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Explorer
971 Posts |
 Posted - May 07 2009 : 9:00:22 PM
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They had just begun to relax when others swarmed out to tell them that the original maneater, the male lion, was again in the village! Shuddering, they replaced their spare ammunition and went looking for the deadly beast.
Because the pathways within the village were narrow, they fell into single file. Finn now took the lead, her heavy rifle being their best bet to stop a charge.
“I just remembered something. Aren’t we supposed to be back in camp, playing cards?”
Marguerite’s quip drew a wan smile from Finn. Susan appreciated Marguerite’s droll humor more than she once had, but was too frightened to laugh now.
They stalked carefully, fearful that the lion might be behind any hut. A single turn might bring them face-to-face with it. Maneaters often hunt silently, as do all lions when closing on prey. Finn strained to sniff any whiff of lion on the mild breeze, and soon caught the scent, like pungent urine. Her rifle came up, and she prepared to fire. Then, the scent wafted off The lion had probably moved on. It could be anywhere, maybe behind the next hut. The strain on her nerves was telling. I could get old fast this way, she thought.
Her stress was added to by the whining and muffled conversations of natives huddling within the huts,. Their noise covered any faint feline sounds that might warn of life or death for the white women.
Finn soon realized that what they were doing was virtually suicidal. She turned to tell Marguerite that they needed to leave the village and rethink their plan, before one or more of them was killed. At this range, even if she planted a 400 grain bullet in the lion’s heart, it would probably reach them before it died.
As she began to whisper, she heard a small wooden creak and the giving way of a thatch roof. She looked up, to see a lioness about to spring down onto her from a rooftop!
Before she could raise her Jefffrey .400, she saw the lioness flinch and fall, dropping dead in mid-leap. The sound of Susan’s shot reached her ears before realization of what had happened did. Then, she fired into the lioness’s head as her body rocked with shock. She heard Susan shoot again, also, then the quivering lioness died, a final rush of exhaling breath being quite audible.
Blacks swarmed out of the huts, gesturing at the dead cat, singing songs of celebration. The white women were hoisted atop shoulders, jubilant villagers singing their praises.
Just as they began to recover from this unexpected joy, a man rushed up to Jerogi, babbling something that even Marguerite had trouble understanding. Jerogi looked at Finn. “Mem’Sahib Bunduki, this man says that the lion is running away now. Come quickly!”
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2009 : 11:16:02 PM
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A brisk run between huts got them a look at a male lion loping toward a thick patch of bush en route to where he had earlier eaten the African woman. If he got into that cover, hunting him would be exeedingly dangerous.
Marguerite looked at Jerogi, who was wearing Susan’s telescopic-sighted .275 on its sling. “Toa bunduki kidogo kwa Mem’Sahib Susan,” she commanded.
Susan snatched the Rigby from Jerogi, working the bolt to load a cartridge into the chamber. She breathed deeply, trying to steady her nerves and her aim as the lion passed them. The Hensoldt scope found the trotting lion as it broke into a faster lope. Her first bullet was behind the cat, which growled menacingly at the sonic crack of the passing bullet. The second shot hit the lion in the left ribs as it quartered away.
It swerved and charged, from about 150 yards. Wrong decision: it ran right into a .375 bullet from Marguerite’s Holland & Holland. Finn tried to watch both the lion and their backs, in case even more lions were in the village. She decided to hold her fire until the lion was well within 100 yards. Heavy double-barrelled rifles like her Jeffrey were not intended as long range guns. They were meant for close work on big animals.
Marguerite and Susan shot again, the reports of their rifles almost blending. The lion tumbled over itself and lay still. Susan walked off to the side and placed another carefully aimed bullet from the handsome Rigby .275 between its shoulder blades. But there was no reaction.
As soon as Lady Roxton and the author’s secretary had reloaded, the three women approached the lion, now lying some 70 yards from them. Jerogi threw stones at it until they were sure that it was dead. He walked over and prodded the carcass with his spear. “Eeeh,” he muttered. “Kuisha.” Finished.
They looked soberly at this animal that had so fiercely charged them. It was large and in apparent good health. So much for the myth that maneaters were all old lions that could no longer catch their natural prey.
Finn and Susan saw something strange: the mane had been clipped to form odd symbols in the fur, and there were colorful plastic trade beads woven into the mane. Marguerite came over and gasped. Jerogi and two villagers who had run over saw the beads and the clippings of the mane. They recoiled in shock. Muttering, “Juju”, they hastily withdrew.
“Come, Mem’Sahibs,” urged Jerogi. “This lion was juju, bad magic. Let us leave before its spirit seizes us.” His eyes rolled white in his dark face.
“Ahoy, Marguerite! Finn! What the devil are you ladies doing out here?” It was Lord Roxton’s voice! And he didn’t sound pleased.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2009 : 2:30:26 PM
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Roxton, Challenger, and Blacklaws stalked over, obviously in a huff. They admired the lion, which was a good trophy, and Challenger admitted that the adornment of the mane would make it a nice conversation piece, when mounted. Blacklaws warned, though, that the District Commissioner might seize it.
“This is a juju lion, one belonging to a witch doctor, if the natives can be believed. I’m sure that I don’t know how they get the lions to hold still while they braid the beads, though. Still, if Sir John Musgrave hears of this, the police or the KAR will probably investigate. Witch doctors have extraordinary power over these simple people, and this can cause serious unrest amongst the kaffirs.” He used the term of his native South Africa, “kaffir” being derived from an Arabic word meaning, “infidel.” But it meant blacks.
“I rather fancy that they feed the lion some drugged meat, and braid the beads while it’s sleeping,” said Challenger. “But how they get them to turn out as maneaters, I couldn’t say. Maybe they collect the bodies of the old or sick people that the wogs throw out in the bush and put them where a particular lion is apt to patrol. That might give the lion the idea that humans are easy meat.”
“Probably,” agreed Blacklaws. “And they do this with hyenas, too, I’m told. We had a maneating hyena here late last year, after you went home. A bloke whom I know shot it. It had the same sort of beadwork in its hairdo. Some wog stylist must be running a regular salon for this sort of thing. It frightens the natives no end, if they see the animals with the witch doctor's touch. Not too chic, in my book, though.”
“Well, look, this was nice shooting,” Roxton said. “We saw, but were too far off to help. The car is parked about 750 yards back from the village, near yours. The point here is, why the hell have you women gone off despite Joseph’s warning, and exposed yourselves to this danger? Marguerite, I expect a good answer, and none of your bloody sass! You are my wife, and you have risked unneccesary danger. Explain yourselves!” He was obviously angry, as well as worried.
