The African Trail Collection- Four All Time Adventure Novels

Prologue

As happens with most of the members of my generation- and not just men- Africa has occupied an important place in my imagination since childhood. At the time I read and re-read all the novels and stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Joseph Conrad, Ernest Hemingway, H. Rider Haggard, Karl May, Christopher Wren, Wilbur Smith and many others of the classic period of this genre and even today, I miss the taste of adventure with a special connotation if it took place in the once mysterious Dark Continent. Powerful names like Timbuktu or Zinderneuf evoke romantic stories of courage and danger.

Then there has been all the rich African literature and even I have written several novels and short stories that take place in Africa today, including issues of painful as ethnic cleansing, simple variants of genocide, human trafficking and modern slavery.

But I always miss the spirit of those classic African novels, which happened in imprecise geographical sites in foggy periods and with actors and events that have escaped the scrutiny of history. Is this flavor that I intend to rediscover and reproduce in An African Adventure.

Preface

For countless centuries the African continent was home to one of the most infamous human activities that have been carried out in history: the slave trade. Though the unfortunates were abducted in various parts of Africa, most of them came from a wide strip around the Equator extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Indian Ocean in the east, or approximately what today are part of the Republic Democratic of Congo, Zaire and Tanzania.

Often the slaves’ hunters were Arab merchants and warriors in collusion with native chiefs who captured and sold residents of neighboring villages with which they were permanently at war although they sometimes sold even their own people. Then the Arabs used to arrange the transportation of their victims in caravans that crossed hundreds and even thousands of miles along predetermined paths in which many of the slaves died since they were forced to walk those endless routes on foot and heavily chained to prevent them from escaping. Although there are no credible figures of the magnitude of this traffic over the centuries there is no doubt that millions of Africans suffered this sad fate.

Arab traders brought their caravans to the Indian Ocean ports that lie off the coast of the island of Zanzibar, powerful trading center which was also one of the major slave markets. From there the slaves were sold and  directed towards Arab countries, Persia and even India, where they would work as cheap labor in agricultural plantations in these countries and even serve as cannon fodder in the armies of their employers whilst women were used to work in housework or were used as concubines or prostitutes. Other routes of these caravans extended to North Africa to supply labor to the plantations of the same continent.

Later befell the expansion of the European empires around the world and in Africa in particular, so that the powers of the continent joined the infamous traffic which fed labor to their farms in the Americas and later in their own colonies in Africa, that in the late nineteenth century covered more than 10 million square miles, or a fifth of the planet's land.

One of the main routes used by caravans of slavers began in a kind of assembly center in Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika, and ran 750 miles to Bagamoyo, on the shores of the Indian Ocean off the island of Zanzibar; a large number of secondary routes to the same destination converged in the main path. Along this road can still be recognized ruins of strongholds and stations used by the Arabs in their activities.

The current population of the coastal area is an ethnic cocktail of the thousands of people who transited the route coming from across the whole African hinterland.

Eventually the slave trade was banned in most of the world in 1873, under the influence of several western nations including the British Empire, but in practice it continued to exist as an underground activity for decades and we cannot ensure it has been completely eradicated at present times. However the economic equation of slavery suffered due to the persecution and the importance of it in the world began to shrink. Merchants should then seek alternative sources of income.

During the nineteenth century ivory trade began to occupy the economic space left free by the slave trade and acquired a greater magnitude than it. Ivory in East Africa is softer than other regions, which makes it more suitable for carving and with the finding of new uses for that material Europe and America were added to the traditional ivory markets in Asia, including India and China. These two activities constitute the economic background of the events that take place in this novel.

There is also a political context in which these actions are developed. Although there were intermittent colonies of European nations in North Africa since the Roman Empire, a fast process began to develop in the nineteenth century, culminating as expressed before in the occupation of almost the entire so-called Dark Continent by the main powers of Europe. Indeed, at the end of this process in 1914, only the Ethiopian Empire and the tiny Liberia were independent nations and the rest of the vast continent was colonized by England, France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Germany.

