obey orders just like any other soldiers. Talk about it amongst your selves, you know where I am if you decide to enlist." 

When he got back to the crater he informed Rham about the hundred Ghurkhas who would be coming and who would need accommodation, leaving it up to him to start the building off a barracks for them. Next he spoke to Patar concerning the horses finding they currently had a hundred and twenty horses that had been salted. 

The following day the builders from Nairobi arrived to start building a house for Sultar and Yasmin. 

That night N'debi visited him; he talked to him about the chance that a war would break out in a few years. 

"What I need to know old friend is what the German Askari's are doing over the river, how many are there, what weapons they have, where they camp." 

"To find this out Bwana, you need the help off the Maasi, they have villages on both sides off the river." 

"Could you speak to them for me N'debi and find out. They would be rewarded for such information." 

He spoke at length with Martin regarding accurate maps off the area. 

"Most off this part off East Africa has never been mapped. We will need good maps showing water holes, terrain elevations, ground conditions in other words maps that can give us the lay off the land." 

"The best way to do that is too break the area up into five mile boxes, and survey it before moving on to the next box. It will take time to do it accurately, but if I can have a Matabele guide and a couple off Rham's men I could start immediately." 

David thanked him knowing Martin had the necessary equipment and knowhow to accomplish it. 

Susan and the children returned the following week, at the welcome home party he told her off Yasmin being pregnant but would be arriving with Sultar soon. Her face broke out in a wide smile, 'I must go into Nairobi and start to get furniture and material for their home before they arrive' she gushed, happy to be involved. 

He drove Susan into the town two days later; whilst she shopped he went into the bar. 

Stanley along with his son John, Bill, Ron and Hans, were there. 

He took his drink over to them and sat down. 

"So David" Stanley began, "so far there are forty-seven off us who are interested in joining your commando. Just what does it involve?" 

David took a sip off his beer, before replying, 'At this stage, what we need more than anything is information on the enemy, accurate maps off the area we are likely to be active in. That's where you men would be invaluable, you know this land better than anyone. But most off that information is locked in your heads. We need to get that down on paper. Martin is going to start surveying the land, but it would help if some off you could go with him." 

Stanley nodded, "The Germans don't take kindly to us crossing over to their territory, but there are places where it is done. The local natives despise the Askari's, they tend to bully them and take what they want. I have a few contacts with the locals who let me know if the Askari's are about." 

David smiled, "that's what we need Stanley. We have about a year or two to prepare in, but I don't want them to know what we are doing. By the same token don't discuss this with anyone outside off those who volunteered, you can bet the Germans are doing something similar over here in preparation." 

At this, the men looked startled at each other, has they realised what David had said could be true. 

"There's one hundred Ghurkhas who fought for me in India who will be arriving in small numbers so has not to be conspicuous over the next month or so. They will be barracked at the Crater, and keep a low profile. We cannot allow the enemy to know we are preparing. What we lack in numbers, we make up in knowhow, regarding the land and speed in which we move." 

By the time he left the bar Stanley and his son had agreed to accompany Martin for a week and then others would take their place. 

Ten days later Sultar and Yasmin arrived along with twelve Ghurkhas dressed has servants and three Indian girls who were there has servants the locals thought. Knowing David and Susan had lived in India they put the arrivals down has royal friends visiting them. 

Once at the crater the calibrations began, with Susan and Yasmin hugging each other and fussing over the children. Rham had organised a feast for the newly arrived comrades, which went on long into the night. 

Sultar reported to him the next day, 'Colonel Sahib the next arrival of men is due in two weeks, they have been ordered to reach Nairobi in groups of four or five and make their way here." 

"Thank you Major Sultar, and from now on you will refer to me has David or Colonel, Susan has Doctor or Susan, not Memsahib. That applies to all ranks." 

"Very well Colonel" he replied a smile on his face. 

Over the next four months, things began to fall into place. The rest of the Ghurkhas had arrived. The weapons from England arrived in three separate shipments. An armoury had been dug for them near the entrance to the crater, at the same time a rifle range had been constructed nearby. 

The hunters had arrived at the crater in groups of four or five, and had been shown how to clean and maintain the .303 rifles and zero them in by the Ghurkhas, at the same time learning to respect the small hardy warriors. 

Sultar had undertaken the task off showing how to operate the Vickers machine guns and mortars, which were a more advanced model than had been used at Khana Pass in David's day. 

David's study had become a war room, were information on the enemy was correlated, at the same time to a large-scale map which was slowly being filled in has the time passed. 

Information from England was becoming direr concerning developments in Europe. 

Patrols were sent out consisting off a couple off hunters with four or five Ghurkhas in attendance, this enabled the new men to become familiar with the country and at the same time learn about the people and animals that roamed the land. 

Patar had sorted out the horses for the men and paddocks for them. 

Yasmin along with the three girls who it transpired were trained nurses joined Susan in the hospital. At her insistence it was made larger to house twenty beds. 

Stanley was appointed a Captain in charge off the professional hunters. Rham was promoted to Lieutenant, second in charge off fifty off the Ghurkhas, with a Ghurkha called Tartrha in command who Sultar recommended. 

Sultar took command of the final fifty. This made three troops off approximately fifty troopers. Nine Ghurkhas were held back has quartermaster and cooks, again at Sultar's suggestion. 

Each rifle had a number given it after it had been zeroed to suit the individual trooper, which was placed in the armoury ready for use. 

Uniforms had arrived, but apart from checking for alterations were kept in the Crater. 

After long deliberation the group off troopers were called the 1st Nairobi Rifles. 

To be continued



The Tides Of War Pt. 10



The leopard was catapulted over his head and landed ten feet away. 

It crouched, its tail swishing violently, has its yellow eyes fixed on David preparing to leap.

Agony swept through his body from the bite, claws and broken leg, has he struggled to sit up.

The leopard crouched lower coiling itself ready to spring, when with a snort off rage Kahn was rearing in front of it lashing out with his hooves.

The leopard changed its target and sprang; sinking its claws into Kahn's neck has it bit into his throat, the back legs racking his chest.

Kahn screamed, and fell to its front knees by the weight off the cat.

David managed to free his pistol, despite the waves of white hot agony that flooded his body and somehow crawled towards the stricken horse.

Kahn continued to scream has the leopard racked him, blood was issuing from its nose in a bloody froth has it tried in vain to stand.

"Leave him you bastard," David screamed has he finally reached them, he thrust the barrel off the pistol into the leopard's ear and pulled the trigger, once twice then three times. 

The leopard collapsed dead, 

N'debi arrived taking in the scene before him.

"Bwana," he cried looking in horror has David tried to push the leopard from Kahn's head.

"Bwana I must treat your wounds."

David wasn't listening, "Kahn, oh God, Kahn" he sobbed.

N'debi picked up the cat and threw it from them.

The horse lifted his head looking at David its eyes rolling in pain, the bloody froth issuing from its nose.

The horse was in agony from the horrendous wounds inflicted by the leopard.

"It's all right boy" David sobbed, "I'll stop the pain." His voice breaking, has he stroked Kahn's head.

Kahn tried to whinny, but only more off the bloody froth appeared.

He lifted the pistol and placed it gently against his head and pulled the trigger.

David collapsed over Kahn's body, his shoulders heaving with the sobs from his own body.

N'debi had started a fire and had placed his spearhead in it. He moved to lift David from the horse's body, but when he tried, David screamed and passed out.

When he came too, he was propped up against the trunk off the tree, the smell off burnt flesh heavy in the air. He noticed from blurred eyes N'debi had made a large fire close by. White hot pain lanced through him from his shoulder, back and leg, which was now sticking straight out with N'debi's knobkerrie bound to it.

N'debi was pulling his rifle from its saddle holster, and he vaguely noticed his saddlebags and water bottle were by his side.

N'debi turned carrying the rifle towards him.

"You are awake bwana, good. I must go for help. You must stay awake now, the hyenas and jackals will smell the blood and come soon."

David nodded, his eyes on Kahn's body.

N'debi gave him a drink from his canteen, and at David's request unfastened the saddlebags, and with his instructions loaded the pistol from the ammunition inside.

David put it down within easy reach alongside the other pistol N'debi had taken from the saddle.

"I must go now bwana, but you must stay awake." he warned, with that he set off running.

David took another swallow from the canteen, before placing a pistol in his lap.

At times the pain almost engulfed him, but he fought to stay conscious by thinking off Kahn. 

The mule had bolted at the first snarl off the leopard, Kahn should have too, he knew.

But instead he has stayed to protect him.

His mind began to wonder thinking back, to the days and nights they had been together, he was on the verge off slipping back into unconsciousness, when the insane laugh off a hyena pulled him back.

They were not going to have Kahn he vowed to himself, forcing himself awake has the pain lanced through him, began again.

Patar rained in along with three Gurkhas at the tree, jumping down from his sweat-encrusted horse. 

"David" he cried rushing over to where David sat against the tree.

David lifted his head, and slowly and smiled, "Don't let them get Kahn" he said weakly has his head fell forward into unconsciousness.

Patar looked at the dead around the tree, the leopard, the horse and two hyenas.

For two weeks David hung by a thread to life, has the fever raged within his body, sometimes he would see faces above him, but they were blurred, and then he would sink back into oblivion. 

Finally the day dawned when the fever broke. 

He was conscious off his leg itching, he tried to scratch it but his fingers encountered something stiff covering it.

Then suddenly Susan's face was above him, her eyes bright with tears has she smiled down at him.

"Susan" he mumbled, she placed her finger across his lips, "Schuss, don't excite yourself" she murmured bending and kissing him.

Over the next few days he learnt that they had arrived back from England over a week ago. Slowly has his strength came back he was allowed to sit up, out on the stoop for a few hours, whilst Susan changed his dressings with his son Guy watching on.

"You're going to have some scars to boast about when the scabs come off" she warned.

On another occasion she told him how N'debi had saved his life by cauterising his wounds with his red-hot spearhead. "The leopard's claws and teeth would have been full off germs from the animals he'd killed"

He in turn told her how Kahn had saved his life at the cost off his own.

She smiled sadly nodding "They brought him back, he's buried behind the stable"

He had visitors, Martin and Jill and their daughter Barbara, Patar and Rham, and N'debi, who he thanked for his help.

"Bwana it was your horse who helped, truly he was a warrior chief amongst horses. I only tended to your wounds"

"But without your help with my wounds I should have died" 

David with the help off crutches that Hanga had made finally hobbled to Kahn's grave behind the stables.

Granite blocks had been put over it, a simple head stone chiselled with the words 'Kahn bravest off the brave' he stood looking down on it filled with emotion, he swallowed and then turned back towards the stable.

Sulkie had her head out of the stall, and whinnied at his approach.

"Hello darling" he murmured fondling her head. "You miss him too" he said scratching her ear. She pushed her head against his chest, has her daughter looked up to see who it was.

Suzi was six months old now and resembled her mother in colouring but there were still signs off Kahn in her head and height.

He gave her the apple, has she munched it he could see the years were catching up with her. 

Patar appeared at his side, "She's growing into a fine filly David" he murmured, "She continues the line of Kahn and Sulkie"

David nodded turning towards him, "Sulkie is to be retired now Patar, she deserves to be with her children out in the Crater"

"My father always said, that a horse at the end of their days is content to see their children grow David, to see their bloodline flourish.

To be continued.



The Tides Of War Pt. 11



David organised training involving setting up and firing the Vickers and Mortars until every man was familiar at doing it. This included their transportation by mules. 

News filtered in that the Germans were expanding their force and a regiment of German soldiers had arrived from Europe along with artillery. Askari's were being recruited and trained and tensions were rising all along the eight hundred miles that divided the two countries. Maasi reports came in that Askari's along with white men had been seen checking the various fords of the river along the boundary of the country. 

A month later David called for a meeting of all officers at the Crater. When they were all assembled he pointed to the map that Martin had now completed. 

"It looks gentleman that if they do invade then the likely spot that they will cross the river is here at Mamboie Ford. I say that because of two reasons; one it's the firmest of the fords, and secondly it's the most direct route to Nairobi. If they intend to bring artillery, then that's the place I would cross." 

He paused to let that register before continuing, "The problem with that route is that it's a hundred and twenty miles to Nairobi, and no water to speak of for ninety miles of it. They'll have to use bullocks to pull the guns so their rate of progress will be slow, say ten or fifteen miles a day. They will have no choice but to have water brought from the river to re-supply them. It's my intention that once they are fifty miles or so into our land to stop that supply." 

He looked around the room, "Any questions?" 

Sultar spoke, "How many men will be in the invading force Colonel?" 

"The best estimate going on current information is in excess of a thousand." 

. 

"What if they don't bring artillery, what then?" Stanley asked. 

David smiled, "I'm banking on the German attention to detail. They are past masters in the use of artillery and as they have artillery they'll use it if they can. Also, the new commander of their Army has arrived from Germany and he served as an artillery officer during the Franco-German War." 

Bill who was a lieutenant in Stanley's troop said, "That's just rolling bush out there; not much cover at all." 

David smiled again, "Another good reason for them picking it. But here two miles away from the track is a rift; it's more like a blind canyon, very narrow and about thirty feet deep stretching six hundred yards or so. I've ridden out and seen it; you could hide a troop in there without it being seen." 

Stanley spoke again, "David you realise the Crater is on their way to Nairobi? They must know about the cattle and horses you have, not to mention the water." 

David nodded, "I've thought of that. They have a bad habit of living of the land so it makes sense for them to try for it. So I'm keeping a troop back to guard it. They'll have four machine guns and four of the mortars. I've also told the local Maasi chiefs what is likely to happen to their herds if they come. They'll move north-east when they get the word." 

"So it all depends on them doing what you propose Colonel?" Sultar murmured. "But you have not said which troop will be doing what?" 

David looked grim, "It's all speculation I'll admit at the moment which may change as time goes on. But as of now, based on what I know, then Captain Tartrha along with myself will be in the rift. Captain Stanley with his troop will be in front of the column, creating mischief as and when appropriate. Whilst Lieutenant Rham's troop, with you in overall command will be responsible for the defence of the Crater." 

David could see the look of disappointment on Sultar's face at this news. 

Later he spoke to him, "Sultar, I know you want to be where the action is but your wife and daughter, as well as my wife and children along with others' wives and families are dependent on the Crater being kept safe. If I can't be here to do that, then I want my very best man to keep them safe for me." 

Sultar looked at David and nodded, "You are right David, I will defend the Crater to the last drop of my blood." 

David smiled, "I know my friend... I know." 

A new energy overtook the commando now and patrols covered the expected route looking for ambush points along the way. A well was drilled in the rift and water was discovered; not in a great quantity but sufficient to create a small pool. 

Training took on a new urgency and David looked on with satisfaction at the rapport between the hardened professional hunters and the Ghurkhas. 

Chapter 43 

Five weeks later Robert Keeling appeared at the Crater dressed in civilian clothes. Susan hugged him and made him welcome. Over dinner, with Sultar and Yasmin present, he explained his visit. 

"I'm on a tour of strategic areas where there is likely to be conflict in the event of war. 

I've just been down to Cape Town to see how they are organised. When I leave here I'll be going around the Horn of Africa and travelling up the Red Sea through to Suez. The Canal is vital to us. But we have learned of an impending treaty with the Ottoman Empire and Germany which could be a threat if they decide to move against Suez." 

They listened with dismay at Robert's disclosures. 

"So if war does come," Susan exclaimed, "it will be fought on a global scale?" 

Robert nodded, "Yes, it will be a world war; fought on land, sea and air." 

Sultar frowned, "Air? I don't understand," he murmured. 

Robert smiled, "Flying machines have undergone a rapid development since the Wright Brothers' flight, in Europe by the Germans, French, and us. They're mainly used for artillery spotting and reconnaissance at the moment but we know Germany is looking at developing aircraft that could carry bombs. They already have giant balloons made by Count Zeppelin that can do that. In fact our agents have discovered that two aircraft were shipped out here to East Africa." 

David looked at Sultar at this news. 

Later he and Sultar showed Robert into his study to see the progress they had made in their preparations. Robert studied the maps and listened to David's thoughts regarding the German's attack plans. 

"I concur regarding the attack route David, the only thing I would add is if they do use aircraft, it will be to reconnoitre their attack route first. You would be wise to make sure you are not seen." 

Robert left two days later saying to expect more shipments from England. 

At one of the officers meetings David discussed the threat of aircraft spotting them in the rift. 

Stanley came up with the answer, "When we take up position at a water hole to give a customer a clear shot, we put a net hide over us to stop the birds giving the alarm. It's just a fishing net with strips of sacking woven into it. Seen from the top of a tree it's amazing how it blends in with the land below." 

David smiled at the disclosure, "We could get big nets from Mombasa and connect them together." 

Stanley agreed to go to Mombasa and buy some, and Sultar said the Ghurkhas would see to the sacking. 

David staked out an area at the bottom of the crater to reproduce the length and width of the rift. Sultar's men then connected the nets together and began lacing the sacking into them. Some of the sacks had been dyed various colours of green and brown. Other nets were to be used for Stanley's troop. When completed they were carefully rolled up and placed on a wagon. 

It took the two Ghurkha troops three days to erect it level with the rift edge, whilst lookouts kept vigil on the horizon. Clumps of grass and bushes were added to the nets until David was satisfied. 

Two crates arrived from England marked as farming equipment. When they unpacked them, they found more .303 ammunition in one, but the second contained three strange looking guns. 

There was a letter inside written by Peter from Birmingham. It explained the guns were called Lewis light machine guns, being made by the Birmingham Small Arms Company under licence from America. 

That evening Sultar, Tartrha, Rham and David studied the three guns in his study, referring to the manuals that came with them. They examined the flat round magazines that were attached to the top of the gun, which according to the manual could hold ninety-seven rounds of .303 ammunition, with a firing rate of six hundred rounds a minute. There were twelve magazines in the crate. The machine guns were much lighter than the Vickers and could be fired by one man. The four men spent most of the night reading and examining the weapon until they were fairly conversant with it. 

The next day having cleaned them and loading four of the magazines, they took them down to the rifle range to try them out, accompanied by the two Ghurkha troops. David was immediately impressed with the guns performance. 

He told Sultar and Tartrha, "We'll use two of them at the rift; they will be ideal if aircraft do appear. The third will go to Stanley's troop for the same reason. That means you will have four more Vickers for the defence of the Crater, Sultar."  

Word was sent to Stanley to bring his troop to the crater and Tartrha and Sultar showed them the operation and care of the Lewis gun, letting each man try in turn. 

Messages from the Maasi indicated a large military camp was forming across the river near Mamboie, and that giant birds had been seen in the skies. Some of the tribes in the area had been crossing the river driving what few cattle they had left after the Germans had commandeered them. This news had made the Maasi on their side to begin to start moving north-east. 

David started moving supplies and ammunition during the cover of night down to the rift along with fodder and oats for the horses. Ten of Tartrha's men moved into the rift to keep guard and observe. News came back that aircraft had been seen flying over their side of the river following the track to Nairobi. 

David called for a council of war of all officers and senior NCOs. 

"I fear gentlemen that hostilities will shortly break out here. We won't know if war has been declared in Europe for a few days due to the time delay in information reaching us. Therefore if the enemy cross the river, I will take that as a declaration of war and that hostilities have begun. 

"It is my intention to man the rift starting tomorrow night. Captain Stanley's troop will hold here in readiness to harass the enemy's vanguard." 

He looked around the assembled men. 

"I'm not fighting for God and the King, but for my family, home and land, and I'm prepared to die for that principle. Each of you will have your own reason to fight... I wish us luck gentleman in the days ahead. 

Chapter 44 

That day, uniforms and rifles were distributed; men sat round loading clips and putting them into their bandoliers. 

During the evening he said good-bye to Susan and the children; Hanga had packed his saddlebags and bedroll onto Zeus along with his rifle in its scabbard. One of the .45 Colt Automatics was put in his saddle holster, and he wore the other in his belt holster along with his kukri. 

Outside he said farewell to Martin and Jill, before turning to Sultar, "Keep them safe old friend," he murmured. 

"With my life David," he replied. 

Then with N'debi trotting on ahead and Tartrha at his side, the troop moved off down the track to the entrance. 

The Havildar in charge of guarding the entrance stopped David. 

"Colonel, a native just delivered this letter for you. I was just about to send it up to your home," he said handing over the letter. 

David haltered the column and dismounted going into the guard hut to read it. 

It was from Paul, written in a hasty hand. Basically he and his son were not taking sides, but Askari's had raided his farm forcibly enlisting his young workers into their ranks and stealing chickens and three of his Jersey cows. He had been powerless to stop it. They would have taken more but a German officer had arrived to stop them. The officer had apologised, but said they needed food for the coming invasion and had let slip that they would get more cattle and horses once they were across the river. This could only be the Crater, Paul wrote, and urged David to leave before they arrived. 

Before remounting, David gave the letter back to the Havildar with orders to send it to Major Sultar. 

They reached the rift in the dead of the night and as soon as they were under the netting, the horses were unsaddled and taken away. Guards were placed around the rim of the rift and the men were told to get some sleep. 

Caves had been dug into the sides of the rift by the troops on their frequent visits to it. Not only for personal use but also for storing food and ammunition, Tartrha showed David to his cave that had been provided for him. It was around eight feet deep and seven feet wide and a blanket hung across the doorway. Inside a small table and stool had been provided for him along with a bunk bed alongside of which stood a small packing case. David lit the paraffin lamp that hung from a root in the ceiling. 

Over the next half hour his saddle and saddlebags, bedroll and rifle were returned to him, as he settled down to the first night in the rift. 

The next morning after breakfast, N'debi along with a Ghurkha carrying a telescope went towards the river to keep watch. 

The men were kept busy attending to the horses, cleaning their weapons or improving their living conditions. The weather was hot, being late July the sun blazed down from a cloudless sky, but at least in the rift they were protected from the worst of it. 

David knew water would be the main problem, so he had ordered that the men keep their water bottles filled and to keep the water skins full from the slow trickle of the pool. 

When dusk fell N'debi and the Ghurkha returned. They had witnessed mounted men with strange headgear and carrying long spears entering the ford and placing sticks on both sides of it. 

David was slightly alarmed at this news. Cavalry... they had cavalry and by the description they were Uhlans, a crack German lancer cavalry unit. They must have been marking the edges of the ford he reasoned. 

The next day N'debi and a Ghurkha left while it was still dark. 

They saw their first aircraft that day. When the alarm was sounded David climbed to the edge of the rift with his telescope. The aircraft was flying along the track on their side of the river, sometimes circling around on either side of it. At one point it flew directly over the rift, and David could see two men in it, as it was only about two hundred feet high. It continued to fly around before heading back across the river. When N'debi and the Ghurkha returned at dusk they reported dense dust clouds forming on the other side of the river. 

That night he sent a dispatch back to the Crater, saying invasion was imminent. 

David looked at his calendar... tomorrow would be the fourth of August. 

He left with N'debi while it was still dark, finding a secure vantage point to observe the ford a quarter of a mile away. 

As the first light lit the ford, twenty Uhlans crossed over fanning out around the track, followed by some two hundred Askari's. They were followed by a full company of white German soldiers wearing points on the top of their helmets. After them came more Askari's then the bullocks appeared, six to each of the three artillery pieces. David judged them to be six-inch howitzers. 

It took most of the day for the column to cross the ford; the rear being brought up by thirty more Uhlans. 

David estimated that in excess of 1300 enemy troops were now on his side of the river. 

As darkness fell, he and N'debi returned to the rift. 

Over the next seven days he noticed a routine being established by the German column. At dawn an aircraft would appear and fly ahead of it, returning to wag its wings over it, as if to confirm ahead was clear. 

By now the column had passed the rift and was some forty odd miles from the river. On a good day it averaged about eight miles, being held up by the guns. Each day thirty or so carts would appear from the river carrying provisions and large earthenware jugs filled with water for the men and livestock. Normally an Askari rode on each wagon. 

To be continued



The Tides Of War Pt. 12



Part 12 

Chapter 45 

David decided it was time for action after the seventh day. 

Leaving their horses in the rift, he took the troop out during the night and arranged them alongside of the track. They waited concealed until the aircraft had returned back to its base before edging closer to the track and taking up positions. 

The ambush was a complete success; at fifty yards the Ghurkhas couldn't miss. The carts were checked; provisions and fodder were quickly dispatched to the rift to supplement their own stocks along with some of the water carts. The rest were destroyed apart from two that were loaded with the dead bodies, which were taken back below the ford and dumped into the river. The empty carts were sent back to the rift were they were broken up for firewood. 

Once they were gone, work began on covering their tracks. In three hours nothing remained to show of the ambush. It was noon before ten Uhlans were seen riding back towards the river. 

That night, David ordered the mules to be herded back to the crater by a roundabout 

route. For four days they stopped any water or supplies reaching the column; by now the number of carts was dwindling. 

On the fifth morning they repeated their ambush on only ten carts, guarded by Uhlans with five riding in front and five behind. All the carts bore was water. He noticed the Uhlans horses were European stock with good bloodlines. Again everything was disposed of and their tracks carefully hidden. The wounded, along with the horses and mules sent back to the Crater. 

Scouts reported that the column had haltered. 

Later, forty Uhlans returned to the river moving slowly; their horse's heads hung low. They were led by an officer whose eyes constantly looked right and left, and he was mounted on a magnificent black stallion, 

David held a council of war with Tartrha and his NCOs that night. 

"It will be different tomorrow; they are expecting something to happen and will take precautions. If I was that officer I'd put out flankers on each side of the track, as well as front and rear guards. They may well bring more infantry with them. They must be getting desperate for water by now so I intend taking a Lewis gun with us. Make sure you have your best gunner using it," he told Tartrha. 

David's premonition proved to be correct. They noticed the aircraft first flying in circles over the track, before a convoy of five heavy wagons drawn by bullocks came into view. They were escorted by the Uhlans, with a company of Askari's formed in front and back. 

David ordered the Lewis gun to hold fire until commanded to do so. The first volley from the Ghurkhas downed the two Uhlan out-riders, and a number of the Askari, who dropped to their bellies returning fire wildly. 

The Uhlan officer ordered his men into a line to charge. They dropped their lances and started off with a gallop straight towards the kneeling Ghurkhas. 

David waited until they were a hundred yards from them, and then ordered the Lewis gun to open fire. Men and horses went down screaming as the charge was halted. The Askari seeing the carnage leapt to their feet and ran back towards the river leaving their weapons behind them in their haste to get away. 

The horses were rounded up; miraculously none had been seriously hurt. Five Uhlans were wounded and were taken care of by a Ghurkha first-aid man. The aircraft circling above had witnessed the entire ambush, and now flew off in the direction of the German column. 

The wagons were destroyed and set on fire and the water jugs smashed. The bullocks were driven back to the rift; they would supplement their rations. The dead were stripped of anything valuable and quickly buried. David rode the magnificent black stallion back to the camp; ordering the saddle and saddlebags to be taken to his quarters. 

Back at the rift he questioned the wounded Uhlans after finding one who spoke English. It seemed they were under the command of Count Rupert Von Hassinberg; the Captain who had been killed. That night he sent the Uhlans back to the crater in a cart guarded by four Ghurkhas. 

David was impressed by the quality of the saddle and saddlebags; made from the finest black leather. Inside the saddlebags he found a crude map of the track to Nairobi but with a mark on it in the hills near the crater. There appeared to be some letters written in German along with a pair of matching cutthroat razors with ivory handles, brush and soap. In addition there was silk underwear and a change of shirts also in silk, along with six magazines of bullets. On examining the saddle he found a pistol holster containing a long barrelled automatic pistol called a Luger, which had a very good balance in his hand. 

Another leather case held a pair of binoculars, which, when he tried them out were far superior to his old telescope. The cavalry sword belonging to the Count was of Solingen steel with a razor edge to it. David reasoned the Count had come from a very wealthy family going by the quality of his horse and equipment. 

Later he went down to the horse lines to examine the horse the Count had ridden. 

It stood at least seventeen hands high; as big as Zeus he realised. Running his hands over its body he could feel the hard muscles in its legs and withers. 

"I think I'll call you Diablo, boy," he said stroking its velvet nose. 

Talking to Tartrha later that night he said, "Well, the cat is out of the bag now; they know there's someone behind them stopping their supplies, but not where we are yet. The biggest danger is the aircraft. We need to kill it before it discovers the rift so we need to lure it into a trap to do that." 

He outlined his plan that they would put into force the following day. 

The next morning four Ghurkhas were riding out on the veldt when they heard the aircraft approaching. They immediately spurred their horses, dashing back towards the rift with the aircraft following on behind. On reaching it the net was raised and they rode down the embankment into it with the net closing behind them. 

The aircraft flew over it circling and coming back lower and slower as the two men peered down over the sides of it. The troop hidden under the net waited and when it was directly over them David gave the order to fire. Two Lewis guns and forty-four rifles open up as one. 

The aircraft wobbled in the air and then smoke started streaming from it followed by flames. The aircraft crashed in a loud explosion some five hundred yards from the rift. 