“Johnny, it was my fault,” Finn interjected. “The old man who came to us for help was pretty shaken up. Hell, his favorite wife was being eaten! We were the only whites nearby, and we saw this as our Christian duty, to help. It’s just part of the white man’s burden, to use that famous phrase. We couldn’t just sit there and do nothing!”
“You bloody well could!,” roared Challenger. “Finn, were you out of your female mind?! You are my wife, the mother of our children, a fine author and film maker, and an English gentlewoman. Your life is far more valuable than those of a few damned villagers. I have been in a state of great anxiety since Joseph told us what you women set out to do!”
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2009 : 3:13:50 PM
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“Genius, I’m sorry, but I have to disagree with you, respectfully.” Finn was mad now, too. “You’ve taught me proper morals and a sense of duty, to Crown and to humanity. We couldn’t let this pass. I couldn’t sleep, knowing that we had just sat by while this happened. I’m not here just because this will make a great chapter in my next book. And we were scared out of our everloving minds! My heart still hasn’t stopped racing. One lioness almost jumped on me off of a hut. I’d be dead now, if Susan hadn’t shot in the absolute nick of time! I don’t need this hassle. You know damned well that YOU’D have helped!”
Challenger grumped, “That’s not the same. Roxton and I are men. We are expected to do this sort of thing. That’s risk enough, but our ladies are very precious to us. I damned nearly lost you. And for what?! We were told that that poor woman had already been consumed before you even arrived.”
“But we saved others,” Marguerite pointed out. “One lioness was breaking down the door of a hut. And we shot three maneaters! That’s hardly trivial! Lets go home. I want lunch, if I can keep it down. And my stomach is roiling not just because I have been totally terrified, but from disgust that my husband would react this way to what was heroism on our part.”
Roxton wasn’t mollified. “Bloody Boudica was a female heroic, and look where it got her,” he fumed. “ And Joan of Arc. Marguerite, I have been sick from worry. Don’t do this to me again.”
Finn stepped over and stood against Challenger, lookimg earnestly into his eyes. “Genius, you can punish me for this, and I’ll take it. I’m your wife, and you are the authority in our marriage. But I’m never going to say that I regret doing the right thing. Given the circumstances, I think that’s what we did. And poor Susan has never had to shoot anything dangerous before. She performed magnificently. I think we should give her a raise.”
“You’re trying to change the subject and distract me, “ muttered her mate. “But, yes, Susan, we will reward you in some way. I’m enormously glad that you saved Finn. I don’t know what I should do, had that lioness gotten her. The sun would go out of my life!”
“I’m still shining, Genius, and I’m sorry that we upset you. Please forgive me? I just did what I thought was right. That’s what you taught me. These people are Africans. I know that they’re not as advanced as we are. But they’re human, too. I think God loves them, even if they're not English.” Finn wiped away a tear. She was still frightened by her recent experience, and disappointed that Challenger and Roxton were acting as they were.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2009 : 3:48:50 PM
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Roxton looked at Marguerite, and as if by some silent signal, they slung their rifles and embraced. “I’m just worried sick, Marguerite,” he admitted. “You scared me, but you made me proud, too. Just please don’t do anything like this again. At least, don’t go into a cramped village where a big cat can be around any corner and get to you before you can react. Agreed?”
Marguerite smiled up at him. “Oh, well, if I must. I mean, what’s a girl to do for fun out here? We should have gone to the Riviera, instead. I’m really not cut out for this. There isn’t a jeweller within miles, let alone a decent tea shop.”
“I think we can manage tea and a nice lunch, back in camp,” Blacklaws suggested. “But we need to get the hides off of those lions, if you want the trophies. Sir John will need to see the one with the beads, but I’ll try to convince him to accept copies of the evidence photos that Susan tells me that she took. You’ll want the skin, if he’ll agree. You’ll probably be the only people in your neighborhood with a juju lion hide! He’ll want to charge some wog with witchcraft and promoting maneating, if he can. This is a rotten business, and I hate witch doctors. They support all sorts of evil, and cause these poor natives no end of terror. They believe this magic, juju, rubbish, you know. It’s deeply ingrained in their society.”
Challenger reached down and kissed Finn. “Darling, I am hugely proud of you, but please keep risks in mind if you are tempted to do this again. The devil of it is, what you said is correct. You did what you saw as your duty, and did it very well. But I am selfish enough to ask you not to take such risks again, especially going into that village.”
Finn agreed. “But we had to kill those lionesses still trying to get at people. Maybe we can come up with better tactics if it ever happens again. Johnny and I can talk about that. Please don’t stay mad at me?” She looked earnestly into his face.
He softened his expression, stroking her hair affectionately. “I was only mad because I was filled with dread,” he admitted. “Actually, I am also enormously proud of you, Marguerite, and Susan. Later today, I will try to find a stump to serve as a substitute for that pedestal in our room at home, and I will place you on it with great pride.”
“I don’t need a pedestal, George, “ she replied. “I just want your love and your forgiveness, if there is anything to forgive.”
He took her in his arms, telling her that he had only been angry because he thought that he might lose her. They rubbed noses and kissed, and the matter was over, except for frightening memories for both.
They skinned the lions, and returned to camp. But Jerogi would not ride in the car with the hide of the juju lion. He still feared any evil influence that it might have.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2009 : 05:04:21 AM
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In camp, word soon spread among the Africans that these lions were the familiars of a witch doctor, and the staff did as little as possible with them. The white hunters and Roxton finished up the work, insuring properly processed trophies.
Finn and Marguerite looked at the teeth of the late lions, shuddering as they thought of the damage that these would have done in seconds, had one of the cats reached the women. “Look at the claws, too,” advised Stuart Hamilton. “Next time, stay in camp and let us fellows handle the lions. Geoff and I are paid to risk our necks. And the other men will help us, if need be. I don’t want any dead clients, let alone female ones. Tends to sully my reputation, you know.”
His wife took umbrage. “Good Heavens, Stuart! What would you have had them do? We were all gone! And don’t, ‘now, Diana’ me! I understand your concerns, but you men seem just a trifle chauvinistic over this!”
“It’s a good issue to be chauvinistic over,” her husband mildly replied. “Look at it from the male angle. If you had been one of today’s huntresses, I’d have been upset, too, although I know full well that you have good nerves and can shoot the antennae off of a locust at 50 paces. But you are still my wife, and I’d be rather stressed out if I knew that you were hunting maneaters.”