The Berlin Conference in 1884 had the purpose to establish guidelines for the occupation of territories in Africa by the European powers, so as to limit the conflicts between them caused by the expansion of their empires. From there was born the Belgian Congo and the delimitation of the colonial areas particularly belonging to England, France and Germany.

Germany consolidated its possessions in Cameroon, German South West Africa and German East Africa.

The area where most of this novel takes place is the last of these colonies, located in the Great Lakes region of Africa, comprising areas that today belong to Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.

German East Africa 1892 (the year in which our history begins)

Dramatis Personae

Alain Garnier: French expeditionary.

Djamba: Garnier´s  Congolese assistant.

Tswamba: carrier and hunting assistant of the  manyema ethnicity.

Helmut Westkamp: Lieutenant of the Schutztruppe.

Adia: Westkamp´s native girlfriend.

Abdullah al Shamoun: Bedouin Sheik.

Alima: Abdullah´s wife.

Farrah: Daughter of Abdullah and Alima.

Fadilah: Farrah´s maid service staff.

Ahmed ben Assaff: Bedouin military leader.

Leilah: Farrah cousin.

Faisal al Khoury: Bedouin young warrior.

Karim and Nadiyah: Faisal´s father and mother.

Walaka: tribal chief of the Kamba ethnic group.

Abboud al Kader: powerful Arab leader.

Mohamed el Amin: Elder in Shamoun´s clan , and one of his advisers.

Otto von Holstein Ransburg: Colonel of the Schutztruppe, head of an expedition.

Paul von Öttling: Mayor of Schutztruppe based in Bagamoyo.

Vijay Avninder: Indian captain of a freighter in the Indian Ocean.

Captain Jean Paul Duclós: French intelligence officer in Madagascar.

Colonel Geoffroy De la Fontaine: Alain Garnier´s boss, in Franceville, Gabon.

Dimitriou Ioannidis: Captain of a Greek steamer.

Pierre Chenaut: Delegate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, based in Paris.

Glossary

Schutztruppe (German ) Forces of protection. German Colonial Army

La illahah illahah (Arabic) There is no God but Allah.

Assalaamu Alaykum: Peace be with you. Greeting.

Bismillah (Arabic): In the name of Allah.

Ya Allah (Arabic): expression of displeasure.

Tawak kalto ul Allah (Arabic): I put my faith in Allah

Boma (Swahili): palisade

Bwana (Swahili) Master, boss.

Kiji (Swahili): village

Simba (Swahili): lion, lions

Temba (Swahili): elephant, elephants.

Swala wa (Swahili): antelope.

Askari (Swahili): Native soldier.

Djellaba (Arabic): long tunic with hood and wide sleeves for male use.

Chador (Arabic): veil with which Muslim women cover their heads and part of their faces.

Nasrani (Arabic): Christian.

Manyemas, Kambas, Konongos (Swahili): Bantu ethnic groups.

Kibanda (Swahili):Cabin, hut.

Aduar: Bedouin camp, consisting of tents and huts.

Baobab: Adansonia digitata. Deciduous tree, typical of Tanzania.

Savannah: Plain, especially if it is very large and has little or no trees.

Fatwa (Arabic): Death sentence declared by a competent authority.

Tirailleurs Sénégalais (French): Regiments of the French colonial force.

Dhows (Arab): Barges, sailing cargo vessels used by the Arabs in the Red Sea, with one or more masts and lateen sails

Chapter 1

Congo Free State-1892

The man left the heavy backpack on the ground covered with grass and sat on a thick root of a large tree. He watched his men unload the packages carried on their heads and their backs and sit squatting on the floor; he marveled at the endurance of those porters who walked tens of miles with extremely heavy bundles that would exceed what a donkey could withstand. Alain hated the kind of exploitation that he had to subject these men to but to carry out his mission he had no choice. It was impossible to travel the kind of sylvan territories they were crossing with horses or donkeys. His dealings with a manyema wren had allowed him to secure the services of five porters at a reasonable cost, allowing him to carry the tents, supplies, weapons and ammunition and other elements necessary to travel through the tropical jungle and set up camps after each day journey . The men seemed submissive and obeyed the orders Alain gave them through his lieutenant. Alain watched Djamba discussing hard with the manyemas to ensure they gave the vital packages a proper treatment; the man was a native sergeant- major of the French colonial army who had been with him for five years, when fate brought them together in a patrol near Franceville, a city founded in 1875 by the Italian Count Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza in Gabon, the territory that France had obtained in the Congo basin in an international agreement between the European powers, the same one that gave the Belgian king Leopold II most of the territory that was then called Congo Free State and would later form the Belgian Congo.