In his quarters that night David reviewed the events of the past days. So far things had gone their way in regard to the enemy, and they had been fortunate that none in his command had been killed or wounded as yet. But the surprise element was now gone. They must know a force was behind them blocking their supply chain. 

What would they do now, he pondered? They must be very low on water; none had reached them for over seven days. What he needed was information on what the enemy camp was doing. Would they retreat back to the river or leave the guns and make a dash towards the crater and locate the stream? David thought long into the night, wrestling with the problem before coming to a decision. 

The next morning, mounted on Zeus he led the troop out, leaving ten men behind to guard the rift. Six mules each carrying four filled water skins brought up the rear. 

It took five hours to reach were the column had laagered up in a depression of the track. David kept the troop below the skyline and went forward on foot with the German binoculars. 

He was confused by what he saw. Askari's were laid out under the wagons and carts, many only partially uniformed and there seemed very little order about them. At the top of the laager were tents with a big one with the German Imperial flag flying listlessly. German soldiers guarded the area with machine guns set up pointing down towards the Askari camp. 

It took a few moments for him to realise that either the Germans were afraid of the Askari mutinying or they had already done so. He carefully edged back over the skyline before walking back to the troop. To his surprise he found Stanley and two of his troop waiting for him. After a quick embrace, Stanley brought him up to date while David's troop made coffee for them. 

"My troop and half of Sultar's are blocking their advance. We have four Vickers set up and the mortars, zeroed in on the laager. They know we have them; they tried to take our positions two days ago using the Askari's but as soon as we opened up on them they dropped their rifles and ran; most of them out into the veldt. The German soldiers executed the few that returned to the camp but that didn't go down well with the remaining Askari's. It seemed to us that they're in open mutiny now within the German command. 

"Four days previously twenty German soldiers and a hundred Askari set out for the crater with forty mules in tow. Sultar set up an ambush in the foothills, and between us we wiped them out. The wounded and prisoners were sent back to the Crater under guard along with the mules. 

"Since then every night forty or fifty Askari have deserted. We captured some of them, and under interrogation they revealed that there is hardly any water left. Their rations had been cut three times and they were now on half a cup a day. Yet the General was seen shaving and washing so they're sure the whites are getting more water than them. They said they were pressed into service and had, had enough." 

David considered this news before asking, "How many do you think they have now Stanley?" 

"Including the Staff Officers, no more than 500, the Askari's who are left are mostly regulars. Leave them for a few more days and they'll do our job for us." 

David shook his head, "I can't do that Stanley. Those are men down there; most don't even know what they're fighting for. I'll give them a chance to surrender." 

A white flag was made with a tall stick to support it. David, along with Hans who spoke German, rode out, stopping just out of rifle range; Hans was holding the flag. After a few minutes he saw a white flag being waved in the German camp, and two men stepped out, one carrying the flag. 

David and Hans dismounted and walked towards them; stopping when they were five feet from them. They were both German Staff officers; David and Hans saluted them, which was returned. Finding out from Hans they spoke English, David addressed them.  

"My name is Colonel Ramage of the 1st Nairobi Rifles," he began. 

The senior German officer introduced himself as Colonel Branmark of the 10th Rineguard. 

"Are you empowered to speak for your General?" David asked. 

The Colonel clicked his heels, "I am Sir." 

David continued, "As you must know you are surrounded, and there is no aid going to reach you. I shall only give you this one opportunity to surrender now; it will not be given again. 

My terms are simple; you may hold on to your personal weapons and leave this country. Water will be given to you once you leave this camp, sufficient for you to reach the river once you give your parole never to take up arms across the river again. You have exactly two hours from now in which to decide. After that, if no reply is forthcoming I shall open a bombardment on your camp. Do you understand Colonel?" 

"If I can amend your conditions Sir... that the Askari hand over their weapons," he replied. 

David nodded, "Agreed," realising that the conditions in the camp were far worse than he had imagined. They returned to their positions, to wait. An hour and a half later the white flag was waved from the camp. David went forward again; this time the General in person was there. David saluted him. "I'm General Otto von Frisburg; reluctantly I accept all of your terms." 

"Very well General, tell your Askari's to come out of the camp with their rifles over their heads and carrying their water bottles. They will place their rifles where we tell them, after which we will fill their water bottles and send them down the track to the river. After which we will enter your camp and take the parole of the whites remaining. Water for you and your horses will be distributed. Any damage to your guns or other weapons will negate this surrender. Is that clear General?" 

The general bowed his head, "You have my word as a Prussian Officer." 

Stanley had sent some of his troop to fill more water skins from the stream as the Askari started to file out of the camp. After they had all gone, David took some of his troop into the camp where he found there were sixty-one Germans left. Water and food was given to them as they gave their parole. The four horses were all that remained; all in a pitiful condition. Fodder and water was given to them but it was apparent that they could not support a rider so mules were exchanged for them. 

Before leaving the General complimented David on his tactics, "You fought a good war Colonel, I'm afraid I completely underestimated my enemy." 

Chapter 46 

It took seven days to transport the guns and weapons along with the ammunition back to Nairobi. The crowds lined the street to cheer as the troops rode by in formation. David was told by the Mayor of Nairobi that troops had arrived from Mombasa. 

On finding out where they were billeted, David presented himself to a Major Mainwaring, who it seemed was newly arrived from Australia with two companies of Australian Light Horse, to take over the defence of Nairobi. Seated in his makeshift office David accepted a whisky from the Major. 

"Well Colonel Ramage, you have pulled off a fantastic feat against a much larger enemy force. Could you please explain how you did it? I've only held this rank since boarding the ship at Freemantle and have yet to learn the trade of soldiering." 

David liked the Major right away due to his friendliness and honest appraisal of himself. 

"Not at all Major and the name is David." He then went on to explain in detail how his campaign had been fought. The Australian Major interjected a few times to clarify a point, but otherwise just listened. At the end of David's explanation, he shook his head and smiled. "The name's Bert, David; you make it all seem so simple but there was a lot of background information to it wasn't there?" 

David chuckled, "The first thing was know the country that you will be fighting in. The second was to have information on the enemy's numbers and equipment, and thirdly to know your own men." 

"Well, we will be starting from scratch," Bert replied. "Most of our horses are down at Mombasa recuperating from the sea voyage." 

"Well if I can advise you, I'd have them salted right away," explaining about AHD. "In the meantime your men can join mine on patrol and learn about the country that way." 

Over the next week David worked closely with Bert in setting up a citizen's home guard for Nairobi. They armed them with the German rifles and ammunition and Stanley took over as commander of the unit. His troop was issued with six of the German Maxim machine guns. 

Bert moved his 190 men to the crater were they set up a tent camp at the bottom of it. 

David sent out twenty men patrols comprising of ten Australians and ten Ghurkhas with a Ghurkha NCO in command. Some times larger patrols of over fifty men went out for a number of days with Bert in attendance, but with either himself, Sultar or Tartrha in overall command. 

Initially the Australians used Crater horses, but as their own horses recovered from salting they used their own. After six months of this the Australians were finally in a position to take care of themselves. 

David gave them thirty mules for pack duty, as they started to set up bases to cover all the fords along the river that bordered German East Africa. 

A Signals Platoon arrived from England as well as a shipment that had telegraph equipment, and between them, the Australians, and the Ghurkhas telegraph lines were laid connecting all the main ford lookout posts back to the crater. More substantial buildings were erected for them in the Crater. To keep his own troops busy David would include some of them to join the Australians on lookout duty and to learn Morse code from the signallers. 

On another ship, a Lieutenant Norris, a Serjeant and eight Royal Artillery troops arrived to service and train men for the three howitzers. The howitzers were kept in a railway shed in Nairobi along with their ammunition. Stanley billeted the men in town. 

News from Europe was grim as the scale of casualties rose. The war seemed to be bogging down into trench warfare, where thousands died for the sake of a few feet of ground taken. 

The Ottoman Empire joined the war on the German side, and British troops were sent to Egypt to safe guard the Suez Canal. 

A new threat to Britain had developed in the form of submarine warfare. Allied merchant ships were being sunk without any defence against this threat at the moment. The German Navy had also released battle cruisers into the known shipping lanes. 

"At least it remained fairly quite here," David thought as he laid the newspaper down. 

In the Crater, life went on. Patar had done a wonderful job on the four horses belonging to the General's staff. Two were stallions, the other two mares. All had recovered and now ran tall and sleek with the other horses. 

"They're a strain of Andalusian's," Patar had told David, "Bred for strength and endurance and they will make a good addition to the herd." 

David had taken to riding Diablo using the German saddle, which he had found more comfortable than his own. Guy who was thirteen now, would ride with him on the grey stallion that had belonged to the German General; he had called it Mist, due to its colouring. 

Susan and Yasmin had been kept busy at the hospital tending to the wounded Germans and Askari's. As each recovered they were sent to Nairobi were a prison compound had been built to house them. It was guarded by the home guard. 

Bert was a regular caller at the house for dinner, and afterwards out on the stoop with a drink and cheroot would inform David of reports from the lookouts. 

"They have been sending aircraft over," he said one night, "They make sure they're out of rifle range when they fly over the posts, but drop down lower as they fly inland. My guess is they're mapping out the land." Bert murmured. 

David drew on his cheroot before replying, "They made the mistake of not knowing the country last time, and they won't repeat it again. The Maasi have reported that they're recruiting Askari's and training them again, also they have been erecting fencing around some of the grasslands. I can only surmise that they are paddocks, in which case they're expecting cavalry. It's the logical way to invade, to move fast this time." 

Bert looked worried, "The posts don't have enough men to hold off an invasion." 

David smiled, "We will be in a better position to make plans if and when the horses arrive. They won't be able to use them for at least two months after the sea voyage and salting them." 

David included these views in the monthly report he sent to Robert Keeling, who had now been promoted to Brigadier General. In one of Robert's letters he had said that due to the current trench war that now dominated the European battlefield, that cavalry units were being changed to infantry; in part due to the high casualty rate on all sides. He had gone on to say there was no chance of them receiving more reinforcements but he was sending ten more Lewis guns out. 

Chapter 47 

The year dragged to a close and information from across the river started to dry up as the tribes either crossed the river or moved further north. The lack of information was brought up at one of the meetings held with senior officers. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 12



It was Sultar who suggested letting some of the Ghurkhas cross the river in disguise. 

"Due to their size and colouring they may be able to avoid detection," he argued. 

Rham, along with three of the original Ghurkhas who had come with David to the Crater were chosen. They had picked up the Matabele and Maasi language, along with some of the local native languages through their close work with them. 

Hans was brought in from Nairobi to instruct them in German. After a month he said they were ready, "They're not fluent, but no-one would expect them to be. But they know enough to pass." 

Susan mixed up something that darkened their skin even more and David gave them some of the money recovered from the dead Germans during their first encounter with them. He spoke to them as they waited at an outpost to cross. 

"Men, I don't want any of you being heroes. Don't carry anything that could cause suspicion if you are stopped and searched. What we need is information on numbers of troops, camp positions and anything else of value." 

He watched as they silently slipped away. 

They were gone for almost two weeks before they started to reappear at the outposts, shocking the Australian guards by appearing right in front of them without them knowing they were there. 

David and Sultar debriefed them back at the house. 

Rham began, "I saw a full regiment of white German soldiers made up of four companies on parade. Also ten companies of Askari's and they complain that they have to march ten miles each day, and the distance is increased the next time they march. 

The three main camps are near Mamboie, and the fords either side of it at Mamoie and Tambar. Tarbah, found work at the airfield were the aircraft are kept." 

Tarbah took up the story, "I worked in the kitchens. There are three aircraft at the base. Each has room in them for two men; in the back is a machine gun and along the sides are racks that hold shells; like our mortars only bigger. The airfield has barbed wire around it and Askari's guard it." 

Parah started his report, "The camp I worked at contained artillery, but not big guns. They were small and were carried by two mules. They practice most days at unloading the parts and putting them together and then firing them. A German soldier is in charge of the training for the Askari gunners. I countered six of these guns." 

Pamhar started next, "I worked as a mess boy in their headquarters. The General is a big man with spiky hair. But there was an officer who was called Colonel who wore the same uniform as those we killed with the lances. They seem to be waiting for more to arrive, because the Colonel asked if the fodder for the horses was being gathered." 

The four men all volunteered to return across the river. Before leaving David asked Tarbah to look for any weakness in the airfields security. 

After they had gone David turned to the assembled Officers, "Well gentleman, it seems they mean business this time. Our only defence is to hold them at the river. If their cavalry is allowed to deploy we will be overrun, especially if their aircraft are bombing and machine gunning our positions, along with their artillery." 

"If we only knew for certain where they will cross, it would help," Stanley exclaimed. 

"My guess is they'll cross using three fords. Mamboie would be the main crossing point. It's the shallowest and firmest, and the most direct route track to Nairobi, but they could cross on either side of that enabling them to swing around and take us from the rear," David murmured. 

"The one ace we hold up our sleeve is the three guns we took from them. They could be set up to pound all three crossing points," Stanley added. 

David nodded, "The only thing that could hurt us is the aircraft. They need to be put out of commission in order for us to prepare defences without being observed." 

"Well," Sultar added, "We can start preparing at the outposts if we do it at night, and camouflage the work during daylight hours. At least we hold the advantage of high ground at those fords. What sort of numbers do you envisage manning them David?" 

"With the Australians and Ghurkhas we have about three hundred." 

Stanley cut in, "You also have sixty of us." 

David smiled, "Three hundred and sixty then. We'll need twelve to man the guns, Lieutenant Norris and his gunners along with some of the home guard can do that; so effectively we can place eighty men at the two fords either side of Mamboie. Leaving 200 to man the main crossing point, we can place two machine guns and two mortars along with four Lewis guns at the two side ford positions. The rest will be at Mamboie. We will need to string wire to connect the gun positions with the outposts for fire support." 

'Where will you put the guns?" Stanley asked. 

David examined the map, "I think they have an effective range of about three and a half miles," he murmured. He pointed to a spot on the map, "This would be the best position, but its open veldt. There's no cover to hide them and the aircraft would spot them right away." 

"We could use nets again to camouflage them," Stanley murmured, "But it will take two or three days to move them there and under cover." 

Tartrha spoke, "We need to put their aircraft out of commission for a few days. The Prince's automobile was stuck out at the Fort for a week when sand got into the fuel system. Maybe we can do the same for the aircraft." 

David asked Tarbah to come back into the room. Once inside he was asked about the security of the airfield. 

"There's twenty Askari who are on guard detail, two man the main gate and five walk around the field by the wire. They change every four hours," Tarbah said. 

"What of the aircraft? Are they undercover when on the ground?" Sultar asked. 

"No, they are lined up outside. There is a big tent that they put the noses in if the white men have to work on the engines." 

David placed a sheet of paper in front of Tarbah and handed him a pencil. 

"Can you draw the airfield and where the Askari and white pilots and ground crew live and the other buildings?" David asked. 

Tarbah sat down and began to draw. 

"The only problem I see with doctoring their engines is they will suspect if all three fail at the same time," David murmured. 

"Yes, it would seem fishy. I have to agree," Stanley added. 

Bert suddenly smiled, "If we doctored the engines yes, but what if we doctored the pilots?" 

The four looked at Bert as they realised what he had said. 

"Tarbah," David asked, "Do the pilots eat together at meal times?" 

Tarbah looked up from his drawing and frowned, "Only at the last meal of the day; they have the same food as the other white men. The Askari have different food." 

David walked out of the room, returning with Susan and Yasmin. The girls were frowning, wondering what they were there for. Stanley and Sultar stood to let them use their chairs. 

David began, "Susan, this is very important. But can you think of anything that can be added to food that would incapacitate a man for three or four days; something that would look like food poisoning?" 

"Well," she hesitated, "Well yes... there are a number of things that could be used." 

"It would have to be reasonably fast working and not detected in food," David added. 

Sultar explained their problem regarding the aircraft to the girls. 

Susan smiled, "Well I could mix something up, but they will be very poorly boys who would need to be close to the latrines afterwards." 

She left with Yasmin as David turned back to Tarbah. 

"Do you help serve the food to the whites?" 

Tarbah nodded, "The soup and gravy," he replied. 

"So would you be able to put something into the soup or gravy without being seen?" 

Tarbah nodded happily. 

Susan returned an hour later with a small bottle of liquid which she handed to Tarbah with instructions to stir it in well. They instructed him to use it in four days' time at the last meal of the day; giving Stanley time to organise moving the guns. Rham was detailed to keep in touch at the river after Tarbah had administered the potion as to the state of the pilots. 

The skies were empty on the fifth day as the guns were moved, at the same time rifle pits were dug at the three crossings, sandbags were filled and soil from the pits taken to the river to be washed away. Each pit was camouflaged afterwards; caves were dug into the reverse side of the flood banks and machineguns and mortars along with ammunition were stored in them. The men worked frantically making use of the time available to them. 

Rham crossed the river that night to report. All the white men were in bed sick, the cook had been demoted and replaced. The Askari were digging more latrines, and Tarbah had overheard that it would be at least a week before they were active again. 

Work on the defences began again in earnest. Stanley brought fifty of the Nairobi home guard to help, and N'debi brought thirty-four of his warriors. Scouts were dispatched across the river to keep a lookout for anyone approaching the fords. 

As each rifle pit and machinegun emplacement was completed and camouflaged, critical eyes would view them, and alterations carried out until they were satisfied that they were undetectable. The telegraph between the guns and outposts were checked and checked again. Each outpost had a large command bunker dug out, strengthened by a log and sandbagged roof. The telephonist was based in there with his equipment. 

Ranges were carefully paced out and markers placed. David allowed the mortars to fire test rounds with dummy heads to establish ranges. By the end of the sixth day they had completed all the work to the best of their ability. 

Two days later the aircraft appeared again. 

To be continued



The Tides Of War Pt. 13



Chapter 48 

At an Officers Call back at the Crater, David addressed them. 

"Well gentlemen, we have done as much as we can to prepare. We hold strong positions, in that the enemy will find it difficult to climb the flood banks in front of them. Our only weakness is if they get behind us. Their artillery could be a problem but if they are like the needle guns used in India they only have a range of about a mile. Our mortars could give them a nasty surprise so the only real problem will be the aircraft if they use bombs. I therefore propose that when we know they are due to attack, that we mount a raid to destroy them first." 

He looked around the room as each head nodded in agreement. 

Stanley spoke up, "Forty-eight of the home guard have volunteered to guard the howitzers." 

David smiled, "Now for the chain of command... Major Mainwaring will be second-in-command to me at Mamboie Ford with his Australians and Lieutenant Rham with twenty Ghurkhas. Major Sultar will be in command of Mamoie Ford with eighty hunters and Ghurkhas. Captain Tartrha will command at Tamha Ford with eighty hunters and Ghurkhas. 

Captain Stanley along with Lieutenant Norris's gunners will in charge of the guns and the defence of them with his home guard. 

"I don't propose to fully man the outposts until the last minute. As far as the observers in the aircraft are concerned there are only the few men they have seen guarding them. When we do man them, the men will need to take provisions with them to last a week. The horses will be sent to the rift undercover. Patar has begun stockpiling fodder for them and some of N'debi's boys will help him along with Martin and Jill. Susan and Yasmin insist on setting up a hospital there as well, for any wounded. N'debi and his warriors will transport the wounded with mules as and when required. Okay... any questions?" 

"The airfield is closest to my ford," Sultar said. "So we will destroy them," he said grimly. 

David nodded his head, "Agreed." 

The following week the Lewis guns arrived with more ammunition, along with a letter from Robert. Agents had reported that a full regiment of Uhlans along with their horses were due to set sail in the next two weeks. The postmark was over a month old. The Lewis guns were divided out amongst the three posts with six magazines for each gun. 

Later that night as he undressed for bed Susan asked him, "David tell me the truth, how bad is it?" she said from the bed. 

He had never lied to her, knowing she was a strong character and not the usual mincing type of female. 

"If we can't hold them at the river, British East Africa will be overrun. If the Askari's reach the rift you know what they'll do to you, Jill, and Yasmin." 

Susan's face went white but she nodded bravely, "I've given your old Smith and Wessons to Yasmin and Martin. We know what to do... they won't take us alive. I've arranged for all the children in to go to Nairobi; they should be safer there." 

David took her in his arms and kissed her tear filled face. 

"Don't worry darling they have to get past us first." 

They slept in each other's arms, each thinking of what was to come. 

Pamhar crossed the river to report that he had overheard the Uhlan Colonel say in the mess that his troops would be ready for action in a week. He said the officers present were in a happy mood at the prospect of what was to come. 

Sultar sent the message on to David, that he would be taking care of the aircraft in the next two days, and that he had recalled the four Ghurkhas. David sent word to all the commanders to assemble their men and take up positions on the night of the twelfth. 

Hanga packed his saddlebags making sure his flask was filled and he had enough cheroots and ammunition for the Colt and Lugar automatics. His kukri had a razor edge and his rifle shone from cleaning. His bandolier had been checked and filled; all was in readiness and there only remained his cutthroat razors, brush and soap. Hanga and Ali had insisted on going to the rift with Susan. 

Chapter 49 

It was little after midnight when they reached the ford. David removed his saddlebags, binoculars, Lugar and rifle, before Zeus was led away. He dropped them all on his bunk; Bert dropped his then they both rushed out to see that the men were settling in to their assigned positions. Shortly after two am they heard the rumble of explosions far of across the river and an orange glow appeared. 

An hour later the telegraph started chattering and David waited impatiently until it stopped then read the flimsy handed to him. "Three aircraft destroyed. No casualties. All men back. Sultar." 

David knew the message would go out to everyone as he told Bert to let the men know, but to keep their voices down. 

The men stood to as dawn broke. They had heard the sound of movement from the other side of the river but had been unable to see anything. Bert was alongside of him in the trench. 

"The men know to keep down until they hear the bugle?" David asked. 

"They know David." 

The two of them had decided to keep the camouflaged rifle pits and machine gun posts secret until the enemy committed his forces in strength. The four man outpost dugout would receive all of the enemy's attention for the moment. As the light grew stronger David, using his binoculars could make out the six small artillery pieces lined up on top of the bank on the far side of the river. He knew the Havildar who had his old telescope would see them too. He was the spotter for the mortar crews, and would be sending them range and position information. One of Lieutenant Norris's gunners was alongside of him to report for the howitzers with a telegraph key alongside. 

Suddenly one of the guns fired with a sharp crack. The shell landed short at the base of the embankment. A few minutes later it fired again, the shell landing near the top of the embankment. Again there was a pause before it fired again, this time the shell landed ten yards beyond the lookout post. Then next all the guns fired at the same time, shells screamed overhead to fall around the post. 

At the same time fifty Askari's started across the ford. The four Australians who manned the outpost waited until they were in the middle of the ford, before opening fire. 

Askari's fell screaming as the three rifles and Lewis gun poured bullets into them. 

They turned and ran back dragging wounded with them, as the guns became silent in the outpost. 

"They'll try to overwhelm them with numbers," David predicted. 

The guns still continued firing but now the shells were falling closer to the outpost. 

The guns suddenly stopped and a silence fell on the ford, which was broken by the dim sound of whistles. 

David turned to the young Australian trooper with the bugle, "Get ready," he murmured. 

The far side of the ford was suddenly darkened by uniformed forms of Askari's in columns of ten wide. David calculated there must be two hundred in the column and behind them marched a company of German soldiers with steel helmets. 

As the first men entered the ford, the guns began firing again. The men in the outpost remained silent, conforming to their orders. David could see the smiles on the faces of the Askari's as they thought the outpost had been wiped out. 

He let them reach almost to the bank before nodding to the bugle boy. As the first notes rang out, netting was thrown back and two hundred rifles, Lewis and Vickers machine guns burst into life. At the same time he heard the distinctive "woomf" of the mortars firing, and then the distinctive scream of an artillery shell coming overhead. 

Below in the ford it was a blood bath, as men fell killed or wounded and the waters of the river turned pink. Caught in the cross fire of the Vickers and Lewis guns none reached dry land. David focused the binoculars on the guns, three had been smashed, and men and mules fell as they tried to save the remaining three, but as he watched a mortar shell landed in a group struggling to move them. It was followed by three artillery shells that left no-one alive around the broken guns. 

The men in the ford were struggling to move back to their own bank, as David gave the order to cease-fire. Bodies were slowly drifting down stream; some of the wounded were struggling to keep their heads above the water. Suddenly four German soldiers with Red Cross bands on their arms entered the river with two stretchers. They let them get on with their grisly work. Finding out they were not being fired upon others rushed to help. 

David put down his binoculars, and took a drink from his flask, then handing it over to Bert. 

"Well we seemed to have won the first round," he said dryly. 

"I'd better let the other fords know to expect them," Bert said. 

David nodded, "I'll see if we have any casualties." 

Five men had minor wounds from stones thrown up by the guns, none that needed more than a dressing. David sat in the command post looking at the map and thinking. 

Bert came in and sat down, "It's all quiet over there at the moment," he murmured. 

David nodded, "No word from the other fords as yet," he replied. 

"Well, its ten miles to Mamoie and almost fifteen to Tamba; it will take them a while to get troops there," Bert added. 

"I've been thinking of that, the Uhlans are their most effective weapon now if they can cross. But I can't see their General wasting them on trying to force a crossing while he has infantry. If I was the commander and found a ford guarded, I'd move on to the next one and try that." 

Bert nodded, "That makes sense. But what could we do if they do that?" 

David thought for a moment before replying, "If they do have a full regiment of Uhlans, then we are talking about four hundred men. If we assume that they will take infantry to try the fords first they will have to move at the infantry's pace. I've been studying the map. The next ford after Mamoie is twenty-five miles away from it. The next after Tamba is forty miles away. I believe that whichever ford they hit next, they will go on to the next one. 

"Bert I've sent a message to the rift to bring one hundred and fifty horses here, along with twenty mules. I intend to make a mobile strike force which will rob you of one hundred men. I'll take Rham's twenty Ghurkhas and eighty of your Australians and four Lewis guns. I've sent word to Sultar and Tartrha that I'll need twenty-five Ghurkhas from each of their commands. They're to sit tight until we know which ford is attacked next. You'll take command here Bert; I'd be surprised if they tried again, but you never know." 

"You're going to command the detail then David?" 

"Well, it's my idea," David chuckled as he packed his saddle bags. "Can you let the men who are going, to pack more ammunition, and we'll need six magazines for each of the Lewis guns." 

Bert left to give the orders, while David contemplated what he was about to do. He knew it all depended on the Germans not knowing he was removing men from the defences. 

Chapter 50 

A lookout warned him of a dust cloud approaching along the track. He sent a runner to stop them a mile from the ford. The chosen men had slowly gathered behind the embankment as their comrades slipped into their vacant rifle and machine gun posts. 

All the men had filled water bottles and carried rations and extra ammunition in their saddlebags along with their bedrolls. He told them to make their way to the horses but to avoid making too much dust. 

He remained behind in the command post, alongside of the telephonist. It was an hour later that the key began to chatter. He lent over the man as he wrote down the message. Askari's had attacked Mamoie Ford and had been stopped dead. David gave instructions for the men from each ford to prepare to receive horses. 

David threw his saddlebags over his shoulder and carrying his rifle set off for the horses. 

When he arrived he was surprised to find Susan, Martin, Jill, Yasmin, Hanga, and Ali had brought the horses forward. He detailed four Ghurkhas to take twenty-five horses to Tamba Ford and to meet up with them above Mamoie Ford. He quickly kissed Susan saying that all was well, as the Lewis guns and magazines were packed onto some of the mules; some already carried water skins and rations. After a quick farewell, he mounted Zeus as the column fell in behind him, then set off at a brisk trot. 

It took two hours to reach Mamoie Ford; Sultar was there to welcome him. As the men watered the horses Sultar brought him up to date. "About fifty Askari tried to cross, but as soon as we opened fire they ran back. I sent a scout across an hour ago; everyone had gone but he reported a large amount of horse tracks leading up-river." 

David nodded, "Are your men ready to ride?" he asked. 

Sultar smiled, "All handpicked," he said throwing his saddlebags over his shoulder and picking up his rifle. 

David frowned, "You're not going," he said. 

Sultar said seriously, "You need a good second in command. My lieutenant is more than capable of looking after things here. Besides my horse is there," he said pointing. 

David then saw the German stallion that he had captured that Sultar now rode. 

Sultar smiled, "I told them back at the rift to make sure they included it." 

David shook his head, "Okay, you win... mount up." He needn't have spoken as Sultar was already mounting. They set of again after leaving instructions for the men from Tamha Ford to try and catch up with them. 

David pushed the column hard, but it still took over three hours before they topped the ridge leading down to the ford... and his heart sank. 

Germans and Askari's were digging in on their side of the ford. There looked to be around sixty digging trenches in front of the ford, whilst Askari's stood up to their waists in the river to mark the edges of the ford, Uhlans crossed in pairs. Through his binoculars he could see over a hundred had already crossed and were dismounted drying out their boots and equipment. He rapidly issued orders to Sultar. 

