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Explorer
971 Posts |
 Posted - July 08 2007 : 05:31:29 AM
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After a short run, they were again out of sight in the jungle. Finn paused suddenly, pulling at Marguerite's sleeve to stop her.
"Put your skirt back on, Marguerite. Your legs will be more protected in this brush. I'll just have to be careful. And while you dress, I'm going to rig a little surprise for our charming pursuers." She drew the Bowie knife that Roxton had made for her the previous Christmas and cut a length of tough vine. She had seen what else she needed, and she hurried with her task.
The women soon moved on, and tried again to put as much distance as they could between them and the leading headhunters. They truly feared for their lives, for they had killed several of these men, and Finn had shouted things that their egos would not tolerate well.
Marguerite wondered whether they would be allowed to surrender, if they were trapped. She would grudgngly give herself up, if she saw no option. If kept as a slave, she might eventually be rescued, or escape. She had done so before several times in her life, and it was preferable to being beheaded. She wondered if they would accept her surrender while Finn fled. But if she was trapped, so would Finn be.
Finn might opt to fight to the death rather than give up. But she was intelligent, and Margueriite could probably talk to the Xingu chief. If she could feel his lust strongly enough to know that they would be spared for at least the time being, she would ask Finn to drop her weapons and join her in being bound by the enemy. It shocked Marguerite to realize that if she had thought that Finn might escape if she gave herself up, she might have done that. When before had she ever thought of such self sacrifice for a friend? I really like Finn, she admitted, and if I thought that I could stall these men and let her reach George...But that was unlikely. Finn had little more endurance than she did, and both women were tiring rapidly. The men after them simply were stronger and tougher than a woman, and given time, they would definitely catch their prey.
Finn, startled, sensed what was in Marguerite's mind. "Are you thinking of giving up? I bet they'd just kill us, and Johnny and George wouldn't know where they'd taken us, even if they did capture us. So, we might never get rescued. Besides, there must be two or three hundred of these creeps. What chance would our men have to save us!?"
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 08 2007 : 05:49:19 AM
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"Oh, Lord Roxton is ingenious. There might be a way," Marguerite replied. "Look, there are some rocks ahead. I'm about all in, and so are you, Finnykins.. I have to rest and take a drink. Lets' hide there and shoot it out if they find us. Are we close enough to the Treehouse for our shots to be heard? The men would know after the first few shots that we weren't shooting a deer or a raptor, and they'd come."
"I doubt the sound would carry that far," Finn said. "But we do have to rest. Look, you have a rifle with longer range than I do. I should have brought my Mannlicher. Can you hit those guys as they come out of the woods, if we're in those rocks? The open ground between the jungle and the rocks will give us a killing ground as they come. If they get within 200 yards, I can hit them pretty well, if they'll hold still long enough."
"I think I can hit them to at least 250 yards if they're in the open," Marguerite estimated. She and Finn helped one another stagger into cover, where they hid in the boulders and pulled some brush over the space between some rocks, to hide them.
They sighed and Finn drank, and passed Marguerite her canteen. Marguerite swallowed several gulps of water, her own canteen being nearly dry.
She poured a small amount of water into one palm and washed her face and neck.
They heard a yelp from the spot where Marguerite had paused to don her skirt as Finn had rigged a trap.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 08 2007 : 06:19:14 AM
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The leading Xingu man had cast about for their trail and shouted as he noticed a small broken twig and some flattening of the grass where the women had passed. "Hau! I have their trail!" , he called, and his fellows rushed to join him.
But he had gone for only a few yards when he snagged his foot on a vine lying across the path. He jerked angrily at the vine, only to see a small sapling that had been bent back under great tension snap forward. One of its branches had been cut off and the stub sharpened with Finn's knife. This left a dangerous point some eight inches long. This point was now buried in the Xingu warrior's chest, and he was coughing frothy lung blood.
His companions laid him out and watched him die. They swore vengeance, and were soon off on the trail, but moving more cautiously now.
"I still say that these females are demons," muttered one. "Who ever heard of a woman making a trap like this? This was worthy of a clever warrior!" He looked uneasily ahead, wondering whether any more such devices lay in front of them. But they pushed on, eager to have the women in their grasp. Their chief wondered whether his men would rather take the female heads or enjoy the girls otherwise. Maybe they would take them alive, use them, then torture them almost to death before cutting off their heads. That would please those who had lost relatives to them.
But torture, if done right, would take hours, and he wanted to raid Zanga villages for more women and to take Zanga heads. Better to capture the white women and decide later how to deal with them. And if they kept the pale girls, it was true that they would have much prestige among other villages of their tribe. The golden-haired one would be a real prize. Most Brazilian girls had dark hair. Finn's blondeness was comparatively rare in her nation. The savages had seldom seen such women, and regarded them as exotic.
He cautioned his men to move carefully, for the scout who had first seen the women had said that they had the dreaded thundersticks of the white race. If they did, they would soon tire and use the guns on his men.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 08 2007 : 07:00:10 AM
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"Marguerite, we have to make a stand here, at least for a while. I can't keep going." Finn was exhausted and she knew that if she was to have the energy to hold a rifle well and to shoot straight, she couldn't be winded from another chase.
Marguerite nodded. "We'll do our best and take as many of those bastards with us as we can, then."
Finn blushed a little. "Uh, Marguerite? If I don't make it back home and you do, please tell everyone how much their acceptance meant to me. You guys are the closest thing that I've ever had to a family. And tell the Genius that if I die, he's to find some chick who looks as much as possible like me and marry her and have kids. It would be a shame if a man of his stature died without progeny. It would be a loss to mankind." She wiped a tear from her eye, now really afraid.
Marguerite was amused, in spite of her own terror. "Finn, did you say, 'progeny'? Did you even know that word in New Amazonia?"
Finn grinned. "Nope, I doubt it. But I've learned a lot in the past two years. I'm determined to speak well enough to keep up with you, and especially well enough not to embarrass George when we get to England. If I ever do..."
She thought of something. "Hey! Marguerite! Get your pack off and give me your steel mirror!"
"What?! You don't need to primp now, Finn! Those savages will be here at any moment. Why the hell do you need a mirror?"
Finn told her that she thought she could climb to a higher rock and get behind it. Unseen by the enemy, she could use the mirror to signal the Treehouse and bring help.