“How do you think I feel when I know that you do that, or take clients into cover after big elephant?, “ she retorted.”You think I don’t worry, just because you’re male? When I heard last month about you and those elephants who were raiding those shambas…”
Marguerite had heard enough. “Buy a girl a drink, Geoff?”, she asked the handsome hunter. “Actually, I’d prefer tea. A cheap date for you, eh?” She winked at her husband, still cleaning a lion hide. He shook his head in tolerant amusement, shooting Backlaws a sympathetic look.
“I’m going along as a chaperone,” Finn declared. “Come on, Susan, lets’ take Geoff up on Marguerite’s offer. But I want a whiskey. I feel like I’ve earned one. I’ll look at those claws and the rest of the lions later. It’s just a little too close to me now.” She hooked her elbows inside Blacklaw’s and Marguerite’s and led them out to the dining table, the hunter stopping off in his tent to snag a bottle of Scotch.
The ladies being graciously seated, Blacklaws called for tea, and poured himself, Susan Wilson, and Finn Challenger a shot each of whiskey. “Who wants soda and who wants water in her drink?,” he inquired.
An hour later, the ladies having vented enough and ingested enough of Mr. Dewar’s amber liquid, they were cheerful . They had decided to forgive the men, although Marguerite said that she might yet insist that Roxton buy her a necklace in Nairobi or London before he was fully off the hook.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 10 2009 : 05:13:50 AM
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Finn shrugged. “I can’t stay mad at the Genius. He was just grumpy because he was afraid for me. It can’t be easy being a man. They have to be so gallant and brave, when they’re probably almost as scared as I was today. And George would be really hurt if I had been killed. He was just blowing off steam. Let Johnny go, Marguerite. If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t have blustered that way. Guys who love you get really freaked out if they think they somehow failed to protect you. I sort of like that about men. And they’re big and cuddly. That’s one of the reasons why I love George. He’s my snuggly-wuggly. Gad, did I just say that?” She giggled.
Marguerite pointedly capped the bottle. “No more happy juice for you, Finnykins. Look, Geoff: we had to give up birdshooting to get the lions processed. Can we go tomorrow? I rather fancy the idea of francolin for dinner.”
Told that they could indeed go birdshooting, Blacklaws added that the cook was broiling some francolin grouse that very night. “Mr. Malone popped three of them with his little Marlin .22 on the way back from building the leopard blind,” he announced. “His wife wanted fowl instead of flesh for dinner.”
“I get tired of venison,” Veronica agreed as she sauntered up to the table with Ned. “You girls had some nerve today. We just came from seeing those lions. Were you scared?”
“No more than if I’d looked up into the sky and seen an asteroid about to hit us,” Susan admitted. The other ladies concurred, saying that it was a good analogy. Susan smiled, feeling as if she fit in better now; wasn’t just Finn’s employee.
The others finished up what they were doing, cleaned their hands, and joined those at the table. Finn went to their tent, and helped Challenger find his favorite white shirt with thin green lines down the front and along the sleeves. She changed into a dress, white, sleeveless, with sandals, and brushed her hair. He sat on his cot, watching her.until she demanded to know what was the matter. “Is there something on the back of my dress, or are you just still mad at me for going maneater hunting?”
“Neither,” he smiled. “I’m just sitting here admiring the most graceful, kind, charming, beautiful, and erotic woman in the world, not to mention one of the bravest. And I’m lusting to meet her, but remembered that I’m already married to her. Darling, put your hair in a ponytail. You always look so young and desirable that way. I don’r give a damn who it makes jealous of me tonight.”
Finn did as he asked, glowing at his description of her. When this man of hers couldn’t put her on his silly wooden pedestal, he used words to make her feel as if she was up there, anyway. She remembered to add the slim gold loop earrings that Marguerite said made her look like a teen tart or a slave girl. She blushed at the accusation, which she conceded probably had some basis in fact. But she also knew that the earrings made men look at her. The Challengers strolled back to the table, arm-in-arm, just as dinner was served.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2009 : 10:06:50 AM
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Dinner was excellent, everyone agreeing that the francolin were tasty, as was the impala venison. Wine flowed, as did conversation. A good time was had by all, with the men grudgingly admittting that the three ladies who had gone lion hunting on their own had meant well. And the experience had ended well…this time!
“I’m not sure what I’d have done,” confessed Veronica. “I’d have been so scared. But do you think the DC will seize the hides?” She looked to Blacklaws and Hamilton.
Diana Hardy Hamilton answered. “My dad knows Sir John rather well, and I know Amanda, his wife. Have for years. If we put in an appeal, Sir John may find a way to let you keep them. Susan’s photos should help, and she says that she can develop those at Dad’s place or at the Musgrave home. But if a jury sees and handles the actual lion skins, they’ll experience the effect that the Crown prosecutor would like them to, more than from photos. So, we’ll put in a good word for you, but Sir John or the Provincial Commisioner may be doggy and declare the hides as evidence. Finn, your book can get by on the photos, and will, anyway. But it would be so nice if you took the hides on your lecture tours, and let your audiences see them.”
“I’m guessing that Musgrave will want the hides,” said Roxton. “I want for Marguerite, Susan, and Finny to have them, but Musgrave has his job to do. If letting him have those hides will put a witch doctor behind bars, it may be worth the price. And after the trial, if there is one, the hides can be shipped to us. I’ll pay for that, and make sure that Musgrave knows it. He’s a bit stuffy, but not really a bad chap. He could have probably been much stickier about Finn shooting that fleeing slaver when it wasn’t totally necessary.” He referred to an event when the abducted girls were rescued the previous year. Finn had shot an Arab running for his car after he had fired a pistol at them. But she and Challenger, who was “spotting” for her with his binocular, were not in great danger, hidden in the darkness, some 150 yards away.
“If he’d tried to prosecute me for blasting that damned Juma when he was aiming my own gun at me, I’d have given him a fine piece of my mind. And Finny was just doing the decent thing, removing a dangerous predator from society.” Marguerite had drawn deep satisfaction from shooting a treacherous former servant and recovering the gun that he had stolen from her. (See, “On Safari”, on this board.)
Talk soon turned to what to hunt next, apart from birds for camp fare. Everyone agreed that they wanted to eat more francolin, the grouse having, as a later author would phrase it, been cursed with an abundance of delicious white breast meat.
