A Cleft Of Stars

CHAPTER TWELVE

After our return to the root screen I checked the command post again with the glasses before beginning the food-lift operation. I was uneasy about von Praeger, of whom there was no sign. The place was too far away for him to be able to distinguish individuals but it would be possible for him to see figures moving about, and the nature of our various movements might have aroused his suspicion. I did not want anything to foil our main plan now that we had firmly decided upon it. After a couple of minutes the bright, hard light hurt my eyes too much for me to go on looking; moreover the heat waves reduced the outlines of the rock to vagueness. Nadine also took a long look but could see nothing. Somewhat reassured, we crossed to the camping-spot and quickly loaded the gunny sack which was our sole container with a manageable weight of supplies for the stiff climb. We reckoned they would last us about five days if rationed carefully. I was of two minds about Koen's machine-pistol. It was too heavy and cumbersome to take along and yet it was a big risk leaving it I didn't want to smash it in case I should find a spare magazine when we broke into the command-post; something which would completely alter the balance of power in our favour. I compromised by removing the empty clip and part of the firing mechanism, which I pocketed.

Koen, lying at the foot of the stairway, still showed no signs of consciousness. We left him there and started off, Nadine leading and carrying his boots to stash away in some rocky niche high up out of sight and reach. She outdistanced me but waited at the tricky section which had been Koen's downfall. We worked through this bit together; then she went on ahead to the top.

This was new territory to me and I became strongly aware of that sense of being watched which had struck me previously, as if the long-dead sentries' eyes had burned something of the intensity of their vigil into the rocks themselves. This impression was heightened by the sight of the empty ladder-sockets cut into the rock on either side of the passageway; the rungs had apparently been removable when danger threatened in order to isolate the summit to withstand siege. My idea of the radiator grille was a variation on this same theme. There was also another sensation — less tangible and a little chilling — especially where the ascent straightened out for the final few yards. I imagined that a pilgrim seeking oracular guidance from the great king would have felt it strongly: something vaguely ominous and awe-inspiring about the threatening dark jaws of the cliffs on either hand. I also thought grimly of the other side of the coin — if one had come in the role of an attacker-above me were several piles of stone missiles stacked ready and a natural slot between giant boulders guarding the head of the stairway where bowmen could have fired into the faces of any enemy who got that far. On the very edge of the cliff top there was also a man-made fortification, terminating in a tall stone pillar. Nadine did not hear me reach the summit; she was standing staring abstractedly at what appeared to be an irregular pyramid-shaped heap of bright, small stones of the kind I had seen below the river terrace. Some of them reflected colour from blue and green inset crystals. It was a puzzling little edifice whose purpose I couldn't guess.

The tabletop ran away at a slight incline, bare and smooth, to the north-western cliffs; and here and there it was intersected by untidy trenches dug by the archaeologists to probe its mysteries. The end near the queen's grave looked like a miniature version of the Lichtenburg diggings but near where I emerged there was only one excavation, running steeply through the cap of soil to the solid rock beneath. A red and white excavator's staff, marked in feet, projected from the bottom like a wrecked ship's mast.

Nadine started from her reverie as I approached and I noticed that she flushed slightly.

She indicated the staff. 'Our hideout's down there. There are a couple of chambers, all at a lower level. They have a natural rock ceiling, so where we go in is actually the top part of an old door. As you can see, there's been very little work done.'

'Are you sure it's safe? It looks a bit spooky to me. No wild animals holed up? What about baboons?'

'Let's investigate: there weren't any last time.'

'Before we do that I'm going to check on von Praeger.'

The declining afternoon light tended to iron out all the shadows against the distant slopes of K2, making it harder than ever to pick out the command-post. I had a grandstand view as I faced southwards across the wadi and overlooked the complex of hills beyond. I thought I spotted something moving when eventually I located the post but I couldn't be sure.

'Nothing,' I told Nadine when I rejoined her. 'It somehow seems too good to be true.'

Nadine, however, was in high spirits and didn't share my uneasiness.

'Feel better?' I asked.

Our eyes met. There was almost no need for words. 'I'm at home here. I feel. . good, that's all.'

She took me impulsively by the hand. 'There's no time to show you all the wonderful things but there's one of our essentials — the spring, at the back of the rooms.'

'And the baboons?'

'Their rest colony is farther along beyond the spring itself. They don't seem to want to shelter here, for some reason. Come!'

