Romance Sex Stories

by Carly Smesh

  Suddenly the boat started drifting back faster as the rope was released.

  David watched as some of the men ran back to get their rifles.

  "Retreat!" he shouted above the rifle fire, and moved back from the lip of the gorge.

  They rode for about five miles away from the river, finally stopping on a hill that gave a good view of the veld in front of the ridge that guarded the gorge, and made camp.

  A guard was placed using David's telescope and a head count was organised, while a fire was lit on the reverse side of the hill and a hot meal prepared.

  "Colonel Sahib, we seemed to have killed or wounded, between thirty-five and forty, by what the men tell me," Rham reported.

  David nodded, "We will stay here for a day or so. They will be on their guard now but tomorrow at sunset we will send a scout to see what they are doing," David murmured.

  "I will go Bwana," N'debi said. "They will not see me if I do not wish to be seen."

  The guard reported figures moving around the ridge by the river, but after a few hours they had disappeared again.

  David watched with satisfaction as the Gurkhas cleaned their rifles, after tending to the horses without needing to be told.

  It was cold up on the hill that night once the sun had gone down and the inky black night shone with a thousand stars, as the night sounds of the veld echoed around them.

  Wrapped up in his blanket, David heard the guard changing as he drifted off to sleep.

  He was sipping his coffee the next morning when Rham reported the lookouts had seen several figures standing on the rim of the gorge.

  "So the boats must still be in the gorge, David mused. "They will be anxious to prevent a reoccurrence of yesterday Rham. We will wait to see what N'debi has to say when he returns tomorrow."

  As their rations were running low he gave permission for two of the Gurkhas to hunt for an antelope, but warned them to head well out into the veld for at least a few miles, so that their gunshots would not alarm the slavers.

  N'debi returned that night, appearing like a thief into the firelight. One of the Gurkhas passed him some meat from the roasting antelope as he crouched before the fire warming himself first before talking.

  "Bwana, the slavers are working on a canoe below the fast water; they have it on its side and are working on the wood of it. The two canoes above the fast water are being loaded with things. I think the slavers are going to use these canoes to go on upriver."

  David thanked N'debi, then sat and thought of what he had said.

  Did the slavers intend to split up, the two dhows continuing upriver, leaving the other two behind, if so, then they would have to divide their force.

  He called N'debi over to him, "N'debi where would the slavers go upriver, do you know?"

  "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 te
nt 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.

  Chapter 36

  They rode through the gate to the Crater as two of N'debi's warriors detached themselves from where they were guarding the gate, crowding around N'debi jabbering away in their tongue.

  They left them behind as they walked the horses up the track by the stream. Someone must have seen them, because the Gurkhas' wives along with Susan were running down the track towards them.

  David dismounted as Susan flung herself into his arms, their lips joined as he held her, feeling the tears of joy on his cheek at his safe return.

  He told her about the fight just saying the slavers would not be returning but there were men needing her attention.

  He left her as the four Gurkhas accompanied by their wives went towards the aid station.

  Tampa took charge of Kahn, as Hanga started to prepare a bath for him.

  That night after dinner with Martin and Jill they went out onto the stoop, where under badgering from them he related the
full story.

  "So the Sultan of Zanzibar will be wondering where his dhows have got too," Martin chuckled.

  David nodded, "After the men have had a much needed rest I'll send a wagon out to bring back the ivory," he murmured.

  "I'll go with them," Martin replied. "It'll give me a chance to see some of this country."

  Three days later Martin along with four Gurkhas, N'debi and six warriors set out with the wagon.

  They were gone for over ten days, before the weary mules pulled the heavy wagon back up the trail to the house.

  Martin explained that they had to make a raft to get the ivory over the other side of the river, and then carry it down from the hills to the wagon.

  "Well I won't unload it," David replied. "We'll wait a couple of days for the mules to recover, and then take it in to Nairobi."

  The teller behind the desk of the British East Africa Company handed over a cheque for £3469-15 shillings after weighing the ivory. David handed the cheque into the bank under the Khana Crater account and drew out £1300 in bundles of £100.

  Back at the crater he had the Gurkhas assembled along with N'debi and presented them each with £100. Rham tried to protest that they needed no reward, but Susan said that the men may not wish it, but their wives would find a use for it.

  N'debi took his money saying he was going into Nairobi to buy trade goods.

  Lastly David handed Jill £100, "For your husband's work in getting it back. He wouldn't accept it I know, but I'm sure you will find a use for it."

  N'debi turned up at the house five days later; he asked David if Martin could accompany him to the Maasi kraal. David said that was all right by him but he must ask Martin.

  N'debi and Martin left the following day with two of his young warriors carrying packs on their heads.

  Six days later they returned herding a young bull and six fat cows... and two young Maasi girls.

  That night on the stoop Martin explained, "N'debi had bought bolts of red cloth; the favourite colour of the Maasi, along with mirrors and coils of copper wire. Added to this were the weapons, knives and scimitars taken from the slavers. He had bartered for the cattle and girls.

  "The girls were to be wives to the two young warriors he had taken with him."