"At least, V. can beat her signal drum and warn the Zanga that these guys are coming. We might save Assai's and Sa'eera's lives."
"Oh, the Xingu will probably want to capture them and other Zanga girls. It's the mens' heads they want. That's how they raid. The prettier women live; all others die, if they overcome a Zanga village. The honor in taking a warrior's head is the big thing. There's no glory in shrinking a woman's head. They want their living bodies. You know that!"
"The mirror?" So, Marguerite dug out her mirror and readied her .303 to cover Finn as the younger woman climbed higher and got behind a tall boulder.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 08 2007 : 07:35:12 AM
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Roxton and Challenger were sitting at a table in the main room in the treehouse when Veronica walked past and saw a blip of light shining on the wall. She watched it for a moment, then drew their attention to it. "Does that look strange to you, like a signal?" She went to the window and looked out over the jungle below.
Roxton wandered over, feeling sure that there was some other explanation. Challenger continued to ready his fishing tackle. Like Roxton, he supposed that there would be a simple answer for the flickering light.
But when Roxton borrowed Challenger's big binocular from off the table, he was astonished to see that this was indeed a signal. He saw Malone passing by and commanded, "Ned! Get a pencil and write this down!"
"Write what down?" responded Ned. He looke irritated, as if Roxton was asking him to do something that he could do for himself.
"George, get the heliograph," Roxton continued. "I think this is Finn or Marguerite flashng a message to us!"
Challenger went at once for the heliograph, folded in a corner of the room. They kept it there in case it was needed on short notice.
Roxton was now calling out the letters being flashed in Morse code. "X-i-n-g...Good Lord, Ned! They're saying that they're under attack by Xingu headhunters!" He read off more words as Ned wrote down his translations of the flashes.
Challenger hastily erected the heliograph and stood ready to reply. When they realized that Finn was repeating the same message, Challenger flashed back that she had been understood, and that help would soon be on the way.
"Tell Zanga," came the return message.
"I'm on that right now!, exclaimed Veronica. She went to the big drum in the next room and began beating out her recognition sound, then warned Jacoba's village that the headhunters were close and to send help.
"We shall have to hurry, John," said Challenger. "I think I'll take a lighter rifle than usual. My .450 won't be needed for men, and I can take much more ammunition for a .275!"
Veronica went to whisper urgently into Roxton's ear. Soon, Roxton nodded and said, "George, you need to stay here with Ned. Get out the Lewis light machinegun from the arms room. Put it and several magazines of ammunition in this window, on the veranda.We need you here to talk to Finn, via signals. You're in fine shape for your age, but you know that Veronica and I are the logical ones to reach the girls and bring them back. You and Ned will have to defend the Treehouse and give us covering fire as we return."
"Bloody hell, John!" raged the famous scientist. "I can't just sit here and not go to Finn! She needs me!"
"She needs you here, where you can cordinate things with her and us and the Zanga. Your signaling skills are the best that we have. Be honest and admit that you can't run as well as Veronica and I can!"
Grumbling, Challenger agreed, and set out his rifle and went with Malone to the arms room for the Lewis .303 machinegun, captured from the late Avery Burton's slavers. They had a heavier Maxim machinegun, but it was too awkward and heavy to bring upstairs now.
Veronica got out her new knife on a belt with a sheath sewn by Roxton and her bow and arrows, and began filling canteens for her and for Roxton. That gentleman buckled on his gunbelt and put a bandolier of .303 cartridges over his chest. He took a military Lee-Enfield from the gun rack and they were ready.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 08 2007 : 6:45:44 PM
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Back among the rocks, Finn slipped down next to her companion and said, "Marguerite, they saw me! George signalled back that John and V. are on the way to help. They're setting up a machinegun to cover us if the enemy attacks the Treehouse. I think we may just get out of this alive!" She held her Winchester over her lap, brushing off a leaf that had stuck to the wooden stock, She turned the rifle slightly in the sun, noting the colorful grain of the wood, which was unuusally nice for a standard grade Winchester. She wondered whether the man who had once owned it had paid extra for the better wood. Finn loved fine guns, and even at this perilous moment, she took time to appreciate the craftsmanship in the American rifle.
Marguerite sighed with relief. "I heard the drums. I presume that was Veronica telling the Zanga to get ready?"
Finn nodded. "Yeah, What we hear now, if you listen really closely, is their reply. Jacoba will know what's up. I just wonder if he'll send us any aid."
"Sa'eera and Assai are his favorite wife and his daughter. They'll know, and will agitate for him to help. He's a selfish old bugger, but they have their ways. He's always been a little soft for Assai, and Sa'eera can charm almost anything out of a man when she puts her mind to it, I'm sure. Right now, I'm very inclined to totally forgive her for that striptease she did at the party."
Finn laughed, remembering the recent Treehouse party where the half-white lass had had too much rum punch and removed her dress, twirling it as she danced to music on the gramophone. The men had certainly enjoyed that, although Challenger had tried to look shocked, especially once he had felt Finn's eyes on him. Roxton hadn't even pretended not to look, damn him, she thought. He felt it was funny, but he had liked it, too. Later that night, Marguerite had made a point of showing him that she could do anything in bed that he even might have fantasized of doing with a dyed blonde half-Zanga girl. Not that she really thought he would make a play for Sa'eera. But some things needed to be impressed on a male mind...and Marguerite, her jealosy aroused, had wanted to make a point of showing John why the woman he had chosen was second to none in her ability to entertain him. Besides, she had enjoyed it. She felt somehow that she was upstaging the young Zanga queen. And John might indeed have had some daydreams about Sa'eera. Well, she'd fixed that!
Finn glanced curiously across at her friend. "Marguerite, why are you smiling? These creeps are coming to kill us!"
Marguerite laughed softly. "Just remembering that party, Finn. Just in case, I showed 'Johnny" a thing or two in bed that I doubt that he had pictured Sa'eera doing."
"Johnny probably didn't even think about screwing Sa'eera," Finn lied. "All he thinks about in that way is you." She was defending her male pal and hunting partner, but she knew that if he had thought of Sa'eera in that way, and probably every man there had, it was only in a passing fantasy. Finn was sure of Challenger's love, but she had been a little jealous. She, too, had reminded her man that night that what he already had in his bed was better than a bird in the bush. It never hurt to keep a man's thoughts where they belonged, and they had wandering minds, if not wandering penises. She trusted Challenger and knew full well that he adored her, but even daydreams might as well be about her, Finn. Not about her close friend from Jacoba's harem. Especially when Sa'eera danced so well, taught by Marguerite to move in ways that could not fail to stir the male imagination.