The small expedition had traveled by river over most of this vast country, many times larger than Belgium, and after three months of sailing and some travel by rail in the area of the Livingstone Falls the group had left behind the Congo River and its tributaries and was now approaching Lake Tanganyika and the border with the colony named German East Africa, its true goal. Alain had mapped the details of the route they had been following and had carefully recorded them in his notebooks, but previously he had coded all relevant data in an encrypted language developed by him for the case where his notes were confiscated by any of the authorities of the sites that they were to transit. His facade was a forest technician who conducted surveys for a Belgian company looking for land suitable for planting rubber trees, that extraordinarily profitable crop originated in Brazil that King Leopold wanted to implant in the Congo State of his property. To this end Alain was carrying forged letters in three languages certifying his status as a researcher ... but Alain Garnier, a lieutenant in the colonial army of the III Third Republic, was actually a French spy.

After a short break and very reluctantly the Frenchman stood up; as soon as he saw him Djamba began to incite the manyemas to collect their packages and get on track. The small group began to walk the short distance that separated them from the great Lake Tanganyika.

UJIJI- LAKE TANGANYIKA

They descended from the canoes with which they had crossed the majestic lake and went to town, actually a tiny and miserable village, which however was the head of a long road of caravans of Arab merchants who transported all kinds of goods, including the most infamous kinds such as slaves and ivory.

Garnier decided to camp at some distance from the village to prevent getting in contact with the odors and dirt from the native huts. As he looked around the man caught sight of an Arab camp near a tree grove and a stream that flowed into the lake. As ensuring the provision of fresh water not as contaminated as the one coming from the lake was an important task, he placed his camp on the other side of the watercourse. After a few minutes two Arab dressed in their robes and turbans approached the stream and began to observe the small contingent, no doubt in order to guess the intentions of the newcomers. Djamba approached the French explorer with a casual gesture.

We're being inspected. He said.

Not only that. Those sentries are sending a message.

That message is that?

That our presence is not welcome.

What will you do about it?

Simply ignore the message. I will not let a bunch of hucksters armed with daggers and muskets drive us away.

But they are numerous and have many Bantu servers.

Even so we´ll stay.

At least let me talk to their servers. I'll try to explain that we are in transit and are not interested in their activities.

Go if you want. Nothing is lost with it.

Djamba crossed the flow of water through the narrowest part and approached one of the black men that judging by his outfit looked like an important subordinate of the Arabs, who followed him with his eyes. Alain smiled pleased by the spirit of initiative of his follower. In fact the French officer had unlimited confidence in his deputy, a man of great resources and knowledgeable about the customs of the countries in Central Africa.

The next day Djamba clapped his hands in front of Garnier´s tent in order to wake him. When the Frenchman finally answered he said.

Lieutenant, it's already five o'clock.

Well, well, I'm coming. I told you not to call me lieutenant until we get back to Franceville. Have the men rekindle the fire to prepare breakfast.

They were working in the camp for a couple of hours rearranging the packages according to the needs of the next few days and mending the tents damaged by the prolonged use and contact with vegetation in countless previous camps. Alain proceeded to clean and condition the rifles and shotguns and preparing cartridges for the latter.

We are running out of meat. Djamba told him. You should go hunting to replenish our stock.

All right. Tell Tswamba to be prepared. We´ll leave after noon taking  advantage that today is not so hot.

Tswamba was one of the manyemas, with a special ability as a scout and an instinct for finding hunting prey.