She insisted on leading the way into the dimness below. I didn't share her confidence about the place not being used as a lair. She used the top of the lintel as a handhold and swung down. I followed. The interior was twilight-dim, although a shaft of long light made it possible to see without artificial means. It was chilly by comparison with outside and there was a faint odour of midden gas. Floor and walls were of living rock and there was room to stand comfortably. In a far corner was what appeared to be a patch of moisture, probably seepage from the spring.

Nadine was delighted that I could not locate her hide-away.

'It really takes a lot of looking for,' she said. 'It's right there below the drip. It mightn't be man-made but simply a water fissure which has widened out with time'

I went to examine it more closely, my mind occupied with its possibilities, so was not aware of the mosaic pavement until I trod on it.

But to me it wasn't a mosaic pavement at all — it was an isifuba board.

Isifuba is a game as old as Africa. It can be played anywhere, any time, simply by crudely sketching a squared board as for draughts. Pebbles are used as pieces. Isifuba, it is said, was the game the Roman soldiers played at the foot of the Cross. If there are no wayside shrines in Africa, at least the traveller's road is cheered by innumerable isifuba boards scratched in the rocks and distinguishable immediately by slightly hollowed places for the pieces.

However, I could not imagine the purpose of such an ornate and sophisticated isifuba board hidden out of sight in an underground chamber. It was about three feet square; which to begin with is about twice the size of a regular board. It had three squares each way and every hollow seemed inlaid with a different coloured stone, and one was missing entirely. They could have been semi-precious but I wasn't sure: the dim light and a layer of dust didn't help.

'What do you make of it, Guy?'

'I'm foxed. It isn't a mosaic in the usual sense.'

'I suspect this is what brought Dr Drummond rushing up here after the Land Rover business.'

'Didn't he give you any clue as to what these stones really were?'

'No. He was puzzled, but from the way he spoke I'd say it was a lead to something else.'

'A lead to what?'

'He didn't say. As I told you, this chamber hasn't been examined properly: there wasn't time. All I know is that Dr Drummond found a lot of rather peculiar-looking arrow shafts in here made of ivory, which he took away with him. They were very short and had odd markings. That's why he called this place the armoury, for want of a better name.'

'Let's take a close look at your hideout and get this stuff stowed. I have a feeling that Praeger is breathing down our necks all the time.'

'He's miles away, Guy. Try this gap for size.'

The way into the cubby-hole was a very tight squeeze past a jag of sandstone. Because of the loose debris it was virtually undetectable.

Standing jammed across the entrance, I pitched a tin from the gunny sack into the inkiness. As I did so there was a sharp prick in my shoulder and what seemed to be a clatter at my feet; simultaneously I heard what I thought was a distant shot. From the darkness I caught a gleam of mother-of- pearl.

'Nadine! Stand back! It's a puff-adder! It got me in the shoulder!'

For a split second we stood rooted, but her eyes were better than mine in the poor light.

Her voice shadowed the curiosity inside her. 'Puff-adders aren't made of ivory!'

She picked up the thing and we hurried to the light. It was a curious gauntlet-like object cut off above the knuckles and thumb-hole and with a wicked, backswept hook at the wrist. Its sharp point had jabbed me. The lethal glove had been carved from solid elephant tusk.

Nadine was delighted. 'Guy, what a find! It must be an archer's arm-guard to prevent backlash from the bow-string!'

I slipped it on. 'No,' I replied. 'It's much more dangerous. Look!' I made a dummy sweep with my arm. 'It's meant for in-fighting.'

The echo of a far away shot slapped through the hills. This time I knew I was not mistaken and Nadine heard it too. '

That's von Praeger's signal — he wants Koen back.' 'It's our turn to be grilled, Guy.'

'We haven't any means of bluffing him by giving an answer ing signal. When Koen doesn't reply he'll know there's something wrong. Let's leave this for the moment and take a look outside.'

'I'll hide the arm-guard right here by the door.'

I hurried ahead of Nadine and once outside I heard a repetition of the three signal shots from the direction of K2. They sounded like the Mauser.

'Keep down and well out of sight. Even if Praeger's a very long way away,' I warned Nadine, 'he'll be looking for any sign of movement.'

We crept to the cliff under cover of the wall and I used the glasses. K2 looked the same as before. When my eyes became fogged Nadine took over.

We waited.

'He's coming!'

'Where,' for God's sake!'

'He's just leaving the post — starting to move across the bad bit above the precipice.

She pushed the binoculars into my hands. Praeger was crossing very slowly on the handlines, guiding his pet by its mane. Rankin's Mauser was slung over his shoulder and I reckoned he'd be armed with his pistol too.