Because a leopard blind had already been built, they would try to get a cat feeding on a dead antelope in a nearby tree. If they were successful in shooting the leopard, they’d move toward the District Commissioner’s home, hunting a variety of antelope and ordinary lions en route. And Hamilton said that Finn might indeed find the huge buffalo that she wanted.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2009 : 08:51:58 AM
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The safari members enjoyed rehashng their day, taking a survey of who wanted to shoot a leopard from the new blind. Marguerite, normally ambivalent about shooting game, decided that she wanted a chance at the spotted cat. “It will look fashionable in our library,” she announced, to Roxton’s pleasure.
It was also agreed that they would join the Tremaynes at their nearby camp, an invitation having been extended as they passed Marguerite’s half brother and his spouse earlier that day. Marguerite was eager to spend time with them, and now that she had the maneaters to brag about, especially wanted to see Charles and Felicity. And Finn wanted to ask Charles just where he had shot that tremendous buffalo whose head she so admired on his wall at Lindemere Manor. (See, “Murder in a Stately Manor” on the OLD David Orth board.)
Blacklaws was chosen to be the professional who would sit with Marguerite in the blind. This prompted his wife to sarcastically point out that she would be worried until they returned safely. Diana reminded Holly that their men had the responsibility of taking such risks, were used to it, and that they needed to bury the issue of the women having gone after the lions that day. Blacklaws decided to have a word with Holly in private. He was on good terms with these people, who had become friends. But it was unacceptable for Mrs. Blacklaws to say such things before clients. They were, after all, his livlihood. Holly was young and rather spoiled, the daughter of a car dealer in Nairobi. She occasionally forgot herself and committed social gaffes. Fortunately, she usually learned from them, and she was very in love with Blacklaws, a dashing figure who had been much sought by single women before his marriage.
After the others had adjourned to bed, Finn and Challenger walked a little way from their tent, where they could see the glory of the night sky. They scanned the heavens with their binoculars, marvelling at the pristine appearance of the cosmos far from city lights. They enjoyed doing this from their rural home in Kent, but here, all seemed enchantingly primitive, the soft singing of the Africans at their own fire adding exotic appeal. The world seemed fresh and clean, compared to civilized countries. “ I still like going to fashionable stores and to good tea shops at home, “Finn admitted. “Even getting fish and chips is fun. But doing this, here, recharges my batteries. What about you, Genius?”
He lowered his binocular on its strap, and pulled his wife to his side. “Yes, Darling. That awful,plateau where we met had its compensations for the dangers. One was feeling so much in tune with Nature when we stepped onto our balcony in that treehouse, listened to the night, and watched the heavens. I felt renewed, especially after you came into my life. I feel that here, also. I’m glad that we came on this safari.”
Finn set her binocular on a log, and the couple embraced, kissing until Roxton walked over, cleared his throat, and reminded them that dawn came early. “Little blonde girls who want to shoot big buffaloes need their sleep. Besides, with maneaters in the area, I rather fancy that we ought not to wander this far from camp.”
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2009 : 09:45:14 AM
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“Come now, Roxton, do you really feel that we are in danger?” Challenger was miffed that his friend had interrupted such an intimate moment. Besides, he had his .450 rifle at hand.
“Can’t say, but lions have been known to walk through camps. I once found footprints right outside my tent. Because there seem to be known maneaters here, and a witch doctor creating them, I really would feel better if you two came back and went to bed. Anyway, you’re a hundred yards from camp, and snakes are more active in the night. You’re the two best friends I’ve ever had. I’d like to preserve you, if I can.”
The Challengers grudgingly agreed that he probably had a point. “Johnny, do you and Marguerite feel safe if you tie your tent flaps?” Finn wanted to know. “I’m afraid that a lion that wants in will rip a tent right open.”
“They jolly well might,” Roxton conceded. “But they seldom do. Maybe it’s not seeing people that keeps them from doing it. Maneaters may be worse about it, though. One of the famous Tsavo maneaters went right into a rail carriage and took a man named Ryan from his bunk. They’re often very bold. But the sound of them ripping your tent may give you time to grab a rifle and give them a warm welcome. That’s the best that we can hope for. I half think we should have built a boma, but the brush here is too sparse fot that. Tomorrow, I’ll suggest camping where we can make one. And I’m looking forward to spending the next night at Angus Hardy’s place. A house is far more secure than a tent, if the kitties are the sort that eat people. Come on, I’ll walk you back to camp. I didn’t know that you had your .450, George. Still, it isn’t prudent to be out here alone.
Remember this is Africa. Everything bites!”
Two hours later, Finn stirred. She had had a nightmare about the lioness on the roof of the native hut. Challenger listened, pulled her to him, and promised to keep his arm around her when she went back to sleep. It was not the first time that he had comforted her after a bad dream. It made him feel fulfilled and needed. Perhaps Finny is right about us having the love of the centuries, he mused. He kissed his wife’s neck, and tried to sleep. What Roxton had said about lions nagged at his mind. He would be glad when they left this area.
Susan Wilson had no one to hold her as she woke, teeth gnashing, sweating. She sat on the edge of her camp bed, breathing deeply, being sure that her .303 was loaded and next to her. But she was proud of what she had done that day. Like her role model and boss, she had faced up to a job normally reserved for bold men. She felt more excited and alive than she had in her life. If only she had a mate to hold her as she shivered in the dark! Mrs. Challenger waa so lucky there, as were the others. She finally settled for hugging her pillow and praying that no hungry cats would come calling. Hearing the demented laughter of hyenas a mile away was bad enough. But she wouldn’t miss this for the world. Not even for a sale at Harrod’s, she snickered. Finally, she slept, moaning only occasionally as her mind turned over images of her being eaten by a lion.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2009 : 05:20:44 AM
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Following breakfast, they set out to hunt several antelope species and to see what else might come to hand. The Challengers and the Malones rode together with Stuart Hamilton and his wife. George was thrilled to see a Greater Bustard, a large bird that he wanted for his displays in a natural history museum that the Challengers had decided to build for the people where they lived in Kent. The meat wasn’t especially palatable, but the bird made an impressive display. He would need to do some of the specialized taxidermy himself, as the African trophy preperation “boys” had little experience with birds.
He took it with a shot from his .275, using full jacketed (“soild”) bullets to minimize tissue and feather damage. He passed on some crowned cranes, not havng room for them at this time. He had decided to take two near the end of the trip, when there was more time and space to deal with them, some trophies being sent ahead to the safari firm’s offices for work by a local taxidermist. George and the others then passed half an hour watching cranes and other water birds at a small lake, marvelling at the abundance of all life on these savannahs, broken by clumps of thicker forest. The Hamiltons were pleased that the Challengers and the Malones cared about more than just shooting, that they loved and enjoyed studying the animals and birds. Finn filmed some cranes that flew over.