After an early lunch Tswamba and Garnier set off into the forest north of Ujiji, following the shore of Lake Tanganyika. To do this they had to cross the stream and get closer to the Arab camp with its white pointed tents; the Lieutenant saw the two sentries armed with muskets following their activities, particularly attentive when they saw that the approaching men were also armed. Alain decided to ignore once again the implied threats looking away from the men on guard. Involuntarily his eyes scanned the tents and suddenly focused on a slender female figure dressed entirely in white; the French knew enough of Arab garb and immediately realized that by the richness of the dress she was a lady of importance in her social environment; squinting Alain tried to observe her face but the midday sun at its zenith in the equatorial location dazzled him preventing to achieve his purpose. He felt someone touching his arm and realized that Tswamba was cautiously pulling his sleeve pointing at the two guards who were approaching in a hostile manner.

Garnier and his companion continued their course and the two Arabs returned to their control location. The Frenchman was visibly affected by the fleeting feminine appearance and his attitude showed it very clearly.

Beautiful.Said Tswamba.

Surprised by the comment Alain turned to his companion.

What did you say?

The Arab woman. She is beautiful.

Could you see her well? The question was actually rhetoric.

The manyema nodded.

Garnier smiled once again both surprised and pleased. He recalled with contempt those imbeciles in Paris who wondered seriously if blacks have soul.

Garnier and Tswamba spent almost two full days exploring the lakeshore and surroundings seeking adequate game prey to provide food to the small contingent during the subsequent days. Both men flayed and cut the slices of meat from a young antelope to make sure they would not carry unnecessary burdens to the camp and then started back. As they were approaching the stream near which their group had camped Tswamba pointed to the opposite shore.

The Arabs. Gone! Exclaimed with his limited vocabulary.

Alain felt a pinch in his gut. Since he had glimpsed her in passing he had made a point of looking at the face of the young Arab lady and now she had vanished into the jungle. The man already knew the customs of nomadic caravans of Arab merchants and thought that the chances to meet the woman again in the vastness of the African savannah were almost nil. It would have been only a momentary reverie.

Tswamba took him again out of his abstraction and the Frenchman followed his steps toward the place where the Arabs had once raised their tents and was now completely desolate. The manyema pointed at marks on the floor.

There! Elephants.

Alain looked at the place his companion was pointing and saw on the loose soil the unmistakable marks left by elephant tusks that had undoubtedly been stacked on the floor before.

So they are ivory traffickers! Muttered to him.

In the depths of his psyche Garnier had trouble reconciling the pure image of the woman that his eye had caught with the well known predatory activity of elephant hunters.

Chapter 2

Tanganyika

German East Africa

On the previous day Garnier and his group had abandoned the camp on the shores of Lake Tanganyika; the road was clearly defined in the middle of the forest probably by the frequent transit of mourning caravans of slaves and their captors, so that the travelers were proceeding apace. At a bend in the road, Tswamba, who was always in the forefront, suddenly raised his hand indicating his companions that they should stop immediately. Garnier cocked his rifle in anticipation of danger but it was too late. A number of men armed with rifles trained on them unexpectedly emerged from the trees along the trail.

Ascaris. Mused Djamba.

The second in command was referring to the disciplined native troops of the German colonial army, which years later would be distinguished in combat during World War II.

Knowing that resistance was useless Garnier lowered his rifle and told his men to leave the packages on the ground. After a few moments two white men with uniforms and helmets of the Schutztruppe, the German colonial army, appeared at the nearby bend in the road . They were a dapper young officer with the rank of lieutenant and a burly sergeant with a big blond mustache.

I'm Lieutenant Helmut Westkamp.  The young man identified himself  speaking directly in French, with a strong German  accent. Who are you and what are you doing in this region?

"My name Alain Garnier, I am a forestry technician and am locating good sites to clear and later reforest with Hevea brasiliensis. I work for a Belgian company that also has connections with other German companies."

In saying this Alain extended some documents certifying his identity and mentioning his Belgian nationality and letters of presentation signed by the alleged Belgian company asking that their representative be given free passage and protection by the authorities of the places where they circulated.