Now she said, "I wasn't worried. I dance as well as Sa'eera, maybe better. Don't I?" She looked for confirmation.
Marguerite smiled and squeezed Finn's arm. "Of course, you do, Sweetie. I'm sure that George knows that, and he values you for other things, too. If ever there was a man who doted on his woman, it is George Challenger. I half understand why you pamper him so much. He does sort of deserve it."
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 08 2007 : 7:11:21 PM
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At the edge of the jungle, one Xingu looked to his mates. "The females have taken cover in those rocks, I am sure. Let us go and get them. They will be too tired to run much further. I am surprised that they have lasted for this long."
The original scout was more cautious. "I told you: they have firesticks. They are supposed to be able to kill at a great distance, beyond the range of the strongest bow."
"We are a dozen men, and hundreds will be here soon. Should we fear two pale women?!"
He led the way out onto what he failed to recognize as the defenders' designated killing ground.
In plain sight of the girls in the rocks, he began making body motions showing what he envisioned doing to them soon. He was graphic and offensive. He also made hand gestures, as his fellow warriors joined him in laughter. Soon their lust would be slaked!
Finn heard the snock! Clack! as Marguerite cycled the bolt of her Lee sporting rifle. She had just chambered a cartridge. "I've had about enough of these fellows, and that one is about to learn a harsh lesson, one that he will take to his grave. I don't need Roxton to defend me all of the time!"
Finn howled in glee. "Girl Power!" she shrieked, and she and Marguerite slapped palms, laughing.
"Set your sights for 250 yards and hold just a litle low, Marguerite. You should hit that bastard about dead center. There's no wind to affect the bullet." She lifted her binocular to observe the effect of the shot.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 12 2007 : 6:57:12 PM
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Watching through the eight power magnification of the Zeiss binocular, Finn saw the Xingu man who Marguerite had targeted lurch violently and drop dead. Other Xingu went over to him and seemed to be examining him, wondering what had struck him at this distance. They had heard the shot, and some had heard the bullet pass them, making a loud clap like thunder as it split the air in its passage.
They pointed to the two women,and one warrior shook his fist at them. Others brandished their bows and blowguns. Things were said that Marguerite translated for Finn, but which should not pass the ears of refined people!
About a dozen of the Xingu rushed forward, some nocking arrows to their bowstrings as they came.
Marguerite worked the bolt of the .303, and shot three more. Finn killed another, holding high to allow for the drop of the .44 bullet at that distance. She wounded another, hitting him in the shoulder, spinning him around. As he stumbled to his feet, helped by another, Marguerite took careful aim, drew in a deep breath and released half of it, trying for maximum steadiness. She squeezed the trigger carefully, and Finn saw the wounded man jolted by the strike of a softmosed 174 grain bullet that struck the back of his head, and blew out his brains and face. Finn actually saw the red mass propelled forward and up as the bullet struck. She lowered her binocular, awed by what she had seen.
She was repulsed and impressed at the same time. Fascinated, but repelled. She told Marguerite accurately what she had seen, and said, "Well, that's one Xingu who won't shrink any more people's heads to hang on his walls!"
"I do so like to do nice things for Mankind," replied Marguerite. She tried to sound lighthearted, but she was also disgusted with what she had had to do. Yet, killing these savages was better than being killed by them!
She shoved a five-shot clip of .303 cartridges into the magazine of her Lee- Enfield "sporter" and noticed that the survivng Xingu were taking cover in the jungle.
"That should hold them off for a while," she said. "Is there any more water? I'm dying of thirst!"
"We got dehydrated while we ran all that way, " Finn commented. She shook her canteen. It held a few swallows.
"All they have to do is wait, and we'll die of thirst before Roxton and V. get here. We can't eat, either. Never eat when you can't drink; you may choke!"
"Thank you for that helpful thought, Finnykins", replied Marguerite. "Oh, Roxton please hurry! I so want to see your handsome face!"
Finn smiled, and squeezed Marguerite's hand. "We're going to be very thirsty before they arrive, but we won't really starve for a couple of weeks. Believe me, I have cause to know. I saw some people starve. If I hadn't been lucky and pretty, I might have, too, a couple of times."
"What does being pretty have to do with it? Oh, wait: your body was the currency to buy a meal?" She wore a horrified expression.
Finn nodded. "Yeah. George has helped me a lot with that and some other bad memories. I still can't believe that you guys took me in and cared for me. I think that I'm living in a dream, and that I'm going to wake up and find myself back in New Amazonia, begging for food and hiding from slavers and just plain mean horse's rears who might rape me or kill me." She stifled a sob and wiped away a tear.
Marguerite set her rifle aside and hugged Finn to her. "Oh, baby, that is all over for you now. We'll get out of this, and you and George will someday have that child that you want. This nightmare will end, and your other one already has. You're loved now, and we wouldn't be without you. I tease you, but you're the friend that I thought that I'd never have!" Marguerite cried a little, too, and wiped her face.
Finn sniffled and said, "I love you, too, Marguerite. Hey: I'd better see what those SOB's are doing." She raised her binocular again.
"Still hiding, but I can see them talking and waving their arms."
The women lay beside one another, knowing that they were beyond bow range. They couldn't be hurt at this distance. But they were trapped.
"Gad, I'm dying for a drink," muttered Marguerite.
"Wait here," said Finn. "I'm going to try signalling again." She rose and went up to her rocky tower, taking the polished steel mirror.
She was back in a few minutes. "George says that Veronica and Johnny left quite a while ago. We should see them within an hour, I guess. But they may just be trapped here with us, unless Jacoba sends help."
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 12 2007 : 7:36:10 PM
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The sun bore down upon them. Finn snickered, and Marguerite demanded to know what was so funny.
"I was just thinking, Marguerite. You should take off your skirt again and your legs would get a nice tan while we wait. And Johnny would love the view when he finally gets here!" She muffled another laugh.
"Oh, you are just too funny for words to express," Marguerite replied. But when the two women looked at one another, both laughed,
Finn drew her Smith & Wesson .38, swung the cylinder out to the left, and ejected the cartridges. She examined them carefully, reloaded, and holstered the revolver.
