Romance Sex Stories

by Carly Smesh

  Bert moved his 190 men to the crater were they set up a tent camp at the bottom of it.

  David sent out twenty men patrols comprising of ten Australians and ten Ghurkhas with a Ghurkha NCO in command. Some times larger patrols of over fifty men went out for a number of days with Bert in attendance, but with either himself, Sultar or Tartrha in overall command.

  Initially the Australians used Crater horses, but as their own horses recovered from salting they used their own. After six months of this the Australians were finally in a position to take care of themselves.

  David gave them thirty mules for pack duty, as they started to set up bases to cover all the fords along the river that bordered German East Africa.

  A Signals Platoon arrived from England as well as a shipment that had telegraph equipment, and between them, the Australians, and the Ghurkhas telegraph lines were laid connecting all the main ford lookout posts back to the crater. More substantial buildings were erected for them in the Crater. To keep his own troops busy David would include some of them to join the Australians on lookout duty and to learn Morse code from the signallers.

  On another ship, a Lieutenant Norris, a Serjeant and eight Royal Artillery troops arrived to service and train men for the three howitzers. The howitzers were kept in a railway shed in Nairobi along with their ammunition. Stanley billeted the men in town.

  News from Europe was grim as the scale of casualties rose. The war seemed to be bogging down into trench warfare, where thousands died for the sake of a few feet of ground taken.

  The Ottoman Empire joined the war on the German side, and British troops were sent to Egypt to safe guard the Suez Canal.

  A new threat to Britain had developed in the form of submarine warfare. Allied merchant ships were being sunk without any defence against this threat at the moment. The German Navy had also released battle cruisers into the known shipping lanes.

  "At least it remained fairly quite here," David thought as he laid the newspaper down.

  In the Crater, life went on. Patar had done a wonderful job on the four horses belonging to the General's staff. Two were stallions, the other two mares. All had recovered and now ran tall and sleek with the other horses.

  "They're a strain of Andalusian's," Patar had told David, "Bred for strength and endurance and they will make a good addition to the herd."

  David had taken to riding Diablo using the German saddle, which he had found more comfortable than his own. Guy who was thirteen now, would ride with him on the grey stallion that had belonged to the German General; he had called it Mist, due to its colouring.

  Susan and Yasmin had been kept busy at the hospital tending to the wounded Germans and Askari's. As each recovered they were sent to Nairobi were a prison compound had been built to house them. It was guarded by the home guard.

  Bert was a regular caller at the house for dinner, and afterwards out on the stoop with a drink and cheroot would inform David of reports from the lookouts.

  "They have been sending aircraft over," he said one night, "They make sure they're out of rifle range when they fly over the posts, but drop down lower as they fly inland. My guess is they're mapping out the land." Bert murmured.

  David drew on his cheroot before replying, "They made the mistake of not knowing the country last time, and they won't repeat it again. The Maasi have reported that they're recruiting Askari's and training them again, also they have been erecting fencing around some of the grasslands. I can only surmise that they are paddocks, in which case they're expecting cavalry. It's the logical way to invade, to move fast this time."

  Bert looked worried, "The posts don't have enough men to hold off an invasion."

  David smiled, "We will be in a better position to make plans if and when the horses arrive. They won't be able to use them for at least two months after the sea voyage and salting them."

  David included these views in the monthly report he sent to Robert Keeling, who had now been promoted to Brigadier General. In one of Robert's letters he had said that due to the current trench war that now dominated the European battlefield, that cavalry units were being changed to infantry; in part due to the high casualty rate on all sides. He had gone on to say there was no chance of them receiving more reinforcements but he was sending ten more Lewis guns out.

  Chapter 47

  The year dragged to a close and information from across the river started to dry up as the tribes either crossed the river or moved further north. The lack of information was brought up at one of the meetings held with senior officers.

  It was Sultar who suggested letting some of the Ghurkhas cross the river in disguise.

  "Due to their size and colouring they may be able to avoid detection," he argued.

  Rham, along with three of the original Ghurkhas who had come with David to the Crater were chosen. They had picked up the Matabele and Maasi language, along with some of the local native languages through their close work with them.

  Hans was brought in from Nairobi to instruct them in German. After a month he said they were ready, "They're not fluent, but no-one would expect them to be. But they know enough to pass."

  Susan mixed up something that darkened their skin even more and David gave them some of the money recovered from the dead Germans during their first encounter with them. He spoke to them as they waited at an outpost to cross.

  "Men, I don't want any of you being heroes. Don't carry anything that could cause suspicion if you are stopped and searched. What we need is information on numbers of troops, camp positions and anything else of value."

  He watched as they silently slipped away.

  They were gone for almost two weeks before they started to reappear at the outposts, shocking the Australian guards by appearing right in front of them without them knowing they were there.

  David and Sultar debriefed them back at the house.

  Rham began, "I saw a full regiment of white German soldiers made up of four companies on parade. Also ten companies of Askari's and they complain that they have to march ten miles each day, and the distance is increased the next time they march.