“Too many come out from England or the States and just want to fill their licenses,” complained the hunter. “I like clients like you, who care what’s here, and not just how big a trophy you can shoot. And you work for the ones that you really want. And are decent chaps to know socially. I can barely tolerate some clients. Fortunately, some are really nice, like you. Often, they turn out to be the serious hunters and nature lovers. Too many just want the prestige of having gone on safari, and to boast of their courage. It has been my experience that most of those who show the least courage, take the fewest chances. But they talk the loudest.”
“I’ve met some like that,” said Malone. “They come to Brazil, too. We’ve heard them in the hotels in Rio and in Manaus. I think they get their jaguars mainly if they get lucky, or if their guides lure one in. Still, it takes guts to stand and shoot a jaguar that you know will claw you into hamburger if it gets to you. They have big teeth, too. They’ll take a bite out of you that the IRS would envy.”
“The IRS?,” asked Diana. “What’s that? The Mick terrorists are the IRA.”
“Inland Revenue, American version,” explained Challenger. “Never fear, Ned, our taxman is as greedy as yours. I’ve paid many a pretty penny on my invention profits, as has Finn on her book sales and speaking engagements. I say, did you know that her books are out now in America, too? And in Canada. By the end of the year, they will be on sale in South Africa and Australia. I’m hugely proud of her, of course.” He beamed at his wife, who blushed gracefully, leaned over and kissed him.
“My cheering section and chief supporter,”she explained, jabbing a thumb at her mate, her grin as wide as a crescent moon.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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971 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2009 : 05:22:04 AM
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“Oh, look! “ said Veronica. “Isn’t that an eagle?” She pointed toward a large bird of prey that launched itself from a tree ahead of their cars.
“Yes,” exclaimed Diana. “A tawny eagle, and a big one. Stuart, stop the car. I want to get out with my binocular and look. I don’t see many of them where we live. Marsh hawks and some kestrels, but just an occasional big eagle. Of course, we see some secretary birds. They’re sort of long-legged eagles. They walk as much as they fly.”
And so the morning went. They found a heavily forested area that was like an oasis in the drier savannah, and managed to shoot a duiker and a bushbuck. The latter was Susan’s first kill of edible game. She was quite proud of it. “My first contribution to the larder,” she joked. But she was quite proud of it and of the clean kill. She stroked the reddish fur and checked the sharp, spiraled horns, clearly enchanted.
The Roxtons and the Blacklaws couple drove over to join the Tremaynes and their hunter. Their route took them past a waterhole, where they studied the animals that came and went. There was a stir of excitement as a pack of wild dogs harried a fleeing impala past the cars.
“I’ve half a mind to shoot up that pack,” grumbled Geoff. “I don’t like the way they hunt, running the life out of an animal, coursing it and taking bites from it as it tries to get away. Leopards at least kill quickly and quietly, and with minimum fuss. If I was a buck destined to be eaten, I think I’d prefer death by leopard. I don’t fancy the way that hyenas or crocodiles kill, either. Sometimes, when the mood and the opportunity grab me, I shoot both up a bit. Then, I feel bad for it later. Life is never perfect, except when I’m alone with Holly, and she’s just baked something.” He winked at his spouse.
Charles Tremayne, Lord Lindemere, chuckled. “Nice go, Blacklaws. If my wife hadn’t just overheard that, I’d try a compliment like that on her.”
“Don’t bother,” jested Lady Lindemere, Felicity. “I seldom bake We have servants for that. No matter. When we’re alone, it usually isn’t cake, muffins, or pie that you want, Charles.” She grinned at his embarrassment, then snuggled next to him.
“And we have the children to prove that,” he admitted, tipping up her chin and kissing her lips. “I say, Marguerite, Roxton, what are you hunting today? Shall I show you where I shot that big buff that thrills Finn? Not half an hour’s drive from here.”
“Finny can have any buff that we shoot, unless John insists on taking a couple. They always remind me of a headmistress that I had at school. She had a horrid disposition. “
Lady Roxton grimaced. “We girls swore that she looked for excuses to cane us. I think she was jealous of my looks.” She cast an eye at Roxton to see if he’d use that remark as an opportunity to offer a compliment.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2009 : 05:23:08 AM
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He didn’t fail her. “I should think that most women would be jealous of your looks, Marguerite. I didn’t marry you for your cooking, Lord knows, and I had my choice of many women.”
Felicity smiled. “Why didn’t you marry her for her cooking, John? Are you like Charles, not paying attention to food when she’s alone with you?”
Roxton tried to look slighted. “I’ll have you know that I pay attention to food when I’m with her. I feed her strawberries and champagne. Her cooking, on the other hand, is an acquired taste…which I suggest that you not try to acquire. But it got better while we were on the plateau. Veronica taught her a lot, and Finn helped.”
“Lets’ get back to strawberries and champagne,” suggested Margurerite. “I could go for some this afternoon. Stop, Geoff! Look to the left, everyone! Aren’t those cheetahs?” She fumbled for her binocular, still in its leather case.
Blacklaws stopped, and they all piled out, Lindemere with a cine camera. He got some good film as the cats chased a Thomson’s gazelle past the cars. The animals were intent on their own drama, and ignored the vehicles. They had probably never seen cars and white people.
They drove on and soon found buffalo, large herds of them. Staying at a careful distance, they looked them,over. Several herds had very shootable bulls, easy trophy quality.
They selected one that stood out, and Felicity, whose turn it was to shoot, had the gunbearer pass her her .400. Then, she, their hunter, and her husband went after the big, black, glowering bovines. Blacklaws told Holly that she could shoot one the next day, when they’d return with the Challengers.
Everyone watched with binoculars as the stalk progressed. Blacklaws had his .500 double-barrelled rifle passed forward, in case he had to assist. Only a fool or a supreme optimist took buffalo hunting casually. But Felicity killed cleanly, her husband putting in an “insurance shot.”
The rest of the morning passed in taking photos and in getting the huge animal winched up on the truck that followed the hunting car, for transporting trophies. The horns measured a fraction over 58 inches tip-to-tip, a grand trophy! And buffalo meat would be welcome in camp. Normally, the boys sang when there was a good trophy and much meat. Today, they looked glum and did their work with sullen expressions.