Time passed. The jungle was relatively silent, and the sun crept slowly across the sky. A large pterodactyl wheeled overhead, then vanished as something on the horizon caught its interest.
"I just thought of something!" Finn exclaimed. "Give me your canteen and cover me with your rifle while I go up a tree back there and see if some of those vines have some water in them!"
She soon had shinnied up the trunk of a jungle stawart and had found a vine of the sort that retained water after the rains.
Finn drew the Swiss Army knife from its black leather pouch on her gunbelt and selected the saw blade. The knife was a genuine Victorinox, brought with her from the 21st Century. It had the usual blades of a Boy Scout knife, plus a corkscrew and a small saw. The saw was very efficient for its size and she soon had the tip of the tough vine off, and was letting water from it pour into the spout of Marguerite's canteen.
She passed the canteen down, and Marguerite set aisde her rifle and greedily, desperately, gulped from it.
Finn cut more vines, extracting a few gulps of water from each. She half filled her own canteen and refilled most of Marguerite's before she had run out of vines that she could reach.
Back in the rocks, the women used their binoculars to study the jungle and occasionally viewed the Xingu as they passed between trees, conferring.
"What now?" wondered Marguerite.
Finn shrugged. "We wait. By dusk, they'll come again, I think. By then, maybe John and V. will be here, maybe even some Zanga warriors. All we can do is to wait and hope. She carressed the stock of her Winchester. "At least, we're well armed. If we were like most women on this Plateau, we'd be tied up in their camp by now, or worse." She shuddered, a gesture that provoked the same from her brunette companion.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 12 2007 : 7:56:52 PM
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Professor George Challenger held the 10X50 binocular to his eyes and swept the area beyond the Treehouse for the thousandth time, then looked further into the distance.
"See anything?" asked Ned Malone. He set a pot of tea and two cups on the table near them.
Challenger shook his head. "Nothing, Ned. Roxton and our women must have met by now, or soon will. I just hope that those bloody headhunters haven't caught them. But we should have heard more shooting if they were engaged in a battle. That may be a good sign, the lack of gunfire."
He accepted a cup, drank from it, and thanked Malone for making tea. "It helps one to endure much in life if he can have a cup of really good tea."
Malone agreed, although he, like so many other Americans, really preferred coffee. He examined the stack of magazines for the Lewis gun, and began pushing fresh .303 cartridges form a wooden box into another round "drum" magazine. He wanted at least five magazines ready if the Xingu came. Their rifles were also at hand, Malone's Springfield .30/06 and a .275 Rigby for his British companion. The double-barelled elephant guns that they usually carried were in the rack in the room beyond, lacking the accurate range for the coming work, and recoiling too heavily to fire many shots at one sitting.
Malone lifted his Bausch & Lomb 7X35 glass and scanned the forest. "I don't see anything, either, and B&L advertise that these things will detect an apple on a tree a mile away! I didn't believe that until I tried it. It worked!"
Challenger smiled indugently. "My Zeiss has very similar quality, and it is indeed remarkable what a fine binocular will accomplish. But I can barely wait until I see Finn in person! Oh, Ned! I do miss her so!"
Malone put a comforting hand on Challenger's shoulder. "It can't be long now, George. We should hear shots or something soon. Not much we can do here, right now."
"No, "admitted the older man. He stroked his beard, kept trim these days by Finn's skilful use of scissors, like his hair, once so unruly. "Now, we just wait. That's the easy part, yet so blamed difficult!"
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 14 2007 : 12:24:22 AM
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The heat was oppressive and the air grew damp as storms built in the distance. Finn grew drowsy, and without realizing it, she dropped off to sleep, leaning up against Marguerite.
Marguerite eased Finn down until she was curled alongside her as Marguerite sat. She stroked Finn's hair sympathetically, periodically looking up to see if the Xingu were coming. She took off her hat and fanned herself and Finn.
Finn stirred in her sleep, and felt for the person beside her. She ran an unconcious hand over Marguerite's leg, bunching the material, rubbing it smooth, her hand moving slowly, caressing her companion. Finn shifted closer and hugged Marguerite. "Jorge, amado," she murmured. She seemed to think that she was addressing George Challenger. Being Brazilian by birth, she sometimes still dreamed in Portugeuse...
Finn's hand strayed to Marguerite's blouse and she toyed with a breast, manipulating the nipple. Marguerite was not wearing a bra. She felt the nipple harden, and she breathed sharply. Finn was as good at this as was Roxton, and Finn had the instinctive female knowledge of just how to do this with maximum effect from the woman's viewpoint. My word, she is terrific, Marguerite thought. It reminded her of another girl whom she had known for a time in France when she was in her early 20's. One night, they had gotten drunk, and the other girl had come undressed into Marguerite's bed. Before Marguerite was fully awake, the other girl had stimulated her to the point that Marguerite had allowed it to continue, reciprocating as her companion moaned in ecstasy. After a few moments, Marguerite's drink-fogged mind had cleared and she had fully comprehended what she and Lisette were doing. She had broken it off, sending the other girl back to her own bed. But after, Marguerite had lain alone, thinking of how that had felt.
She shuddered now, the memory of Lisette's nimble fingers and tongue fresh in her mind. Finn was every bit as skilled as Lisette had been, and Marguerite flushed with a mix of pleasure and shame as she enjoyed what was happening. After a minute, she realized that Finn was probably dreaming of herself with Challenger, but doing what she wanted Challenger to do to her!
After perhaps three minutes had gone by, an amused and embarrassed Marguerite shook Finn gently, removing her hand from her blouse.
"Finn, Darling, wake up, damn it! That's me that you're fooling with, not George doing it to you!"
When Finn had focused her thoughts, she blushed crimson. "Was I doing what I'm afraid I was doing?" she managed.
"Well, Sweetie, you were playing VERY skillfully with my boobs. If George does that well by you, I don't wonder that you pamper him so much."