"Take your men and two Lewis guns and keep them busy down on the ford. Try to stop them crossing. I'm going to circle around the ridge and come up in front of the cavalry; they'll have to charge up the slope to attack us." 

He and Sultar wheeled their horses back to the column, which was still behind the ridge. 

Sultar barked out orders as men dismounted; some unshipping the Lewis guns and magazines from the mules, as David led the others along the ridge with Rham now at his side. 

When he judged he was in the right place he dismounted and carrying his binoculars crept over the skyline. Looking down he had a clearer view of the Uhlans as they hastily pulled on boots and fastened their equipment. He noticed that German soldiers were also mixed in with them, and were rushing with their rifles to where Sultar's men had opened fire. 

He rushed back to the column as the men dismounted, gathering the NCOs and Rham around him he quickly gave orders, "Spread out along here, I want a Lewis gun at each end of the line. Tell the men to keep flat down on their stomachs. We may have to repel a cavalry charge." 

The NCOs dashed off to relay the orders. The men crawled on their bellies over the skyline utilising any available cover. David adjusted his rifle sights to what he thought was six hundred yards to the enemy; a long shot, but he had men who knew how to shoot. He aimed at an officer giving orders to the soldiers, and was rewarded by seeing him fall after squeezing the trigger. Rifles were cracking all along the line now, as the German soldiers dived for cover and started to return fire. 

He put his rifle down to look through the binoculars. The Uhlans had hastily moved behind a hump in the slope that hid them from view. Looking towards the ford, he saw it was now empty; a few bodies drifty slowly downstream, while four rider less horses galloped along the riverside. 

Switching to Sultar's position he saw some of the Ghurkhas using their kukri's to dig shallow rifle pits. Some he saw were lying still; Sultar's position was closer to the ford than his and was under fire from across the ford. 

David knew if the Uhlans charged Sultar he would be over-run. He turned to Rham. 

"Take your men and re-enforce Major Sultar!" 

Rham wiggled away calling out for his Ghurkhas to follow him. 

A burly Australian Colour Serjeant flopped down alongside of him. 

"Good day for it mate," he said with a grin. 

David had to smile at the man's humour, "I'm Walt... any orders sir?" he asked. 

"The Uhlans are behind that bump so we can't see them. I'm betting they'll try to charge Sultar's position. If they take it they'll ride over the ridge and come back to take us in the rear. We have to stop them doing that." 

"Well sir, why don't we move the Lewis gun over to the other one, they're likely to get the best shots at them if they do charge." 

David nodded, "Do that Colour Serjeant; in fact we can move more men over to that side." 

David crawled along the line telling the men to follow him as he passed, until he was alongside the Lewis gun. 

"How many magazines to you have left?" he asked the young Australian gunner. 

"Two," came back the reply. 

David passed the three empty magazines to the men in the line, "Reload these," he ordered taking bullets out of his saddlebags and handing them over, as other men did the same. 

Three men arrived with the other Lewis gun and magazines, one was the Colour Serjeant. 

"Tell the men to reload the empty magazines," he told him "and to save them ready for the charge." 

Looking over to Sultar's position he saw Rham had arrived and his men were getting into place. A lull had overtaken the battle and Sultar used it to take his wounded and dead back over the ridge out of sight. David estimated that from where the Uhlans were hidden to Sultar's position was about half a mile. A charging horse could cover that distance in mere minutes; the ground was fairly flat and only a slight slope where the men were. 

Fire had dropped off to single shots as both sides sniped at each other. 

The Colour Serjeant came back alongside of him. 

"When they charge it will be difficult to hit a man, so they will have to shoot at the horses," David said. 

"Yes sir, they know; they'll hate doing it but they will." 

"They're up to something," David replied. 

"Can I borrow your glasses a moment?" Walt murmured. "Well I'll be buggered; their using semaphore." He said pointing to a figure on the far bank level with where the Uhlans were hidden. David snatched the binoculars and saw a German soldier signalling with flags. 

"They're co-ordinating the attack," David murmured. 

He had no sooner finished talking when a furious barrage of rifle fire erupted from the enemy directed at Sultar's position. Fire was even coming from the far bank as dismounted Uhlans opened up using their carbines. At the same time a bugle sounded and the Uhlans exploded from behind their cover in lines of twenty riders galloping alongside each other. David had just time to see five lines of them as he opened fire. 

The Australians were firing as fast as they could and the Lewis guns were chattering away too. 

Men and horses were going down screaming, but only the flank facing David's men were really affected, their falling comrades shielding the riders on the riverside. Suddenly he was conscious of rifle bullets passing over his head. He spun round to see German infantry charging up the slope from their cover with bayonets fixed to their rifles. 

"Look to your front," he cried out. 

As the Australians spun round to see this new threat, they rose up fixing bayonets to their own rifles to meet the Germans who were less than forty yards away now. David dropped his rifle and pulled the Colt Automatic from his holster, and turned to face them. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 13



But then he heard the Ghurkha war cry being screamed out. He glanced back towards the fifty or so Uhlans who had survived and were fast approaching Sultar's position. Tartrha's men burst out from the track leading to the ford and drove their horses into the flank of the charging Uhlans, waving their kukris. 

They closed with them, not giving them the chance to use their lances as the kukris sliced off arms and heads. The charge disrupted into confusion. 

David suddenly felt a searing pain in his side, and looked astonished at a bayonet sticking out of his side. He twisted around seeing a leering German's face in front of him. He dimly remembered rising the Colt and pulling the trigger, and the face disappeared into blood and bone, as darkness overcame him. 

Chapter 51 

At times he opened his eyes and was dimly aware that he was on a mule fastened to the side of it on a stretcher, he heard moans coming from the other side of it before the darkness fell again. 

The mists began to clear and he opened his eyes; one of Yasmin's helpers was wiping his brow with a cool cloth. 

"Where am I?" His voice crocked. 

The girl looked alarmed and dashed away to be replaced by Susan's face. 

Suppressed tears glazed her eyes, "Hello darling, don't try to talk, you need rest now," she whispered. 

"Need to know... how we did?" he slurred. 

"You won, now rest," she ordered, as his eyes closed. 

The mists cleared; he winched from the pain in his side as he moved to see someone. Yasmin appeared in his vision. "Hello David, good to see you back amongst us." 

Yasmin helped him to drink a cup of water. 

"Where am I?" he mumbled. "I need to know what happened at the ford." 

"Now don't go getting yourself excited," she replied firmly. "You're at the rift. Sultar is here; I'll send him over." 

She moved away and after a few minutes Sultar's face appeared over him. 

"It is good to see you awake David, you have had us all worried." 

Sultar had his arm in a sling and his head had a bandage around it. 

"What happened back there? I saw Tartrha's charge, and then I was bayoneted. What happened?" 

"Tartrha's charge broke up the Uhland's charge. The enemy's fire had ceased in case they hit their own men, so we charged down as well; it seemed the safest thing to do. 

The Australians fixed bayonets and met the German infantry in hand-to-hand combat. 

It was all over inside ten minutes. What few remained ran back across the ford. 

"They put up a white flag, and Tartrha met them. They wanted to gather up their wounded and dead. We helped them to find them and took them over the river. We had to destroy thirty odd horses that were too badly hurt, but we recovered and kept sixty-eight." 

David looked at him. "What was our butcher's bill?" he asked softly. 

Sultar hesitated before replying, "Twelve Ghurkhas and five Australians killed and twenty-seven wounded, mostly Ghurkhas. Most of the wounded have been moved back to the Crater; there's only four including you that have been left here due to the severity of the wounds." 

David's face grew pale at the numbers, "What happened to you?" 

"I got nicked in the arm, then a bullet grazed my head and I went out like a light," he said chuckling. 

"What about the enemy, are they massing again?" 

Sultar shook his head, "They've pull back from the river. Tartrha sent scouts over to trail them. They reached Mamboie and Bert ordered the guns to fire on them. They soon scarpered inland. He's still guarding the fords with all the fit troops." 

David's head fell back onto his pillow and he drifted off to a deep sleep again. 

Three days later he, along with the other wounded were transported back to the Crater in carts. He spent a further week in hospital before Susan allowed him home on condition he stayed in the house. Bert, Sultar and Tartar came to visit him. It was only then that he found out that one of the dead was Rham. 

"His wife is being looked after David," Sultar had murmured. 

When Bert visited him, David said, "Has the enemy retreated back inland to lick their wounds?" 

"I've been adding up," Bert said, "From the numbers Sultar and Tartrha gave me, I calculate they lost well over 500 killed or wounded. From what the prisoners said who deserted over to our side of the river, there's only fifty or so German infantry left and only seventy or eighty Uhlans. According to them they were regiments, but depleted regiments. I guess they had suffered losses in Europe. They're a spent force now." 

David nodded thinking of all those who had died. 

"I sent of a full report to Brigadier General Keeling; he should have it by now." 

"Our loses Bert... where did you put them?" David asked. 

Bert smiled sadly, "We brought them all back, and they're buried at the bottom of the crater. Susan has organised headstones to be made for them all. They were all given a full military funeral." 

When Tartrha accompanied with Sultar visited, David told him. 

"Your charge saved the day... it was a mad, glorious thing to do." 

Tartrha smiled with embarrassment, "It seemed at the time the only thing to do. Our horses were spent through trying to catch up to you. We saw your horses below the ridge, and I decided to fit between the two groups which turned out to be the track leading to the ford. We suddenly saw the Uhlans in front of us. We didn't have time to dismount to use our rifles, so we drew our kukris and slammed into them. I don't think they knew we were there until we were right amongst them. We were so close they couldn't use their lances." 

Sultar took up the story, "When we saw the charge was disrupted into confusion, the men leapt up and joined in with their kukris, I didn't even need to order them; I was flat on my back with a bullet in my arm. I looked over to your position and saw the Australian CSM leading a charge with bayonets screaming, 'Kill the bastards!' They went through the German infantry like a hot knife through butter." 

David fell back into his cane chair, "I'm putting you all up for awards." 

Gradually the crater returned to normality; David spent hours on the stoop looking over it. Guy and Victoria would sit and play to keep him company. 

Although he would never admit to Susan he still felt rather weak. He knew from what she had said that he had lost a lot of blood and had three broken ribs that still ached, but he was anxious to be out and about. A paddock had been erected that housed the horses taken at the ford and Patar was in the process of salting them. Hanga had fussed over him, until two weeks after he had returned he ordered him to saddle Zeus. He had protested but complied when David insisted. 

The first thing he did was to visit Rham's wife, Neeza. She welcomed him with a sad face; her two sons were at school she explained. 

"Neeza, I don't know how to say how sorry I am about Rham, he was a fine man and soldier. But I want you to know that you and the children will always have a home here with us. If you want to return to India, then I will make all the arrangements and pay for your passage. You will continue to receive Rham's pay whatever you decide." 

Neeza looked at him with tears in her eyes, "My home is here Sahib. I turned my back on India when I married Rham." 

He set off again at a slow walk, heading towards N'debi's village. He reined in Zeus at the school. They had, had to extend it due to the different age groups. The school had open walls with rolled up rush mats that could be unrolled in the event of rain. He saw Jill and Yasmin taking the classes; he gazed at the children, some black, brown and white sitting happily as they listened to their teachers. 

He stopped at the hospital and dismounted and went inside. There were only three patients present, two Ghurkhas and an Australian who were playing cards as they sat on the Australian's bed. The men wore nightshirts; the Australian had his head bandaged, whilst the Ghurkhas had bandaged arms and legs. 

"How's it going men?" he asked from the doorway. The Australian looked glum but the two Ghurkhas had wide smiles. 

"I showed these jokers how to play poker, and now they're robbing me blind," the Australian moaned. 

David chuckled, "When a Ghurkha smiles, he's at his most dangerous." 

"Thanks for the tip mate," he replied as David went through to Susan's office. 

She was sitting at her desk writing. He paused to look at her; she had her auburn hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing her glasses which she hated. 

"Hello darling; hard at it I see." 

She looked up frowning at him. 

"You're supposed to be resting," she said sharply. 

He came over and kissed the top of her head, "If I rest any more I'll start to grow roots." 

She stood up putting her arms around his neck and kissed him. 

"I seem to spend half my life worrying over you, and the other half repairing you," she whispered. 

He smiled returning her kiss, "I'm a lucky man to have you," he replied. 

"So where are you going to?" she asked. 

"Oh, I'm just having a quiet ride around, I may pop in to see N'debi and see what that old rascal is up to." 

"You need to thank him; when they brought you into the rift, he sat by your bed for over thirty hours," she chuckled. "He kept saying that no one could kill his Bwana." 

He found N'debi sitting outside his beehive home with his children and grandchildren. 

"I see you Bwana," his deep baritone voice boomed out. 

David chuckled "I see an old Matabele warrior playing with the children," he replied. 

N'debi snorted, "I am not old; I'm in the prime of my life; ask my wives, they complain about my attentions." 

David burst out laughing at his reply. He sat down on a three-legged stool that N'debi had brought out of the hut after shooing off the children. One of his wives gave David a clay beaker of the white Matabele beer, which he knew from past experience was lethal. 

"So my friend, what brings you to my door?" he asked David. 

"Oh nothing really, I just went for a ride and ended up here." 

"You are restless," N'debi murmured. "No great battles to fight or plan. My warriors have said since the Maasi moved north the herds have moved back into their lands. They grow fat on Maasi grass. They have seen an eland with horns this big," he said spreading his arms. 

David realised he meant over five feet long. 

"We should go and hunt for such an animal; its head would look good in your house." 

"I should like very much to do that old friend, to sleep out under the stars." 

"We could go on safari for a week or so, and take Ali to cook for us," N'debi enthused. 

"If Susan allows me to, then yes we could do that." 

After a lot of debate Susan eventually agreed on condition that she accompanied him with a Ghurkha escort. By the time all the arrangements had been made Yasmin and Sultar had conspired with Susan to join them. 

A week later at dawn the safari set out; N'debi trotted ahead with David on Diablo and Sultar behind. Behind them came Susan and Yasmin followed by two light carts driven by Hanga and Ali. The rains had come and gone and the veldt was a blaze of colour, lush green grass contrasted with a riot of coloured flowers and trees. The river would be a raging torrent now for months to come, ruling out any attempt to cross it. 

That first day they covered twenty miles before they stopped at a water hole to let the stock drink, then moving back to a campsite. 

N'debi, David and Sultar cut 'wait-a-minute' thorn bushes to ring the site, whilst Hanga and Ali erected the tents. Susan and Yasmin helped to remove camp beds and chairs from the cart. 

Inside of two hours the camp was set up as dusk approached. They sat around the fire as Hanga laid the table and Ali busied himself at the cook fire. David had poured out drinks for them all, and he and Sultar sat back in their camp chairs enjoying a cheroot each listening to the night sounds of Africa. 

Above them a thousand stars were beginning to show. They could hear the sound of the animals at the waterhole a quarter of a mile away and then the snarl of a leopard as it made its kill. 

"It's a cruel beautiful country," Yasmin murmured, "So unlike India, but in many ways I prefer it to India." 

"According to archaeologists," Susan added, "Man originated from Africa." 

"I'm with Yasmin," Sultar said. "There's something about this land, its space, and the animals of the veldt that sort of draws you to it." 

"Well, make the most of it," David murmured. "After this war ends, the flood gates will open to immigrants looking for a new life. You only have to look at Nairobi to see how it's expanded to see what the future holds. The tribes and animals will be squeezed out." 

"Oh!" Susan exclaimed, "Do you really think that will happen?" 

David nodded glumly, "It's called progress." 

"But shouldn't we try to preserve some of it for future generations?" Susan exclaimed. 

"Well to do that we would have to buy the land and turn it into a sort of no-go area," David replied. 

"A sort of Game Park," Yasmin cried. 

"But to make it feasible you would need at least 300 square miles. Then the problem is how do you police it from poachers and slavers," David said. 

"You would need to have rangers to oversee it," Sultar replied. 

"And where do you get them from?" David asked. 

"You already have them," Sultar said quietly. 

David frowned, "You mean the Ghurkhas?" 

Sultar looked at Yasmin who gave a little nod, "Yes Ghurkhas, some have already said they would like to stay here, including Yasmin and I." 

David looked at the two of them... startled, "What about the fort? What about your father... Yasmin?" he asked. 

"The Russians are no longer a threat since the Army mutinied. As for Yasmin, she gave up any claim to the throne when she married me." 

Ali called out that dinner was ready. David didn't see the wink Susan gave to Yasmin, and she knew that they had put an idea into David's head. 

They spent twelve days on safari before returning to the Crater, going further into the veldt than ever before, while David amended his maps. He never did get his eland. On their return he saddled Zeus the following day and rode into Nairobi and entered the land office of the East African Company. 

When he emerged it was as the owner of four hundred and fifty square miles of barren veldt. The official had thought him mad, but had agreed to sell the land at ten shillings a square mile. After registering the land document with his lawyer he returned to the crater. 

That night they had Sultar and Yasmin round for dinner. Before dinner started he took them all into his study and pointed to the map on the table. 

"As of today I own four hundred and fifty square miles of veldt; right, that's my job done. Now Major Sultar what do you intend doing with it?" 

Sultar and Yasmin looked stunned, "I...I don't know what you mean David." 

David smiled, "You two want to stay here; you need a job, and now you have one... looking after that lot." 

Sultar looked down at the map, "I suppose the first thing is to establish the boundaries; we will need a surveyor for that." 

"The land office surveyor is coming out in three days, and Martin will go with him to keep a check. You will need to do your own recruiting. How many will you need?" David asked. 

"To police an area that large at least forty-five," Sultar replied. 

'Well I'll leave that to you. I've opened an account with the bank in the name of Crater Game Reserve with £50,000 on deposit for you to draw on. When you have a plan sorted out, we'll sit down and discuss it." 

The rest of the evening was spent talking about the Game Reserve. 

Chapter 52 

Two days later Sultar turned up at the house with a notepad in his hand. He followed David into the study and sat down. 

"As I understand it you wish to keep the statuesque of the land and inhabitants the same. Well, the Maasi and occasional safari are the only human activity that takes place there. The Maasi don't pose a problem; they don't hunt for food, and they live off their cattle. The safaris may create a problem. 

So I would give permits to only professional hunters that we know and approve of. They would have a strict quota of the numbers of animals they could hunt on any safari. Their customers are normally only after the big four, Elephant, Rhino, Lion and Buffalo. 

Any safari crossing over into the reserve would need to take a Reserve Ranger with them to oversee the quota was not infringed. Any infringement would mean automatic loss of permit." 

Sultar looked at David for his reaction to what he had said so far. 

David nodded. "So far I approve of what you say," he said. 

Sultar continued, "To adequately police the reserve we would need to have outposts built around the boarders of the reserve. These outposts would be the only gateways into it; therefore a fence would need to be built all around it. Each outpost would be responsible for a section of the fence in respect of repairing it in the event of damage. The Rangers would also conduct a census of animals in their section of the reserve, which would be reported to a central command post. Which animals could be hunted by the safaris would be determined by results of the census." 

David sat back impressed by Sultar's grasp of the situation. 

"Well you seem to have the gist of what needs to be done. At the moment with the tribes up north and no safaris due to the war, it seems the best time to put your words into action. 

You could use all the Ghurkhas to make a start on the fence. In the meantime I shall draft a message for inclusion into the Nairobi newspapers, outlining our proposals for the Reserve." 

Sultar along with four Ghurkhas accompanied Martin and the land surveyor when they set of to map the Reserve. They were gone for over three weeks and when they returned they carried a detail map of the reserve, with prominent features like water holes, hills, trees, and other major features drawn on it. Seventy miles bordered the river, which acted as a natural boundary. 

Bert had visited the crater to update David on the war. 

"It's turning into a war of attrition, the one that kills the most wins," he said gloomily. "The Generals are losing thousands of lives for the sake of a few yards. Gallipoli turned into a disaster through mismanagement and again the foot soldier suffered for it," he said bitterly. "We had some success in Arabia against the Turks but the only real good news is the Yanks have entered the war." 

David nodded in agreement with Bert, "It can't last much longer I think. At least we don't have to worry here. The Germans are a spent force with no chance of being re-supplied." 

"Going by the casualty lists we're well out of it," Bert agreed. 

"I hear you have moved your men to camps along the river," David mentioned. 

"Yeah, they just patrol it for signs of crossings; which brings me to the reason I'm here. We received two hundred rolls of barbed wire from the UK, not realising the river is the natural defence line. That's why I dropped in. If you want it for the reserve you are more than welcome to it." 

"That would be most welcome Bert. Thank you, I'll let Sultar know." 

David and Sultar spent hours studying the map, working out were to put the entrance gates into the reserve; finally deciding on five points that had known tracks leading across the area. 

Sultar had told David that fifty-two Ghurkhas had asked to stay. 

"They're all young and unmarried, but like the life over here. They're good dedicated soldiers who wish to make their life here. 

"I intend to keep five men at each entrance. They will be given an area to police as well as checking those who wish to cross the reserve. It will mean building housing for them and paddocks for the mules and horses. 




The Tides Of War Pt. 13



The main camp will be situated somewhere in the centre of the reserve, were barracks for the rest of the men will be stationed along with the animals. They will rotate with the gate crews on say a monthly basis. I'm hoping to connect all the gates with the central command post by telegraph." 

David could find no flaws in Sultar's proposals. 

The work began on fencing in the reserve; all the Ghurkhas at the Crater were involved. Wagons would go out laden with rolls of wire and posts, and only returned for more. 

David organised through Stanley a meeting with the professional hunters where he outlined the plans for the Reserve. 

He was somewhat surprised at their acceptance of the scheme, as Stanley said after the meeting, "When this war ends, the world is going to have changed. Apart from the highlands the only thing we have is the veldt and the animals. In order to protect that, we really need more reserves like yours. Up north there are hundreds of miles of veldt, which only a few Maasi tribes use. But it won't always be like that if nothing is done to protect it." 

To be continued



The Tides Of War Pt. 14



Chapter 53 

A year later the news came through; the war was over. 

Three nights later a huge party was organised at the Crater for all the men who had fought for East Africa. Australians, Ghurkhas, Matabele, Home Guard, and Hunters, along with their wives and parents, mixed with each other in celebration of the end to hostilities. 

Over the next month the Australians and the Ghurkhas returned back to their homes. The Crater seemed somewhat deserted with their going. The Reserve had been fenced and the gate Check Posts built. The command centre was built near a major watering hole, barracks and a home for Sultar and Yasmin along with an office had been erected and provision for their livestock made. Slowly the Maasi moved back with some passing through the reserve to cross back across the river. 

Sultar was kept busy correlating a census of the animals in the reserve, from reports garnered from the Rangers, as the Ghurkhas were now called. Martin and Jill were frequent visitors to the reserve, attending to animals that the Rangers found injured. A small medical aid unit was built for the purpose of looking after them. 

The Crater settled down to a peacetime environment, the cattle herd stabilised at over four hundred and fifty with a hundred dairy cattle which were sold to farmers and the town for their milk and butter. The horse and mule herds had grown to over three hundred and there was a steady market for them. Patar kept back his breeding stock from being sold to maintain the bloodline. 

Guy, who was now sixteen, spent every hour he could when not at school working with Martin and Jill, whilst Victoria spent her time with her mother working in the hospital. Martin and Jill's eldest daughter, Barbara spent her free time with Patar learning about horses. She was an accomplished rider on her mare Tara, which was a daughter of Susan's Tana. The twins David and Susan spent time playing with N'debi's children at the village. 

At one of the dinners with Martin, Jill, Sultar, and Yasmin present, Susan brought up the subject of the children. 

'Their growing up fast now, and really we must start thinking of sending them to school in England. Guy, Barbara, and Yasmin, Yasmin and Sultar's eldest daughter, are old enough to think of university. The rest of the children are close behind them." 

"Well, regarding education they are all bright enough to get in," Martin replied. 

After a long discussion it was agreed reluctantly, that Susan, Jill and Yasmin would take the children to England to sort out their education. The decision did not go down well with the children but a month later, David, Martin and Sultar waved goodbye as the steamer pulled away from the dock in Mombasa. 

It was over four months before the women returned. In the train back to Nairobi, Susan disclosed that the three eldest had been accepted into Oxford, and the rest of the children enrolled at a private school five miles outside the city. 

"The eldest have promised to visit the younger ones when they can; in case they get home sick." 

'Well, we have seen to our children, but what about the education of the others at the Crater?" David asked. 

"The problem is that none of the schools in Nairobi will sanction mixed races," Martin said. 

"We discussed that on the boat back," Jill said, "And decided that we should open a private school for those of ability, irrespective of the colour of skin." 

"That won't go down well in some quarters." David murmured. 

"For god's sake David," Jill said angrily, "We've just gone through a world war where blacks and browns fought alongside of us." 

"Hey, I know; I was there remember. But you may have more success if you make it a coloured school," David replied. 

They continued to discuss the ramifications of the school, right up to reaching the crater, with no decision yet made. As it happened, events overtook them that put the school to the back of their minds. It began with an unexpected visit of Robert Keeling. 

At a dinner thrown in his honour, where Martin, Jill, Sultar, Yasmin, and Stanley attended, Robert broached the subject of his visit. 

"What you all did in the defence of East Africa against superior numbers was little short of miraculous. Unfortunately due to the aftermath of the war and the horrendous losses in men, the Army is a dirty word in the minds of the general public. I put all of you forward for decorations, but this was not considered a major battle by those in Whitehall; not enough dead involved with it," Robert said bitterly. "I'm thinking of resigning my commission, and decided to come out here personally to thank you all for what you did on behalf of his Majesty." 

A stunned silence fell around the table and then David spoke, "I can't speak for the rest of us, but I didn't fight for his Majesty or the British Government. I fought for my family and home... I didn't fight for gongs." 

"Here, here," echoed around the table from Martin, Sultar and Stanley. 

Susan reached over and took Robert's hand in hers. 

"Robert, don't resign your commission. The Army needs men like you; men of compassion and honour. In the years ahead a new Army will be formed and it will need officers who care for the welfare of its men." 

The men around the table nodded encouragingly. 

Robert smiled sadly, "Strangely enough the Prince said the very same thing in London before I left." 

Yasmin looked up and spoke, "You saw my father?" 

Robert looked at her perplexed, "Yes, over two months ago. He was on business to see the Colonial Office about Kana, and dropped into my office to invite me to dinner at his hotel." 

"Did he mention what they wanted?" David asked. 

"Oh, it wasn't anything alarming... only for the supply of horses to the army. He said he would be going up to Oxford to see the children at a later date. He had been to Birmingham to see Henry Cartwright regarding an order he had made with him. He seemed in the best of health and hoped to see you all here soon, he said. But I thought you all knew he was in England?" 

Yasmin shook her head, "I've not heard from him in months. I wonder how he knew the children were at Oxford?" 

Robert frowned, "Well, he sent them there, and Prince Izarb is in his first year, and Princess Isasar in her second year of modern history." 

"Oh, you mean my brother and sister!" Yasmin exclaimed. 

"Robert," Susan interjected, "Our children started at Oxford over four months ago." 

"I see were the confusion came from," Robert replied with a smile, "I wonder if they'll run in to each other." 

"I wrote to father just before we left to let him know what we were doing. But he may have been already in England," Yasmin replied. 

The mystery was resolved two days later by the post office in Nairobi. Martin had called to collect their post from the Craters post box inside the post office. A clerk came over to ask him if he knew of a Mrs and Mr Sultar. 

"We've had these two letters for over two months now addressed to them in Nairobi, but no one knows who they are," the clerk exclaimed. 

Martin examined the envelopes noticing the Aster Hotel logo on the reverse side of it, and quickly explained who they were addressed to. Back at the crater he handed the letters over to Yasmin. 

"Father's such an idiot. Normally his secretary addresses his mail, but this is his own handwriting. He must not know the correct address." 

She sat down to read them, suddenly jumping up, "It's the seventh today isn't it Martin?" 

Martin nodded mystified, "He's arriving in Mombasa in ten days' time," Yasmin explained. 

Susan, Jill and Yasmin began rushing around sorting out furniture and fittings for Sultar and Yasmin's old home at the crater. Most of their old belongings had been moved to their new home on the Reserve. David, Martin and Sultar stood well back, letting the girls get on with it, but despite their protests, Susan soon roped them into painting rooms and moving furniture. 

They all travelled down to Mombasa to greet the ship as it docked. Peshawar and Hangar took care of the Prince's luggage, whilst the girls crowded around the Prince. Peshawar stood back at a reasonable distance during the greeting with Hangar who had accompanied them. Not until they were all inside of the compartment of the train did they relax and began to question the Prince. David had noticed that the Prince had more grey hairs in his hair and beard, but his eyes were as bright as ever and he still retained his lean body. 