  The three main camps are near Mamboie, and the fords either side of it at Mamoie and Tambar. Tarbah, found work at the airfield were the aircraft are kept."

  Tarbah took up the story, "I worked in the kitchens. There are three aircraft at the base. Each has room in them for two men; in the back is a machine gun and along the sides are racks that hold shells; like our mortars only bigger. The airfield has barbed wire around it and Askari's guard it."

  Parah started his report, "The camp I worked at contained artillery, but not big guns. They were small and were carried by two mules. They practice most days at unloading the parts and putting them together and then firing them. A German soldier is in charge of the training for the Askari gunners. I countered six of these guns."

  Pamhar started next, "I worked as a mess boy in their headquarters. The General is a big man with spiky hair. But there was an officer who was called Colonel who wore the same uniform as those we killed with the lances. They seem to be waiting for more to arrive, because the Colonel asked if the fodder for the horses was being gathered."

  The four men all volunteered to return across the river. Before leaving David asked Tarbah to look for any weakness in the airfields security.

  After they had gone David turned to the assembled Officers, "Well gentleman, it seems they mean business this time. Our only defence is to hold them at the river. If their cavalry is allowed to deploy we will be overrun, especially if their aircraft are bombing and machine gunning our positions, along with their artillery."

  "If we only knew for certain where they will cross, it would help," Stanley exclaimed.

  "My guess is they'll cross using three fords. Mamboie would be the main crossing point. It's the shallowest and firmest, and the most direct route track to Nairobi, but they could cross on either side of that enabling them to swing around and take us from the rear," David murmured.


  "The one ace we hold up our sleeve is the three guns we took from them. They could be set up to pound all three crossing points," Stanley added.

  David nodded, "The only thing that could hurt us is the aircraft. They need to be put out of commission in order for us to prepare defences without being observed."

  "Well," Sultar added, "We can start preparing at the outposts if we do it at night, and camouflage the work during daylight hours. At least we hold the advantage of high ground at those fords. What sort of numbers do you envisage manning them David?"

  "With the Australians and Ghurkhas we have about three hundred."

  Stanley cut in, "You also have sixty of us."

  David smiled, "Three hundred and sixty then. We'll need twelve to man the guns, Lieutenant Norris and his gunners along with some of the home guard can do that; so effectively we can place eighty men at the two fords either side of Mamboie. Leaving 200 to man the main crossing point, we can place two machine guns and two mortars along with four Lewis guns at the two side ford positions. The rest will be at Mamboie. We will need to string wire to connect the gun positions with the outposts for fire support."

  'Where will you put the guns?" Stanley asked.

  David examined the map, "I think they have an effective range of about three and a half miles," he murmured. He pointed to a spot on the map, "This would be the best position, but its open veldt. There's no cover to hide them and the aircraft would spot them right away."

  "We could use nets again to camouflage them," Stanley murmured, "But it will take two or three days to move them there and under cover."

  Tartrha spoke, "We need to put their aircraft out of commission for a few days. The Prince's automobile was stuck out at the Fort for a week when sand got into the fuel system. Maybe we can do the same for the aircraft."

  David asked Tarbah to come back into the room. Once inside he was asked about the security of the airfield.

  "There's twenty Askari who are on guard detail, two man the main gate and five walk around the field by the wire. They change every four hours," Tarbah said.

  "What of the aircraft? Are they undercover when on the ground?" Sultar asked.

  "No, they are lined up outside. There is a big tent that they put the noses in if the white men have to work on the engines."

  David placed a sheet of paper in front of Tarbah and handed him a pencil.

  "Can you draw the airfield and where the Askari and white pilots and ground crew live and the other buildings?" David asked.

  Tarbah sat down and began to draw.

  "The only problem I see with doctoring their engines is they will suspect if all three fail at the same time," David murmured.

  "Yes, it would seem fishy. I have to agree," Stanley added.

  Bert suddenly smiled, "If we doctored the engines yes, but what if we doctored the pilots?"

  The four looked at Bert as they realised what he had said.

  "Tarbah," David asked, "Do the pilots eat together at meal times?"

  Tarbah looked up from his drawing and frowned, "Only at the last meal of the day; they have the same food as the other white men. The Askari have different food."

  David walked out of the room, returning with Susan and Yasmin. The girls were frowning, wondering what they were there for. Stanley and Sultar stood to let them use their chairs.

  David began, "Susan, this is very important. But can you think of anything that can be added to food that would incapacitate a man for three or four days; something that would look like food poisoning?"

  "Well," she hesitated, "Well yes... there are a number of things that could be used."

  "It would have to be reasonably fast working and not detected in food," David added.

  Sultar explained their problem regarding the aircraft to the girls.

  Susan smiled, "Well I could mix something up, but they will be very poorly boys who would need to be close to the latrines afterwards."

  She left with Yasmin as David turned back to Tarbah.

  "Do you help serve the food to the whites?"

  Tarbah nodded, "The soup and gravy," he replied.

  "So would you be able to put something into the soup or gravy without being seen?"