Finn giggled, still as red as an apple in her embarrassment. "Actually, once he'd practiced a little and I'd given him some tips and gotten some wine down him the first few times, he caught on to how to do that really well. I think he regarded it as a scientific experiment, to see how well he could arouse the female human lab animal. Or, something. Whatever. But he got genuinely good at it. At first, I screwed him to get in his good favor. Then, to lie with him after, and tell him my troubles and have him comfort me, and reassure me that I wasn't a slut or a cheap whore because of some things that I'd done. He was probably as good as a real shrink when I told him the nastier stuff, the horrors that I'd seen and how I'd had to live several times when things were really bad. That's when I fell in love with him. Hard. Like I'd fallen from a skyscraper. That's a really tall building, Limey chick. I don't know if they had those yet in this time. Anyway, I fell like I was at a great height when it hit me how much he had come to mean to me." Finn shuddered. ""Marguerite, I love that man so much that it scares me sometimes. Anyway, we started fooling around a lot, and he got more laid back, like, relaxed. And I think he learned to really make love for the first time in his life, instead of performing a biological function or a duty, with Victorian guilt overtones. Does that make sense?" She started. "Oh, my gosh! Maybe I also made real love for the first time. I'd tried to 'put out' well enough to please a few guys that I'd been with, and I'd done it out of fear for my life if I didn't get another guy 'off', but George probably was my first real, serious, mature love!" She looked reflective. "Oh, damn, Marguerite, I miss that man! I know that you and Johnny have it really bad for one another, but I'm not just bragging when I claim that George and I have the romance for all time. But I'm sorry that I was fooling with your boobs. I was so totally alseep. Hey! Have you checked on the Xingu?"
Both women looked shocked as they realized their peril and scrambled up. Finn took her Zeiss binocular in hand and scanned the fringe of the jungle. She saw furtive movement, and it was clear that some of the enemy were slipping around to their left, trying to surround them. This was not good!
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 14 2007 : 10:10:11 PM
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Veronica Layton and Lord John Roxton were doing their best to make good time on a secluded trail.
"I'm so glad that I remembered this old, shorter route toward those ruins," exclaimed the Layton lass, huffing for breath as Roxton helped her up a shale embankment.
"If we had known about this route, the girls would had had easier going," Roxton acknowledged, trying not to criticize Veronica for letting his woman be in more danger than she might otherwise have been. But he realized that Veronica had simply not thought much about those ruins since she was perhaps 15, and she was now 27.
"Well, don't blame me too much," the blonde beauty continued. "They wouldn't have gotten this far on the return leg, anyway. I just hope they don't shoot us if they see us coning toward them in the long grass! Your little buddy Finn can be bloodthirsty if she sees a chance to kill something! And Marguerite is a pretty good shot, too."
Roxton felt mildly offended. "Finn never kills unless she has to, or in the hunt. And I've seen her pass up a sure shot if we had enough meat. She isn't bloodthirsty. On the contrary, having felt her own life in danger so often, she tends to spare others when she can. The only exception is that she loves to kill roaches and snakes. And caimans. But I've even seen her spare snakes and caimans if she was in a fairly good mood. For one thing, we need to conserve ammunition."
Veronica paused and took the tall hunter by the sleeve. "John, I'm sorry. And Finn is at least as much my friend as she is yours. We're virtual sisters, and I love her dearly. I'm just a little afraid of her famed marksmanship right about now. I saw her kill that guy in a tree from over 300 yards away on the road to Xochilenque. It was pretty sobering to see. And Marguerite's nerves are probably frayed now, too. I just hope they look carefully before they shoot, and don't hit us! Look: do you think that Finn will blame George for not coming for her? He really would have slowed us down some. Surely, she'll see that, however much she loves him?"
Roxton was surprised. "I should think so! It's self evident. George is in fine shape for a man in his 50's, but one has to face reality. And we did need him and Ned to signal and to man that machine gun. I have a bad feeling that we are going to need covering fire by the time we're home again!"
She heaved for air, half out of breath by the time they had reached a level surface. "I just hope that Jacoba sends help. If he doesn't, we may lose our heads by nightfall!"
"No use worrying," muttered Roxton, "Lets' just do our best."
And the two moved forward, watching as ever for snakes, centipedes, and all of the other threats of this tropical paradise that was also as grim a danger zone as it was beautiful.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 14 2007 : 10:39:53 PM
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Changa, war chief of the headhunters, signalled to his men. They would rush forward, trying to reach the women before they saw their danger and reacted. From the edge of the forest on the left, there was only a 200 yard gap before they could be in among those rocks that the white girls had adopted as their improvised fortress. He had ordered that the women be taken alive, if possible, and several men held lengths of rope ready to bind Marguerite and Finn. But if there was no choice, the women would be killed, rather than risk too many more men. Changa was accountable to the paramount chief of his tribe for any casualties, and excessive losses were frowned upon. Still, he reasoned, these were just two WOMEN! How had they been so successful in evading capture thus far! It defied the natural order of things. Damn those firesticks of their race...
Finn lay her Winchester over her pack, and sighted on a Xingu just visible behind a bush. As he stood for a better view, she gently squeezed the trigger and sent a 200 grain bullet to land on the bridge of his nose, blowing a nasty mess of brains and bone out the back of his skull. This would-be infiltrator was within 100 yards, and she had been tracking his progress until he was a fairly easy target.
Immediately, another rose and raised his bow. Marguerite Krux fired her .303 and her shot smacked him in the sternum and he dropped like stock market prices would in 1929, a horror of another order yet to come.
There was a bloodcurdling yell from the Xingu lines, and another 30 or so men charged them, some shooting arrows from 150 yards away, without any serious hope of hitting their intended targets. The rifles were more effective. Finn killed three men and wounded four in a few seconds, racking the lever to fed fresh cartridges and firing as her sights came to bear for a second or so on each man. Marguerite killed another three and wounded two more. Then, the others ran for cover, another dying as he reached the woods, a .303 bullet taking him between the shoulder blades.
Changa decided. "One more rush from the right and the center. If we do not reach them, we will wait for dusk. These women have cost us too much. They must be taken or slain. If they are taken, those who have lost relatives will have first turns with their bodies, if they are taken alive. I will forego my rights as senior warrior for he whose brother was first slain to have the golden-haired slut first! On my honor, I swear this! Now, drink and eat a little. We will wait a bit."
"What about the Zanga?," inquired one of his fellows. "Their drums have fallen silent. I fear they are enroute here."
Changa shifte uneasily. "We will see to these women, then we will withdraw for a day or two, and make the Zanga think that we have gone. When they drop their guard, we will strike one of their smaller villages. We are expected to return with a dozen or more women and more heads. I think we can do that, if we remain out of sight for a few days."