Yasmin explained about the mix up with the letters, and told him the correct address, which he duly wrote down in his notebook. David sat back as Yasmin and Susan bombarded him with questions of Kana, then it was Sultar's turn to ask about the fort. 

The Prince in turn asked Martin and Jill about their success with breeding cattle, and what were their findings on the different breeds. At some stage David dozed off. 

Not until much later out on the stoop of his home did he have time to speak to the Prince. 

They sat in the cane chairs smoking cheroots with a glass of David's malt in their hands. 

He had, at the Prince's insistence told him of events that had affected the Crater. When he had finished, the Prince looked hard at him. 

"Still fighting battles I see David. But looking out on your land I can see why you fought so hard." 

"I learnt from a good teacher on how to defend a land," David murmured. 

The Prince smiled drawing on his cheroot, "You have come a long way from that ex-lieutenant who arrived at my Palace in our hour of greatest need. I saw in you a man of honour, intelligence, determination, and courage... facets that not many men have. I will always think of you as a son, and can only hope Izarb lives up to your example." 

"I heard you went to Oxford to visit your children; our children started there this year." 

The Prince chuckled, "Yes I know, I took them all for a meal. Guy told me of the others in boarding school, and so we took them all out for the day. Guy is very much like you, whilst Victoria takes after Susan. They were a little overawed at being with me at first but they soon settled down." 

David smiled, "I think Guy wants to be a vet; he loves animals, whilst Victoria seems to be interested in medicine, but I'm not sure what she wants to do." 

"University has a way of shaping you for the future," The Prince replied. 

When Yasmin and Sultar arrived for dinner, the Prince excused himself. When he returned he was carrying three gun cases. 

"I had reason to travel to Birmingham to see Henry Cartwright concerning ammunition for the Fort," he explained. "In the course of conversation he mentioned that you had ordered hunting rifles David. It seems the Cartwright .303 is not suitable for all game out here in Africa. I mentioned that my son was now chief game warden of a huge nature reserve, and asked what rifles he should need. Henry said the ones you had ordered were suitable, so I ordered the same for Sultar." He said handing the cases to Sultar. 

Sultar's eyes gleamed when he saw the contents of the cases, and tried the rifles to his shoulders. 

"They're magnificent," he murmured at the hand built rifles. "I've always admired David's, but of course he's left-handed. I really don't know how to thank you Sir," he murmured humbly. 

The Prince smiled, "Nonsense my boy, can you imagine what my daughter would say if you were injured by not having the right weapon," he said off hand. 

Over the following weeks the Prince accompanied by David and Sultar rode out to explore the game reserve, camping out at night under the stars. Susan and Yasmin were with them when they would return as the sun set to the camp. Ali was there to do the cooking whilst Hanga and Peshawar to serve the food and ensure the tented accommodation was suitable for their Royal visitor. 

After the meal, the Prince would sit around the fire with the others, with a cheroot, and glass of malt in his hand talking about home or the hunt that they had that day. The day before they returned to the crater, N'debi had found a mature male lion in the prime of condition. He showed David, Sultar and the Prince along with the four Rangers where it was hiding in the long grass of the veldt. 

They were down wind of it as they crept silently towards it. The Prince had Sultar's .375 at his shoulder, with David just behind with his .375 as backup if needed. They were no more than a hundred yards from it when it suddenly rose to its feet, as the men froze. It was a magnificent looking animal with a full mane around its neck. The lion lifted its head sniffing the breeze as the Prince brought the rifle to his shoulder sighting along it. 

Seconds passed as they waited for the Prince to fire. Then he suddenly raised the barrel of the rifle to the air and pulled the trigger. The lion was startled, then swishing its tail, trotted off into the grass. The Prince turned and smiled handing the rifle back to Sultar. "I'm ready for a drink... let's go back to camp," was all he said leaving every one mystified at his action except for N'debi and David who both wore enigmatic smiles on their faces. 

After the meal that night everyone except David and the Prince had retired, and they were finishing off their cheroots. The Prince was staring into the embers of the fire when he murmured, "You are wondering why I didn't fire David?" 

David shook his head, "Not really; you knew you could have easily killed it if you had wanted to, and knowing that, you didn't." 

The Prince turned slowly to look at David, and smiled. 

The Prince left two days later. That night David sat with Susan out on the stoop in the cane settee; his arm around her shoulder. Both were looking up at the night sky ablaze with stars, a shooting star suddenly flashed across the night sky. 

"You should make a wish darling," she murmured. 

He smiled. "What for, I have everything a man could possibly want," he replied bending his head to kiss her. They lifted their heads as a leopard snarled out beyond the entrance, and the manic laugh of a hyena was dimly heard in the distance. 

"Do you have any second thoughts about being here David?" Susan whispered. 

He hesitated for a second before replying. "I've killed a lot of men since being here. Probably more than I did in Kana. I can't say whether they deserved to die, only that they proved a threat to my family and home." 

"So you regard Khana Crater now as your home darling?" 

David chuckled, "Yes, but what about you? Do miss London and the bright lights?" 

Susan looked up at the night sky, ablaze with stars. "London doesn't have lights like these. No, not at all." 

A soft breeze caressed her face, as she turned to look down the Crater. She could see vague shapes of the cattle and horses out in the pasture with the darker shape of the surrounding cliffs. 

"We have worked and fought for this land; we carved a home from this wilderness," she thought. She looked over at David, who sat with his head back looking at the night sky, suddenly realising that they all had become one with this land. 

"We are the Ramages' of Africa now," she thought as a whimsical smile crossed her face. 

The End 

I should like to take this opportunity to thank the readers for their patience and tolerance over the many mistakes I made in producing this story. I should also like to thank Gary for his knowledge and expertise on India and firearms. David who has been a rock in his support and encouragement. To both of you my heartfelt thanks. 

RobinLane



The Tie on the Door



"Pratt?"

"Pratt?

"PRATT?!"

Harmon screamed into the first floor mens' room shared by his frat and the dorm attached to it. He walked up to the only shower in use and talked to the curtain.

"Pratt, is that you in there?"

Harmon threw open the curtain. Josh Pratt stood in the spray, doing his best to ignore Harmon.

"Pathetic. Pratt, do you ever say anything?"

Harmon snapped the curtain shut just as his frat brother Gonzo walked in.

"Gonz..."

"Dude..."

"You go to kegs last night?"

"No, we got back from fucking lacrosse at, like, 2am."

"You win?"

"No...god damn it."

Harmon chuckled and shook his head. "You guys suck, man..."

Gonzo sighed. "No fucking kidding. It's bad."

"Well," announced Harmon, clearing his throat, "I went to kegs. And you will not believe what I saw. You will not fucking believe it."

"What?"

"Guess."

"I don't know."

"No, guess. You won't get it."

"Dude, I have no fucking clue."

"Okay, you're not going to get it anyway, so I'll tell you: Pratt was there. And," (he raised his voice, as if making a proclamation) "he was there...WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND!"

Gonzo laughed. "Pratt has a girlfriend? Are you serious?" He walked over to the shower.

"Pratt! How'd you pull that off? Is she blind? Deaf?"

He stuck his head in the shower.

"Retarded?"

"No, I am totally serious, dude," said Harmon. "But that's not even the shocking part. I mean, if you think that's shocking, this next part is gonna scare you shitless."

"Pratt's girlfriend is a piece of ass. A. PIECE. OF. ASS. And actually, not even just a piece of ass, I mean...I don't even know what I mean. She's beautiful. She's fucking amazing."

"Pratt!" Gonzo strolled back over to the shower. "Pratt, I'm proud of you! Good boy! How the fuck did you do it? You holding her family hostage?"

"I guess they started dating in high school," said Harmon. "And, you know, Pratt's from, like, Bumfuck, Iowa, so she must have had, like, pretty fucking slim pickings."

Josh silently put the soap back in the dish and reached for the shampoo. He heard the sound of a faucet turning on full blast, then a laugh from Gonzo.

"Dude, what are you doing to his towel?"

"Well, you know," said Harmon, "Pratt's making me angry this morning. He's making me angry because I'm thinking about that god damn smokeshow he gets to fuck, and it makes me feel like something bad needs to happen to him to make up for it."

"Dude...you're bad."

"God," Harmon muttered to himself while he ran the towel under cold water. "I am so f-ing funny."

Josh slid his bar of soap back into the red plastic container he kept it in.

"Actually," said Harmon, "wait a minute. Has he fucked her?" He shouted into the stall. "Pratt? Have you fucked her?"

"Felt her tits?"

"Held her hand?"

"Or do you just do her homework? Then when she's left, you lie in bed and jack off thinking about her?"

"'Cause that's what I'm gonna do," added Harmon. Gonzo burst out laughing.

"Harmon, you're sick."

"Yeah," said Harmon, continuing his monologue as he and Gonzo walked out of the bathroom. "That's actually a pretty damn good idea. Right now, I'm going to jack off thinking about Pratt's girlfriend! Hot damn, this is going to be a great morning!"

Josh stood in the shower for another four minutes, turned it off, wrung out his freezing towel, and walked back to his room.

—

No classes on Tuesdays, so after filling his day with Xbox and linear algebra homework, Josh had kept the morning's humiliation out of his head. 

Until he remembered...oh god: Kristin is coming over for kegs. SAE kegs, the frat next door. Harmon's frat. He couldn't take his girlfriend there.

A knock prompted Josh to open the door, where a breathtaking girl with long, dark hair, a rust-colored sweater, and a black ski jacket stood smiling.

"Kegs...?" asked the girl hopefully, bouncing on her toes.

"Uh...I don't think so."

"Seriously?!" she asked. "Why not?"

"I, uh...guess I'm not feeling that well. Headache. Mind if we stay in?"

Kristin scrunched up her mouth, as if saying she wasn't sure that was an adequate substitute.

"Doctor Who?" offered Josh.

She brightened up. "Awesome!" she said with a gasp. She was a fan.

Josh turned off the lights, started the newly-torrented Who episode on his PC, and slumped under his bed covers while Kristin took off her coat.

God this morning was embarrassing, he thought. (Ugh. Why did he have to think about this? What was the point? Couldn't he just enjoy watching TV with his girlfriend? Apparently not.) Harmon was so fucking intimidating. Huge. Loud. Unstoppable. He scored so many girls that it was comedic walking by his room each night to see the same red and blue tie hanging over the doorknob, indicating his "occupied" status. Kristin and Josh would always laugh at the ridiculousness of it, and at the naivete of the girls dumb enough to file into his room like clockwork.

Kristin slipped her knit sweater over her head, arching her body, catching Josh's eye. The flickering from the monitor lit her in kind of an astonishing way.

He'd watched her undress before. But after being accosted that morning, accused of being, in essence, a shitty male specimen, Josh felt like maybe what he was supposed to be doing—rather than absorbing a British sci-fi show—was ogling the fantastic-looking girl undressing in front of him. He tried examining his girlfriend's body through fresh eyes. Harmon's eyes. 

Whew. Okay, here goes. 

As she slipped out of her jeans and stood there in bra and panties, half-distracted by Doctor Who, he studied her hair, eyes, lips, mouth. Perfect. Conpletely perfect. And that's being as objective as he could be. She really was flawless. Everybody thought so; it wasn't possible to think otherwise.

That was tame; he could do better.

What fucking amazing tits, he thought. About ready to burst out of the luckiest bra in the world. Just the thought of playing with those would be enough to get any guy to sign away a testicle. 

That was better: more Harmon-esque. 

And those legs, smooth like...well, smooth like something really smooth, leading up to that juicy—

Ugh. God. What a terrible exercise. Harmon is repulsive; trying to be him for even twenty seconds was too long.

Josh liked that Kristin was beautiful, but it didn't matter. Or at least barely mattered. He'd fallen for her through the conversations they'd had in AP Calc about math, physics, comp sci...Josh had never found a girl so interested in those things, so it just felt natural that he'd love her for the things she thought and dreamt about. Not for what she looked like. Noting again, however, that he didn't mind how she looked.

She turned to him, her hand unconsciously playing with the front of her bra. Her hair was tousled in kind of a spectacular way, and, not really trying—'cause that's how effortless her beauty was—struck a pose that felt, Josh thought, kind of Victoria's Secret-ish.

"The Cybermen are awesome," she said, commenting on the onscreen action.

And that's why he loved her.

She slinked into bed. "You cold?" she asked as she wriggled up against him.

"A little," said Josh, "but getting better."

"I remember camping junior year," Kristin whispered, "when we were under the covers like this, and it was so cold outside that the tent froze shut."

"Jesus," he said. "Yes, that sucked."

An onscreen explosion drew their attention back to Doctor Who, and they finished the episode. They watched two more beyond that, intermittently interrupted by discussions of just how, precisely, time travel worked on the show. And then Josh heard the tiniest snore.

Kristin's sleeping face was close to his. He loved how she looked with her eyes closed; loved the shape of her mouth, her lips just parted. The way her body was angled made it impossible not to look down the front of her bra. He thought about Harmon again, how he accused Josh of not being physical with her.

Harmon was wrong. Josh had felt her tits. A lot of times. And he'd be feeling them again, too. In fact he was going to right now.

He stretched out his right hand and lightly ran his fingers underneath the cup of her bra. He saw her smile just a bit. He didn't know whether she was asleep or awake, but he liked the idea of her smiling either way.

With not very much difficulty he gently undid the fastener on the front of her bra—happily, he'd become sort of adept at this—pulled it back, then reached in and lightly ran his hands over her. Holy hell she felt nice.

Fuck Harmon.

—

Next morning, early, after Kristin had slipped back to her dorm, Josh quietly slinked to the bathroom. It was before seven and he knew Harmon would never be there so early.

"Pratt!" Harmon screamed from inside a shower stall. "That you?"

Oh god. Harmon was up early.

Harmon ripped his curtain open; he stood there naked, the spray washing over him.

"Pratt, it is you!"

Josh walked to the sink to brush his teeth. He couldn't look at Harmon.

"Hey," said Harmon. Josh didn't respond.

"Hey!" he said again.

"HEY!!" he screamed, and Josh glanced quickly at him in the mirror.

"Moron," yelled Harmon. "Tell your girlfriend thanks for the fucking awesome jack-off session I had yesterday morning. And last night. Twice. Shit, that god damn body of hers I practically shoot my wad just thinking about her."

He continued. "And you still haven't introduced me to her! Fuck do I want to meet her. She'd fucking love me!"

"God I cannot even imagine what that pussy must taste like," he said. "Pratt, what does she taste like? It must be fucking unbelievable."

(Josh was repulsed...but made a mental note: that's the kind of observation to make if you're going to pretend to be Harmon.)

Harmon peered out of the stall.

"Do you know?" he asked. "Do you even fucking know what that tastes like?"

Harmon yelled over to Gonzo's shower stall.

"He doesn't know. HE DOESN'T KNOW!!" and Harmon laughed. "God, what a god damn waste you are, Pratt. Embarrassing."

"God damn it!" Harmon blurted out a few seconds later. "Now I'm so fucking worked up thinking about Pratt's girl that I'm going to have to jack off again. Right here."

"Uh, Harmon..." said Gonzo. "That is gross."

"Oh, if you knew what this girl looked like you wouldn't think so."

"And...here we go!" yelled Harmon. Josh couldn't help but glance in the mirror to see Harmon in his shower stall, curtain open, staring dazedly in the air and stroking his enormous cock.

"Hot damn yes," he continued, "she's on top of me and fuck does she look good. I just flicked off her bra and am squeezing the hell out of those beautiful tits...oh...oh Pratt... oh fuck, yeah. And yeah she is getting so wet it's like fucking embarrassing..."

"Now she's begging me to nail her so I rip her panties off and...oh...oh..oh fuck yeah goddamn, Pratt, now my cock's in her and she has the tightest sweetest little pussy, and..."

"oh god...oh god...oh fucking god...yeah...here it comes...Pratt here it comes..." and Harmon let out a howl.

There was silence for a few seconds, then he yelled.

"GOD DAMN I LOVE JOSH'S GIRLFRIEND!!"

Gonzo stared at the wall of Harmon's shower.

"I hope you're cleaning that up," he said.

—

Every day it was something different.

On Wednesday Josh returned to his dorm room to find a little stick figure scrawled on the dry-erase board on his door. The figure had long hair, a tiny skirt, and huge circles on its chest; FUCK ME JOSH was written underneath. Josh pulled out the glass cleaner, the kind that cleans those dry-erase boards really well, and removed every trace.

Thursday the dry-erase board was covered with the well-endowed little female figures. Actually, so was the whole door...all over. All of them were engaged in some sex act with little male figures with huge cocks. At the top of the door, written with permanent sharpie marker it said JOSH WHY WONT YOU EAT MY CUNT.

It was going to take at least an hour to clean all this off. Josh called Kristin, panicked, trying to intercept her before she got to his room. He bailed on their date, sending her off to the movies without him, then spent three hours cleaning until the door was whiter than it'd probably ever been. He could tell she was upset.

Friday, same thing on his door, but more of it. I WANT TO MEET PRATT'S GIRL was scrawled around the border. The door was also covered in ketchup, now dried into a brown crust. On the doorknob was some other white-ish liquid, partially solidified into gelatinous form. Josh suspected what it might be but didn't want to think about it. After canceling the long-standing dinner plans with Kristin's visiting parents that night—Kristin was furious, but what else could he do—Josh spent another three hours cleaning it all off.

After that, Josh stopped letting Kristin come over to his room entirely.

Instead, they went to hers. Every night, for weeks, watching not just Doctor Who but every other sci-fi series he could think of, then Orson Welles films, then...and it became obvious it was grating on Kristin. Why don't we go to your room? she'd ask nearly every night (going out, she already knew, was out of the question) with never a straight answer from Josh in return.

Kristin thought a lot about Josh's self-deprecating comments, made since the day they'd met, about how boring he was. She'd always laughed and told him that was stupid. But over the past month...he'd turned so quiet. She made the hideous discovery that she really had become bored with him. Crazily bored.

She hated staying in when all of her friends were out. And after being asked out on two separate occasions by guys from class, it was more than she could bear. Kristin met with Josh and quietly told him that maybe it was time to try just being friends.

—

Kristin had a date: a guy named Andrew from her econ class had asked her out. While she was excited about it, something she didn't see coming was the wide-eyed reaction of the other women on her hall, each of whom knew precisely who Andrew was, and were everything from overjoyed to insanely jealous at the news that Kristin had a date with him. She'd never felt part of the popular crowd—at least, it had been several years since she felt that way—and the attention it brought her was unexpectedly nice. Refreshing. Exciting.

Andrew picked her up—god he looked amazing—and for the first hour or so, she felt wildly uncomfortable. What was she doing out with someone that wasn't Josh? Everything was different and out-of-sorts: Andrew's BMW was nicer than Josh's beat-up Focus, which made her feel incredibly guilty. She didn't want things like that to make a difference. But Andrew's car was so nice. He dressed differently than Josh...better. God how could she do this to Josh?

But as they settled into dinner, things got easier. Not all at once...but Andrew was charming and interesting and easy to talk to and she thought about Josh less and less. Not to mention: she was actually out, not sitting in a dorm room.

The party he took her to afterwards felt fun. His friends seemed great; she spoke easily with them; they were happy to see her. All attractive; the kind of group she was never a part of in high school, consciously so...but today it felt thrilling to be accepted by them. She felt a part of things, for the first time in a long time.

And Andrew. Being with him felt effortless. Kristin knew she was a little starstruck, but even beyond Andrew's easy charm, great friends, his looks...Kristin felt something. During a lull in conversation with his friends, she looked up at him and flashed a huge smile. She couldn't believe how beautiful his blue eyes were.

It wasn't just his eyes. He was beautiful all over. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. She wanted to rip his clothes off.

—

Coming back from the library, Josh slogged down the hall toward his room.

Josh held his breath as he approached his door. But nothing was splattered on it tonight: no ketchup, no jizz, no caricatures, and nothing destroyed. Actually, he was on a roll: it'd been more than a week since any of that had happened. This is what passed for a good Saturday now.

Josh dumped his books and slouched on his bed. It was two weeks since he and Kristin began their "time out." He'd written two emails to her in that time. The first time, he got a response from her: a very friendly one. Kristin asked about Josh's grandma, and if she were coming home for Thanksgiving. At the time Josh wondered, do people ask about another person's grandmother if they don't care? Was Kristin probing the possibility of spending Thanksgiving with him? In his response he broached the subject in the most delicate way possible, but it had been eight days since then and he hadn't heard back.

A week ago, he'd imagined tonight would be the night he'd write Kristin again, asking if maybe he could drop by: Game of Thrones was premiering. Or maybe they could even try going out somewhere. But now that tonight had arrived, sending the email didn't feel right. But soon. Maybe Wednesday.

He held the copy of Gödel Escher Bach she'd bought him. He read the love note she'd written on the inside cover. In here—in this book—she wasn't bored with him.

Then he spent a wonderful two minutes pretending he was watching her undress.

He wandered down the hall to brush his teeth, passing Harmon's room. Another tie on Harmon's door. Good fucking god.

—

Behind that very door—the door with the distinctive red-and-blue tie hanging from its knob—Kristin was getting a tour of Andrew Harmon's music collection. (Yes, that Harmon, the frat-boy Harmon, the one who'd spent the past month torturing Josh.)

It seemed so bizarre to Kristin now, how she'd spent the past semester making fun of the guy who lived in this room with its perpetual tie on the door—the "hyper fratboy", the "player" with the freshman girls cycling through—and all that time it was Andrew, the charming guy who'd taken her on the best date she could remember. She was hoping it wasn't going to end yet.

Josh was just down the hall, so close by. Kristin was careful to make sure Josh hadn't seen her sneak into Andrew's room. Not because she was embarrassed to be here—quite the opposite—but she knew he wouldn't understand.

She wondered if she should feel more guilty than she did. But this wasn't about Andrew's car, or his looks. Josh had wanted to hide her; Andrew wanted to show her off. She couldn't wait to show Andrew how much she appreciated that.

Kristin's head was buzzing; she hadn't felt like this in a very long time. She thought about jealous Anna on her hall and how Anna had said she'd give anything for five minutes alone with Andrew. In fact, all the girls wanted Andrew. Kristin wasn't going to let anything mess this up.

Josh briefly flashed through Kristin's mind again while Harmon started to gently coax her sweater off, thirty seconds into their hasty make-out session. Why didn't Josh realize that the world was a friendly, fun place, filled with great prople, instead of something to be scared of? But that wasn't her problem anymore.

She was so preoccupied with kissing Harmon she didn't even notice him reaching over and starting the camera on his cell phone, recording a video that maybe he'd show to Pratt some day when he felt like torturing him.

Getting her top off was way easier than Harmon had ever imagined. In fact her bra came off so quickly he heard a little gasp. (He could get a bra off quicker than than anyone, women included.)

Good god it was fun playing with those tits. Harmon had spent weeks thinking about them, and they didn't disappont. It was especially fun running his hands over them in front of the camera...you know, for Pratt's benefit. "So nice..." mouthed Harmon silently to his phone, while Kristin, blissed-out and dreamy-eyed, looked as if she were experiencing the best moment of her life.




The Tie on the Door



It was only a minute later that Harmon had her out of her jeans. And then—

Harmon used to think Pratt was just pathetic, but over the past few weeks Harmon's feelings had turned into disgust. Pratt's lameness was just intolerable; infurating. Why didn't Pratt even fucking stand up for himself? It used to be fun when he'd stumble into the bathroom and Harmon would fuck with him, but now Harmon couldn't stand the sight of the moron; it ruined his day.

But, you know...there's something about watching that moron's girlfriend sucking your dick that made him a little easier to put up with. Harmon imagined Pratt sitting in the corner squirming, watching helplessly while Kristin licked Harmon's cock.

What she'd said couldn't be true, could it? She'd never done this before? Poor, poor Pratt. Harmon leaned his head back over the edge of the bed and looked upside-down at his phone. That camera is Pratt, he thought. Yeah...it's Pratt. He addressed it accordingly:

Hey Josh, he thought to himself. This is what Kristin looks like sucking cock. I'm sure you must have wondered. Instead of saying that, he mouthed a "So good...", with a smile. Then he shot a thumbs-up. 

Kristin looked up at Harmon with a dizzy grin.

"I'm loving this", she said.

Harmon smiled back ar her. Good girl, he thought silently to himself. Now show me how much you adore blowing me. He didn't say that out loud, but she followed his instructions anyway, pulling her hair back over her shoulder so he could watch what she was doing to him.

She looked amazing, on all fours in just her panties. In ten minutes or so, Harmon figured he'd have those off too, then he'd be fucking her. He couldn't wait to show the video to Gonzo.

Until then, Harmon played this trick: he started moaning gently...and so did Kristin. By raising or lowering his volume, he could turn her on exactly as much as he wanted. He gradually dialed up his intensity—breathing heavier, moaning louder—until it was obvious that Kristin was beside herself, turned on beyond belief. Harmon realized this had turned into the best blow job he'd ever gotten.

He looked at the camera/Pratt one more time, but now he was getting light-headed. The way Kristin was working him there was no way he was going to be able hold out any longer.

A minute later, when Harmon started coming in her mouth, it was safe to say that neither one was thinking about Josh at all.



The Tie that Binds



When Steve entered their bedroom, he found her asleep. His angel was so burnt out from all of their activities that she was taking an uncharacteristic daytime nap. He went over to the bedside, and looked down at his wife's exquisite body lying nude on the bed, and felt a rush come to his loins and felt his face flush. 

He had seen a lot of naked women in his life, including Teri thousands of times, but she had that something that no other woman he'd ever seen has. "She has a beauty that actually vibrates your entire being.", Steve wrote in his vows 3 years earlier, and it was still true. He had never seen anything quite so beautiful before he found Teri. 

She was a vision with wide bright eyes, high cheekbones, and lush full lips... "Genetically blessed", Steve frequently called her. That exquisite genetic perfection was obvious in her body as well... large full perfectly round breasts with ever-hard nipples, a tiny waist that made her breasts seem even bigger, and an ass so sweet, so luscious that he found it difficult to keep his hands off, even in public.

To see her lying there so totally vulnerable and open had a tremendous effect on him. He felt lightheaded, and the blood that he lost from his head, rushed to his penis, as it was growing at an alarming rate. He just had to stand there a minute longer before he woke her up. His eyes traveled across her body as if they were his hands, investigating all of her curves and angles. 

They had talked about bondage, and even tried it a few times when they had been drinking, but that was nothing compared to what Steve had in mind for his sexy wife. He went back out to the car to retrieve the equipment he had purchased at an online fetish supply house he found on a porn website. He hadn't discussed it with Teri; he just placed the order. It had arrived over a month ago, and he had waited until now to use it, until the moment was perfect.

When he returned, she hadn't stirred at all; she was still completely exhausted from the night before. He set out his props in their approximate positions and took a deep breath to settle his beating heart and raging passion for Teri. He had to be gentle, he would never dream of hurting his tender flower of a wife. But he had to be fast, so she won't put up a fight and spoil it for herself. He had to be confident, if he hesitated, the moment would be lost. He kept setting up, the determination glowing in his eyes. Finally, he was ready. 

He went to the head of the bed, where he had tied ropes to soft pile lined cuffs with Velcro fasteners to the ends. He had the same setup at the foot of the bed for her ankles. He gave her one last look of affection, in case this thing that he was about to do backfires, and went for her left wrist. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it to the end of the rope and quickly fastened it. She woke up with a shocked sleep-filled look on her face and tried to get up while refocusing her eyes. He hastened to the other side of the bed and grabbed her other hand and pulled it a little tighter to the other rope and struggled to secure it amidst her attempts to escape. He fought her legs to the corners of the bed and fastened then in turn and made sure all was tight and painless. He was almost winded from her struggles. 

Teri knew right from the start that he was not about to hurt her, but she was still very nervous. She had not uttered a sound, made no screams or protests, but she did fight against him. He had a gag all ready for that possibility, but thankfully, that wasn't to be necessary. Which pleased him immensely, as he loved looking at her mouth when they fucked. Then came the last piece of the equipment, the blindfold. This was the part that he would enjoy the most. She won't be able to know what is coming until she feels it. The mystery will heighten the stimulations, and arouse her to the extremes they sought. Also, he wouldn't be able to see the look in her eyes that would make him self-conscious and cause him to stop and let her go. He fastened the blindfold, avoiding any eye contact whatsoever. 

He surveyed his work. It was a perfect scene. He straddled her body, on his knees, and ran his hands up her arms to the wrists. He sensed a stiffening of her muscles as the skin formed little goose bumps all around her upper chest and arms. He returned his hands to her shoulders, and massaged her neck and upper arms and shoulders back and forth rubbing them very slowly, very tenderly. He bent down and lightly kissed her forehead, and down to her cheek, to her neck... lightly kissing...licking...nibbling. 

His lips returned to hers and brushed across them. She stirred. He kissed her fully on the mouth and snaked his tongue in to search for hers. When the two tongues made contact, He sensed a faint trembling under him, and her mouth opened a little wider to admit him to hers. She was responding nicely. 

