Once Upon the Congo

by Applewhite, Claire; Harper, Chap

  Chapter 28

  Bahati

  The middle-aged woman would not stop screaming. The skinny soldier struck a back-handed blow to her face. Her sobs and whimpers pleased the soldier, although he encountered some difficulty in his attempts to enter her. She was naked except for the dress bunched up around her waist, which had been pulled down from the top and pushed up from the bottom.

  “Play with her anties while you fok her. You mompie—stick you piel in de poes,” one of the soldiers said while he held the village woman down.

  Rapes occurred in two other huts in the village of Bandgadi, and screams could be heard, if anyone cared to listen. Captain Ismael Bahati lacked concern, as the scene was commonplace and one of the perks associated with being an African soldier. It mattered little if you were a soldier for the government forces or one of the numerous rebel factions. Rape was part of the payday, regardless of which side you were fighting on. Soldiers seldom earned real money. Food and water were scarce, but a soldier could always count on having sex with anyone he could catch.

  It was time to load the captured food and water into the truck and continue to find the parked vehicles of the expedition. Captain Bahati ordered the men to pull up their pants and load the supplies. Some of the men complained that none of the women were young and tight. He laughed, and told them they had to be fast to catch the young ones.

  This attack wasn’t the first assault against the women, so they knew the drill. At the sound of a truck, the young women and girls would run to a hiding place in the jungle. Middle-aged women sacrificed themselves to protect their daughters and granddaughters. In many cases, those same daughters were the result of rapes from soldiers in the past, from forgotten conflicts led by forgotten groups of pseudo-soldiers. It cycled itself infinite times.

  Bahati talked to his soldiers while the truck rattled down an African red dirt road. Dust mushroomed from the rear of the big truck and painted the leaves of the jungle. Foliage slapped the sides of the vehicle. Daily torrents of rain would cleanse the forest from the military truck’s abuse.

  “We will be nearing the site of the parked vehicles soon. We don’t want to engage them before dark. The guards will check in, but not be expected to report until morning. I expect two guards. We can kill one, but need to question the other. We may need to move toward the main force during the night. They will call the guards when they don’t hear from them. Maybe we can answer for them—maybe not.”

  Bahati was an experienced military officer. He might have been part of a rag tag group of soldiers, but he had fought successfully in conflicts from Rwanda to the DRC, and won most of his battles. He was an expert at taking small forces on surprise attacks against superior numbers of personnel.

  At this point, had he known his enemy would be on top of a five-hundred foot cliff, with weapons pointed down at him, he might have reassessed his aggressive plan of attack.

  The camp was preparing for a visit from the natives that evening. Long ladders were constructed to allow the natives to scale the heights of the bluff. Climbing the bluff had never been a problem before, but the chiefs were older now and not so agile. Charlie had asked them what their favorite foods were, yet they wanted to try the food in the camp. Just in case, Carol and Charlie compiled a list of native foods. Grubs, monkey meat, snakes, lizards, and various insects were marked off as impractical. Two of their favorites remained on the list: honey and pork.

  Bruny made a call to the supply helicopter, and made requests for the items needed for the feast. Carol stood next to him and took the microphone.

  “Look, while you are in the store, grab some Splenda and half and half. I’ll pay you back.” She smiled at Bruny and kissed him on the cheek. He didn’t say a word, and grinned like a circus clown.

  The two anthropologists found a table that had been removed from the stone cottage and pulled up some folding chairs to plan their trip to the villages. Part of that plan required Charlie to loan Carol some of her baggy, manly clothes.

  The two mechanics were working on the steam powered compressor. They succeeded in getting it to sputter a couple of times.

  Sony, Mit and Modesto were discussing and examining the first round sealed door on the pressure chamber. Once the old compressor was working, they wanted to test the chambers.

  Lu and Chris were on a dive, and Zoe and Roland were supporting their efforts. Zoe and Roland were recreational divers who had no desire to die at 135 feet. Gretchen was working with Dr. Devine on the latrine and shower foot prints, and had a team of people digging holes and placing rock footings. Construction would begin as soon as the supply helicopter was unloaded.

  The geologists were digging test holes and screwing an auger into the ground for core samples. They were also using new sonar equipment to measure the depth of ores and the formation of rock below, and had plans to meet later and share data.

  The military types under Isaac’s direction had built sand bag bunkers on the wall, and at the edge of the cliff. To be more accurate, the sand bags were filled with various ore samples. The section of the enclosure wall opposite the entrance gate had the least amount of guards, but featured a shear bluff that dropped straight down five hundred feet to rocks and the river.

  Jemi had contacted the rental agency for the Russian helicopters and also for a couple of back hoes and front end loaders. He had them on the way on a flatbed truck. They would arrive late tomorrow, as would the big chopper. Jemi was in contact with other uranium mining operators in search of lead-lined ore containers. Most likely he would not find them and would have to use nuclear waste containers. Pitchblende was an exciting find. Yet, since the days of the Manhattan project, mineral processing facilities had little experience with pitchblende. Most operators would simply add more protection for the workers.