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 14 2007 : 11:12:48 PM
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The silence was broken an hour later as a hundred Xingu rushed from two directions. Three came down from the rocks above, having infiltrated through the jungle.
This was almost successful. Marguerite was caught with an empty rifle and as she fumbled to force another five-shot clip of cartidges into the magazine, she was bowled over by two Xingu men. One seized her left arm and swung her around. She stamped on his instep with her boot heel, and he staggered back, howling in pain. Another grabbed her legs, tackling her, pulling her arms behind her, starting to bind her wrists.
Finn fired her final shot from the .44 into one Xingu man and dropped the Winchester. She drew her Smith & Wesson and stepped over beside the struggling Marguerite. She seized the red man's long hair and pulled it back with all of her strengh. Sticking the muzzle of the .38 up under his chin, she pulled the trigger and saw the grisly result as the top of his skull spun off. The man dropped like a rock. Another was just reaching the enclosure and she swung up the .38 and shot him twice in the solar plexus, the smooth trigger action of the Smith & Wesson aiding her shot placement. The range was under ten feet! The warrior tripped over his own blowgun as he fell. Scrabbling around for a few frantic seconds, he died, even as she fired a finishing shot into his temple.
Finn knelt by Margurite and untied the half -fastened loops around her wrists.
"Cover me, Marguerite," she screamed. "I have to reload." She swung out the cylinder of the .38, shoved the extractor rod, and watched the empty brass cases fall free. Opening the spare ammunition pouch on her belt, she managed to get three more cartridges into the cylinder, then fumbled the fourth as a wildly screaming headhunter leaped over a block of lava and raised his spear.
Marguerite flung off the final coil of rope and drew her own handgun, a Smith & Wesson also, but of the older, top-opening sort, with a concealed hammer to avoid snagging if it had to be fired from within a coat pocket or a lady's muff. She shot three times into the man's chest, and he dropped, the main artery to his heart severed.
Finn found the fallen .38 Special cartridge and finished loading the fifth and sixth rounds into the cylinder and closed her revolver. She shot one more man right between the eyes, cocking the hammer for a more precise aim as he came.
Others were within mere yards, and it seemed that the womens' fate was sealed. Marguerite saw her whole life flash before her eyes, and decided to die fighting. By now, she feared that surrender wasn't even an option. The Xingu were too angry. She thought of John Roxton and his grief for an instant. Well, John can be proud of me, she reasoned: I died game!
Finn stooped to her pack and grasped her sole remaining grenade. Pulling the pin, she let the handle flip off and held it for an instant before throwing it as far as she could. It was heavy for her feminine muscles, but it arced over into the middle of the onrushing headhunters. Finn threw herself flat, screaming for Marguerite to fall, too.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 14 2007 : 11:38:16 PM
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WHAM! went the Mills bomb, and eight Xingu fell, some screaming terribly in their agony. The others, totally startled by this unforseen event, howled in anger and terror and ran for cover. Several bled from shrapnel wounds, one seriously. Another was concussed by the blast and was led away by a friend, his ears bleeding.
One Xingu man had fallen a few feet away and he was struggling to rise, a machete in hand. Finn threw a rock into his face, and he clasped his hands to his smashed nose and cried out. He stumbled, and tripped over a branch on the ground. Finn took out her Bowie knife and slipped around behind him, hauling his head back by the hair, as she had with the man who was binding Marguerite. She flinched for only a fraction of an instant, then plunged the blade into his carotid artery and heaved forward, the sharp edge of her knife ripping out his throat. His slashed artery pumped blood everywhere and he died as he struggled for control of his convulsing body.
Marguerite watched in horror. "Finnykins, remind me to NEVER seriously upset you!", she exclaimed.
"Damn it, Marguerite, quit making jokes and reload! Both guns!" She holstered her .38, and grabbed for the Winchester, wiping her hands first on a bunch of grass. She had handled the .38 by her fingrtips to avoid getting blood on her prized sidearm. Stuffing fresh .44 cartridges into the tubular magazine of her .44 Winchester, she saw Marguerite out of the corner of her eye as she also began reloading. One more rush like this, and they knew they were doomed!
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 14 2007 : 11:57:09 PM
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They were not fast enough. Two more Xingu who had been coming down through the upper rocks rose and aimed their weapons. One had a blowgun, but as he filled his lungs to launch a poisoned dart, an arrow slammed into his right kidney and the head stuck out from his stomach. He screamed in mortal agony and fell, clutching his wound. The other man was also unsuccessful in throwing a spear. His head exploded as a .303 bullet took him in the ear, and he swerved violently around.
Both women looked up, shocked. They were almost beside themselves with joy as they recognized Veronica and Roxton, standing behind a copper colored boulder. Roxton sighted on several Xingu who were running toward them. He fired four spaced, aimed shots as quickly as he could kill one man and swing his sights onto another. He operated the bolt of his rifle with oiled precision, using a technique learned on the bloody fields of France and Belgium from 1914-1918. A trained British soldier using this technique could operate the action of his rifle faster than most would believe, had they not seen the result. The German Army, having received long range fire from massed British troops, credited their enemy with far more machine guns than they actually possessed. The hail of fire that riflemen of the British Expeditionary Force could deliver against a large target was astonishing! Now, Roxton used this technique on a smaller scale, killing three Xingu men and wounding a fourth as they broke and fled. Veronica killed two more with her bow.
The Xingu moaned for their fallen comrades and declared that surely, these women were bewitched!
Darkness would soon fall, and the Xingu leader argued that they must be ready to crawl forward and kill these devil women as soon as they could no longer see to shoot their rifles.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 15 2007 : 01:00:20 AM
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Margurite hardly let Roxton ram home another five shot clip into his rifle before she dropped her pack, where she had been searching for cartridges, and ran to him.
Finn made a face, called, "Hi, V! About time that you two turned up!" And she reloaded Marguerite's rifle. But she wore a delighted grin from ear-to-ear.
Roxton passed his rifle to a laughing Veronica and caught Marguerite in his embrace and swung her around and around, both kissing like they had thought never to see one another again. Which wasn't far from the truth...
"Oh, John," Marguerite cried, "I can't believe that it is you! I just KNEW that Finn and I would die here in a few minutes! Oh, hold me! Kiss me! I love you so much! I prayed constantly that I would feel myself in your strong arms yet again! Oh, JOHnnn...!" And she began crying in relief and in joy.