He continued to kiss her warm lips until her breathing rate increased and her body started to rise and fall with her beating heart. His mouth left hers and nibbled her chin and then down to her neck, sucking slightly....then a gentle lick. Further down to her shoulders with more kisses, his fingers gently massaging the damp flesh that his mouth just left. He kissed across to her upper chest, above her breasts, his neatly trimmed mustache glancing against her nipples on the way. Her body trembled again. The soft skin was so warm and it smelled so fresh. I crossed again, kissing and licking to her exposed armpits, teasing them with tickling nibbles. 

His mouth finally reached her supple beasts. They rose and fell with each breath, slightly rippling with desire, waiting for attention, knowing it was to come, ...But when he licked around the base of her breasts, first the right, then the left, coming to full circle at her cleavage. He dipped his tongue into the cleavage and licked the sweet flesh there. The tongue torture was getting to her as she started to arch her back to put her breasts in better position to be loved. He accepted the invitation and gently locked his lips around her sweet nipple and flicked at it with his tongue, sucking ever so gently. The nipple grew erect in his mouth. He switched breasts and his fingers took over the one that his mouth had left, gently twisting and rolling the nipple in his fingertips as his lips attacked the other. He heard the moan from her lips before he felt her wave of climax, but that was only the first, many more to come. 

His mouth stayed long enough to thoroughly stimulate her breasts until her orgasm subsided, then continued with the tongue bath across her midriff to her navel. Here he stayed to explore the small feminine indentation in her flawless stomach, and pierce it with a hot flicking tongue. From this angle, he could se her tattoo near her pubic area with the flower and heart design, topped with the word "Teri". It was a beautiful sight, as was all that there was to see. 

Next he visited her smooth hips, tracing the curves to the exposed part of her buttocks, then to the other side to repeat. As he crossed her pubic area he sensed the aroma of her aroused pussy, and it pleased him. He kissed down her side, from her hips to her toes, licking and fondling the skin as he went. He sucked each toe individually into his lips and teased them with his tongue. The undersides of her feet were extremely sensitive, and she jerked on her bondage as he tickled her there. He quickened the pace a little and kissed up her inner thigh to the top, hesitated, and went down the other leg to her other foot. The suspense and stimulation was getting to her, She pulled on her ropes a little harder now. He started the final lap up her inner thigh to the treasure at the juncture of her thighs. 

As his mouth was inches from her vagina, the arrival was met with a tightening of muscles all over her body. The anticipation was too much for her to bear. He didn't know for sure, but it seemed as though she came again at that moment, moaning and thrashing against her bonds. He brushed across her incredibly stimulated pussy with his mustache, and her skin rippled in its wake. He licked at the outer perimeter of her moist open pussy, sensing the dampness nearby. Her hips started to undulate in readiness for the contact. It was time His mouth lowered to her soft pink lips and the electric shock ran through her body as the convulsive wave of climax made her rise from the bed and fight the binding ropes. His lips touched and teased the pink love nest, as his fingers opened her pussy lips as if they were flower petals. 

She tried to spread her legs wider, which was physically impossible with the way she was already spread out. Her pelvis rose to offer herself to him as a slave to its master. His mouth lunged into her open pussy and latched onto her most intimate domain. His tongue entered her deeply and his mouth sucked in her exquisite womanly nectar. He drank from her love funnel and made room for more of her cum to fill the vessel of her sex. He lifted her up with his hands and brought her a little closer for deeper penetration. He latched onto her clitoris and sucked it gently into his lips and felt it swell in his mouth. Her body started to tremble again, as a low pitched moan escaped from her lips and she started to jerk her hips and shake all over as the next wave overcame her and his mouth was filled with her hot cum. He sucked the sweet nectar from her pussy and smiled as she continued to convulse over and over. 

The waves finally slowed, but Teri was still wild with passion. She had several orgasms, and now she wanted to taste him. She spoke for the first time that evening, "Fuck my mouth Steve... I need to taste your cock!"

He hurriedly removed any remaining clothing and straddled her chest again. His cock was and had been rock hard since this event started. He stroked it once or twice and slapped it against her breast. The small smear of pre-cum left a shiny trail across her nipple. He put the cock between her breasts and squeezed them together around his cock. The purplish head bobbing in and out as he tit fucked his bride, the queen of his passion. Her mouth was open and beckoning in silence... the hungry hole had to be satisfied. He targeted the opening, and moved to slip his shaft slowly into her mouth, sliding past her teeth with the veins on the shaft scraping the edges of her teeth s they past. His cock was throbbing and pulsing with his expected climax. He had controlled it well to this point, but how much longer could he last? 

He felt the rising pressure in his loins. He had traversed this gorgeous body without leaving a part untouched and now his balls were filled with seed and begging for release. His hot spear was disappearing into Teri's throat at a faster and faster pace; Her mouth strained to lock around the shaft, as her lips stretched to the limit and her throat muscles went into overdrive. The first wave was starting to build to a crescendo, and he could feel the blood surging in his ears, as deafening as the roar of the ocean. And then it happened... He pulled out of her throat and exploded into his angel's willing mouth, splashing his hot cum down her gullet, and she greedily gulped it right to her belly. He erupted yet another time, and then again, and again, as his body convulsed in pleasure. Rivulets of sperm filled her mouth to capacity and the sides of her mouth leaked the excess white stickiness, as she gulped his load as fast as she could. The passion he had for her for all of these years was now running down her chin and down her throat. He knew that she was his... forever. 

He untied her and hugged her tightly to him and kissed her deeply. She tasted of his discharge, and her face was smeared with the sticky white substance, but you know, she never looked more beautiful to him...



The Ties That Bind



"Do you know why you're late?" I ask, as I lounge in the recliner, dangling a beer bottle from one hand and the handcuffs by the index finger of the other

"We had a late meeting, and traffic..." she begins.

"No, shut up. You were late because you don't budget your time properly. It's indicative of a much larger problem. You lack discipline. But it's time we changed that."

I stride forward, losing the beer bottle on the table, and closing the distance in an instant, still dangling the cuffs from my finger. I stand before her for just a moment, staring icily at he. She cannot speak in her surprise. I'm intoxicated by her perfume, and even more so by the look of fear and uncertainty on her face as she stares, not at me, but at the handcuffs. But I can't waiver. A lesson must be learned.

I stand in front of her and nuzzle my face into the back of her neck, pushing her curly blonde hair away with my free hand. I breathe deeply and lay the lightest of kisses on her neck while my hand strokes her shoulder. She starts breathing harder and throws her head back, moaning. I don't need to look to know that her lips are moist and parted just slightly. But everything in its own time. On with the lesson.

I spin her quickly, at the same time drawing her suit jacket off her shoulders and down to her waist, effectively trapping her arms behind her with a tug. I enclose her wrists in the cuffs, above the jacket.

"What the fuck...?" she cries in anger.

"Shhh...." I whisper in her ear, while simultaneously cupping her left breast in one hand and stroking her throat with the other. She becomes agreeable to the process then, leaning back into me. I almost wish she would resist. I remove the jacket. Beneath it she's wearing a beautiful frilly white blouse. I feel the black pearl buttons as I run my hands all over the front of her body, increasing pressure here, then lightly touching with just my fingertips. I can see the straps of her bra through the blouse.

"I don't like being kept waiting," I whisper in her ear. "And you've worn a see-through blouse so that ANYbody could look at you body. You need more discipline than I thought. This could take a very long time; maybe all night." She moans and presses back against me, her beautiful ass grinding against me. She grasps my crotch with her long, delicate fingers, still held behind her back by the cuffs. I can hear the scraping of her long red nails against the denim of my jeans. I have a huge erection, which turns her on as much as my voice spoken low in her ear.

"I think you've missed the point entirely," I say, grabbing the front of her blouse with both hands. "There is a price to be paid for inappropriate and unacceptable behavior." I punctuate my point by ripping open the front of her blouse. I can hear the buttons hit the carpet, one, two, three, four. There is a new focus to my senses that was missing before. I can hear the transfer of her weight from one foot to another, and see each individual fine down hair on the nape of her long, smooth neck. I palm the bare skin her stomach, transferring heat and more. I lightly bite her bare shoulders and back, caressing the smooth unblemished skin of her throat, stomach and sides with my hands. She starts raising up and down on her toes to grind her ass against me and ride my crotch like a mare in heat. Her head slumps forward as he moans and whimpers through her rasping breath.

"Don't move," I whisper in her ear, as I take up the razor knife from the nearby table. I cut the expensive shirt from her back, making a point of loudly ripping the fabric. I know how much she loves the shirt, and I want her to feel the loss of it. Slowly running my hands down her spine as she shivers, I reach the zipper of her skirt, and drop it to the floor. She steps out of her skirt. She wants to kick off the uncomfortable high-heeled shoes, but I insist that they remain a part of the ensemble.

She is standing in the middle of the room in her plain white bra, beautiful lavender panties, and high heel shoes, hands restrained by the shiny metal cuffs. There is a diamond-shaped panel in the front of her panties, just above where the sensual patch of her neatly trimmed pubic hair stops. I know this from memory, from being so in tune to her body, and its minute details and changes. She shaves between her legs for me, so that I can lick and touch her better. But the small patch of hair above remains. I often nestle my nose there as I explore her with my tongue and lips.

I can barely stand from the excitement. Her knees have already buckled a couple of times. I can never lick her when she is standing. She always falls down. I long to pin her against the wall and suck and nibble and lick her until she screams she can't take any more. These are the thoughts in my mind, but they cannot sway me from the necessary task.

I step back from her as I carefully pocket the knife, and grab the chains connecting the bracelets on her wrists. I pull up firmly; lifting her arms until it becomes uncomfortable, then painful.

"John, it hurts!" she yells and tries to walk back towards me to alleviate the pain.

"It's the only effective way to learn the lesson," I say and maintain the pressure. After a few moments of each of us maneuvering, I put my hand on her shoulders, and, with pressure, force her to her knees. I caress her shoulders, and lean forward to kiss her neck and insert my tongue gently in her ear. She is excited again, but also angry. I walk around and stand directly in front of her, the zipper of my jeans even with her face. I unsnap the pants with both hands and then slowly pull down the zipper. I wear no underwear, and my erect cock falls to half-mast in front of her face as it is freed.

"Let me suck it," she whispers, her eyes fixed on the head.

"Not yet," I say and slap her face lightly with my open hand. I begin slowly masturbating with my left hand, while stroking my thighs and stomach with my right. I am ignoring her. She is staring fixedly at my cock through half-opened eyes filled with longing. She looks up at me, and slowly slides her tongue out, until it almost touches the tip.

"Please," she whimpers.

"Not yet," and another light slap in her face. I masturbate more just to tease her. I start to move my hips and moan. Our eyes lock. "Now," I say, and, grabbing the back of her head, pull her forward onto my cock. Her mouth is warm, and she is salivating. She wets the entire length of my cock with her spit as she slowly takes it as deep into her mouth as she can. With my hand on the back of her head, entwined in her hair, I control her head as she slowly bobs up and down on me. She moans deep in her throat, and I can feel every vibration. I shake from head to toe and a low moan escapes my throat. I control her head and move it slowly back and forth for a long time. She looks up at me and smiles. She is beginning to enjoy this much too much.

I move around behind her now. It is time for the real ceremony. I lift her arms again by the cuffs and she stands. She knows now that I want to lead her around and control her movements. She is content to have me in charge after being responsible all day long. I lead her down the long hallway. She begins to say something, but I put my fingers to her lips, and trace them with just the tips. She sucks at my index finger and takes it in her mouth with suction, only to expel it again, then sucks it in once more. She expects us to enter the closed master bedroom. Instead, we turn left at my bidding to enter the guest bedroom.

"Take me to bed. I need you."

"First, you'll be prepared and punished. I think you've forgotten why you're in this position in the first place. It's obvious you're not truly repentant. But you will be. And when you are, and only then, we can go to bed."

"I'm sorry, John, I really am. I tried to explain..."

"And so did I. I explained I wanted you here at 8:00. But you didn't listen, so we have to try a more efficient form of behavior control." We approach the large four-poster bed in the guest bedroom. "Since you were so late..."

"Only 20 minutes."

"SINCE YOU WERE SO LATE, I had time to make a small addition to the bed." I uncuff her and bring her hands around to the front of he body. Her look of relief fades quickly as I recuff them. I pull her hands up over head and mover her toward the post. I keep pulling up until she on her toes, and lip the chain over the hook I have embedded in the post. It is high enough that she has to stand on her toes. "Looks like I overestimated your height a little bit. Guess you'll just have to live with it." She cannot stand high enough to lift the chain off the hook unless she stands on the bed, which I of course will not allow her to do. She is very uncomfortable standing on her toes. It makes her stick out her ass in an exaggerated way. I caress the cheeks gently with my hands.

I reach into the night stand behind her. She cannot see what I have picked up. It is a black choker for her neck, a symbol of her obedience to me; it is made of beautiful black velvet. It contrasts sharply with the paleness of her skin. I reach from under her right arm and across the front of her body with my hand and stroke her throat, meeting my left hand to enclose her neck in the choker. Her perfume permeates the entire room and excites me greatly. I bend my knees and thrust my cock between her parted legs from behind. She lets out a small help and bites her own arm to stifle it.

Once again I bring out the utility knife. I move forward and begin kissing her neck, running my tongue on her nape and tasting her sweat mingled with powder and perfume. A seven-course banquet wouldn't match the taste and smell. I stroke her side and legs with one hand, passing it briefly between her legs on the return trip up her body. With the other hand I run the dull side of the blade along the curve of her shoulder and trace a line to her breast. We moan and slide together.

I suddenly slide the blade of the knife under the strap of her bra, and with a quick upward movement slice through the strap. I reach across her body and repeat the motion on the to her side. I run the sharp edge of the blade down the curve of her beautiful breasts with the care of a surgeon, and into her cleavage. I slice the middle support away and her bra falls to the floor. She leans back against me and throws her head onto my shoulder. Her beautiful breasts now swing freely with her movements. They are covered with glossy sweat, which shines in the minimal light. Her nipples are hard to the touch, and are responsive to my stimulation of them. I clamp my hands to them and squeeze lovingly, pressing myself fully against her and biting her neck. I caress her throat with my right hand and nuzzle into her hair and breath deeply of the aroma. I slowly move the blade down the side of her body to slice off her panties; first one side, then the other. She parts her legs and they fall to the floor.

I pull myself away, and reach for the last item on the night stand, the small riding crop that I have so lovingly picked out especially for her. It's the type the Nazis used to always carry in the old newsreels. That may be what first attracted me to it. It seemed so appropriate for the occasion. Made of hard rubber, 18-24 inches long, with a small pool at the handled end to put your hand through. I slip my hand through and grip the handle firmly. I stand admiring it for a moment, out of her sight, letting her wonder. I slap the crop hard against the palm of my hand. She starts and jumps slightly at the sound. Now she knows.

"John, please, no, I won't be late again, I promise."

My answer is a hard swat against her bare ass with the crop. She jumps in her high-heeled shoes and screams. She tries to maneuver away, but the hook doesn't allow her movement beyond a step in either direction. She tries to jump on the bed, but I pull her back. I swat her again and again. Her ass is red with the marks of the crop where it has landed.

"Bastard," she hisses, glaring with pure malice at me over her shoulder.

I trail along the curve of her back with the tip of the crop, from the shoulder blade to the dimple of her perfect asscheeks. I move along the crack of her ass and explore between her legs. She lifts her ass slightly and moves back toward me as I slide the crop between her legs. She is now riding it, sliding back and forth along its length like it was a cock. Her excitement is building as she fucks it. I pull the whip away and it is wet to the touch. I make her kiss and smell it as I trace the lines of her face.

I then begin whipping her again. Her ass is very red and sore now, and she contracts and whimpers with every slap. Every few strokes I stop and probe between her legs with the tip, stimulating her asshole and clitoris, once even penetrating her anally with it. She treats the crop like a lover from whom she is desperately seeking satisfaction, but can't achieve it. She rides it slowly and sensually for as long as I will allow her. She needs me desperately now.

"Fuck me, fuck me; come on, can't you get it up?!"

I press against her and let her feel my cock. "Is that what you want? Well, you better ask nice or you might spend the night where you are." She is torn between her sexual frustration and her rising anger. She hisses insults at me and tries to move against me to satisfy herself, but I move away.

"Please, fuck me, stick it in me; I'll suck your cock, I'll do anything. Please."

I toss the crop aside, and approach her from behind and press against her ass. I cup her breasts in my hands. I breathe heavily in her ear and moan. As I run my hands up the length of her arms, a chill goes through her body. I lift her off the hook and allow her to stand normally. I am holding her up, pressed against her, one hand around her waist and one cupping her beast.

"Let's go to our bedroom," I whisper to her.

"No, I'll never make it. Let's stay here."

"Come on."

I push her toward the master bedroom. The door is closed and hanging from the doorknob is a set of keys tied on a leather string. She takes the keys and fits them into the locks of her cuffs. I turn the knob and push the door open.

"They don't work!"

"Yes, they do."

She turns from me and looks through the open bedroom door. She is shocked to see the girl lying submissively on the bed, shackled at hands and feet, naked but for that. She does not try to cover herself, but rather wants to be seen. Between her legs is her freshly shaved pussy, waiting to be explored. She has beautiful large taut breasts with large erect nipples. Her long curled black hair matches the choker around her neck.

"Now you know why I was so upset at you for being late. We've been waiting."

She looks back at me, momentarily confused. I know she's thinking that, while we had fantasized about a threesome before, we had never seriously considered it. Slowly, timidly, she enters the bedroom and stands only a few feet from the bed. The leather string and keys are still dangling from her hand. Our companion moves lithely to a sitting position at the foot of the bed, her legs spread and folded behind her. We can hear the rustle of the chains. Meekly, with her head bowed, she holds out her shackled hands.

"Do you have the keys?" she asks.

"No," my wife says, without a moment's hesitation. She lets the keys drop from her hands onto the carpet.



The Ties That Bind



While she was putting the dishes away, he snuck into her closet and found the black and white scarf she used to tie her hair into a ponytail when they took the convertible down the coast. He placed it between her pillow and their wrought iron headboard. He normally hated the damn thing - it made so much noise when he was rolling over in bed, pounding against the wall, but this afternoon, he'd put it to good use. 

He heard her finishing up in the kitchen. He hurried and started her favorite naughty playlist on their iPod. He stripped and jumped under the quilt on their small bed.

She was laughing as she entered their cramped bedroom. "Wonder what you're in the mood for" she said.

"I'm in the mood to watch you strip for me," he told her.

She was shocked by his boldness but she was immediately turned on. He didn't ask for permission; he just told her what he wanted. She could be just as bold.

She turned toward him and slowly started to unbutton her pink blouse, revealing a silky black camisole beneath it. She let the blouse fall to the floor and then moved to her skirt. He moaned when he heard her unzipping it and then watched her slip out of it. She stood before him in her black camisole, black panties and strappy heels - she moved to take off her camisole when he said "Stop."

She did as she was told - getting wetter the more forceful he acted.

"Get on the bed on your hands and knees."

She looked at him with some concern - not knowing what he had in mind, but being so turned on, she ignored any misgivings she had. Again, she did as she was told, getting on her hands and knees on her side of the bed. As she positioned herself, he moved from the bed to the chair they had tucked into a corner of the room. 

He sat down and said, "Reach under your pillow and take out what you find."

She reached under her pillow and immediately recognized her scarf by it's feel against her hand - she gasped and felt her panties become soaked.

"Tie your left wrist to the headboard."

She bit her lip and looped one end of the scarf to her wrist and then tied the other end to the headboard.

"I smell sex in the air - you must be really wet. Use your free hand to touch yourself - show me how wet you are."

She reached beneath her panties and slipped a finger between her swollen lips - she moaned at the pleasure she felt and wished she could just finish herself off on the spot.

He caught her. "That's enough touching - lick your finger for me."

She blushed and hesitated.

"Do it now," he ordered her.

She felt compelled to follow his orders - she looked him in the eyes as she licked her finger, enjoying her taste and smell.

He abruptly left the room; she was scared but trusted him.

He returned with his favorite red "power" tie. He kissed her and positioned her so that she was laying on her back - he used the tie to bind her right hand to the headboard. He took a moment to survey his conquest - splayed on the bed, both arms tied above her, on either side of her head, her camisole astray, her panties very very wet, her heels digging into the bed. He gave her a devilish grin as he removed her panties - he could see the moisture glistening on her pussy - she was loving this. He was so hard, he could cum at any moment - but he would work hard to savior this.

He started at her ankles, caressing them and kissing the inside of her Achilles heel. He made his way up her calves, loving how the heels showed them off when she walked away from him. He massaged them and trailed kisses up her left leg then her right. When he reached her knees, he spread her legs as far as was comfortable for her, using his thumbs to gently massage her inner thighs.

By this time, she was writhing in the bed, unable to use her hands to hurry him along. He leaned over her and placed his face next to her pussy. She lifted her hips in a desperate attempt to make contact with his lips - but he backed away and left her writhing in frustration.

He slipped a thumb between her lips and gently rubbed her clit - watching her tug at her restraints. She was so wet, his finger easily slipped inside of her. She bent her head back and moaned his name - begging him not to stop, begging him to fuck her. That would be too easy he thought.

She groaned when he removed his fingers from her. He told her, "Lift your hips."

Again, she did as she was ordered. She lifted her hips and watched him move one of his pillows beneath her. His prize was now inches higher.

With her arms tied, her hips sitting on top of the pillow and her heels planted in the mattress for leverage, she was completely helpless and his for the taking. He held her knees and spread them apart, stretching her legs. He kissed the inside of her knee and made his way down her thighs - she moaned his name and begged for mercy. She could feel him laugh against her pussy - his breath tickling her. He rubbed her lips with his thumbs and slowly spread them.

She arched her back as he finally licked her - lapping her juices. For a minute he forgot about pleasing her - he was consumed with the taste of her, the feel of her legs on either side of him, he drove his tongue as deep into her as possible - enjoying the extra access the pillow beneath her granted him.

She wanted to hold his head and direct him, but her tied arms prevented her from doing anything except moan and beg. He took his time with her - getting drunk off of her juices and his new found power.

He alternated between pleasuring her with his lips, his tongue and his fingers, at times barely touching her and at others driving into her as forcibly as he dared. All the while, she wriggled beneath him, forced to helplessly receive the onslaught. He didn't know what was more exciting: knowing that he was driving her this crazy, watching this normally calm, cool, collected woman lose complete control, or exercising this new found seductive power over her. It was completely up to him how she would climax, when she would climax and how powerfully. 

He had been loving her long enough to know when she was close to reaching an orgasm. Twice he stopped her in her tracks, backing off when he felt her tell-tale signs: her legs starting to wrap around him (normally she'd have his head in her hands by now - he'll have to remember to tie her ankles to the bed next time), her hips bucking even higher off of the pillow, her cries getting louder, and her pussy tasting sweeter. By the third close call for her, he decided she'd had enough. He slipped two fingers inside of her, licking the side of her clit as he did so. The combination sent her over the edge and she rewarded him with a very wet goatee.

He was surprised how much having control over her turned him on. He couldn't remember feeling this excited. Normally he'd give her a moment to recover but he couldn't help himself. He rose up onto his knees and positioned himself between her legs, lifting them from the back side of her thighs. She opened her eyes and smiled. He reached between them and stroked her pussy with his very swollen cock. He knew this wasn't going to last long. She wriggled beneath him, using her restraints to pull herself up. The sight of her being tied up drove him wild. He thrust violently inside of her, she grunted with the weight of him and quickly tightened around him. Using her legs as leverage, he moved in and out of her with a steady, relentless rhythm.

He could feel his orgasm building - watching her tied up - moaning with each thrust. He squeezed the base of his cock just as he was about to cum. She groaned when he withdrew from her. He moved to the head of the bed, lifted her head, and held his cock just beyond her lips. She leaned forward and hungrily took him in her mouth. He looked in her eyes as she swallowed as much of him as she could. He moved in and out of her mouth steadily, controlling the speed and the depth with which she took him. Her slurping noises and the knowledge that she couldn't do anything but take him made him cum hard and fast. She fought to keep up with his flow - trying desperately to swallow each drop as it erupted from him. She continued to hold him in her mouth, surrounded by his own cum until he started to get hard again. She licked him and gently let him fall from her mouth.

He removed the pillow from beneath her, unstrapped her heels, and then returned to the head of the bed. Kissing her lovingly, he untied her left wrist and then before untying her right wrist, he whispered in her ear, "thank you."



The Ties That Bind



It all started as innocent as a blooming rose. I met Matthew in the spring, it was an instant... something. To this day I can't tell you if it was love or lust at first. We met while I was working as a waitress at a night club down town. He would come in every night, knowing that I would be on the job. Some call it stalking, I say he was biding his time. He asked me out after the 3rd week. We went out on simple dates, movies, dinner, dancing. They always ended the same, with a simple good night at my door and a kiss on the cheek. I was beginning to think that he was not as interested or invested in us as I was. One night at dinner I voiced my concerns and my feelings. 

"Matthew, have I done something wrong? Are you not attracted to me?" I asked shyly, holding my eyes down to the napkin in my lap.

He reached across the table and lifted my chin so he could look into my eyes. 

"Of course I am Amanda, what would make you think otherwise?" he said into my eyes with what looked like sincerity.

"We have been dating for almost 4 month and you yet to touch me, kiss me, fuck me. I want you so bad it hurts. I go home at night after our dates alone, I spend hours masturbating and thinking of all the things I want you to do to me, and it gets me now where." I told him in a state of panic.

"I have sexual interests that are not quite what is the norm for most men. I have been shying away from intimacy with you, not because I don't want you, but because I don't want to scare you. If you truly think that I don't do the same as you at the end of our nights together, then you are truly mistaken. I want you more than I can say, but at the end of the night I know if I show you how I am and what I like I will never see you again." he replied. 

"Show me Matthew. Show me, or loss me." I said standing up and walking out, heading for my apartment. After all he had said I was sure that he would not show me. 

"Amanda, wait." He said grabbing my arm from behind, spinning me around and pushing me up against the side of the restaurant. He pushed his lips hard onto mine, his tong snaking out to force open my lips. I tried to wrap my arms around him, but he held them over my head and kissed me so deep that I felt my inner core begin to melt.

"Let's go to my place." he said in a deep throaty voice that made me wet at the core and weak at the knees. We hailed a cab and got to his pent house apartment. He walked me back to two large double doors that I could only assume where his bedroom. 

"I am going to place a blindfold on you." he said spinning me around and tying a piece of black fabric over my eyes. He then pushed me through the doors and into a very cold room. 

"When you are in here with me I am the master and you will do as I say, or you will be severally punished. AM I understood?" he asked in a deep sexy commanding voice. 

"Yes." I said on a single breath. I felt a strong hand come down on my ass and I left out a little yelp in surprise. 

"Yes what?" he said in that same sexy voice that was melting my core. 

"Yes master." I replied breathlessly. 

"Good girl. Now lift your arms over your head spread apart and spread your legs open for me." he said and I complied willingly.

This was fun so far. I felt his warm hands on my cool flesh as he ran his hands up my sides under my shirt, lifting it from my frame. As the cold air hit my bare exposed skin, my nipples began to harden. I felt him leaving a trail of butterfly kisses down my neck to my left breast. He sucked me into his mouth and began to bite, lick and suck upon my breast as his hand reached up to my other breast and began to twist and pinch that nipple. The combination was driving me insane and I could not help but moan as my center became lava, and my juices began to drip down my leg.

"Matthew, please, take me." I whispered on a moan. All at once his mouth and hands where gone from my body. 

"Did I give you permission to speak, you slutty slave?" he said in a harsh tone. 

"No master." I said not knowing what he was going to do. Before I knew what had happened I was face down in silk on a plush bed.

"Get up on your knees." He yelled. 

I did as I was told. He then put my hands in some kind of shackle or cuff. 

"This is what happens when we talk out of turn, my naughty, sexy, little slave." he said as he pulled my skirt and panties of my legs. Whack, I heard and felt the impact of his hand on my bare ass. 

"If you make a sound it will get worse, when I am ready for your apology I will ask for it." he said following it up with another smack. Again and again he struck me. 

I bit back my tears and my screams till I was biting back moans. I couldn't believe that my mind and body where enjoying the pain. 

"What do we have here?" He said as he inhaled deeply. 

"You are enjoying this aren't you, you horny little slut? Answer me." He said as he reached down and cupped my hot cunt. 

"Yes master I am." I said on a breath as he inserted a finger into me. 

"I am ready for that apology now." He said coldly moving his hand away. 

"I am sorry that I talked out of turn master. I will try better to be a good little slut for you." I said.

"Good girl. I am going to turn you onto your back now. Lay still and hold your arms over your head." He said to me. I did as I was told and again he cuffed my hands above me, he also cuffed my feet to the bed. I felt him lay down on top of me supporting his weight on his arms as he feathered kisses down my body to my hot center. I knew what he would find but I didn't know what he planned to do. 