Holly slipped away from the others, and called over her gunbearer, a Lumbwa named Masoni. He was from her household staff, not part of the safari crew. “Why are the boys so somber?,” she asked. “There is much meat, nyama m’zuri sana.”
“N’dio, Mem'Sahib,” he agreed. “But, also, there are juju lions. Boys not happy.”
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 22 2009 : 04:01:23 AM
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The mood in camp was subdued, although the boys cheered up when Hamilton told them that they could have double meat rations. The safari also sent some of the meat to the village that had been visited by the maneaters. With the buffalo, there was more meat than the safari could use before it went bad. Biltong – dried meat- would be made, but there was still a surplus, with the antelope and the birds. When Finn shot her buff, there would again be more meat than needed, and the natives would feast on the surplus. Safaris conducted by reputable firms did not waste meat.
At dinner, the group decided to hunt birds and smaller antelope during the morning. Then, Marguerite would enter the leopard blind, where a dead impala had been wedged in a nearby tree that afternoon. With luck,a big tom leopard would come to feed on the carcass. Marguerite, if all went well, might then get a shot at the furtive, almost ghostly, cat. Tracks in the area suggested that two big toms might find the antelope, placed at the overlapping edges of the big cats’ “beats” or terrritories. With luck, one would find the kill and feed on it before the other discovered it. If the two met and fought, both hides might be damaged and make poor trophies.
Veronica showed Challenger sketches of red cobras on suitable backgrounds depicting their typical haunts. She could refine these to get just the effect that Challenger and Finn wanted. The completed oil painting would eventually hang in their den.
Lord and Lady Lindemere stayed for dinner, and were amazed at Veronica’s talent. They told her that they could get commissions for her from their wealthy friends who hunted in Africa, and who loved the animals there. Veronica was startled at the prices mentioned, and she and Ned agreed to discuss the idea.
In bed later, Finn stirred happily against Challenger. “I can’t believe that I’ll get my chance at one of those really big buffaloes tomorrow, Genius. Can we hang it on the wall in the den, so that it’s the very first thing that someone sees when they look in the door?”
He reflected. “Yes, Darling. Unless of course, you want to mount the entire buffalo. That will cost us some serious money, but I think it would fit handily in the den to the right, along the wall. Bit bulky, but for you, I’d find a way to get it in there, if it’d go through the door. There’s the rub. Cape buffalo are not small items.” He carressed her hair and shoulder as Finn ran her foot tenderly down his leg,
She rolled over to look him in the face. George couldn’t make out her expression in the darkness, but he knew her well enough to know what he would see, had the lamp been on. “Guess we’d better settle for a head mount, then. It’s all that I expected. Lover? Thanks for coming on this trip. I can hardly believe that we’re here again, and looking forward to what I am. I just hope that I manage to shoot one as big as Charles’s. Or close. If I do, don’t be surprised if I sneak out of bed sometimes and tiptoe into the den to admire it.”
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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971 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2009 : 08:39:47 AM
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Challenger chuckled. “Well, if we have guests at the time, put on some clothes! I was pretty surprised when you slipped out of our room at the Tremaynes’ that night to look at his big mount. I could just imagine what would happen if someone had come out of another room, to find you at the top of those stairs, as nude as some girl on a French postcard of the wrong sort! I wouldn’t have been able to show my face downstairs that morning!”
Finn grinned impishly, rolled on her back and slipped off her panties. She dropped them on the trunk alongside their camp bed, knowing that his eyes followed her motions in the shadows “I’m just that naked right now, and we’re all alone. Want to take advantage of it? If anyone hears us, it’ll be a big scandal: married couple discovered in lewd affair! “ She ran a hand up his leg, artfully teasing what she found as it joined his trunk. Finn peeled the covers off and scooted down to take his growing tumescence in her mouth. “Want to experience my best lollipop lick, Genius?” She showed him what she meant, running her tongue around his shaft just behind the head. She then ran the tip of her tongue along the lower edge of his erection until he groaned and played with her ears.
“How lewd an affair were were you thinking that we might be caught having? We have to be up in a few hours for you to shoot that buffalo. ” He squirmed as his wife showed just how skilled her attentions could be. Finn was an artist with her mouth, and Challenger knew that he would have to assuage her lust before he could sleep. Not that he considered it a great sacrifice on his part...
“Lets be really naughty for maybe an hour, Lover. Unless I’m a well fuc--d woman, I’ll never get to sleep tonight. I’ll just lie here tingling, thinking about tomorrow, and whether I’ll do my part if Stuart finds us a buff as big as Charles’s. I want one so bad that I can taste it, but I’m scared that I’ll mess up and ruin my shot. So, de-stress me. Make me squeal with pleasure.” She fondled him, resuming her ministrations.
Her skills were exquisite, and for the thousandth time, Challenger congratulated himself on marrying this woman. The more he took her, the more he enjoyed her. He felt sorry for those couples who grew bored with one another. Maybe Finn was right: perhaps they did have the love of the ages.
“In that case,” he told her, “lets see what I can find to do to wear you out.” Evidently, he discovered things that appealed to her, for she was soon mewling, twisting in his arms even before he returned her oral favor. At one point, he noticed that she had pulled the pillow over her face, muffling the sounds she made as she jerked beneath him. She swung her legs around his waist as spasms of total orgasm shook her. She tossed off the pillow and squeezed him in a grasp so full of passion that he marvelled at her capacity for sensual pleasure. It was often thus with them, but Challenger always felt privileged to be able to do this to her, to rock her world so thoroughly. Not that it wasn’t a mutual event.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2009 : 08:49:53 AM
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Someday, he thought, I will do this once too often, and my heart will not stand the strain. But I will doubtless die a happy man. And my heart should last for years to come.
When they were done, and Finn lay spent in his arms, she nuzzled his neck and thanked him. “I needed that, Genius. Thanks for being there for me.”
He smiled, tracing a finger lightly around her right nipple. “That’s quite all right, young lady,” he teased. “Just as long as you remember to say ‘thank you.’ Although I always feel as if I should be thanking you. Darling, do you sometimes pity mere mortals, who never reach our erotic heights? Zeus on Olympus never enjoyed a goddess half so much as you thrill me. I trust that you’ll sleep better now?” He laid his head against hers as she purred, trying to suppress a giggle of satisfied delight.
“Ummm,” she murmured. “Sorry about the pillow, George. I was just trying to save you embarrassment, in case anyone heard me. Gad, I wanted to scream like a banshee! It’s been a week since we did this, and this was one of your better efforts. I’m glad the servants have their own quarters out back, at home. Not that I’m always a ‘screamer.' Lots of times, I’m so turned on that I just squirm and moan. But sometimes, when you do me like you just did…I’d be so red-faced if the butler or the maids saw me the next day and knew! But I’d be so proud that my man can make me do that that I’d be really pleased, too.”