Finn walked over with Marguerite's rifle, now loaded again. "Hi, Johnny, Veronica," she managed. Then, she set the rifle aside and began crying. Veronica stepped forward and held her.
"Where is George?' begged Finn. "Is he all right?"
Told that Challenger and Malone were back at the Treehouse, she sobbed in relief. Then, she asked why her man hadn't come for her.
When they told her the reason, she looked angry for a moment, then she thought of how Challenger must feel now, not even knowing whether she lived.
"Oh my gosh, George will be so worried," she mused. "He will be so guilty when he sees me! I know him. I must go to him and tell him that I don't blame him. He will feel so inadequate, so very frustrated."
"We did have a hard time convincing him and Ned to hold our own fort," Roxton acknowledged. "Just remember not to blame him, Finn. He hates himself about now, I'd bet. You've got that part right. And we had better get the hell out of here and resume this reunion later, when we're clear of this lot. Did you kill many? This place looks like an abbatoir, a butcher house!"
"We got quite a few," Finn acknowledged. "Come on, Marguerite, lets' go, while we can. Those creeps will be back in earnest as soon as they recover from the shock of that grenade. Johnny, have you got any more grenades at all?"
Roxton laughed. "So, that's how you stopped them? Yes, here, take two more. I have six altogether. I rather fancied that we might find a use for them. And we brought spare canteens. Anyone thirsty?"
Marguerite grabbed an offered canteen and gulped water. She was thirsty, alright! Finn followed suit, telling how she had found some water in the vines nearby. "If we hadn't found that water, I don't know what we would have done," she admitted. "We were really parched. Marguerite, get your arms off of Johnny for a minute. I'm going to hug and kiss your man real quickly, then we'd better get out of here."
Laughing, Marguerite relinquished her hold on Roxton and went to gather her things as Finn hugged the smiling hunter and kissed his cheek. "Man, am I glad to see you, Johnny! And you, V. I swear, I thought we were goners, for sure."
"It looks as if you two gave a good account of yourselves," observed Veronica. She went for Finn's things and brought them over.
Shadows were pronouced by now, and the little group slipped away in the jumble of rocks without being seen by the Xingu, nursing their wounds in the jungle beyond.
When they could stand without being seen, Marguerite took Roxton's hand and walked beside him, grinning like a Cheshire cat. The couple were talking animatedly and were clearly overjoyed to be together again.
"I think those two like one another," noted Veronica.
Finn snickered. "Yeah, no kidding! V., thank you SO much for coming. I just hope that we haven't put you and Johnny in danger, too. We've been fighting these Xingu headhunters off since last night, and running like rabbits with a hawk right behind them. We aren't safe yet. I bet they'll keep after us. Will the Zanga help?" She looked anxiously for a positive answer.
But Veronica shrugged. "Who knows? Jacoba being what he is, who he is, he may have just decided to withdraw into his villages and await an attack. We lost track of the drum signals while we were in a ravine, and I don't know what he ordered. If we can get close to home, the boys will let the Xingu have a taste of that Lewis gun and they may give up on pursuing us."
The two blonde haired women walked together, talking further as they planned which way to take home. Veronica told Finn about the short cut, and Finn and Marguerite sighed in relief that they would save several miles that they would otherwise have had to travel, close to exhaustion.
When they reached a small, clear stream, Finn paused and washed off the blood from the man whose throat she had cut. Marguerite told their friends how she had come to be so bloody, and Veronica and Roxton looked at Finn with new respect and a little awe.
"What, did I do, turn purple, or something?," demanded Finn. "What are you two staring at? I'm still me. I just had to do what I did. We were getting low on ammunition, so I used the knife. Thanks for making that for me, Johnny. I really needed it today." She wiped a tear from an eye, trying to look brave and as if she hadn't done much.
Roxton looked soberly at her. "Oh, you're very welcome, Finn. I'm glad that you had it when it was needed." But inside, he wished that it hadn't been needed. Neither Finn or his beloved Marguerite should have had to see, let alone do, the things that they had done this day. If he had the chance, some more headhunters were going to pay the price for menacing his woman and his "almost" little sister and favorite hunting partner...
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 17 2007 : 10:20:38 AM
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The shadows were longer now, and they were careful not to fall among the rocks as they traveled along the stream for nearly a mile before they heard angry shouts behind tham as the Xingu rushed the old rock shelter and realized that the women had gone.
Crossing the stream on a bridge improvised from a few logs lashed together with rotting vines, the foursome cut the vines at the end nearest them, heaving the logs apart. They didn't fall apart completely, but the logs would now roll as the headhnters sought to use the old bridge, and this would slow them. The water here was fairly fast and deep, and the enemy would probably cast about for a better crossing.
The Xingu were further inconvenienced when one man blundered into a wasps' nest in the gloom of the forest. The angry insects swarmed out, stinging as many men as they could.
The fugitives heard the cries and yelps of pain and wondered what was happening. They had not seen the wasps and could only guess the source of their pursuers' pain.
Moving on, the quartet at last had the Treehouse in sight. They lit torches, hoping that the defenders would recognize them. Roxton took out his flashlight and swung it around, letting Challenger and Malone see the electric light, which no one but them would have in this place. He repeated this several times as they neared their goal.
In the Treehouse, Ned Malone focused his binocular on the flickering lights and realized that one was steady and was flashing a Morse signal. He called Challenger, who soon read the signals.
"It's our friends," he shouted gleefully. He shined back his own flashlight, hoping that the recharged batteries would last for the time of their urgent need.
As the sun began to set, Challenger looked further back, his binocular easily picking up the fleeting images of the advancing enemy. He pointed these out to Ned, and the men wished fervently that their friends would be able to outdistance their foe.
Challenger signalled with his flashlight: "Xingu close! Hurry!"
Roxton read the flashing message and the four Treehouse dwellers redoubled their efforts, although nearly exhausted.
"I'd give a pretty penny for a flight of RFC fighters to strafe these damned headhunters about now," muttered the tall hunter. (Author's note: The Royal Flying Corps later became the Royal Air Force.)
"While you're at it, wish for a roast beef dinner for two and a bottle of Chateau LaTour," added his woman.
Finn and Veronica looked at each other, shook their blonde heads and grinned. The Roxtons were always entertaining to hear.