I felt him pull my lips apart, as his tong snaked out and slowly traced my inner lips as he traveled up to apply pressure to my engorged clit, I started thrashing around, biting my lip. I had never met someone so skilled with their tong. "You will lay still or you will find no relief." he said to me. I fought with myself as he slid his tong deep into my core.

"You taste glorious, let's see how you feel!!" He said menacingly. As I felt him move up between my legs, I felt his hard cock press against my opening. 

I had no idea how long or wide he was, but I had a felling it was going to hurt. 

"Are you ready slave?" he asked with a smile in his voice. 

"Yes master, please, please fuck me." He rammed into me until the base of him was at my opening. I screamed in pain. It felt like he was tearing me in to. He started pumping hard and fast, it hurt and felt amazing at the same time. 

"Come for me slave, right now or be punished." he said reaching up and pinching my nipple. I screamed and moaned as I came harder than I ever had. He filled me to the brim and then some as he screamed out my name on his climax. He removed the cuffs and blindfold and laid down next to me. 

"So do you plan on coming back? Or have I scared you off?" He asked as he played with my hair. 

"Oh I am not going anywhere." I said as I kissed him, and cuffed him to the bed...

To be continued...

Please be nice, this was my first. I am open to comments.



The Ties That Bind



He watched her walk back to the bed, the many candles she had been lighting allowing him to see the curves of her body, every inch of her soft and golden in the flickering light. She lay down with him and their arms went around each other as they kissed long and deep, warm naked bodies pressed close. It was such a relief to be at this moment, and both of them felt it - all day long, they had been burning for each other, but children and work and life's many obligations had kept them from each other. But now that had all fallen away, and it was just the two of them and the feelings they needed to express. 

His hand slid down her body, over the curve of her ass, moving closer to that part of her he knew was hot and wet - he could smell the musky scent of her wet pussy and had been dreaming throughout the day of how she was going to feel against his fingers and mouth and cock, how she would sound as she came in response to his touch. He was startled when she moved away from his hand and pulled her mouth from his, pushing him back into the bed, her face quiet and thoughtful as she leaned over him. "What is it, love?" he asked.

"There's something I'd like to do," her voice replied softly, as she kissed him gently across his face. "Would you just... let me do what I want?" His body jumped at the suggestion and he kissed her hard, hands in her hair, and smiled. "Surely. You know I'd love anything you did."

One lush breast tempted him as she leaned over to the night stand and he took the nipple in his mouth, sucking gently, then tried to recapture it as her movements pulled it from his lips. He looked up quickly as he realized what she was doing, and watched her finish knotting one wrist to the slats of the headboard, the silk scarf soft, yet strong. He smiled at the look she sent his way, eyes following her as she tied the other wrist, and then moved down to the end of the bed and tied his ankles as well. She sat back on her heels when she had finished and smiled wickedly at the sight of him, bound and open to her touch. Her voice was husky with laughter and desire as she said, "God, I've thought about this a lot. I've wanted you helpless for a long time." Then her lips were on his, kissing hungrily.

She took her time, slowly exploring the length of his body with her mouth and hands. He went through a mental struggle at first, wanting to reciprocate - make her quiver and gasp as she was making him - but finally gave himself up to the sensations, enjoying her attentions. He felt her soft breasts against his skin, her hard nipples dragging across his body, the feather touch of her damp pubic hair as she moved over him. His cock was hard, aching for the touch of her mouth and hands, but she stayed carefully away. He felt her mouth everywhere else... questing against the soft flesh of his thigh, teeth nipping suddenly and softly here and there, slurping and ticklish as she teasingly sucked on toes. 

She sat up suddenly, her legs spread wide as she straddled his body. He could feel the heat of her pussy against his crotch, she was so close... but still she stayed away. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes dark in the candlelight. His cock jumped as he watched her hands move down across her own body, her eyes on his as she cupped the fullness of her breasts, massaging them, playing lightly with the nipples. "I've gotten very turned on, tasting you like this," she said breathlessly, as her hands moved down across her belly and slipped between her legs. 

His breath came out in a soft explosion as he saw her plunge her fingers inside herself, "Damn... Linda...let me... god, I want to taste you," but then stopped, and just watched as she played with her pussy, fingers glistening as they slipped across her clit, pinching and circling and rubbing, and then sliding deep inside again. His breathing came fast, matching her own, as she continued her play. He knew, from the look on her face, that she was getting close to orgasm ... he had seen that look many times, when it was his fingers tantalizing her, or his tongue or cock plunging inside her. He groaned as he saw her eyes glaze and then close, head going back. Expecting to see the climax shake through her body, he was astonished to see her pull her hands away from her body and pause, catching her breath. She tasted her fingers, and then wiped them across his mouth. His tongue caught the merest taste of her juices before she moved down his body, saying, "I don't want to get distracted here. Now... where was I?" She stroked his cock, making him slick with the juices on her hand. And then her lips and tongue were on him and he wondered for a moment if he might explode then and there. 

Her movements were slow and loving again. He watched as she traveled up and down the length of his erection, licking and sucking in ways she knew he loved, hands holding and stroking him as she worked him with her mouth. Her eyes were on his as she took his cock all the way, deep into her throat, engulfing him entirely in her silky hot wet mouth. She could feel the effects of the long slow tease as she sucked and pulled on his rock hard cock. She knew she could make him cum hard and fast if she wanted, and brought him right to the brink of orgasm, and then backed off again. The eroticism of the situation had made her own sex sopping wet and she ran one hand over her pussy, coating her fingers with the slick juices, and then slid her fingers across his ass, slowing the movements of her mouth as she probed his opening with a slippery finger and then penetrated him gently, slowly as she drew his cock into her throat again. 

She watched his hands clenching and straining against silk ties as she pleasured his cock and ass. His eyes were closed, his groans mixing with the wet sounds of her mouth on his cock and her own erotic moaning. Need shook through her and she removed her hand and mouth gently, and slid her body up his. His shaft slipped through the lips of her pussy and she rubbed against it, feeling the length spread wetness everywhere as it slipped back and forth. She kissed him and whispered, "Do you still want to taste me?" 

"I want to fuck you." he growled, his hips jerking up, trying to plunge into her pussy as the tip of his cock slid across her opening again. 

"Hmmm," she murmured. "Now if you were in charge, that might happen. But I have other things in mind." Their bodies were twisting against each other, juicy wetness making them slide smoothly. She continued to kiss him, over and over. "I need the taste of you, love. I want you to cum in my mouth. But I like the thought of your mouth on my wet pussy as well. If you'd like..."

She undid the knots at his wrists, and then straddled his face, working on the ones around his ankles. His fingers moved over the skin of her legs and ass, and then pulled wide the lips of her pussy, releasing a flood of warm juice. Her sex was deep pink with excitement, her clitoris swollen, bringing to mind some beautiful fruit. He held her open and tasted her as she swallowed his cock again. They loved each other with their mouths like people who had been lost in a desert and finally found water. She felt as though her body was turning into an arc of electricity, tingling, gathering to the place where his tongue touched her. His cock was so hard in her mouth, in her hand. The feeling continued to rise in her and she gasped against him, "Love... I want you to cum with me... now... oh god, now..."

He felt her pussy opening wide, her clit getting hard and stroked his tongue against her until her body went rigid and she cried out. Timeless moments passed and he continued to lick her lovingly, and then felt her body shift, as the orgasm started to slow and her body became almost too sensitive to be touched. She started to pull her hips from his mouth, but he held onto her and mumbled against her pussy, "Oh no... you're not going anywhere yet." He slid his stiff tongue into her pussy as she gasped, "No wait.. lover... oh god!!" His mouth and fingers were everywhere on her, and her gasp turned into a cry as another climax started to shake through her body. He lost count of how many times she came as he continued his loving of her. His face was wet with cum... his senses flooded with her taste and smell and sounds. 

Finally, he released his hold on her. She was on her back at that point, and he laid down across her body, gathering her into his arms. Her eyes were glazed, her face flushed and he kissed her deeply. She moaned deep in her throat as he slid his cock inside her. She kissed him repeatedly, murmuring how much she loved him, and then sighed. Some trace of sense returned to her eyes and she said, the teasing note just barely apparent in her spent voice, "I didn't get to taste you." 

He slowly pulled out and then drove into her again, his deep voice in her ear, "I'm going to cum so deep inside you, you will taste me." He continued his slow stroking inside her, her body starting to rise and fall in response to his. "And this time when you cum, I want to see your face, and feel your beautiful cunt trembling around my cock as I empty myself into you." 

His words ran through her like a shock, and her body arched up into his, beyond her control. "Love... I don't think... I can't cum again." He pressed deep inside her, settled his cock at the mouth of her womb, watching her eyes open wide, caught by the feeling of that intimate contact. He gathered her knees up, pushed them back into her chest, and said, "Oh, I think you can."

He fucked her with an intensity beyond comprehension. By that point, they were like animals... thought stopped and all that was left of them was their primal need of each other. The time to hold back had long since passed for them. When they came, it was together... bodies out of control, voices wild. They lay together afterwards, bodies trembling, hearts still pounding, and he gently wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Her voice shook as she laughed quietly, "You fucked me to tears." They said, "I love you" at the same time... their voices sounding like one voice.



The Ties That Bind



All she could remember was thinking ‘it’s got to end sometime.’ But unfortunately for her, the ending was nowhere to be seen. She had allowed herself to love once too often. And for that, she had to pay.

And pay she would. In tears. And pain. And in silence. Tis often said that the mind knows things the body can rarely comprehend. It was true in this case.

Had it only been a scant three months ago that she was among the dregs of society, thinking this is the life she was born to? And in retrospect, was it this lifestyle that she really wanted?

Calming herself with a steady breath, her mind dwelled in places often unacceptable to society. Feeling a vibration in her pussy, she moans softly. Trying to gyrate towards the unattainable, she looses her footing, and is held up by the nipple clamps, which were put on her at the beginning of this endeavor, and by her wrists, which are bound together tightly.

Trying not to whimper, she again regains her footing, wondering why she agreed to this in the first place. And knowing down in her soul, it is the only way.

Resisting, she tries to move her head away from that which was offered. *SLAP* And a voice from the darkness told her…’do not do that again, should you want to see tomorrow.’

Properly humbled, she turns towards the voice, tears of disappointment slowly trickling down her face. Once again, she feels her head being pushed against something. She realizes with a start it is a cock, and a long one at that.

She feels the head of the cock slowly slipping past her lips, deep into her mouth, causing her to gag softly. ‘relax, my little one’ the voice tells her, and she stiffens as she hears soft laughter and a stirring in the room she had not heard before. Again, the cock is slipped into her mouth, deep. This time she relaxes, and allows her throat to relax.

Hearing a soft murmured ‘good girl’, she starts sucking, tasting the cock, and noting its texture. She can see none in the darkness he thought to enslave her in. She hears the rustling of people? Of persons? She inadvertently tries to close her mouth.

She is told ‘if you bite, you will answer to me.’ Desperately she tries relaxing her throat muscles again. Faster the cock goes, in and out. A hand, grabbing her head, forcing all of him into her throat. She, trying not to gag or choke.

She feels others beginning touching her, cruelly pinching her tits, smacking her ass as she tries not to jerk with the penis in her mouth. Moaning softly as one starts feeling her little rosebud, adding something cold which is quickly spread up in her.

She feels his thrusts getting harder, and she knows He is ready to cum. Feeling the hot spurts down her throat, trying not to swallow until she is told to do so. And the voice that has haunted her dreams at night, softly tells her ‘swallow.’

She swallows all, keeping still as she feels him leave her mouth. Feeling the ropes around her wrist, being tightened once again. Stretching her even more. And again, the voice ‘my little one, can you tell me why you are here?’

As she is formulating an answer, she feels something cold now in front of her pussy…sniffing…shuffling. Softly she asks: “May I speak, Sir?”

She again hears laughter. Her legs are being pulled apart. She feels one being secured, causing her to open her legs wider. ‘yes, little one.’ The voice tells her. ‘you may speak’ Catching her breath, as she feels her other leg pulled as far as possible in the other direction, she softly said ‘Thank you, Sir. I am here because I want, and I need you to show me the path I chose to take in this life. A path with you as my mentor, my Master, my life.”

Feeling many hands on her, holding her, she notices the coldness is still at her pussy. She feels her pussy being opened, slowly. And she feels a soft, hesitant lick on her clit, causing her to jump.

‘no, my little one…you may not move, not even to relieve yourself of this which you are experiencing.’ Trying to keep still, she softly says ‘Yes Sir.’

Again, she feels her pussy lips being opened, stretched to there fullest. Feeling something wet and cold, going into her ass. Clenching, unclenching, she allows this implement to continue its journey up as far as it can go. Told quietly ‘keep it in little one, no matter what happens.’

Her ass is so full of this cold probe. Her pussy, being licked at, and on, and in. She feels as if she could give herself over to the pleasure she feels, yet knowing it is not to be.

She notices she is being taken down from the stretching, to be laid down on a soft cushion on the floor. Relaxing slightly, her arms being manipulated and stretched out, and secured to a hard object she can neither see, nor feel.

Laid out completely open, she shudders. Feeling licks everywhere, knowing they are not human makes her apprehensive. The voice soothes her ’tis ok, my little one. trust in me, and no harm will ever befall you.’

Calming down, she is told ‘let what ever happens happen, little one’, the voice reassured her. ‘and know it is my will, that it will happen, without hindrance.’ The licking in her pussy gives way to a soft, furry feeling, almost tickling in a sense. Feeling this climb on top of her, offering itself to her. She opens her mouth, and feels the slickness slide in. Noting it has a different texture, a different taste.

Hearing the camera snap pictures of this. She struggles to get away as this cock in her mouth plunges harder. She is being held down by two sets of strong arms. Again she tastes the salty pre cum, this time with a sharper, tangier taste.

And the voice is again heard ‘my little one, I have told you to hold still, and yet you still try and fight what will happen to you. Know I am a man of my words, and you will be mounted in any way, any shape, and any form I choose for you. And you will do so willingly. Unless…’

She is slapped hard on her pussy twice. Crying out, she is again silenced by the furry one, as he attempts to mount her as she is tied there. Feeling the cock going deep…so very deep.

Thrusting into her, her body slowly answers back by thrusting against him, wanting him to go deeper, mindful not in the least of the pain she feels as he fucks her hard, ramming his cock up to it’s hilt.

She feels something painful slip in her, opening her wider than she had ever imagined. Feeling the constant stroking, often times painful now.

Not noticing the camera’s click, nor the comments being made, she fucks this being back with all she has. Fucking him back hard. Hearing a soft whimper…was that from her? She wondered.

Feeling one of the hands reaching out to grab her tit, taking the nipple clamp off, and sucking it. Moaning as she feels the feeling slowly returning back to it. Crying out as it it cruelly bitten, and slapped.

Her ass is being held up and it’s ice cold probe taken out slowly, causing her to arch her back more towards the cock which has impaled her, and is showing no signs of going down. She cries out when she feels a cock slowly going into her ass.

‘relax little one…relax and let what is to be happen now.’ The voice said. Slowly, she takes deep breaths. Feeling both cocks in her. One rocking as the other pulls back a bit.

Moaning softly, she starts breathing faster. So close to what her body wants, to what it needs. Only to be told…’not yet.’

She feels the other nipple clamp being taken off, and again she feels the teeth and the tongue. Trying not to cry out, she doesn’t feel the liquid fire, at first. She is slowly aware she is having a hot liquid being dripped on her.

‘Oohhhhh…” she moans out loud as it continues. She feels the cock slide out of her pussy, and is aware of a great wetness there. Hearing him say ‘that’s a good pet…accept this all as I have accepted you, without any reservation.’

She is being fucked harder now in her ass as a hand slowly teases her pussy, tweaking her clit, causing her to jump. She feels first two fingers in her pussy, embarrassed, as she is getting wetter by the minute. Now there are three fingers in her, and a whispered question…’can she be fisted Sir?’

Hearing the assent, she steels herself for more. A fist has been placed in her, and she is struggling to relax so it doesn’t hurt as much. She feels her ass being raped mercilessly, as someone is thrusting into her harder, deeper than any thing ever has been.

Trying to catch her breath, she is aware of none of this as she floats with the feelings, seemingly to fall on one, just to be picked up by another….On and on this goes, until she passes out… 

Waking, she notices she is in a bed, and she can see. Instinctively she turns towards the source of heat she is feeling and she realizes she is once again in her Master’s bed, and He is holding her tight. And as she looks up at Him, she sees His warm smile, and she knows He is pleased with her.

“Good morning my sleepy headed pet.” he jokingly said. Allowing herself the luxury of stretching, she snuggled up to him and she playfully nipped at his nipples, causing him to gasp outloud.

“Have your fun, little one;” He told her. “But remember, for every action, there will be a reaction…as it was last night.”

© Mystic Unicorn 8/2003 
all rights reserved



The Ties That Bind



My daughter Amber was five years old when her mother left me. I sent cards and gifts and paid my child support, but I didn't see Amber for the next fourteen years. So when my nineteen year old daughter, my only child, asked if she could move in with her stepmother and myself, I couldn't deny her. She still looked like an innocent girl, and I was still imagining she was the five year old I remembered her as.

Months went by and Amber seemed to settle into life in our city, far away from the mother she'd apparently had a falling out with. She got a job and started dating a young man. She talked about starting college soon. Best of all, she and my wife seemed to get along great, so there was no tension in the house. I was a happy and blessed man. It was a Wednesday afternoon that I came home from work and watched those picture perfect dreams shatter. They were replaced with something I'd have never thought up on my own, but dream of every night now.

I let myself into the house, headed down the hall, and stopped short in the doorway to the living room. My wife, Rebecca, was lying naked on the couch and Amber's boyfriend was thrusting his cock in and out of her. I'm a little ashamed to admit that my first thought was how sexy Rebecca looked with her 38 DD tits bouncing up and down. That thought was quickly replaced by a question. What would Amber do when she found out her boyfriend and stepmother had betrayed her this way?

A feminine voice behind me said, "He needs to fuck her every now and again. He needs her pussy. I'll only let him fuck my ass." I turned around, and there was my daughter, not so innocent after all. She was naked, and her small tits... maybe 34 B... had hard nipples. Her pussy was shaved, and one hand was playing with her clit as she approached me.

"It's not real sex if he only fucks my ass," she said. Before I could argue with that logic or even tell her to put clothes on, she went on. "He fucks Becca's pussy since he can't have mine. But he shoots it on her tits because I like to lick his cum off of her."

Speaking of Rebecca and the boyfriend... they had to have known we were there, but they didn't stop going at it. My wife has a very dirty mouth when she's horny, and she kept up a stream of chatter for him. "Mmmm... you like that cunt? You like it when I play slut for you like this? Fuck my cunt! Fuck me hard!" Rebecca pinched and pulled at her own nipples while Amber's boyfriend slammed in and out of her. Seeing her do that, thinking of all the times I'd sucked those beautiful tits, I couldn't believe my own daughter sucked another man's cum off of them. My own cock was rock hard, but I just couldn't move. I was in shock.

Amber pushed her way past me and leaned over the side of the couch. "I'm going to suck Becca's juice off your cock after I clean up her tits," she said. She spread her legs and fingered her pink shaved pussy. 

Finally, I could move, but I seemed to have no control over what I was doing. I took off my clothes and moved behind Amber. It seemed important to her that she only be fucked in the ass, so that's where I aimed the head of my cock. But as soon as I touched her, she stopped me. "Not my ass. Not this time. I want you to take my cherry." I didn't move for a few seconds. I couldn't believe what I was hearing... or what I was doing, for that matter! When I didn't enter her, she spoke again. "Fuck my pussy, please. Fill my cunt with your hard cock!"

That was all it took. I slid into the tightest pussy I've ever felt. She was very wet, but there was still some resistance until I broke through her hymen. Amber screamed, and I was terrified that I'd hurt her, but then her screams actually formed words. "Oh, fuck yeah! Give me that cock! I want it the way Becca gets it!"

"She gets it hard," I told her.

"Give it to me hard, then! Fuck my tight pussy!"

As I slammed in and out of my beautiful daughter's tight opening, Amber's boyfriend was about to pull out of my wife as he reached his peak. "No," Rebecca gasped. "You fucking shoot it in me this time!" And he did. He shot his load deep inside my beautiful wife. Amber pulled away from me and moved to the side of the couch, crouching down on the floor. I followed and slid back into her from behind as she started sucking her boyfriend's cock. Rebecca kept up the dirty talk for us. "You like fucking her, honey? She's got a sweet cunt, and I bet she's extra tight. Amber's wanted to fuck you for so long. I tell her all about how you fuck me while she eats my pussy."

Amber, who'd been moaning in pleasure all this time, let go of her boyfriend's cock and interrupted Rebecca to say to me, "Tell me when you're about to shoot."

My balls were tightening and twitching, so I said, "I'm almost there!"

"Shoot it on Becca's tits!" Amber insisted. My wife held up her breasts, and I watched my cream shoot out and flow all over them. I knew what was coming next. Amber would get the joy she'd been robbed of when her boyfriend filled Rebecca's pussy with his seed. I watched my daughter lick every drop of my cum off her stepmother's gorgeous tits, then suck her nipples until Rebecca was crazy with lust again.

Rebecca got down on the floor and pinned Amber to the carpet. She licked down her young body before going at the pussy I'd just fucked with her tongue. Amber squealed and squirmed. I looked over at the boyfriend and saw that he was stroking himself as he watched. Amber saw me looking at him and said, "Don't worry about him. You did him a favor. He can finally have my pussy now!"

I haven't touched my daughter again. I doubt I ever will. But I've heard her upstairs going at it with Rebecca, or sometimes the boyfriend. Maybe there have been times it was all three of them and I just didn't realize it. I've noticed that where I used to be happy having sex with my wife three or four times a week, it has to be everyday now. I need it more. And when my cock slides into her, it's not her I think of. I think of how it felt to slip into that wet virgin pussy of Amber's. But Rebecca knows this. Just the other night, as I was pumping away at her, she said to me, "I want to see you fuck that pretty little girl of yours again. I want to see that cock fucking that pretty cunt." The truth is, I'd love that, too.



The Ties That Bind



Upon arriving at Master's house, I scanned the room for any teasing items he's left out purposely for me to catch a glimpse of. His spartan decorating makes it easy for me to quickly find such things. On the bed I see miles of rope, neatly laid out, and my pulse quickens. I've never been bound before, and Master knows this has been an erotic fantasy of mine for quite some time.

He invites me to sit down and goes to the kitchen to pour a glass of my favorite red wine. He returns and hands it to me, with a devilish look on his face. 

Have you seen the rope, Princess?" 

"Mmmmm, I have." I smile slyly at him, "I'm getting wet just thinking about how you'll use that."

I enjoy my wine as Master lovingly massages my shoulders, strokes my hair and tells me how much he has missed me. He reassures me that he would never do anything to harm me. Then he gently takes the glass from me, sets it down, and directs me to stand in front of him. He sits on the bed and spreads his knees, pulling me towards him. 

Master lifts up just the bottom of my blouse so he can kiss my stomach, his strong arms enveloping me, circling my waist. As he kisses down my stomach, he rolls down the fabric of my skirt. He kisses the trail of fine hairs leading towards my sex, but pays no attention to it, opting instead to focus an inordinate amount of attention on my inner thighs. 

My Master unclips my thigh highs and tugs at my garter belt until it slides down to the floor. He delicately kisses all the way down to my toes, carefully lifting each foot to remove the pile of lingerie. Very deliberately, he rubs his unshaven face up my inner thigh, against my sex, up my belly, and comes to rest his head just below the buttons to my shirt.

Master removes my shirt now and asks me to clasp my hands behind my back. He gently kisses all the flesh he has exposed, my nipples become firm and erect at his touch. Taking advantage of my submissive posture, he attaches nipple clamps into place, and my breath sucks in sharply. Before I can utter a sound, Master takes my face in his hands, shushes me, and reminds me to trust him.

I stand naked, hands behind my back, adorned with nipple clamps, and await what Master will do next. He is behind me somewhere. Without warning, everything goes dark and I feel the blindfold being secured. His voice is in my ear, barely audible, but clear. He directs me to stand perfectly still. The room is exceedingly quiet for a long moment. Then his touch returns and I feel the rope tying my wrists firmly together.

The cool, hemp-smelling rope that encircles my skin teases my body, coaxing it to toil in opposition. I give in to the temptation and make a half-hearted attempt to struggle. Although my efforts yield no fruit, I am confident nonetheless, that I can somehow overcome my bonds. When Master notices my struggling fingers he kisses each one, lovingly. After doing this he reminds me of the rule to stand perfectly still, and also what happens when I am not listening to direction. As tactile inspiration, he drags a riding crop lightly across my cheek.

Master binds my entire upper torso in typical Shubari fashion, and surprisingly, I become increasingly intimate with the sensations the ropes provide my flesh. Secretly I'd love to stay in my bonds for as long as he'll let me stay helpless and cocooned. 


Master asks me to raise my hands above me and he attaches my wrists to a bar overhead. I kneel on the bed at his behest and I feel him clothing my torso firmly in intricate patterns of rope. My body will surely bear the memories of where the rope has kissed my flesh. Finally, he encircles each leg with dozens of circles, stopping just shy of my feet, leaving them exposed.

Master attaches a chain to the ropes around my belly and suspends them from the overhead bar. He then takes each leg individually and affixes them to opposing corners of the structure above me. My body is now completely suspended, my ass and cunt exposed for his inspection and usage. Every subtle sensation becomes considerably intensified now.

I feel what appears to be an annoying leak from the ceiling. Water droplets fall onto my cheeks, down my neck and then pool between my breasts. The rythmically, teasing drip is distracting yet although I try to avoid being in the direct path of the dripping, it remains a constant annoyance. 

At the same time, a chilling sensation invades my ass. One by one, Master slides ice cubes deep inside me. I catch my breath and let out a yelp. He chuckles at me and puts an ice cube in my mouth as well. I spit that out, of course, aiming in his direction. When I am completely full of ice, my insides aching with a chilling sensations, Master steps away from me, allowing time to deepen and build the intensity of his efforts.

I hear a tribal rhythm suddenly, the beat pulsating in the dungeon. Chanting and drumming assault my hearing so that I lose complete track of where I perceive Master to be standing. Quite suddenly, he yanks my hair back and whispers harshly into my ear. 

"Now is the time to pay for your insolent mouth", he tells me, "you'll reap the consequences of this week's many, many transgressions." 

My lips tremble as I try to recollect what he's referring to, and then I begin to shake, recalling the many occasions I may have been...shall we say imprudent?

Master drags something along my spine, bringing it between my legs, touching the wetness of the ice cubes as they melt and run down my body. Then he lightly taps my ass with it. A little more forcefully, but far from painful. It's the fucking riding crop. As the the water droplets above me continue to spatter annoyingly on my face, my brain can't shut off my mouth and the words spill forth.

"Listen slick," I yell, quite annoyed with him, "are you done yet? Survivor is on-."

I feel the crop make contact with my flesh before I've finished speaking, and this time it definitely stings. 

"How do you address me, my Princess?" He is perfectly calm and collected, giving me a moment to respond before striking my ass once more.

"Hmmm?" he purrs to me, waiting for me to respond, yet knowing all too well my resistant nature. 

The crop comes down yet again, and this time I am moved to respond swiftly.

"Master, please, have mercy," I whisper breathlessly, suddenly feeling very exposed and vulnerable.

He drags the crop down my back, into the crack of my ass, and back up again. Then I feel his hands, his soothing touch as he traces the markings he has created. 

"Oh, Princess, my pet" he croons, "why do you do this to yourself?" 

Although my blindfold prevents me from knowing for sure, I feel him leave my side. Moments later Master is whispering to me 

"Open wide, love," he says calmly, in full control.

I ascertain from his tone that this might be an inopportune moment to wise off. He places a bit in my mouth, securing it quite tightly. 

"This will aid in your passive obedience," he explains, sure that there will be no more resistance from me.

I am sufficiently muffled, at Master's mercy, and a bit apprehensive about what Master has in store for me. However, my nature is to never let him see me sweat. I show no signs of weakness. 

"Do you remember, my dear", Master begins, "when we were in the midst of a disagreement a few days ago, and you told me to fuck off? Nod your head if you do." 

I nodded my head, yes and Master slapped the crop against my thighs. It stung a bit, but I refuse to flinch, even the tiniest bit.

"I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from such vulgarities and disrespect in the future," he tells me, as if speaking to an impudent child.

Master then details for me a long list of my misdeeds, insolence, and sarcastic responses, accompanied by a corresponding crack of the crop against my ass and upper thighs. When he has completed my punishment, my thighs are on fire, my ass is burning from the countless blows to it. I would have been drenched in sweat, had it not been for that infernal drip, drip, drip of the melting ice above me.