  Tarbah nodded happily.

  Susan returned an hour later with a small bottle of liquid which she handed to Tarbah with instructions to stir it in well. They instructed him to use it in four days' time at the last meal of the day; giving Stanley time to organise moving the guns. Rham was detailed to keep in touch at the river after Tarbah had administered the potion as to the state of the pilots.

  The skies were empty on the fifth day as the guns were moved, at the same time rifle pits were dug at the three crossings, sandbags were filled and soil from the pits taken to the river to be washed away. Each pit was camouflaged afterwards; caves were dug into the reverse side of the flood banks and machineguns and mortars along with ammunition were stored in them. The men worked frantically making use of the time available to them.

  Rham crossed the river that night to report. All the white men were in bed sick, the cook had been demoted and replaced. The Askari were digging more latrines, and Tarbah had overheard that it would be at least a week before they were active again.

  Work on the defences began again in earnest. Stanley brought fifty of the Nairobi home guard to help, and N'debi brought thirty-four of his warriors. Scouts were dispatched across the river to keep a lookout for anyone approaching the fords.

  As each rifle pit and machinegun emplacement was completed and camouflaged, critical eyes would view them, and alterations carried out until they were satisfied that they were undetectable. The telegraph between the guns and outposts were checked and checked again. Each outpost had a large command bunker dug out, strengthened by a log and sandbagged roof. The telephonist was based in there with his equipment.

  Ranges were carefully paced out and markers placed. David allowed the mortars to fire test rounds with dummy heads to establish ranges. By the end of the sixth day they had completed all the work to the best of their ability.

  Two days later the aircraft appeared again.

  Chapter 48

  At an Officers Call back at the Crater, David addressed them.

  "Well gentlemen, we have done as much as we can to prepare. We hold strong positions, in that the enemy will find it difficult to climb the flood banks in front of them. Our only weakness is if they get behind us. Their artillery could be a problem but if they are like the needle guns used in India they only have a range of about a mile. Our mortars could give them a nasty surprise so the only real problem will be the aircraft if they use bombs. I therefore propose that when we know they are due to attack, that we mount a raid to destroy them first."

  He looked around the room as each head nodded in agreement.

  Stanley spoke up, "Forty-eight of the home guard have volunteered to guard the howitzers."

  David smiled, "Now for the chain of command... Major Mainwaring will be second-in-command to me at Mamboie Ford with his Australians and Lieutenant Rham with twenty Ghurkhas. Major Sultar will be in command of Mamoie Ford with eighty hunters and Ghurkhas. Captain Tartrha will command at Tamha Ford with eighty hunters and Ghurkhas.

  Captain Stanley along with Lieutenant Norris's gunners will in charge of the guns and the defence of them with his home guard.

  "I don't propose to fully man the outposts until the last minute. As far as the observers in the aircraft are concerned there are only the few men they have seen guarding them. When we do man them, the men will need to take provisions with them to last a week. The horses will be sent to the rift undercover. Patar has begun stockpiling fodder for them and some of N'debi's boys will help him along with Martin and Jill. Susan and Yasmin insist on setting up a hospital there as well, for any wounded. N'debi and his warriors will transport the wounded with mules as and when required. Okay... any questions?"

  "The airfield is closest to my ford," Sultar said. "So we will destroy them," he said g
rimly.

  David nodded his head, "Agreed."

  The following week the Lewis guns arrived with more ammunition, along with a letter from Robert. Agents had reported that a full regiment of Uhlans along with their horses were due to set sail in the next two weeks. The postmark was over a month old. The Lewis guns were divided out amongst the three posts with six magazines for each gun.

  Later that night as he undressed for bed Susan asked him, "David tell me the truth, how bad is it?" she said from the bed.

  He had never lied to her, knowing she was a strong character and not the usual mincing type of female.

  "If we can't hold them at the river, British East Africa will be overrun. If the Askari's reach the rift you know what they'll do to you, Jill, and Yasmin."

  Susan's face went white but she nodded bravely, "I've given your old Smith and Wessons to Yasmin and Martin. We know what to do... they won't take us alive. I've arranged for all the children in to go to Nairobi; they should be safer there."

  David took her in his arms and kissed her tear filled face.

  "Don't worry darling they have to get past us first."

  They slept in each other's arms, each thinking of what was to come.

  Pamhar crossed the river to report that he had overheard the Uhlan Colonel say in the mess that his troops would be ready for action in a week. He said the officers present were in a happy mood at the prospect of what was to come.

  Sultar sent the message on to David, that he would be taking care of the aircraft in the next two days, and that he had recalled the four Ghurkhas. David sent word to all the commanders to assemble their men and take up positions on the night of the twelfth.

  Hanga packed his saddlebags making sure his flask was filled and he had enough cheroots and ammunition for the Colt and Lugar automatics. His kukri had a razor edge and his rifle shone from cleaning. His bandolier had been checked and filled; all was in readiness and there only remained his cutthroat razors, brush and soap. Hanga and Ali had insisted on going to the rift with Susan.