  Jemi had also contacted local diamond mines about processing kimberlite ore for a fee. They were willing to consider taking on the project, but they more commonly received huge loads of ore delivered in dump trucks. Small amounts of ore in containers on flat beds made them crazy. Mostly he heard, “Process it yourself. Build a wash plant. At least get it down to the fine materials before you send it to us.”

  Out of all his contacts, he received the most positive feedback on the coltan ore. Coltan was a red hot mineral now, needed for computers all over the world. When mining operators found they were on a cliff, on an island, on a non-navigable river, in the middle of the Congo, the excitement faded. Operators sought him out to deal with these kinds of problems. Jemi had started up mining operations in all kinds of conditions. There were gold mines in Alaska, Siberia, the Amazon, and all over Africa, and copper, manganese, iron, and silver in Australia. He had a working knowledge of deep rock, placer mining and cyanide leaching. He didn’t do oil and gas, but probably because no one had ever asked him. If there ever was a perfect man for mining on a mountain surrounded by a river in the middle of a jungle—Jemi was your man.

  By late afternoon, a large fire circle was completed and lit. A large tarp was erected about the seating area. Shortly, a delegation of ladies in baggy clothes would go to the edge of the cliff to welcome the guests.

  The sound of the incoming helicopter generated a great deal of excitement among all the residents of the camp, because most had ordered special supplies. Rum for Chris, facial wipes for Lu (or so she said), and a long list for the doctors. Not everyone would get what they wanted, but Santa and his sleigh wouldn’t have received a better welcome.

  Bodyguard brothers Jean-Jean and Osse were the first to get off the chopper. They started passing out lumber to anyone who would carry it. No sooner was the lumber stacked near the latrine and shower area, power saws and the generator made prearranged cuts. Sacks of nails, braces, and other hardware quickly found their way to the workers. New regulators and other equipment were delivered for the divers. Pilot Bonte Ballo had made the market run, also making a lot of friends with his purchases. Lu got what she wanted and also financed the entire grocery run, with a
huge tip for Bonte. Money talks. Carol got Splenda and several types of creamer and real cream, but half and half didn’t exist. She was happy with her loot. With Lu laying down the cash, a collection of booze was brought from the aircraft. It would keep many people happy.

  Most importantly, the food for the dinner party was off-loaded, including a whole piglet and raw comb honey. Natives drink a form of palm wine, where berries or dates of certain palms are fermented into wine. A few bottles of the local wine were found, but Bonte also captured some Cabs, Merlots, and Chardonnays. The pig was put on a spit for the long roast. Charlie and Carol decided to leave the noisy arena and go to the cliff to wait for the natives. As they walked out the gates, Devil Man and Jackie climbed off the wall and fell in behind them. Both ladies held small note books in their back packs, and had confiscated a bottle of South African Chardonnay to kill the time. The long walk through the forest to the edge of the cliff was much easier, now that a large trail had been cut and trees felled with chain saws, used to make ladders and even miniature log cabins for the soldiers.

  Jackie walked quickly to Carol’s side and offered to carry the wine. She gave in but scolded him to make sure she got it back. After thirty minutes, they came to the edge of the cliff. There were four soldiers in two different bunkers made with sand bags and cut logs. One of the soldiers gave them two camp stools to sit on. The girls moved where they could get a good view of the beautiful river and jungle. In the distance, they heard an elephant and remarked how lucky they were to be there. Neither felt good that they were disturbing the natives from their normal routines. They sat in silence, while Jackie opened the wine with Carol’s corkscrew. She smiled and thanked him. Digging in her purse, she produced a couple of clear plastic cups She poured Charlie a cup of the golden wine.

  “Carol, did you read Jean-Pierre’s Pygmy Kitibu?” Charlie asked.

  “Of course. It was required for my anthropology class,” Carol answered.

  “Then you know, as I do, the Efes don’t have chiefs. They do have elders and are certainly respected. I think the Lese do, so Kombutu is allowing him that honor,” Charlie said.

  “We won’t expose the deception. That would only shame him. You know they’re not a warring people. Very gentle and loving among themselves. Peace is easy for them, and the times they had to fight must have been difficult.” Carol pulled the hair off her lovely face, blown by a strong breeze rushing up from the river.

  Both sat silently sipping the wine and taking in the sound of the jungle.

  “Carol, what I love about their people is how they let their kids learn from example and trial by error. They don’t spank them. Their babies don’t cry much, since someone is always there to hold them and nurse them. Sometimes for five years,” she said, feeling very emotional.

  “Yes, that is amazing. Much like Native Americans. Beyond all that is the skin contact. The mothers may carry the babies in pouches either in the front or back, but the baby’s naked body is always against her skin. They sleep in the huts with the girls skin to skin by their mother, and the men and boys skin to skin on the right side of the huts. They hug a lot and hold hands. We could learn a great deal from them,” Carol said.

  “If I get married, I always want to sleep in the nude. Skin to skin next to my dude,” Charlie said with a huge smile.

  “I sleep that way with Sony and love it!”

  “Peter and I did last night, and he was okay with it. He’s just so new to having a hot bod next to him,” Charlie said laughing.