Master removes the bit from my mouth, and as he does, I breath a sigh of relief, wetting my lips, stretching my jaw, which had begun to ache under the metal entrapment. He rubs more ice cube gently over my scathed ass, soothing the markings he has created. He checks my restraints to be sure they are not chaffing my flesh, and finds them in good order. 

"Princess, would you like to have those ice cubes removed now?" Master asks me gently as he removes my blindfold. 

"Yes, god, yes," I tell him breathlessly.

I hear the hum of my vibrator, and then the sweetness of it against my clit, lightly, so lightly. Master takes his other hand and begins too explore the depths of me, first two fingers, then four. He brushes the tip of my clit and pauses there for a moment. I throw my head back and my breathing catches, as he circles around, and around the tiny protruding button. His hand plunges a bit deeper inside me now, all the while massaging my insides, rubbing up against my g-spot.

The vibrator purrs and hums in a concentrated area, while the wave of my ecstasy rises closer to a crescendo in my pelvis. My cunt takes the full length of Master's hand and he presses deeper into the vibrator.  The crescendo suddenly reaches a violent peak as I cease breathing. My head shakes from side to side, my face is beet red, and then finally I gasp as I cum all over Master's hand. He in drenched in my fluids as my body contracts repeatedly around his hand. With each contraction I expel ice cube from inside me, and finally I'm free of the coldness that pervaded my orifices. 

"Good girl," Master says, and slowly slides his hand out of me, caressing each part along the way.

Master leaves my side and goes to change the music on the stereo. I hear Norah Jones' smooth, hypnotic honey voice sings "Turn me on". He comes to my side and gently unhooks the chains and ropes holding me suspended. He holds me against him as he lowers my spent, ragdoll body to the bed. 

Very sensually, Master unravels the ropes that have held me captive. I close my eyes, enjoying the sensations of the rope unravelling and exposing flesh, the sound of Norah's voice, hypnotizing me, the feel of my lover's breath on my neck, so distinct, the scent of his sweat mixed with my own.

Finally, I am free again, and I immediately feel an intense longing to be back in the enveloping bonds of the rope. I miss cocooned and hidden away feeling, while Master cares for me in ways only he is able. He turns me onto my belly to examine and caress the markings he has made. I flinch involuntarily as he does this. 

He whispers into my ear "I'm so proud of you, my Princess. You took the pain so beautifully. You're so strong, so utterly unbroken, yet so submissive." 

He attends to my flesh, kisses the painful areas and applies healing oils. He wraps me tightly in a blanket and dims the lights. Then he lays behind me, stroking my hair and face. Norah is singing "Come Away with Me" as Master whispers in my ear of his love for me, how much he cherishes my submission. Listening to his voice, I feel utterly protected and I drift off to sleep, safe in his arms.



The Ties that Bind



As she watched him say his vows, she was struck with the change in him. She flattered herself that she had been responsible for that change. He had been that diamond in the rough women often seek. She had cut him to her liking, and she would wear him proudly.

That he was marrying her, or anyone, was an indication of the transformation. But even the fact that he was wearing clean clothes and smelled of cologne rather than oil and sweat was a sign of the new, improved Timothy Sloane. The name itself was new to his adult life. Though he would probably never go by 'Timothy', at least now he went by 'Tim' instead of 'Stick'.

God, how she hated that nickname. It reminded her of his former friends. Crude and vulgar, but worse, they were cruel and violent. If they had been with him when she met him, she wouldn't have met him. If Daddy had ever seen them, she wouldn't have been marrying him today, or ever.

But here he was in St. Vincent's cathedral, wearing a tuxedo and saying things like, "With this ring, I thee wed." Here he was, clean and shaven promising to "take thee, Allison Pauley, to have and to hold, . . . for better and for worse until death do us part." Here he was, after years of sleeping with uncounted women he would never have married, marrying one women he had never slept with. Here he was, a new Timothy Sloane and she loved him with a special love-the love Pygmalion felt for Galatea. And she knew that he loved her, for she knew what she had made.

As she said her vows and looked at him, she couldn't remember what he had been before. 'Change' was too weak a word; he had undergone a metamorphosis-a butterfly from a grub. One might as well say that Tim had been born full-grown and his birth had been the death of Stick.

They walked down the aisle, him in his midnight blue tux and her in white satin, and dodged into a back room of the church. It was the first time they had been together alone this whole hectic day. They exchanged a second and more meaningful kiss in their privacy.

The reception was picture perfect for the guests and a blur for Tim and Allison. At random moments, they would spot one another across the room and the drone of voices would be shut out for a moment. But something would impinge on these moments and each would be forced back into the hubbub.

At a rare time when they were actually within touching distance of each other, they talked long enough to arrange an early get-away. So without changing, they made for the kitchen to get a couple bottles of champagne, and headed for the car.

The get-away was early but not secret. They had to run through the traditional hail of rice and confetti. And despite her griping about it being in her hair and down her dress, Allison would have been disappointed if they had escaped the assault. It didn't matter now anyway. They were on their way to the beach cabin they had rented for a week of blissful solitude.

            *      *      *

It was a postcard setting: a small sandy beach sheltered in a crevice of rocky cliffs. The cabin was just where the beach yielded to the forest. They reached it as the sun was setting over the ocean. The sky was marbled orange and pink and purple, and two thin low-hanging clouds were almost fluorescent orange. Higher up, the darkness was approaching.

They unloaded the luggage and presents from the car and by the time darkness engulfed the cabin, they were nestled in front of the fire with champagne and a pile of presents waiting to be opened.

"So, what do you want to open first," she asked.

As he reached for the zipper of her dress, she slapped his hand lightly. "No, that's the last one you get to open. It won't hurt you to wait a few more minutes."

"Won't hurt me? It already does. I'm in agony," he said grabbing his chest in feigned pain. "I can't believe that I married such a heartless woman."

"Don't worry, you'll live. And in the meantime, just remember, the longer I make you wait, the better I'll have to make it just so the wait will be worthwhile." With mocked sympathy she gave him a motherly kiss and an unmotherly pat on the crotch.

"I'll wait. But remember, it can't be good enough to make the wait worthwhile if I die first."

"You won't die. Now pick a present to unwrap."

They opened up the usual mix of wedding presents: towels, two blenders, a bread maker, sheets, and sundry stuff. They opened a second bottle of champagne and watched the bubbles rise in their glasses as they listened to the sounds of the fire and the surf.

Those were peaceful and persistent sounds. But below them rose a grumble. The grumble grew to the unmistakable sound of motorcycles which, even unmistakable as it was, took a few seconds to register on the newlyweds.

"Oh, Jesus!" Tim yelled as he jumped up to the window.

Allison watched him and understood. "No. They can't be coming here. How could they have found out where we would be? You didn't talk to them did you?"

"I haven't even seen any of them in months. I don't know. It wasn't a secret where we were going, you know. Maybe they asked someone who knew us. Maybe they followed us. I don't know, but it is them and whether we like it or not, they're here."

"Well don't let them in. Lock the door."

"Come on. That's stupid. That's not going to keep them out.

"So what do we do?"

There was no time for an answer. The door opened without a knock. They could hear Cal bellow before they could see him.

"Hey, hey, hey, how are the newlyweds?"

He came in banging the door all the way open as he did. His mangy gang followed, complete with its current "girl friends". Cal was the biggest of the bunch, in every dimension. He had a gut, but he wasn't fat. He was just big. His biceps looked like Tim's thighs. He had curly black, thinning, hair and an untrimmed scraggly beard. He was, as he seemed always to be, sweaty and smelly.

He was followed by Starker holding a cheap beer with one hand and a cheap woman with the other. The beer wasn't ugly. Starker's most prominent feature was his acne potmarked face and his left eye which stared in the same direction no matter where his right eye was aimed. If you ignored that, which was almost impossible, he would look pretty normal.

The girl was trying to stuff a considerable amount of lard into tight black pants and a halter top. Her black jacket covered a lot but was unzipped enough to show the roll of flab that her enormous breasts rode on. Her face might have been passable if she weren't so heavy but her hair lay flat against her scalp and looked as if it hadn't been washed in months.

Allison couldn't remember her name but she knew her function. She was the Doofer. Whatever anyone else in the group wanted done, she'd do for them. Even though these guys were no prizes, they could attract better looking girls than this. But they couldn't get more compliant ones. They took pleasure in degrading her and making her degrade herself, and she did it willingly for the scraps of acceptance they showed her in their less cruel moments and perhaps for the vicarious feeling of power she felt at being a part (even the part she was) of that group.

Floyd would have been almost good looking if he had been clean and dressed neatly, which of course he never was. He was tall and thin with longish blond hair, a prominent chin and chiseled features. Not handsome really, but in this crowd, a knockout. 'Floyd' wasn't his real name. It was short for 'Pretty Boy Floyd', in honor of his relative attractiveness.

With him was a girl Allison had not seen before and would not have pictured with this gang. It wasn't that she was classy, and she wasn't beautiful, but she was pretty-and pretty sexy-and, most striking of all in this company, she looked clean. She had long blonde hair, a cute cleft chin Ali would have killed for and a little turned-up nose. And she would have been tall and long-legged even without her heels. She still looked cheap, but it was a higher class of cheap.

Gnat brought up the rear and brought in the beer-two cases of it. He was short and skinny and looked like a pathetic, pimply, pubescent punk-which he was, except for being too old.

The door slammed.

"Aren't you going to ask us to sit down?" Cal said as if he cared about an invitation. His voice was coarse and always loud. It made him sound dumb even when he managed to speak grammatically. But Allison knew that he wasn't dumb. Tim had told her stories of the people who had fucked themselves over by assuming that Cal was as stupid as he sounded. The air of stupidity was a mask that Cal used to great advantage.

"What are you guys here for anyway?" Tim asked.

"Stick, Stick . . . Oh, I'm sorry. It's 'Timothy' now, isn't it? We were hurt. We were crushed. Here we are, your best friends, and you didn't invite us to your wedding. I understand it; you're ashamed of your old friends. But Starker and Floyd took it hard. And ya know it ripped little Gnat to pieces. I mean, he's always loved you and looked up to you like a big brother. Anyway, we got to talking about it and we decided to let you know that we don't want to embarrass you, we just want what's best for you. We wanted to come here and drink a few toasts to you and your pretty bride and maybe reminisce about old times a little. Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Allison softened slightly. Perhaps she had been too harsh on Tim's friends. To come by now, when they wanted more than anything to be alone, was rude and inconsiderate. But it was better than showing up at the wedding or the reception.

Tim looked at Ali quickly and then said, "Okay, but just for a bit. We are pretty tired."

"Of course. Of course. I know you want to be alone. We'll just stay for a little piece and then be on our way." He turned to his disciples. "Gnat, open those cases. Let's have a toast to Sti . . . uh . . . Timothy who made good and married this sweet little thing here." And as he finished, he threw his sweaty tattooed arm around Allison and pulled her to his side. She forced a smile.

Many toasts were proposed and many bottles emptied-some of the beer was even drunk though a good bit ended up on the floor or running down someone's chest. Allison had had the "pleasure" of being kissed by all of Tim's old friends. And Tim had gotten kissed by the Doofer and the new girl whose name, it turned out, was 'Cheryl'. Ali could see that Tim didn't appreciate the first kiss any more than she did her kisses. But he didn't mind kissing Cheryl. When he kissed her, he grabbed her ass and pushed her pelvis into his crotch. For a moment, Ali wasn't sure that the transformation she had worked was as complete as she had thought. But the moment passed and it looked like the party might actually be coming to a close. And, all in all, it hadn't been intolerable.

Finally, Cal stood up. "Let's clean up this mess and leave the newlyweds alone."

Ali was quick to insist that they didn't have to help clean up, that she and Tim would do it in the morning. And while she and Cal were arguing over this, Gnat piped up almost for the first time that night. "But what about the wedding present we were going to give 'em?"

"That's right!" Cal exaggerated as if he had completely forgotten. "We don't want to forget about that. Cheryl, you and Tim go out to the van for the present, and while you are getting it, we'll get to work in here."

The night was cloudy but the moon shone through the clouds from time to time. As Tim followed Cheryl out to her van, the moon was bright and he watched her walk in her high heels and her tight pants. Ali was certainly prettier and probably sexier, though he didn't know how to measure these things precisely. But Cheryl advertised a kind of availability that riveted a man's mind on sex. He wouldn't mind a fling with her sometime.

By the time they reached the van, the moon was obscured and it was hard to see. She got the side door open and climbed in. He tried to follow but, as no inside light went on, he had to feel his way.

"Where is it?" he asked. The only things he had felt so far were a few motorcycle parts.

"Right here."

Either the moon was coming out again or his eyes were adjusting. He could see Cheryl's outline. He moved toward her with a hand out. Before he reached her, she grabbed his hand and put it on her bare breast.

"Here," she repeated.

He had known that she had nice breasts. The little camisole top she had been wearing, like her pants, had not been designed to hide anything. It was now unlaced and thrown open. His hand hesitated on her breast and he felt her nipple rise. Her breast was warm and smooth. She pulled him nearer and felt his crotch. His underwear bound him in but did not conceal his desire.

She was lying on a mattress that smelled of engine oil. But when he was very close to her, that smell was overcome by her perfume. He stayed close to her for a while-long enough for her to unbutton his shirt, long enough for both of them to get their pants off, almost too long. But somehow, between the pants and the boxer shorts, he overcame the lust and the liquor enough to think better of what was happening.

He pushed her hand away. "I'm sorry. Some other time maybe," he said between deep breaths.

He couldn't see her face well enough to be sure of her reaction, but he thought she looked amused. He stumbled on. "I know it sounds silly but she's a virgin, and I promised that I wouldn't sleep with anyone else all the while we were engaged. And even if I were willing to break that promise, which it looks like I am, I can hardly do it now. I can hardly go into our room tonight smelling of sex with you and unable to have it with her. So, like I said, some other time maybe." He reached for his pants, but couldn't find them.

Cheryl was still silent. The reaction was unintelligible to Tim. He blathered on, "I don't want you to think that I don't want to sleep with you. I think you're very sexy." He was going to say more but she cut him off.

"You jerk! You asshole! You think she's going to be a virgin when you get back in that cabin? What d'ya think this was all about? You know Cal. You didn't think he came up here to give you his blessings, did'ya?"

She was still talking when he bolted out of the van and ran for the cabin. He threw open the door. There was no one in the front room. He ran for the bedroom door. It was locked. He kicked it. Over and over. Finally-it seemed like many minutes later-the door yeilded.

Ali was being held in a sitting position on the bed by Starker and Floyd. The top of her wedding dress was torn, exposing her breasts, and she was pleading with them to stop. She turned toward the doorway and Tim saw that the right side of her face was bruised and swollen. Cal was standing in front of her with his pants down to his knees.

Tim charged Cal in rage. But he never reached him. Before he got there, Starker got up and slugged him in the stomach and when he doubled over from that, something hit him hard on the head.

He wasn't knocked out cold. He was aware of being put in a cold wooden chair and having his hands cinched tight behind his back with some kind of plastic strap. Then his hands and ankles were fastened to the chair. For all he could do to resist, he might as well have been out cold. Gnat stood next to him with a knife in his hand. But the precaution seemed unnecessary.

"Well, Timothy, you didn't like the present we gave you? Didn't your mother tell you it's rude to refuse a present? You might have hurt Cheryl's feelings." Cal turned toward the bedroom door. "How about it, Cheryl? Did he hurt your feelings?"

Tim saw Cheryl in the doorway, wearing only her open camisole and lace bikinis. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ali twist loose enough to see Cheryl and then glare at him momentarily before looking away.

Cheryl didn't respond to Cal. No one who knew Cal answered his questions when he was acting like this. He had a game in mind and if you answered wrong, he could get nasty. If you didn't answer at all, he would answer for you.

"Well, don't take it personal now. I just think Timmy boy here is one of those who gets more kicks from watching than from doing. So we are going to let him watch." He stepped out of his pants, walked over to Tim and grabbed his hair to make him look up. "Don't worry, Timmy boy. You haven't missed anything interesting yet. I was just letting your pretty bride get a look at a man." He started to walk away, but turned back. "Well, I did take a little peek at her tits. They ain't bad, y'know? A little small for my taste, but not bad. But I guess you've seen them, right? She has let you see her tits, hasn't she?"

Tim's face was flushed red; his ears burned. He stared at Cal with hatred and anger, but he said nothing. He could do nothing to make things better and he was afraid anything he said would make things worse.

"Hold her up and turn her this way." As Starker and Floyd did this, Tim managed to look down. Cal jerked his head up again. "Well, come on. Show him her tits. A man's got a right to see his wife's tits, don't he." Ali seemed resigned to what was to come. She struggled-more for her own dignity than for any chance of escaping. Starker and Floyd ripped the top completely open until it hung down loosely over the skirt and Ali was bare to the waist.

For a moment, Tim and Ali's eyes met. But the pain was too much and they looked away.

"I've seen her. I've seen her," Tim cried out at last.

"Well, then, you know. She has pretty good tits." Cal let go of Tim's hair and walked over to the bed. He turned back to him and said, "Now don't you worry boy. We ain't gonna hurt her. We're just gonna sorta break her in for you. Women are like jeans: they ain't comfortable 'til they're broke in." And he turned to Ali.

"Lay her down on the bed." They did and Cal leaned over to throw up the skirt of her dress. She kicked at him and landed a glancing blow on his face. Cheryl and the Doofer went over to hold her legs but Cal waved them back.

"So, you are getting some fight back. I like a woman with fight. Makes it more of a contest." He told her restrainers to sit her up and went on talking to her. "I can fight too. You want to see me? Look!" And with the last word, he slapped her with the back of his hand. Her head flew back and her nose started to bleed slowly.

"I don't mind a little fight. But you be careful. You do something I really don't like and it ain't just you who'll get hurt. Little lover boy over there might not be doing too well either if I get really mad."

Cal walked back over to Tim. Taking Gnat's knife, he cut off Tim's shorts and then jabbed the knife into the seat of the chair between Tim's legs. "If she does anything real violent, cut a ball off," he said to Gnat, who didn't look displeased at the prospect.

Cal turned back to Ali. "Now, you lie down and let's be a little nicer now." He yanked the napkin he had stuffed in her mouth out. "Ya understand?" 

Starker and Floyd pulled her down and pulled the front of her dress up around her waist. Ali was wearing stockings and a white lace garter belt her grandmother had worn on her wedding day.

"Well, lookee here," Cal said looking at the garter belt, "I haven't seen these things for a long time." He reached and pulled off the panties that partially covered the garter belt. He held them up to his nose and sniffed in deeply.

"Hey, she smells gooooood. Here, smell this." He threw the panties to Floyd and motioned him to pass them around. When everyone agreed that she smelled good, Cal held them up to Tim.

"Don't they smell good?"

Tim grunted noncommittally.

"Well, is that a 'yes' or a 'no'? A man ought to think that his wife smells good, don't you think."

"She smells good," Tim managed to spit out.

"Now that's good. Here." And Cal put the panties over Tim's head so that the crotch covered his nose and he could see-one eye through each leg hole.




The Ties that Bind



Cal went back to the bed and pushed Ali's knees apart.

"This is a pretty little cunt here. You know that Timmy boy. I can almost understand why you left us to be with her. Who knows? Maybe after she's had me, she'll want to stay with me and I'll leave you guys for her." He laughed without expecting anyone else to. "But you can bet I wouldn't be stupid enough to do that before I tested the product. Huh, Timmy boy? I ain't stupid like that, am I?"

He ran a hand up her thigh. "Now don't you worry, sweet thing. I know how to treat virgin territory. You are starting with the best. Problem is: where you going to go from here? Every other guy you fuck will seem like a loser. Especially little pencil-dick over there. There's a reason we call him 'Stick' and not 'Stud', ya know. He ain't no log. Come to think of it, we probably should have called him 'Twig'." He laughed. This time Gnat chimed in. But Cal cut him off, "I guess I just didn't think of it. Or maybe I was trying to shade the truth a little so's not to hurt his feelings. Anyways, you don't have to worry about that cause you're about to take a major piece of lumber up this here thing."

While he was talking, he was fondling her and trying to run his fingers up her vagina. But she was dry. She probably couldn't have been aroused by him under any conditions but now her mind was completely detached from her body. It was not a conscious response; it was a protective reflex, a blink of the soul.

"I understand, Sweetmeat. First time and doing it with a stud like me, anyone would be nervous. Maybe I shouldn't have let you see my thing first. But don't worry, we can fix things." He backed away from her.

"Carla! Get over here and get this cunt wet." 'Carla' was the name of the Doofer. This was the first time the name had been spoken tonight. Carla walked around to the bottom of the bed, kneeled down and put her hands on the insides of Ali's thighs. She began massaging and as she did, she talked to Ali in a low quiet voice.

"C'm'on now, honey. Cal wants you and if he wants you then he is going to have you. The only question is how hard it's going to be on you. Let's see if we can't make it easy for you. Okay?"

All the while she was saying this, she massaged higher and higher up Ali's thighs and her lips moved closer and closer to their target. When her hands had run out of thigh, she pulled Ali's knees up and spread them wide to expose her. She ran her tongue on the insides of Ali's thighs and, then, through her cunt and over her clitoris. As Carla worked on her, Ali felt life return to her loins. She wasn't enjoying what was going on, but her bodily responses were working again. She hated her body for its betrayal.

Cal evidently decided that Ali was warmed up enough; he pulled Carla away.

"Go over and make sure Stick-Dick watches. He might learn something-save 'em money on sex counselling later on."

Cal got the bolster that was at the head of the bed, pulled Ali down on the bed so that her legs extended completely off the bed, and shoved the bolster under her hips. He stood at the bottom of the bed with her legs to either side and rocked her knees back and out to expose her. He was already erect and, without pause, he spread her lips and rammed himself into her.

Ali found it impossible to dissociate her mind from her body now. It hurt too much. There was a terrible pain as he pushed into her. She was certain that he had torn her. And the pain didn't recede. It came over and over again almost like the first time because he was moving completely out of her and into her again so hard and fast. She closed her eyes because when she opened them, she could see his filthy, sweaty face leaning over the bed. He was holding her dress out of the way so that he could see her breasts. It was better for her not to see him. She didn't know how long this hell lasted, but finally he finished. He held still for a moment, pressed all the way into her, then he pulled out and backed away.

She twisted to her side and her hands were released. She pulled up into a fetal position and hugged herself sobbing.

Through most of this, Tim was compelled to watch. But he would have watched anyway. It enraged him. But he was transfixed. He couldn't tear his eyes away. He was fighting an erection and hating himself for having to. Trying not to get an erection generally works about as well as trying to get one. He knew he wasn't completely successful when he heard Cheryl giggle something to Gnat and felt her hand massaging him. But her touch had just the opposite of the intended effect. He was yanked back to the reality of the situation and he wilted. And he thanked God for that.

When Cal finished, he turned to Tim. "Timmy boy, I think I'm too much man for your wife. I'm not even sure she liked it. Maybe she did a good job pickin' you out. Maybe she knew her limit. Anyway, I think she hurts. Don't you think you should come over here and kiss her and make her feel better?"

"But Cal," interjected Gnat, "he is tied up to the chair."

"Oh, well that wasn't very nice. Why'd you guys do that? Cut 'im off the chair and let 'im come console his wife. And get those silly underpants off his face."

While he was being cut loose, he saw them finish undressing Ali who complied limply. When they led him over to her, she was completely naked and back in the fetal position, hugging herself. They had left his hands bound so he couldn't put his arms around her, but he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek only to be yanked up by the hair before he reached her.

"That ain't where she hurts, Bozo!" Cal yelled in his face. Then to the others he said, "Lay him down on the floor, face up."

When he was there, they dragged Ali off the bed and forced her to her knees over him. As they were positioning her over his face, she could see that she had a slight tear in her vagina where a drop of blood had gathered. But when they got her positioned and down, all she could see of Tim was his forehead and eyes looking up between her thighs. She looked away.

Cal was down on his knees in front of her saying with mock concern, "Now don't worry. Hubby will kiss it and make it feel all better."

Then he looked down at Tim and said, "Now you heard what I told her. You kiss it, and lick it, and do anything else it needs to feel all better. And I'll have a hold of your balls back there. If I see you not showing the proper concern for your wife, I give you a good hard squeeze just to remind you."

In a moment, Tim felt a firm and threatening grip on his balls. He did what he needed to do to keep that grip less than painful. Ali tried to move away several times only to be hit and pushed back down. Then she stopped resisting.

"Hey, I think she's feeling better now," Cal said brightly. "She might even be getting her appetite back. Gnat, why don't you just slip around and give her a little something to suck on."

Tim could feel Ali struggle and her stomach wretch. She was not much for oral sex in any situation. He could imagine what the thought of it now was doing to her. But she couldn't move and she didn't struggle long. Gnat walked over, unzipping his pants on the way. Tim turned his head to the side but turned back when he felt a crushing pressure on his balls. Gnat pulled out his limp penis and told Ali to lick it. Between Ali's breasts, Tim could see her tongue play over Gnat's penis. Before it was completely rigid, Tim saw Gnat force it into Ali's mouth. He grabbed her hair with his free hand and held her as he moved in and out of her mouth. Ali felt, and Tim saw, Gnat's penis swell to full size as they heard him moan.

"Now you boys have to let her loose a little so she can show Gnat her appreciation for getting her something so sweet to suck on," Cal said to Floyd and Starker who were still holding her shoulders and arms. "And, Honey, you need to be real nice to Gnat. He's being real nice to you. I'll bet he'd sorta like it if you would hold onto the bottom of that sucker and put the other hand around on his butt."

Tim could see her comply as soon as her arms were free. He was revolted by what he saw. Looking up he could see her breasts swing lightly while she moved back and forth on Gnat's penis. He had no delusions that she liked it. He knew she had no reasonable choice but to comply. It would have been worse for both of them if she hadn't. And he was certainly not resisting. Still, the sight of her sucking Gnat's dick revolted him. And in some crazy way he couldn't understand, she was the object of his revulsion.

He felt Cal let go of his balls and saw him move up to whisper in Ali's ear. For a second, she didn't respond at all.

"Do it!" Cal roared. "And say it just like I told you to."

She pulled back off Gnat's penis, still holding it in one hand, looked up at him and said, as convincingly as she could, "That's nice, Gnat, but now I'm thirsty. Will you please cum in my mouth."

"I said to say it so that he'd know that you really meant it," yelled Cal, pulling her hair. "Now do it again!"

She said it again. If anything, it was less convincing this time, but it satisfied Cal.

Tim's performance did not. This time Cal slapped his balls and then grabbed and twisted them. He leaned up near Tim's ear and whispered, "You get that tongue up in there, Stick, or you won't have any balls to be crushed anymore."

Tim's eyes were clamped shut in an attempt to deal with the pain. When he opened them again, Ali's mouth was moving back and forth rapidly on Gnat's penis and her hand was pumping the base of his cock. Gnat was obviously near climax. When he came, Tim felt a shudder and a warm trickle on his tongue as Ali's juices flowed involuntarily. Then he saw, and felt, Ali choke down Gnat's cum.

For a moment, no one was doing anything to Ali or Tim. Ali got up and rolled onto her side on the bed, still gagging. Tim's hands were throbbing and swollen, and he feared they were permanently damaged. He tried reasoning with Cal. He told him that now that he had done what he had come to do he should leave them alone. He pleaded with Cal that Ali might not be able to take any more. And he begged Cal to untie his hands. Cal was moved only by the last request.

So Tim found himself unbound and thrown face down on the bed next to Ali. Cal seemed to be taking a breather from his sadism. Ali was even allowed to go to the bathroom and clean up-watched, of course, by Carla. As she walked back to the bed wrapped in a towel, with a blackened right eye and a swollen cheek and clearly still in pain from Cal's assault, Tim felt sympathy for her. But it was a detached sympathy-the sort of sympathy one feels for strangers who suffer greatly. He didn't know it yet, but he loved her no more.

The hiatus was broken all too soon when Cal regained his creative energy.

"You know what? I think we need to do an experiment. We are all getting to know Ali. And we've found out a lot so far. We found out that I'm too much man for her, but we could have guessed that. And I don't think she really enjoyed Gnat that much. Maybe he isn't enough man for her. I think she was just pretending to like sucking his cock so that his feelings wouldn't be hurt. And that's real nice of her. But I think she ought to have some real fun here. I know I am."

While he did the set-up for his second act, Ali could be heard quietly pleading for an end to it. Cal wove it into his insane monologue.

"Now, now, Honey. Don't be so polite. Besides, I'm not just thinking of you. What about Starker and Floyd here? I mean, they've had the chance to watch, and I'm sure they liked it a lot cause you're a pretty sexy cunt. But they ain't like Stick here. They're sorta dooers, ya might say. Aren't you guys?"

Floyd responded first. "I don't know, Cal. Maybe we have done enough."

"Shut up," Cal roared. "I'll tell you when we've done enough, and I'll tell you what you are, and I say you are dooers. Am I right?"