"Hevea brasiliensis.  I see, that is the rubber tree." Said the German officer.

Alain was quite surprised by the fact that a military knew the scientific name of the tree he had mentioned but assumed that with all the publicity the rubber tree was having on the world as the new big business of the torrid regions, Westkamp could have heard the term; this surprise would not be the last he was to receive from the officer. The German started then asking some questions about the exploitation of rubber, with the obvious purpose of corroborating the story he was hearing, but Garnier was well prepared to answer them. He was well aware that raising doubts meant being apprehended as a spy which in those times and in that region could mean being shot by a firing Ascari platoon.

Westkamp finally seemed satisfied with the interrogation.

Well. And what are your next steps?

We're going to continue along this path until we reach the Indian Ocean.

It’s a more than 1200 kilometers ride.

We have a whole year to complete our study. Anyway we will not stay away of the caravans trails.

So you will follow the footsteps of the slaves and ivory traders. The German´s face showed distaste, which seemed a good sign to Garnier.

Yes, they are the only geographical references we have.

And what will you do in the immediate future?

Set up a camp, the night is advancing fast in the jungle.

Well, we will escort you to our barracks. You may place your tents there and be safe from the beasts of twos and fours that infest these forests. Follow us! The lieutenant momentarily stepped away but then turned back to look at Alain and added.

Tonight you will be my guest for dinner. We do not get many visits from white men around here. Do you accept?

With pleasure.

At seven is right?

At seven.

The small contingent followed the officers and the Ascaris until they eventually reached a small native village, which included a military post, a church and a larger building, all surrounded by a wall of logs. Westkamp led the visitors into the village and showed them the most relevant constructions

This is the school. Expressed Westkamp pointing to one bricks and mortar building.

School? For whom?

For the black children. Germany takes seriously its civilizing role. The tone used by the officer evinced pride. Otherwise our presence on these sites would make no sense.

The statement surprised Alain, who had only seen greed in the actions of the colonizers, and even brutality in the case of the Belgians, who were accused of being responsible for countless killings and mutilations. He realized that the German was sincere but wondered whether he was naïve or had been brainwashed before arriving in Africa. The Frenchman shook his head in order to keep his own cynical thoughts away.

Garnier and his followers raised their small camp on the outskirts of the village, and therefore were not really protected by the stockade that surrounded it, but the bonfires lit every hundred meters and the sentries patrolling the boundaries provided a sense of security that they had been missing for weeks. Minutes before seven Garnier, already washed and shaved, showed up at the town gate. The sentries, no doubt warned of his coming, let him cross the door without asking any questions. The order and cleanliness prevailing everywhere surprised the visitor so accustomed to chaos and grime of native hamlets of Africa. He went without hesitation to the building that served as headquarters of the reduced garrison. As soon as he stroke the wooden door with his knuckles it was opened immediately by a Ascari dressed with an impeccable uniform, who led him to a large room where a large table surrounded by a dozen chairs, and two armchairs around a small table and some shelves with books stood out. Alain walked unhesitatingly toward the shelves and avidly took several of the books in his hands, placing them afterwards in another small table. As he expected most of the books were written in German, but there were also some written in French and in English. Garnier was completely absorbed in his reading when he heard a slight cough behind him; turning around he found Westkamp who had likely been watching him for some time.

Excuse me ... Sputtered Garnier a bit confused. But I haven´t held a book in my hands for months. I found their touch pleasant.

Please take your time, look all you want. I know what you mean. This tiny library is my treasure.

Alain was leafing through a treaty of Thermodynamics in German and his host asked.

Are you familiar with the principles of Thermodynamics?

Yes, although I have some doubts about the scope of the second principle. I find it confusing Clausius´ statement based on the experiences of Carnot.

Do you know the concept of entropy?

Yes, I find the second principle clearer when expressed in these terms.

Garnier left the treaty of Thermodynamics on the shelf and explored the bottom shelf until he suddenly came upon a worn book on whose cover he read.