A thought struck her. “George? You don’t think that Susan hears us? Her room is just down at the other end of our hall.” She blushed scarlet, and Challenger felt the heat where her head lay on his shoulder.
He comforted her, stroking her hair and neck. ”I shouldn’t think so, " he answered. “Does she ever give you intensely jealous looks the morning after I’ve had you this fully?” He chuckled, rather pleased at his stamina and creativity.
“No. I guess our door is thick enough. Genius? Hold me until I’m asleep? I love you more than I can express. Do you know how frustrating that is for a writer? To not be able to find words to tell her man how terrific a stud he is?" She snuggled into him and closed her eyes with a sigh.
In the next tent over, John Roxton also sighed. “Thank goodness, that’s over. Now, we can all sleep, and we need to. I just hope that we’re the only ones who heard them. Challenger would be so embarrassed if he knew that we know what they were doing.”
His mate smirked. “I won’t embarrass George, but his lusty little blonde wife is going to learn that we do know. I’m getting Finnykins back for that look that she and Veronica gave me earlier!"
So that’s what that was about, mused Roxton. Women! He kissed Marguerite goodnight, and slept.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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Explorer
971 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2009 : 05:47:06 AM
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Dawn came, pink and orange hues on the horizon lifting the veil of darkness. The personal boys appeared at the tents with the inevitable, "Mimi lette chai, Bwana, Mem'Sahib."
They were greeted with groans or thanks, depending on the tent's occupants. Finn rose, pulling on panties and a robe as her mate unfastened the tent flaps. Challenger accepted the tea, which Finn gratefully poured, wiping sleep from her eyes. She looked somber, admitting that now that the hour of battle was at hand, she had misgivings. But she was still resolved to try her fortunes with a big bull buffalo. "If I don't do this, Genius, I'll hate myself forever."
"You'll certainly wonder if you could have done it," her spouse agreed. "But you'll manage, Darling. I have full confidence in you, and I know you as well as you know yourself. In some ways, maybe better. If you are determined to collect a buffalo and we find one suitable, my money is on your killing that buffalo. You are a fine shot, and when danger comes, you conquer it and become ice cold."
At breakfast, Marguerite took Finn aside. “I trust that you slept well, Finnykins? You seemed to be wheezing or gasping around midnight. Not getting a cold, I hope?” She smirked, and Finn, after a moment’s reflection, realized what she meant.
Finn composed herself after a quick grin and replied, “I was a little chilly about then, Marguerite, but George really warmed me up, and I slept fine after awhile.”
“What’s this all about?” asked Veronica, who had walked up with Holly. “Are you okay, Finn?”
“If she isn’t fine after what I overheard, George is a worse lover than I fancy he is. That man probably knows every sensory receptacle on the human body, and it sounded as if he was touching our Finny on all levels.” Marguerite smirked. “Not that I’d be so crude as to mention it, but you girls deserve it, after those smug grins that you gave me recently. I have a long memory.”
Veronica groaned. “Lets see if you have a long reach, too, Marguerite. Pass the coffee. And leave Finny alone. She has a big day ahead of her. I wouldn’t want to risk my neck hunting a buffalo. I say we offer her our support. ”
“What about supporting me, too?", Marguerite demanded. “It’s my neck that’s going to be at risk in that leopard blind tonight!”
Holly looked at her soberly. ”Marguerite, you aren’t just looking for sympathy. That is genuinely dangerous work, and I certainly will offer you my best wishes. You and Finn may both be in for some thrills today. But you’ll have great memories to take home.”
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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971 Posts |
Posted - May 28 2009 : 07:24:54 AM
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Marguerite sniffed. "That's only if I survive, which may be a factor. I don't know why I let John and Finn talk me into these adventures." She managed to look long suffering and put-upon.
"Well, if you don't survive, the rest of us promise to remember you fondly," retorted Veronica. "I promise to drink two cups of coffee every morning in memory of you."
Finn spluttered with laughter and put down her own cup. "Good jab, Vee! But we would miss you, Marguerite. You may be an acquired taste,but we've been through so much together that I've acquired you. Look, do you want me to sit up with you for the leopard?"
"No, thank you kindly, Little Miss Sure Shot. I'll kill my own leopards. John will expect it of me, and I suppose that I do, too. But I thank you. I know that you mean well."
"Be nice, ladies," warned Diana. "Here come the lads, fresh from viewing the trophies. But look here, Finn and Marguerite, both of you. If either of you muffs a shot, it's my husband and Holly's who will have to follow a wounded animal into the long grass and finish it off. I'd have chronic ulcers if I was Geoff's or Stuart's insurance man. I know that you girls can shoot, but please be sure before you press trigger today, on buff or leopard. Stuart has yet to breed me, as he so charmingly puts it, and Holly hasn't any children yet, either. Don't expose our lords and masters to any danger that can be avoided." She looked meaningfully at the huntresses.
"What's this about breeding you?," joked Stuart Hamilton. "You're still in training. Breeding comes in a year or two, not that you haven't demonstrated exceptional talent in training." He leaned over and kissed Diana before joining her at the table.
Joseph saw the men arrive for breakfast and motioned to the serving boys. They trotted off for fresh coffee, antelope chops, and scrambled eggs.
Diana carressed her man's leg. "If I'm a well trained filly, it's because my master is such a skilled rider. You bring out the throughbred in me." She leaned over to kiss him again, and buttered his toast, as she had seen Finn doing for Challenger.
Holly poured Blacklaws's coffee as they began talking about the day's business. But Finn touched Holly's shoulder and promised to take great care in making a clean kill if they found a buffalo worthy of her ambition. She knew that other women loved their husbands almost as much as she loved the Genius, and she would never risk the mens' lives if she could avoid it. The stress of putting the professionals in danger when they and their women were also her friends had weighed heavily on her for days.
Then she looked across the table and saw Roxton smile warmly at her and give her a thumbs-up signal. Johnny knew her better than anyone save for her own husband, and his faith in her made her feel warm and confident. She began to wish that they'd finish breakfast and go look for a buffalo, one that would surpass even the huge one on Lord Lindemere's wall!
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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971 Posts |
Posted - May 30 2009 : 6:12:38 PM
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Following breakfast, they briefly visited the skinners' tent, where the boys still refused to work on the hide and skull of the "juju" lion. The other trophies were coming along well. The girls decided that the bushbuck was the prettiest animal that they'd shot, but that the lions were scary and impressive.