"Yeah, sure," Floyd said soothingly.

"Then you two get over there with our sweet little bride and make her feel good. And Stick, you get over here and sit in your chair."

Stick got over there and sat in his chair. Starker and Floyd climbed onto the bed with a resigned Ali. They pulled off her towel and made a superficial show of kissing and caressing her before forcing her up on her hands and knees and taking turns at opposite ends. It went on a long time and Stick watched without feeling.

When they were finished with her, they covered her with the sheet. Cal was ready to continue.

"Ain't that sweet, Stick. Oh, but Stick, we forgot all about you. And it looks like your blushing bride is about all fucked out for the night. But don't you worry, Stick, I'll make sure you get taken care of. Don't I always?"

"Cheryl, come on over here. I think Stick needs you. See what you can do for our good friend, Stick."

Cheryl dropped off her camisole and walked over to the chair Stick was sitting on. She bent down and got on her knees in front of him. His penis was limp. He watched her as she began to work on it. Her waves of blonde hair blocked the view so he reached out and pulled her hair back. She had bright lipstick on and as she pulled her head back he could see it shine on her lips. Then he closed his eyes; he didn't want to see anything, and he certainly didn't want to think about what had happened or was happening. He just wanted to feel.

What he felt felt very good until it suddenly stopped. He opened his eyes and looked down to see her slowly pulling away from him. His hands were still in her hair and he quickly reached around behind her head and pulled her back toward him. She went back onto him without hesitation. But before he closed his eyes again, he saw Ali lying on the bed looking at him. And he saw in her eyes anger at his betrayal. Unmoved, he closed his eyes again.

It stopped again, too soon. When he opened his eyes, he saw Cheryl standing before him taking off her panties. Then she pulled him up and over to the bed. She lay down next to Ali and pulled him down on top of her. Ali tried to roll off the bed but Cal stopped her.

"I think you oughta keep an eye on your husband. There's no telling when he might try to cheat on you." And he held her so that she couldn't look away.

Tim was only partially aware of what was going on. His heart was pounding and his breathing was deep and uneven. He felt Cheryl's legs open to him and her pelvis rock toward him. And he slid into her easily. He raised up to look at her face and for a second saw Ali looking at him. He turned back to Cheryl so quickly he didn't really read Ali's expression. He didn't really have to. And he didn't really care to. He didn't really care.

Tim was almost bashing against Cheryl in a frenzy that unified lust and hostility, when Cal bellowed to stop. When Tim merely slowed, he felt Gnat's knife at his throat. He stopped.

"Ya know, Timmy Boy, it ain't fair you giving all that good lovin' to Cheryl who you just met tonight when poor Carla, who's done so much for you all these years, is sittin here just pinin' away for ya."

"Cheryl, you oughta be ashamed of yerself, trying to horn in like that. Get out of that bed." As he spoke, he motioned Carla over toward the bed. "Now, Timmy, you show Carla that you feel about her just the way you feel about Cheryl. Undress her and give her some of that good tongue you gave your wife."

The idea was almost unthinkable. Tim had fucked Carla. Everyone had-sometimes at the same time. He'd fucked her in the cunt; he'd fucked her in the mouth; he'd fucked her in the ass. Usually, she had been half dressed, seldom had he touched her with more than his cock and his hands, and never had he kissed her. The idea was unthinkable, but the unthinkable was doable tonight.

He stood up and undid her halter top. Her breasts sagged out, but not down because of the roll of fat on which they rested. As he unzipped her pants, her belly ballooned out. He struggled to get her pants and panties off at once. Her enormous thighs made it hard going. When he succeeded, he looked at her body. It was really the first time he'd done that. Before she had just been a wet hole to cum in.

Her breasts hung down more now that the support for her stomach was gone. He didn't like breasts like this-huge ones with nipples that barely stood out at all. Still, they were her best feature. Her thighs were crushed together and still she couldn't put her knees together. When he looked at her crotch, it didn't even look like a sexual thing-it looked like a pathology.

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her on the bed. The difference between lying on Carla and lying on Cheryl was the more vivid for the juxtaposition. He felt like he was wallowing on an overinflated waterbed now. He felt not the slightest sexual urge. But she pushed his shoulders down and guided his mouth onto a nipple. Her nipple hardened slightly. She pushed him down almost immediately, as if she weren't sure how long this act of Cal's show would last and she didn't want to miss her chance. Tim moved down without desire, but also without resistance. Carla spread her legs and pulled her lips wide with one hand. With the other, she pulled Tim's mouth onto her clitoris. He didn't fight or cooperate. He was, for now, the equivalent of a wet hole for her-the doofer for the doofer.

Carla was unabashed. She held Tim's head in her hands and moved him up and down and gave him directions with which he complied. She told him to stick his tongue out, and he stuck his tongue out. She pushed him into her cunt and told him to wiggle his tongue, he did. She rocked her legs way up and forced his tongue down on her asshole, he didn't even think about what he was doing. His tongue played on her asshole while his nose was buried in her, now sloppy, slit.

As she pulled him up over her stomach, his dick caught on the sheet and he noticed for the first time that he was hard. As he lay on her, inside of her, he realized that while she was loose and he barely had the sensation of fucking her, she still felt wet and warm and good. And when she screamed and clutched him, he pumped cum into her with passion. She pulled his face to hers and they kissed.

The grip on Ali's head relaxed and she heard Cal say, "Now, ya see. Ya turn your back and he's out humping some other broad. Even when ya don't turn your back, he's humping some other broad." Stick saw the look on Ali's face; it was disgust, but he wasn't bothered by it.

Cal apparently decided that the evening was over. "Get your clothes on. It's been fun but we gotta go."

Carla rolled Stick off her and, with the others, started to get dressed. He sat up.

"Well, how 'bout it, Stick? You stayin' or comin'?" Cal asked as he pulled on his pants.

Stick hadn't thought about it. But he didn't have to think long. He looked at Ali. She returned his look with only a vacant stare. "Coming," he said.

"Well, that's great Stick. Ya know we'd like to have you back. But it's just not that easy. You ruffled some feathers. Those are going to have to be smoothed before things can be like before."

If Stick had thought about it, he would have expected something to be demanded of him. "What do you want?"

"Come over here, Stick."

When he stood before Cal, Cal rested his forearms on Stick's shoulders, leaned close to him and said, "That dumb cunt over there got blood all over my dick. Now what are we going to do about that Stick?"

Stick felt Cal pushing on his shoulders and sank to his knees. He didn't fight it; there was no point; the decision had been made. He unbuckled the belt Cal had just buckled, unbuttoned and unsnapped the pants. He pulled down Cal's pants just enough to free his penis. There was dried blood on it and the hair behind it was matted. He began, tentatively at first, and then vigorously, to suck Cal's cock. At first he choked, but as the crusty blood dissolved and the taste dissipated, he found himself able to go on. He felt Cal's penis swell and harden in his mouth. He wasn't able to get very much of it in anymore. He grabbed the bottom of the shaft with his hand and squeezed it very hard, pumping back and forth. When Cal finally came, he came explosively. Stick could feel the semen shoot down Cal's shaft past where he held it. And he felt it jet against the back of his mouth, hot and thick. He choked down the cum and felt his jaws relax as Cal's penis went limp.




The Ties that Bind



"Okay, Stick. That's enough for now. Get your clothes on; let's go."

He put his clothes on and headed for the door, never looking at Ali who was still on the bed, watching. Cal stopped him. "Don't you think you should kiss your wife g'bye?"

Stick turned back and walked to the bed. He leaned over and kissed Ali on the lips. There was no response.

As he turned to leave, she whispered, "G'bye, Tim." But Tim wasn't there.





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Note: I am aware that some readers on this site hold the opinion that any story that contains even the slightest element of male-on-male sex belongs in the section on gay sex. They're wrong.



The Ties That Bind: Addendum



Note to readers: After a bit of reflection, I recognize that I owe an apology to the readers of this series. It appears that I was too cavalier in the writing of this tale. I made silly errors and I didn't give the story the attention that it deserved. For that I apologize. 

To the many who emailed me with words of encouragement, a thank you; they were truly appreciated. To those who commented with constructive criticism in a respectful and calm manner, I also thank. Your comments and suggestions were appreciated and taken to heart.

Now a note to those who seem to delight in demeaning and degrading those who make the attempt to entertain readers on this site. Your attacks drip with the venom that you spew. In fact, there are those who delight in attacking with words of derision and with a zero score, and then resume the attack with additional comments of anger and, to add insult to injury, additional zero scores. Are my tales so completely worthless? You felt there was enough interest that you kept reading chapter after chapter. A suggestion and a plea: PLEASE, do not read anything that I may submit in the future; and you will then be not offended or upset. Just bypass anything that I may submit. Believe me, we'll both be happier. 

Now a word to those readers who felt that the ending was weak. I took another look at the story and I fully agree with you. It was a crappy end to the story. I plead guilty. I don't even know why I came up with that. Anyway, I revisited this tale and while I'm not sure this new ending is too much better, at least I made the attempt, and I feel a little better about how this tale ended.

So now I sit back, catch my breath, and take a break. Again, my sincere thanks and appreciation to the many who have contacted me and the many who have penned constructive comments.

****************** 

I sat in my car, mulling over my next move. I knew what I had to do, or more accurately, what I wanted to do. Yet, I was uncertain, unsure....no, perhaps just a bit fearful. I realized that it's a little difficult to be decisive when you're not the only player in the game. I started the car and began to drive.

I walked to the front door of our townhouse. I entered silently, stood still for a moment, but heard nothing. I looked around, it all seemed so empty and somewhat forlorn, or was that my mood? I walked to the kitchen, my steps muffled by the soft carpet. I saw Shelly sitting at the table, her hands clasping a cup of coffee. She visibly started when she saw me standing there. Her face paled and she lowered her eyes to the table.

I sat down opposite her, not saying anything. I saw her begin to tremble a bit, obviously agitated. "How.....how can you stand to look at me? she whispered. "I know I must disgust you, almost as much as I disgust myself."

She sat there, pale and trembling, but stoically accepting the fact that she had destroyed our marriage. There were no tears though her eyes were moist. I imagine that she must have cried herself out. I became certain, at that moment that I had to do what my mind and heart told me to do. I had to be totally honest with her, even though I still could not fully answer George's question.

I sat down in front of Shelly and began, "Shelly, I want you to listen carefully to what I have to say. It's important to me that you understand."

I leaned forward a bit and took her hands in mine.

"What you did to me was probably the most loathsome thing imaginable. . You had so little trust in me that you wouldn't come and voice your concerns. You, instead, chose to humiliate, degrade and demean me in the worst possible way. But even more horrific, you drugged me. You really had no idea what that bastard gave you - you followed his instructions and drugged me. You realize, of course, that you could have killed me. Whatever it was that you put in my drink could have ended my life. You didn't think of that obviously, and to me, that was even more devastating than your infidelity."

Shelly's head had dropped to the table, but I still had her hands in mine. I could hear her soft sobs. I held her hands tightly and continued.

"I understand that you are ill, that there is a illness that you are attempting to overcome. I have spoken to your doctor and I can understand everything that he has seen fit to tell me. I understand and appreciate all of that on an intellectual level. That really doesn't make it any easier for me. Emotionally I can't even begin to tell you how, on some level, I truly hate you and hate what you have done. I want you to understand that. You need to accept how I now feel."

I took a deep breath and continued speaking softly, trying to ignore Shelly's soft weeping. "Shelly, that being said, I do not intend to desert you. I cannot live with you, I cannot continue to be your husband, the pain is just too great, but I will not desert you. Your recovery is important to me, I intend to do everything I can possibly do to aid you in that recovery. Your doctor is optimistic and I take him at his word. I don't know what the future has in store for us, and to be honest, I don't think that's terribly important right now. I will continue to live in my apartment, but I will be in contact with you as often as possible. I will be seeing your doctor on a regular basis and I will follow any suggestion he may have during your therapy. You are going to need all of your strength, but I am certain you will find the courage to overcome the demons that lie within you, and I'll be there to help in anyway that I can."

Shelly looked up with an expression of astonishment on her face. "David, I don't deserve........how can you even stand........ " She stopped, unable to truly express herself, then looked up at me and softly asked. "David, could you just hold me for a minute...... just for a minute."

I took enfolded her and felt her tremble. I again thought, "What a mess, what a God awful mess," as I held Shelly in my arms.



The Ties That Bind & Bite



"Does that feel good, Fon?"

Did it feel good? What a question! The physical sensations felt unbelievably wonderful. Lika's body gently moved on top of me. Her face was three inches from mine, and I looked into her sparkling green eyes and thought what an amazing and beautiful woman. At 5'3" and 103 pounds, Lika has a rock hard body with perky little tits, the flattest stomach, a totally fuckable ass and asshole, and an absolutely gorgeous, HUGE-lipped and completely shaved cunt. And now she sat on top of me slowly making love to me, kissing me tenderly and gently caressing my nipples – my nipples are incredibly sensitive, and Lika can get me completely hard and make me explode just by touching my nips.

"Does that feel good, Fon?" she asked again, picking up the pace of her fingers lightly brushing my nipples. Oh my god it felt good, and I was about to cum. Sensing this, she picked up the pace even more, grinding her cunt on top of my cock. I was on the edge of cumming, struggling to hold back. But then again, I had been on the edge of cumming all day. We had begun the day by fucking and sucking for an hour in the morning, though I hadn't cum. Lika had wanted me hungry, horny and explosive for our evening of fun, and my cock and balls were swollen and ready to burst. Lika moved her face closer and passionately fucked my mouth with her tongue, never losing eye contact and in fact looking deeper right into me.

"Does that feel good?" she asked again, but I didn't reply as I strained not to cum. "FON! DOES THAT FEEL GOOD?!"

I wanted to scream ‘yes, yes, yes! It feels incredible! I'm going to cum', but I didn't say a word, as I was in no position to say anything. In fact, my position was quite, quite constrained. I imagined what I looked like laying beneath Lika. I was reclined on a large pillow against the headboard, so my torso was upright at a 45 degree angle while my legs extended flatly down the bed. However, my ankles were tied tightly, completely spreading my legs apart. Rope spread my knees as well, making it virtually impossible to close my knees in any way; my cock and balls were completely exposed. Both of my arms were pulled back to the sides and tied to the headboard with Lika's stockings. Each of the bindings on my arms and legs were tied super tight, so I couldn't move at all.

"Fon! Answer me! Does that feel good?!"

I wanted to answer again, but I refrained again. While my mouth was uncovered to allow Lika to kiss me at will, my voice was constrained as much as my body. Shortly after finishing tying me up, Lika had played with my nips and sucked me hard, then climbed on top and began making love. Then she looked deep into my eyes, and given me two instructions: "Fon, from now on, you are not to speak any words…except…" She paused a moment, and smiled at me. "…except the words ‘Please hurt me, Lika'." Her smile widened even more, as she said it. "For the next two hours, those are the only words you may say. Do you understand? The only words. If you say anything else – even a single word other than that sentence – there will be consequences." I nodded my understanding, and we continued until our current state.

"Answer me, Fon. Does that feel good?!" Her voice now had an angry, authoritative tone to it, and her smile disappeared. I looked deep into her eyes, and softly spoke. 

"Please hurt me, Lika."

Her beautiful smile returned. "What did you say, Fon?"

"Please hurt me, Lika."

"What? I didn't hear you well. Say it louder"

I repeated it louder. 

"Beg for it, Fon. Tell me what you want. You better beg for it."

"PLEASE HURT ME, LIKA! PLEASE!! PLEASE HURT ME, LIKA."

The smile on her face widened from ear to ear, and she looked at me lovingly, and then she looked straight at me and said, "Don't worry, I will. Fon, I will hurt you, and I will hurt you badly. And Fon, I'm going to love hurting you. Now beg again." 

I repeated my request, and she kissed me again. The sensations still felt amazing: the feel of her legs on rubbing on top of my thighs, her velvet cunt wrapped around my cock, fingers brushing my nipples, wet French kissing and the deep looks from her eyes. Again, I was on the verge of cumming. Then she lifted off me, my cock plopping out of her shaved cunt.

"Look at him!" She slid back on her knees between my spread legs; there was plenty of space as the combined binds at my ankles and knees left a wide area between my legs of which I had no ability to narrow them at all – my cock and balls were totally open to whatever she wanted to do. Lika used the space to lay down between my legs and marvel at my swollen cock. "It's so hard, Fon. But let me get it a little harder – this will work better when you're harder." I knew what she was referring to, and it would only be another minute before she began fulfilling the request she forced me to say. She put my cock in her mouth and reached up to play with my nipples, all the while looking deep into my eyes.

After a minute of sucking and nipple play, I don't think my cock could have gotten any bigger by itself. Without pausing from her sucking, Lika reached over and grabbed a black shoelace. Never taking her eyes away from mine and with my cock lodged deep in her throat, she circled the string around the base of my cock and balls until it was loosely wrapped and tied around them. She stopped sucking and got back up on her knees, and smiled as each hand grabbed opposite ends of the string.

"Say it again, Fon."

"Please hurt me, Lika."

"OK." With that, she suddenly pulled both ends of the string away from each other. My cock sprang up from the force of the string tightening around my cock and balls, and she got a better grip on the strings and pulled again with such a force that she gritted her teeth.

"Do you like that, Fon?" I didn't respond, as I was still gulping for air at the sharp pressure caused by the string cinched around my cock and balls. "Fon! Do you like that?!"

"Please hurt me, Lika."

"Good!" She pulled one more time as hard as she could, and then took the ends of the string and began to wrap them around the base of my cock and over my balls, which were lifted by the string tied tightly underneath them. With the string set around the base of my cock, she again pulled as hard as she could, pulling the string tightly around my cock's trunk. My cock and balls looked incredible. With the string double-tied around the base of both my cock and balls, and then again around the base of my cock, the blood entering my cock was trapped and began swelling the glands of my dick. She lightly stroked me to speed up the effect, and my cock started turning red as it throbbed full of turned-on blood. One more thing: it hurt like crazy!! The string deeply cut into the skin around my cock and balls, and the combo of rope burn and the pressure of so much blood pushing against the thin skin of my cock was painful – the strings were much tighter AND much worse than any cock ring.

Lika stood back to look at her handiwork and then leaned over to give him a little suck and some gentle strokes. Then she reached for a red shoelace.

"Does that feel good, Fon?"

"Please hurt me, Lika."

"That's the right answer, Fon." With that, she took the red string and exactly repeated the process she had performed with the black one, only this time she pulled it even harder and tighter around my cock and balls. We both looked at my cock and marveled: the color was changing from a dark red to a deep purple, and it had swelled so much that it literally was at least an inch longer and a half inch wider than my normal six inch size. Lika gently wrapped her hands around my swollen member, totally mesmerized by how big it had grown and taught and smooth the stretched skin was.

"I love your cock like this, Fon. I love how it feels when I tie it up like this. It feels so good, so hard and so smooth. Feel those veins popping. I love this, Fon." Her voice was so loving and lusty as she said it, you'd never know what was happening if you couldn't see the scene. 

"But you know what I like most about this the most, Fon?" I nodded without saying my line again. "I love your cock and balls like this because I like hurting you, Fon. I love hurting you. When your cock is swollen like this, anything I do will hurt you, and I love having that power over you. Anything I do…will hurt you badly. And for the next two hours, I'm going to love hurting you so much!!"

She climbed back on top of me and put my now gigantic cock against her huge pussy lips – Lika has the biggest puffy cunt lips I've ever seen – and then slowly inserted me into her. 

"Oh my god, Fon, that feels so good! Your cock feels so fucking good!" For the next ten minutes, she made love to me, French kissing me and grinding her hips into me. Lika was loving it, and the whole time she was whispering how good my enlarged cock felt AND also how much she wanted to torture my cock. While she was making both of us feel good, my cock and balls began to hurt more as the strings dug into my flesh with each grind. While this hurt quite a bit, I knew that this was just a small degree of the pain I was going to feel over the next couple hours – the irony being that Lika was actually trying to make me feel good right now. She hadn't even begun to try and hurt me yet, and I was already in pain.

After she satisfied herself for the time being, she lifted herself off me and laid between legs with my cock right before her face. She looked at it with a big smile and then looked into my eyes as she slowly began kissing and licking my shaft. Without leaving eye contact, she took me into her mouth and began bobbing up and down, occasionally deep throating me – Lika has that amazing rare ability to practically swallow an entire cock. She took me out of her mouth and kissed and licked my cock again.

"Fon, you know I'm going to hurt you, right?" I nodded. "One more thing, Fon: do not look away from me, and do not close your eyes. I want you to look at me when I hurt you. If you close your eyes or look away, I will punish you."

With that, she started sucking me again. Making a point to look into my eyes, she showed me her teeth and without much warning, she bit down hard on my cock.

"Aaahhhh!!" I screamed out, as she bit down hard into my cock flesh. She'd let up momentarily, take a couple short bites and then bit down hard for an extended time, and repeated the chomping again on another part of my cock. Pain shot through my entire body, as whatever she did was amplified many times from the pressure of having my cock tied so tightly. I also noticed pain from where my arms and legs were tied, as my natural instinct led me to fight against my bindings. Yet, I couldn't move more than a few inches in any direction.

"Do you like that, Fon?" she said taking a moment between cock bites. "Fon!! Answer me! Do you like that?"

"Please hurt me, Lika"

"OK," she said with a smile and but down hard again into my flesh. Instinctively, my eyes closed and my head flew back.

"Fon!"

Lika squeezed the shaft of my cock hard, which in itself hurt like hell given the swollen pressure created by tying my cock so tightly; as she had noted, virtually anything she did to my cock – even normally pleasurable acts – would hurt because it was tied so tightly. My eyes returned to hers, as she squeezed even harder, making my cock head visibly swell right before me. Then she showed her teeth and bit down hard on the head for at least thirty seconds before nashing her teeth from side to side. The pain easily surpassed her previous biting, and I screamed in agony and again instinctively closed my eyes with my head thrashing from side to side (my hands and legs would have thrashed from side to side as well, but they were tied so tightly I couldn't move them at all). When she released, there was a deep and purple set of teeth marks set into my cock head.

"FON!! What did I tell you about closing your eyes or looking away?!" I reopened my eyes, and she continued, "What did I say, Fon?"

"Not to…" I started to say, which was met with an even harder squeeze and another vicious one minute biting sequence. This time the biting was just below my cock head, but she intensified it by simultaneously releasing and re-squeezing the shaft of my cock, essentially making an already hard bite go even deeper into my cock flesh. I screamed again loudly, but I managed to keep my eyes locked on hers. Her bite relented to speak again, and a new set of teeth marks joined the ones on cock head.

"Fon, what did I tell you? Do not close your eyes or look away from me. Ever. And no speaking too. You just spoke, and you know you're only allowed to say one thing. Do you understand me?" She punctuated the ‘understand me' with another hard squeeze and jerk. "If you close your eyes, look away or speak again, the next time I will use my nails, and you know how much I want to use my nails on your cock. Do you understand me?"

Nails. The dreaded nails. While Lika's teeth created so much pain, nothing caused as much pain or fear than her nails. In earlier sessions, she had used her nails to squeeze my cock, literally putting her nails against the flesh and then closing her hand around various parts of cock and even my balls, and she would do it very hard – Lika is a gymnast and has unbelievably strong hands and arms. She would also scratch my cock up and down, and in doing both, she had cut the skin and made me bleed on several occasions, small injuries that would leave marks and scabs for days. After those earlier sessions, we made the rule she could do whatever she wanted, but no nails and no blood. However, we subsequently decided that she would need a strong threat to force me to comply with her demands and rules, so nails were reserved for severe punishment for being disobedient only. Since putting ‘the nails rule' in place, she had never used them, as I was so frightened by them.

"Do you understand me?" I nodded, as her hand remained wrapped around my shaft and her mouth slightly open around my cock head – both poised as a threat that she clearly wanted me to see. "Fon, I asked you a question. Answer me. Do you understand me?"


"Yes"

Immediately, she squeezed and bit down again, and I screamed aloud and barely managed to keep my eyes glued on hers – which were clearly enjoying fucking with my mind and causing me pain. We were quite a match: I loved receiving pain from a woman I love, and she really dug giving pain more than any woman I'd ever come across. She truly got off on hurting me particularly with her teeth, even biting my lips and tongue on our very first date two and a half years before. She continued for about 45 seconds, before easing up. It killed, but I realize she had let me off easy, forgetting to use her nails on my last verbal mistake.

"What did you say?" I didn't anything now. I just sat still moaning from the pain just inflicted. "Fon, what did you say?" Her smile positively beamed as she asked the question, and despite how much my cock hurt, it turned me on beyond belief to see her enjoy dominating and hurting me so much. "Now, do you understand me? Answer me, Fon."

In a soft voice, I said, "Please hurt me, Lika".

"Good Fon!" she said positively delighted with her control. "But I didn't quite hear it. Can you speak up?"

"Please hurt me, Lika."

Her smile turned into a little chuckle, and then suddenly, the smile turned into a mean scowl, and her hand squeezed my cock very hard.

"Beg for it! Now!"

"Please hurt me, Lika!" came out of my mouth with more force this time, but she increased the pressure of her grasp, causing even more pain, and then her other hand squeezed my balls just as hard making me scream.

"I SAID BEG FOR IT!!"

"PLEASE HURT ME, LIKA!!!" was more like a cry now.

"Good Fon" Her smile returned even bigger than before. "If that's what you want…"

The hand grasping my cock shaft slid down to the base and squeezed again, and she took my cock deep in her mouth and start biting hard and holding for 5-10 seconds, releasing and finding a new spot of my shaft to torture. She repeated this biting sequence for what seemed like five minutes, and added a few hard squeezes and pulls to my balls for good measure. I screamed and moaned the entire time, until she finally stopped to look at my cock. Despite the incredible pain, my cock remained erect due to tight wraps around cock and balls. It had softened ever so slightly, but it looked virtually totally erect because of the pressure created by the cock and ball strings. With no way for the blood to escape, there was no way to go soft either. She stared intently at my cock and sensed it had softened by 5-10%, which to put in perspective, left my cock probably at 110% of it normal erect size, as it had grown to 120% of its normal size with the cock strings secured. 

Wanting it huge again, she began giving me a wonderful blowjob, even playing with my nipples to get me completely turned on again. It didn't take long. She alternately licked and kissed my cock all over, sometime deep throating me while teasing my nipples. Her look was adoring and loving, and my cock swelled all over again. It was now a deep purple, and the skin was smooth and shiny from her spit – except for several distinct sets of very deep teeth marks. Further, several large drops of pre-cum had oozed out and streamed down my cock head, including a large bubble of cum resting on my pee hole. She knew I was enjoying her action – this was her intent – but she also wanted to create the uncertainty of what she'd do next: pleasure or pain? So while sucking me, she'd widen her lips, so I could see her teeth, and then lightly close her teeth against the cock skin without actually biting though one time she did bite down hard to ensure the tease of uncertainty in my mind.

"Fon, look at your cock. I love the way it looks…how big it is…how purple it is…I love seeing MY teeth on it. Look how much pre-cum there is! Don't you just love the way it looks?"

My breath was returning to normal from the intensity of the pain, and I thought to myself: I do love the way my cock looks – in Lika's total control, at her mercy and with her marks on it.

"Fon, I asked you a question…"

"Please hurt me, Lika." 

With that she bit me again, though not nearly as hard as before. That said, it still hurt like crazy, because now almost every square millimeter of my cock had been bitten or jerked raw. Even the lightest brush hurt a bit. Lika rose up and brought her face to mine and kissed me deeply. Her hands caressed my chest and hugged me as our tongues and eyes met closely. She straddled my legs, and used one hand to grab my cock roughly, causing me to groan my discomfort into her mouth. Lika loves biting my cock because she likes sucking cock as much as any woman I've been with – biting was just another variation of sucking for her – but she also loved this part of our sessions: where she pleasures herself while simultaneously hurting me.

After a few more painful jerks and squeezes, she rubbed my cock head against her wet, fat cunt lips. She stopped kissing me and closed her eyes as she slowly began sitting down on my cock. She was unbelievably wet, much wetter than we normally made love. But her abundance of pussy juice was not completely unusual: whenever we did something really kinky she always got super wet and super excited – particularly when I fucked her in the ass or she was torturing me. Tonight, she was very wet, but even with all that pussy juice, her cunt felt so tight and hurt as it slid down my shaft. As she bottomed out and her cervix stopped against my cock head, she kissed me again, caressed my nips, looked deep into my eyes and fucked me very gently and lovingly.

"Do you love me, Fon?"

Without hesitating, I said in the same gentle tone I'd use to say ‘I love you': "Please hurt me, Lika. Please hurt me." I wanted to say the words so badly, and I wanted to give myself to her to use for her own pleasure – either through sexual stimulation or the mental and emotional turn-on of hurting me. Gazing into my eyes, she had a look of total love for me. Her left caressed my cheek, and her right hand reached back behind her and cupped my nuts.