Das Kapital

Karl Marx

The discovery astounded him; finding such a book in a German barracks in the middle of the African jungle was indeed something totally unexpected.

What has called your attention? Asked Westkamp; Alain noticed that for the first time he was talking to him in a colloquial way.

The First volume of Marx's Capital.

Have you read it?

No, but I am aware of its conclusions.

Thus insensibly the barriers between these two men belonging to two different nations that over time had been and would remain rivals and even enemies began to break. Indeed, each of them owned a broad culture in their time with many points of contact. In their chat both young men discovered similarities and differences in each other´s points of view, warmly sustained in their somewhat unlikely discussions in the middle of the African rainforest. A native servant well dressed and wearing white gloves suddenly appeared at the door. Seeing him Westkamp interrupted his sentence and said.

Alain. Dinner is ready. Let´s eat and then we can continue this talk.

After dinner the German offered Garnier a cigar and both men smoked sitting in their armchairs, discussing the realities of the policies of the colonial powers in Africa. At one point Helmut rose from his chair and said.

Come, come with me. Let's leave the barracks and go to a house I own in this village.

Do you have a house in the village? That does surprise me.

Both young men left the military building and walked a few hundred meters to a brick house with a roof of metal sheet, one of the few built in that way with the exception of the church and the school. Helmut entered the construction followed by Alain. Several kerosene lamps lit the room that looked ample and comfortable. As she heard the sounds of the arriving men an African young woman appeared at the door of what was obviously the kitchen. Tall and slender, with a blackened skin, harmonious face and bright eyes, the lady was dressed in a robe of bright colors with a typical African design; her overall type was elegant and delicate.

Alain. Let me introduce you to Adia, she is ... my fiancée.

The revelation caused great surprise to the Frenchman, along with a certain admiration for his new friend. In the late nineteenth century this claim was totally unusual, particularly coming from an army officer trained at the Prussian school. Alain approached her, took the woman's hand and formally kissed it.

The name Adia means gift of the gods. Helmut reported.

Totally justified. Replied Garnier making the women blush.

Adia turned out to be an educated person, from a princely family in the area, and had studied in religious schools in Dar-es- Salaam. She was serving as a teacher in the local school and provided help in an emergency room in town. Her conversation was fresh and vivid, a completely new experience for Alain in relation to an African woman.

The visit lasted long hours until finally Helmut said.

Well, we must leave now as Adia has to open the school early morning and I must go on patrol with my men.

On reaching his camp Alain saw Djamba was still awake.

You´re not waiting for me, are you?

Yes I am! I got anxious about your tardiness. I did not know what those Germans could do to you.

Garnier could not help  laughing.

Thanks Mama.

Three days after the pleasant evening with Westkamp, Garnier and his men left the protection offered by the village and went into the savannah that covers much of this part of Eastern Africa. Their goal was to travel north toward the distant Lake Victoria, instead of reaching directly the Indian Ocean to the east. The landscape alternated thick forest patches still existing at that time with the prairies where tree cover does not form a continuous canopy, but baobabs and other species are relatively far apart. Politically they were heading from Tanganyika under German rule towards the British possessions in Kenya and Uganda, which however were still far north.

One day at noon Tswamba, who, as scout usually walked ahead in order to explore the way, returned quite excited and mumbled something that, as often happened, Alain failed to understand. The manyema then addressed Djamba and spoke in Swahili. The latter smiled and approached Garnier.

Lieutenant, Tswamba brought news that will please you.

I told you not to call me lieutenant, at least in German territory, because it can cost us our necks. Well, what are this news?

A few kilometers north the Arabs we first found in Ujiji have camped.

The news brought joy indeed to the Frenchman, who however pretended to be unaffected.

And why would that please me? In Ujiji they pointed their muskets at us every time we approached.

But there is also the Arab girl.

Damned African gossipers. Mind your own domestic affairs and not mine.

That said Garnier turned around so that his men would not see the smile on his face. He sighed and thought.