"I want one of those lionesses," declared Marguerite. "If John is away from Avebury without me and I need a thrill that sends chills down my spine, I can always go into the gun room and look at that mounted lioness and remember that day when she was trying to eat someone! Look here: Susan, do you mind if I keep the lion, too? I shot him, and I rather like that beaded mane. It should make a good conversation piece when we have guests." She was aware that Susan would probably be unable to afford the taxidermy fees, so was confident that she would get the lion, unless Finn stood up and wanted it for Susan. Finn was capable of that, and Marguerite hoped that there would be no quarrel about the trophy lion. She wanted it badly.
Challenger sensed that, but was miffed by her somewhat presumptive attitude. He drew Finn and Susan aside and offered to pay the taxidermy, import, and other fees. "Susan, yours was the first bullet into that beggar, and if you want it, I think you have first right to it. Darling, I presume that this meets with your approval?"
Finn nodded, smiling at Susan. But Susan, embarrassed, asked that Marguerite have the lion. "I don't want to get on Lady Roxton's bad side," she confessed, "and if I claim the lion, there may be bad blood between you and her, Ma'am. And you, Professor. But I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous offer." She looked near to tears, and Finn pulled her over and hugged her. Then, she pulled Challenger down and hugged him fiercely, kissing him like it was Christmas and he had been a very generous Santa to her.
"Oh, Genius! You are the best husband ever! I just hope that I deserve you! Thank you so much. That was so generous and so sweet. Look, Susan: if you want that lion, George and I will convince Marguerite that it should be yours. Are you sure that you don't want it?"
Malone watched as Finn kissed Challenger and said, amused, "Get a room, you two!"
Veronica laughed, but jabbed her mate in the ribs with an elbow. She sensed what the other couple and their secretary were discussing, and she knew Marguerite's likely reaction. She felt sorry for Susan.
Roxton was on the verge of risking his wife's wrath and telling her to let poor Susan have the lion. He would, in fact, have cheerfully paid the trophy fees. He liked Susan, and pitied her situation. And he and Marguerite had many mounted trophies in their home, and would have more after this safari. Susan had none, and it would be a thrill for her to have such a prestigious one as a certified man-eater, with those witch doctor's beads in its mane! The truth was, he rather wanted it, himself. But his generosity and sense of fairness said that it should belong to Susan Wilson. Roxton was not without fault. He had at one time been one of the most notorious womanizers in all Britain. But he was basically an honorable man, one whose merit would have been recognized by King Arthur, himself, had Roxton been a candidate to sit at the Round Table of his noble knights. Still, he was also Marguerite's spouse. Where did his duty lie? And what was he prepared to risk to do what was right?
As it happened, Marguerite took the lead, saving him the stress of choosing between her side and Susan’s. She had been thinking, and as selfish as she basically was, she had mellowed over the years since she had met John Roxton. And the Challengers were her best friends. She recalled the occasion in Xochilenque when George and Finn had rescued her and Roxton from a cell where they were held by the fierce Tecamaya, Marguerite soon to be removed to the emperor’s harem as Roxton lay severely injured after fighting a man in their arena, with Aztec sword-clubs. (See, “The Crystal Skull” on the OLDER David Orth board.)
Now, Lady Roxton struggled with herself, greed and genuine longing warring with her sense of fairness. Moreover, she knew her man well, and guessed precisely what he was thinking. That he even took her side into consideration out of love for her and his duty to her as her husband warmed her heart. She decided to be noble in more than title. Besides, the District Commissioner might seize the hide and skull as evidence of malignant witchcraft! Knowing what would make her look best in the eyes of everyone, including, damn it, herself, she spoke.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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971 Posts |
Posted - May 30 2009 : 10:15:48 PM
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Alas, Veronica took some of the wind out of her sails. Mrs.Malone offered to paint the lion as it had looked in life, with an authentic background. Considering that her talents as a painter were now on par with, perhaps even exceeding, those of the celebrated German wildlife artist Wilhelm Kuhnert, this was a significant offer. “I’ll give the painting to whichever of you doesn’t claim the lion trophy,” she promised.
“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” spoke Marguerite. “If Susan wants the trophy, and I really think it should be hers, John and I will commission you to paint the lion. The art will probably look better in our home than on the wall of George and Finn’s little hovel, anyway.” She smirked at Finn.
Challenger bristled at her description of his and Finn’s really rather elegant home. Finn, knowing that the barb was Marguerite’s grumpy way of consoling herself for doing the right thing, pulled him down and whispered into his ear, mollifying him.
“Lets let Susan choose which she wants: the trophy or the painting,” suggested Roxton. “If she wants the painting, Marguerite and I will commission another, just different enough to distinguish them. Veronica will be paid for two paintings, and someone will get that admittedly significant hide and skull.”
“May I choose, Lady Roxton?”, asked Susan.”I want you to be happy with my choice. I will not come between you and Mrs. Challenger, as fine a woman as has lived. But if I may select, I want the lion. It and the lioness that was on that hut are my first dangerous game, and they scared the devil out of me. That’s my preference, if it won’t upset my betters.”
“Agreed,” said Marguerite. “If that’s all right with everyone, that’s the way we’ll settle this. I won’t even try to get a necklace out of Roxton here for being nice about it. But a set of earrings wouldn’t be out of place…” She looked teasingly at her man as the others laughed or groaned, according to their natures.
“If you want a set of earrings from me, Madam, you’ll need to earn it,” replied her mate. “Doing the right thing by Susan is just your duty to decency and to our family honor.” But he smiled at her, proud that she had behaved as she had.
“Then I’ll earn them, as soon as we have a real room to ourselves for a few days, undisturbed. I wasn’t trained as a consummate harlot while that damned sultan owned me for nothing. You’ll get your money’s worth and change, John. And you can select the earrings. I’ll value them more as your gift than if I chose them. You know my tastes, anyway.” She pulled him over and rubbed noses. “If you’re lucky, I may even butter your bread tonight, if the leopard that I hope to shoot doesn’t gnaw off my fingers first.”
Roxton pulled her over to him as they left the skinners tent, pressed her body intimately into his, and took her mouth with a passion that left her breathless and flushing.
Ned muttered his ‘get a room’ comment again, this time half seriously, for the Roxtons were going beyond what others should see in public.
"There is nothing quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without effect." Sir Winston Churchill |
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A Lion Comes!