'If that damn brute would only slip and break its neck a lot of our problems would be over,' I remarked.

Nadine took a look. 'He's being very careful, Guy. That animal gives me the horrors.'

'It's a nasty piece of work, but don't overrate it. Hyenas are natural cowards and no amount of training will beat that.' '

He'll use it to track us down.'

'It's not a dog, Nadine: it only found us last time by following a trail of blood. And it can't climb — that's another point in our favour. Above all, like all wild animals, it's afraid of fire. A chunk of burning wood should be enough to scare it off. My Molotov cocktail would probably send it skidding over the nearest horizon.'

'He's across now, Guy! He's heading our way!'

I checked the height of the sun and the time and calculated how long von Praeger would take to cross the wadi.

'Good! This is a break we didn't expect. Now we don't have to winkle him out of the command-post.'

Nadine was very taut. 'Are you just going to stay here and wait?'

'Not on your nellie, as Koen would say. We're getting across there and bringing Rankin out. 'This is our golden opportunity.'

'He'll see us! He can't help it. It's still hours before dark!'

'Right. He'll reach The Hill before nightfall. But we're moving out — now. He can't possibly see us descending the stairway. Once we're down we'll work our way between the boulders and fallen rubbish westwards, as I did when I escaped from Rankin. Look down there at the long shadows. We'll use 'em. We'll have to choose our moment very carefully, though, so as to stay out of sight while negotiating the terrace wall.'

'If he spots us from a distance he'll send Dika to cut us off.' '

Dika will never manage the drop off the terrace. I half wish it would try. I'd like to get close to that brute with a firebomb.'

Nadine continued to be apprehensive, 'Are you sure it will work, Guy? What if he sights us when we cross the wadi?'

'We wait for darkness before we do cross. Until then we hide amongst the rocks.'

What's the time?'

'Nearly four.'

'Three hours until dark! He'll be here at The Hill long before that!'

'We'll buy extra time by making him search for Koen,' I replied. 'I'll gag Koen and hide him in my holkrans sandsteen shelter. Praeger must find him eventually, of course, but it will take time.'

'I've got butterflies in my stomach already.'

'Let's go,' I said. 'Once we have Rankin, we're on our way.' '

Where to, Guy? In the river, or back here? What about food?'

'There's a little left which we can stretch for the river trip. We'll pick that up now. As I see it, The Hill falls out of our plan. We strike for the river during the night as fast as we can manage with Rankin to carry. There's nothing to bring us back here.'

She didn't respond and I looked at her sharply.

'I'm just being silly I suppose, darling, but I feel rather let down that The Hill isn't part of it.'

'It's the cut of the cards, I'm afraid. Now fetch the gunnysack and we'll be on our way.'

While she went for it I kept tab on Praeger moving with antlike deliberation down the K2 path. He was taking his time and I noticed that he carried the Mauser at the ready. I checked again on the sun. The light wasn't sharp but sickly and hazed and it appeared as if the high cloud cover had thickened during the day. The heat remained overpowering in spite of it, but there was also a new, added feeling of oppressiveness. It was as if everything was cringing away, waiting for something to happen.

During the descent we both had to hold ourselves back from rushing it and courting unnecessary risks. Praeger seemed to our over-anxious eyes to be making fast progress, whereas, in fact, he was not. He too wasted time by checking frequently in the bush about him. I was careful to keep my lenses out of the sun for fear of a giveaway flash.

By the time we reached the root cage we were completely exhausted. Koen was still unconscious, though he groaned when I moved him to tie his hands more securely. Then I bundled him unceremoniously into the holkrans sandsteen shelter, removed his shirt and tore off a wide strip to gag him with. As a further precaution I used some of the material as a running noose round his neck and secured it to a stone. The idea was that if he moved his head or upper body the noose would choke him; if he kept still he would come to no harm. While I was busy with Koen Nadine crawled on hands and knees to the camping-spot and collected the remaining pro-visions. We met again in the root cage, both tense.

'How's von Praeger progressing?' she asked.

'Slower than-expected. He's not reached the edge of the wadi yet. He's like a cat on hot bricks about being ambushed.'

'He couldn't have watched us crossing in the first place or he'd have known that Koen was all right up to the point where he himself is now.'

We exchanged a glance of unspoken fear for Rankin. Nadine said with a shudder, 'I think he tortures for kicks, Guy.'

'More than ever I wish I had some ammunition for this gun of Koen's. But since I haven't, I'm in two minds about taking it. An empty gun may bluff a human but it won't frighten Dika. It's fire we need for her.'