  “Wow! What a tremendous figure you have. You had all the guys drooling, and the girls so jealous of you,” Carol said.

  “Quit it. You guys looked like Sports Illustrated swim suit models. Angel was one, remember?”

  “Some lucky guys in that water, huh?” Carol said.

  “You bet your ass!”

  They had just finished the glass of wine when they saw movement on the river.

  There was chatter from the soldiers. Someone said, “Here they come!”

  Bok Ande and Kombutu got out of a dugout canoe. The group came in one boat; the same five they had met with before. At the top of the cliff, the ladies greeted them. The girls knew enough of the language to make short simple sentences, but would need Rishi after they sat down for dinner. Carol and Charlie put their arms through the arms of Bok Ande and Kombutu, and walked the entire distance to the quarry that way. The men wore sincere smiles all the way to the gates of the blue water place. Soon they would meet the diggers.

  Chapter 29

  Natives Visit

  For the natives, the Tent City Tour started at the stone cottage. They briefly walked in, looked around and left. They saw where the black pitchblende had been roped off. Rishi joined the group, and explained that dark material put off rays that were harmful. He further stated why animal bones grew near the black soil, and not vegetation. The natives did not say much.

  Bruny introduced himself, as did everyone except the military men. Isaac introduced himself using the pygmy language he knew and found, to his surprise, the natives understood much of what he said. The expedition had constructed a long table at which the guests were seated. Bruny poured a plastic cup of palm wine. The guest sipped the wine, and smiled at the vague attempt to duplicate their homemade brew.

  Before the hosts served the meal, Bruny talked to the natives through Rishi. He said he was pleased the natives were going to allow mining of minerals there. He spoke of wanting peace, with assurances of providing whatever food they needed. Bruny proclaimed he did not want to pollute the river, disturb the villages or their way of life. He asked how much food they needed and how they would want it delivered.

  Kombutu explained they would need help at certain times of the year when there were no crops and finding food was hard for them. Between the two chiefs, together they represented nine villages and over one hundred natives. Bruny said if the chiefs approved, he would deliver the food at the riverbank, once a village representative came with a request. Bruny proposed constructing a log house on the opposite bank, that he would keep supplied with canned goods and other items. Both chiefs thanked him, but declined the offer.

  Charlie and Carol frowned when Bruny offered the constant supply of food, but smiled when the native chiefs refused the offer. There was a genuine desire to help them, but an intrusion into their life styles would surely affect the natural order of things. The natives realized the offer was more than they needed or wanted.

  The pork and honey was served to their delight. They tried baked potatoes, corn, sliced tomatoes, and a salad with spinach and other greens. They appeared to like everything, especially the wine. When they left, all had to be helped down the ladders, and the canoe ended up being paddled in less than a straight line. The natives carried a lot of food back with them and agreed to come back if invited. They were looking forward to Charlie and Carol’s visit. Both ladies were worried that the support already given and future deeds would diminish their unique jungle culture.

  As always, the group from the Dominican Republic met around the table, drinking as if they were fraternity partygoers. Lu spoke up first.

  “Charlie, we have seen your beautiful body, and now we want to see your gorgeous face come out of hiding. Sooooooo—you are going to get a makeover in the city compliments of Lucero Zacharius,” Lu said.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Charlie said.

  “We need an excuse to get out of Fort Apache and be pampered. Even though Kisangani isn’t California wine country, we have found a beauty shop and spa attached to a large hotel. We are going to raid it day after tomorrow in a helicopter. You do know I am supposed to be on vacation,” Lu said, waving her arms around like she was going to round up cattle but meant to imitate a helicopter.

  “I completely forgot about the vacation thing! Do we still have a room at Abu camp?” Angel asked.

  “It’s for sure as hell I don’t have a room,” Zoe said.

  “Bitchy little spy. You are going with us. My t
reat,” Lu said.

  “If you’ve got a minute, Lu and I want to talk to you and Roland,” Chris said. He put his arm around them both, and took Lu’s hand. He moved the four of them over by the water, so he could talk to them in private.

  “We want to help you with your hotel. You are missing a marvelous business opportunity with all the workers there. And believe me, they will be there for frigging ever,” Chris said. He pointed to the water still lit by dive lights.

  “Oh, my God!” Lu said.

  “Shit. We left those blown up rubber gloves giving everyone the finger, and the inflated condoms, floating right in front of our native guests,” Zoe said.

  “I think they were too sloshed to notice. Anyway I hope so,” Lu said.

  “Roland, what do you think?” Chris asked.

  “Chris, you have no concept how much I appreciate your offer. Zoe and I were idiots to have accepted a spying job. We were desperate to get back to normal. If you help us, it will only be a loan. That is all I was asking for at our bank. The place was doing well before the earthquake and will do well for a while. We might sell it in the future, but either way you will be paid back in full.”

  “Good. That’s settled. Now, Zoe, when do I get to borrow Roland?” Lu said, laughing. Chris put her in a headlock then kissed her on the back of her neck.

  “To get started, I will call my bank in Santo Domingo tomorrow, and they will call your bank in Port au Prince,” Chris said. “I’m guessing they have all the construction plans you presented…name of the contractor and all that?”