"Ayeyeowww!" cried a Xingu warrior and shot an arrow at the fleeing whites. He and ten others rushed closer, closing the distance.
"That chap has not learned proper respect for modern rifles," complained Roxton. He stopped, turned, and pushed the safety lever of his Lee-Enfield forward to the "Fire" position. He carefully tracked an oncoming Xingu and pressed the trigger as the man ran between two large bushes. BLAM! spoke the veteran of trench warfare. It killed Amazonian Indians as handily as it had slain Germans.
The muzzle flash in the dimming light was impressive and the Xingu who saw it oohed and aahed. Clearly, this was a powerful weapon.
Others running toward the refugees tripped over a vine that Roxton had rigged to the loosened pin on a grenade handle. The handle flipped free and the Treehouse crew saw a flash of yellow light before they heard the loud crump of the exploding grenade. More cries from the dying and the injured reached their ears.
"I hate doing that to other humans, " Roxton declared, "but these fellows are just reaping the harvest that they have sown! That will teach them to mess with my woman and my hunting pal!"
Marguerite's heart swelled with pride as she heard herself called Roxton's woman. She leaned in and kissed John before he grasped her hand and led on. Veronica and Finn followed closely, Finn's thumb ready to cock the Winchester's hammer if a Xingu appeared too close for comfort.
In the Treehouse, Challenger readied the Lewis gun. Malone stood by with a spare magazine. "Be careful who you shoot, George," reminded Malone. "Our friends are out there, too!" He was deeply afraid for Veronica and the others.
"No worries, Ned," the big scientist replied. "If my calculations are correct, I can drop bullets into that front line of savages on the first burst. And they are far enough behind Roxton and the others that I have no fear of hitting the wrong people."
He steadied his aim, waited until the leading Xingu pursuers were crossing a patch of open ground 400 yards from the Treehouse, and triggered a burst from the Lewis.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! chattered the gun. The Xingu had never heard such a sound. Roxton had heard it far too often, and rejoiced that it was from his own lines that the sound had come. The enemy in Europe had hated that noise, dubbing the Lewis gun "the Belgian rattlesnake". That "snake" was now striking a new foe far from Flanders fields, but with equal effect.
Ned changed magazines as the gun ran dry, and lifted his own rifle. He managed to drop two more Xingu, and missed another.
Roxton led his little party to the electric fence, opened the gate, and hurried everyone inside before fastening the gate again. The elevator was called and Finn and Marguerite were sent up first. Roxton and Veronica caught the car on its next trip.
"Well, hello, travellers," greeted Ned Malone. "Want some limeade? I thought you might be a little dry!" He gestured to the pitcher and glasses on the table near the window from which Challenger was firing another burst from the light machinegun.
Some daring warriors had reached the fence and tried to clambor over. The electric current had been switched on, and the cries of those who touched the fence were pitiful to hear. Roxton threw down two more grenades for good measure.
Additional firing was now coming from the rear of the Xingu force and voices rose in dismay as an occasional bullet thudded home, despite the notoriously poor Zanga marksmanship. The Zanga had obtained some Mauser rifles from the late Avery Burton, and they used them in battle. Their precision left something to be desired, as the men shooting those rifles often believed that what killed was the loud noise they made. Roxton had taught them how bullets killed, but they had only listened politely. Subconciously, these primitive tribesmen "knew" that the thunderclap of the shot was lethal. Otherwise, why were the magic weapons so loud?
Other Zanga closed now with the Xingu, and spears, clubs, machetes, and blowguns took their toll. Those in the Treehouse rejoiced that aid had finally come!
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 17 2007 : 8:00:41 PM
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"I only have six spare cartridges for my .38, and just 11 for the Winchester," Finn said, heaving to catch her breath. She acccepted a glass of limeade from Ned, smiling thankfully. "I need to get down to the gun room for more ammo."
"Not to worry, Darling," said Challenger. " We brought up more ammunition for both of your guns and for the Roxtons' .303's." He gestured to where the boxes of ammunition sat in a chair.
Finn nodded and went over and began refilling her pouches. "Genius, are you all right? I've been worried sick about you."
"It was you who were in the greatest danger," responded the tall scientist. He stood by her, wanting to seize her in his arms, but feeling inadequate because he had not gone to her in her time of dire need.
Finn looked shrewdly at him, asessed what was the matter, and said, "George, thank you for waiting here. That was really best. Johnny and V. told me that you wanted to come. But we all know that you were needed more here." She avoided saying anything about his age slowing them down. She well knew the depth of male pride and the need to feel manly. Playing to that had become second nature to her, and had saved her life on occasion. It also applied to loved ones, lest their self esteem be damaged and a relationship harmed through it. Finn wasn't about to risk her relationship with Challenger!
He asked whether she knew how much he had wanted to come to her, and she nodded and hugged him. "Kiss me, you big genius! I have really missed you! Marguerite got a big kiss from Johnny when he came and now, it's my turn!" She smiled as best she could, near collapse from exertion.
Challenger saw her condition and kissed her, hugging her briefly. Then, he led her to a chair and handed her her drink. They looked into one anothers' faces and a slow blush suffused Finn's features and then his. "I'm glad to see you, Darling", he repeated. Then she was standing, in his arms, crying as she told him what they had endured.
"Here they come again!," called Ned, reaching for his Springfield.
"No, hold your fire!" commanded Roxton, looking through his binocular. "Those are Zanga, I think. Veronica?" He passed her the Zeiss 8x30 glass.
She adjusted the focus and said, "Yes, that's actually Xma'Klee in front, and I recognize one of their war chiefs, Kla'Tuc. Xma'Klee is signalling that he wants to come up. Turn off the electric fence."
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - July 20 2007 : 01:43:00 AM
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Xma'Klee, Paramount Shaman of All the Zanga, stepped off the elevator into the Treehouse. He had left his war captain and their men, several hundred strong, below. They feared the magic of the elevator, and even those few invited to do so had always declined to come up into the home in the branches of the great tree. This was white man's business, and the Sorceress and her friends lived there. Better to avoid it, although their youngest queen, Sa'eera, and the king's daughter, Assai, liked these people.
Xma'Klee was more advanced in his thinking, and he communicated profesionally with George Challenger, the white shaman, to their mutual benefit. He also liked the way that Veronica prepared certain foods, and was always happy to accept a dinner invitation here.
He had come now on grimmer business.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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"Xingu!"