As I reluctantly shouldered the M-25. and the tyre lever, I saw a possible answer in the form of a dried branch of the fig tree. This soft wood would flare up if we needed it in a hurry. We'd each carry a piece of it and if Dika attacked we'd light it and keep her at bay. I hacked off two lengths but retained the machine-pistol.

Then we set off, moving cautiously from rock to rock. Von Praeger began the wadi crossing, obviously following our tracks in the sand, for he headed towards the first blocked-off gully which we had been unable to get through. I was pleased at the thought that this would mean a further delay for him. We moved as quickly as we dared, certain that we had not been spotted. When we arrived at The Hill's westernmost limit we had the benefit of the deep shadow cast by the tabletop while Praeger was open to view in full sun plodding across the wadi, Dika at his side.

By the time we reached a point where we considered it safe to descend from the terrace, von Praeger was lost to view. We didn't attempt to force one of the wire-blocked gullies but plumped for an unguarded spot which offered likely-looking rock holds for the 30-foot drop. We pitched our gear and the M-25 on to the sand below and were about to start our climb down when von Praeger's signal shots echoed again through the hills.

'He's very worried about Koen,' I remarked. 'I'll see what he's up to now.'

I crawled back a short distance with my binoculars until I could see him. He had stopped, and was staring at The Hill. His pockets bulged.

'I might as well ditch the machine-pistol,' I told Nadine when I returned to her side. 'Praeger seems to have all the spare ammunition.'

'They seem to have all the cards, Guy. I daren't even think what might happen if von Praeger catches us.'

'He won't. In a couple of hours it'll be completely dark. We'll hole up until then.'

She glanced up at the soaring tabletop.

'I felt safe up there. It's like abandoning a friend.'

I looked into her eyes. 'We'll come back when this is over, I promise you.'

She did not reply, so I said gently, 'This is the only way, you know.'

It was a difficult rather than a dangerous descent, the main hazard being the crumbly sandstone which several times nearly let us down but eventually we reached the bottom safely. A temporary hiding place was provided by a huge rock close to the edge of the wadi. We lay face down in the sand behind it until the sun went down. Although we had lost sight of Praeger, we knew that by now he must hold the advantage of height on the terrace: his present position and ours were reversed.

I finally got rid of the M-25 by burying it deep in the sand. We had a drink of water and set off across the wadi, heading for the same group of hills which had sheltered me from Rankin and following approximately the same course. After a time Nadine asked, 'What when the moon comes up? Surely the light will give us away?'

'We must reach the post before then. We're making good time.'

I aimed to pick up hard ground on the K2 side of the wadi and then make our way quickly parallel to The Hill until we struck Rankin's path to the command-post which both we and Praeger had used. As we progressed farther into the thick sand our fig-tree branches became a nuisance, and I was considering abandoning them also like the machine-pistol, when the chilling laugh of a hyena echoed through the still night. It appeared to come from The Hill.

Nadine stopped in her tracks. 'Dika! It's Dika, Guy!' '

There are scores of other hyenas about,' I comforted her. 'It's not necessarily Praeger's.'

The sobbing scream echoed and re-echoed again.

'They sound worse than they really are,' I went on. 'They're not near enough for us to worry about.'

We trudged on but Nadine remained apprehensive as a general chorus got under way. It was impossible to pinpoint where any one scream originated because of the cross-echoes. After what seemed an interminable time the going underfoot started to harden and we knew we were across. Then some dead trees loomed and we changed direction, using them as cover to work our way eastwards towards where we knew Rankin's path must intersect our course. The Hill blanked out a slice of star-horizon; we could not distinguish it clearly beyond a dark looming mass.

'Guy,' observed Nadine. 'There's no light in the command post.'

I didn't want to let my fears regarding Rankin run away with me. 'Perhaps Rankin's in his cave. A light wouldn't show. The whole place is too high to see from our present angle anyway.'

'I don't like it,' she said, — with a shiver.

'We'll know pretty soon what's happening. We should hit the path any moment now. Praeger and Koen seem to be keeping mighty low, too.'

'Do you think Koen's come round by now?'

'Sure to have. He'll be after our blood for sure.'

'What if the two of them are also heading for Rankin's cave?'

We've got a good start. By the time we reach the cave the moon will be up. We're bound to sight them crossing the wadi — if they are.'