Chapter 3

In the Aduar

Abdullah al Shamoun breathed deeply. He had opened the fabric door of his tent and watched the aduar in its entirety. A hundred tents and more than three hundred kibandas housed the contingent of human beings under his command, in total about six hundred Arabs of both sexes and one thousand men and women belonging to different Bantu ethnic groups that in his long travel throughout East Africa had remained as his subjects. Among them there were two hundred forty warriors trained by his side and put in command of his deputy Ahmed ben Assaff, whom he had found as a young child wandering alone in the vastness of the savannah, and who was selected as the husband of his only daughter Farrah and to succeed Abdullah in the position of head of the human group that followed him. The patriarch had found in Ahmed the conditions he was looking for in a leader: serenity, courage and ruthlessness.

Abdullah was pleased with the result of the last elephant hunt concluded the previous day. More than one hundred fifty tusks were stored in a pit dug in the middle of the aduar, guarded night and day by armed sentries. The proceeds from its sale would allow the Sheik to live comfortably the following months until he could organize the next expedition. He let out a sound of satisfaction.

"Bismillah! I just need two more years like this."

Father The sound startled Abdullah because it took him out of his abstractions but he immediately recognized the voice of Farrah, his eldest daughter and the apple of his eye.

Yes, my daughter. I´m listening to you.

I'm going out with Fadilah. We´ll be riding along the nearby prairie. Fadilah was the exclusive maid at Farrah´s service.

Are you going to stay away too long? In that case let Faisal ride with you and Fadilah. Faisal al Khoury was a warrior who dealt almost exclusively with the protection of Abdullah and his family.

Well, Father, it will be done as you wish.

The three youngsters rode at a trotting pace  admiring the savannah covered by flowers and chatting casually. Faisal was secretly in love with Fadilah and looked askance at her every so often, producing a blush on the cheeks of the girl. Farrah pretended to ignore what was happening around her but thought that when they were alone, she would ask Fadilah about the progress of the man advances.

The three riders went a long way without realizing that they were entering a closed wooded area located in a wide depression in the ground. The horses looked askance at their sides but had no choice other than following the direction imposed by their riders.

The first to realize it was Faisal, who casually observed the movement in the tall grass on the right side of the path they were going through. He uttered a cry of alarm and tried to take the old rifle hanging from the saddle but his horse suddenly sped up not giving the man  a chance to regain control of it. The lion jumped on the open side of the road and rushed to the horses ridden by Farrah and Fadilah, who terrorized bucked and changed course. The animal ridden by Fadilah stood on his hind legs dropping its rider who fell to the ground. The girl cried in despair when she saw the huge wild beast advance on her. Faisal had finally controlled his horse and returned with the gun ready to fire. The improbable shot went well wide as the rider galloped toward the target without being able to take aim. The blast produced by the shot however alarmed the lion who circumstantially separated from Fadilah and faced the new enemy that was approaching it. He jumped on the hapless steed tearing its chest with its claws. Faisal and the horse rolled on the ground. The lion passed over the belly of the dead horse and threw itself on the rider. In a desperate attempt Faisal raised the long rifle and used it to spear the beast, with the good fortune to stick it in its mouth. Sore and angry the lion turned the gun away with a blow of his paw but the dagger that the man had drawn from its scabbard made a deep cut on its leg. At that time the beast heard a nearby whine and feeling sure to have Faisal at its mercy turned to take care of a second victim. Farrah had fallen from her horse and was on the ground but the brave animal had returned to shelter its master overcoming the terror that certainly the lion inspired in him. Seeing two new victims under its control the lion lowered its huge head and approached preparing the somersault that would certainly kill them. Farrah, unable to utter a sound prepared for the inevitable attack of the lion and closed her eyes.

The two shots came from the deep forest although their sounds were muffled by the frond. The beast that was ready to jump collapsed with two wounds on its face, one produced by a bullet that had flown away its left eye and penetrated deep into the brain, the surest way to kill a wild animal of large size, a shot that requires either unerring aim or a large dose of luck.

An unexpected silence followed the previous extreme agitation. Farrah still covered her face