Despite our long trudge, Nadine managed to put on speed. We kept on for a while but then I began to worry that we might overshoot the path. The sky was somewhat lighter in anticipation of the approaching moonrise, but we dared not risk showing a light. However, our anxiety vanished when we found the big rock where we had sold Koen the phoney treasure story. We gave ourselves a short rest and then set off on the steep climb. It took longer than we had expected and by the time we reached the top the moon was above the horizon. By its light we found the plane's wheels for our litter, and some strut wire. As we suspected, the tyres had been destroyed but the wheels themselves were undamaged. The command-post lay in a shadow unbroken by any gleam of light.

'It's too easy!' Nadine said in a low voice. 'I don't like it, Guy. Something's wrong.'

'Let's get up higher where we can see down into the post.' '

Look, the door's open!'

The handlines, we saw, were still in position and our uneasiness grew. We made a circuit to reach higher ground. The Hill became visible as the moon grew stronger but of Praeger and Koen there was no sign. We were feeling our way over the rough going when I stumbled over a mound of earth. There was no mistaking its grave-shape.

'Oh God!' cried Nadine.

I took her by the arm and led her away.

'Peter — or Rankin?' she whispered.

'We'll soon find out.'

The better vantage position did not in fact provide the answer: the enclosure was deserted and the cave mouth was a black shadow. Yet the weak light and deep shadows made it impossible to pick out any details.

'I'm going in, Nadine.'

'No, Guy, it might be a trap.'

'I must risk it. Rankin's the key to everything.'

'Is-or was?'

If that's Rankin — ' I jerked my head in the direction of the mound — 'it changes everything. If it isn't, our original plan stands and we've got to get him out.'

I checked the wick of my improvised bomb and tested my cigarette lighter behind my hand to see if it was sparking properly.

'Do you see anything at The Hill, Nadine? Your eyes are better than mine.'

'No.. ' she replied, a little uncertainly. 'No, Guy, nothing. Von Praeger couldn't have doubled back and arrived here before us, could he?'

'He could, but it's unlikely.

'Don't go, Guy.'

'I must, my darling.'

'I'm coming too'

'I'd rather you stayed.'

'The whole plan's ours, not yours or mine.'

'Is this still the way you want it?'

'Yes. We could have run after we fixed Koen. We didn't.' I gave her the tyre lever. 'We won't want the truncheons: Dika's not here.'

She shivered and kept silent. We made our way quickly and quietly to the old wall and the rock crossing. The half-open door was unnerving; it beckoned yet repelled. We used the handlines and trod silently. When we reached the door I eased it wide and paused but there was neither sound nor movement. We gave it a few minutes and then, with the bomb at the ready, I led the way inside. The place was deserted; utterly silent.

We had begun to make our way towards the cave entrance when a subdued moan came from the interior. We froze, but when it was repeated we felt our way inside the kinked entrance until I was sure that a light could not be detected from the outside.

I flicked on my lighter: the tiny flame; by emphasizing the shadows, made Rankin's face look worse than it probably was. It was hideously pulped and his lips were swollen; he had dragged himself along the floor and had stripped off his bandages in doing so, leaving a blood-stained trail. He was spreadeagled on his chest with his right hand extended, the fist clenched, and the left doubled under him.

I knelt down and held the light close to his eyes. '

Rankin! It's Bowker — Guy Bowker!'

He moaned again and his face tied in a spasm.

'Water — quick!' I said to Nadine, who stood stunned at the sight. 'No, wait, he's trying to speak.'

Something incomprehensible bubbled from his lips but neither Nadine nor I could make it out.

His head did not seem able to support its own weight and fell sideways in my hand. I thought he was dead but he managed to speak, and this time we understood.

'They were cut diamonds, Guy — from The Hill.' Both of us craned towards him and we heard his next words distinctly. '

The hyena's blanket.'

'What does it mean, Rankin? What does it mean?' He tried to articulate again but it was lost.

'Water! Get some water, Nadine!'

She rose and he threw out his arm in a sort of jerky, uncontrolled movement as if to stop her and something fell out of his fist and rolled out of range of the tiny light. I had an inspiration. I passed Nadine the lighter and got the top off Koen's half-jack. We tipped back Rankin% head and poured some of the strong liquor into his mouth. He didn't open his eyes but said in a weak, faltering voice. '

It's the way in … the King's Messenger takes you there. We couldn't get him to speak again, and ten minutes later he died. We found a lantern and watched him die without being able to do anything for him. After the final death-rattle we searched the floor for the thing which had fallen from his hand and found it easily because it shone faintly with a curious glow.

It was a large dark blue hexagonal bead.