Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon

Burton fired his rifle into the air to rouse the camp and yelled: “Hopa! Hopa! Pakia!”

Trounce responded to the a

“There's enough! We have to get moving! If they take the town, we won't be able to resupply for the next leg of the safari.”

“But what the blazes are they up to?”

“It's the key to central East Africa, William. Whoever controls Kazeh controls the region all the way from Lake Tanganyika to Zanzibar, and up to the Mountains of the Moon. My guess is they mean to drive the Arabs out and make of it a Prussian base of operations.”

Burton ordered Said bin Salim to have the porters take up their loads. Mirambo silently appeared beside him and asked, “Will the coming day be that in which we fight?”

“Yes. I bid thee prepare thy warriors, O Mirambo.”

“We are always prepared, muzungo mbaya.It is wise to be so when devils such as thee walk the land.”

The African stalked away.

Krishnamurthy, Spencer, Isabella Mayson, Sister Raghavendra, and Sidi Bombay gathered around the king's agent. He described to them the scene he'd witnessed.

Krishnamurthy asked, “Can we get into the town from the west?”

“Yes,” Burton replied. “If we follow the hills south, remaining on this side of them, then cross when-”

“No. We can't enter the town at all,” Isabel Arundell interrupted.

They all looked at her, surprised.

“It would be suicidal. I have a hundred and twenty fighters and another ninety or so on the way. Mirambo has two hundred boys. The Prussians already greatly outnumber us and there are a thousand more fast approaching. If we're in the town when they arrive, we'll be pi

Burton nodded thoughtfully. “You're the expert in guerrilla tactics,” he said, “and I'll bow to your expertise. What do you recommend?”

Isabel positioned herself directly in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. “The king made you his agent, Dick, and you have your orders. What is the distance from here to the Mountains of the Moon?”

“Something under two hundred miles.”

“Then go. Forget about resupplying in the town. You and your people take two horses each and the bare essentials in supplies. No porters. Nothing but what you can carry. Travel as fast as you can. It's a race, remember? I have no doubt that John Speke is already on his way.”

“And you?” Burton asked.

“Mirambo and I will lead our forces against the Prussians.”

William Trounce interjected: “But why, Isabel? If we're going to bypass the town, why risk yourselves in battle at all?”

Isabel stepped back and pulled the keffiyehfrom her head. The sickle moon had just risen over the horizon and its pale light illuminated her long blonde hair.

“Because despite these robes, I'm British, William. If what we saw at Mzizima, and what we are witnessing here at Kazeh, are the first skirmishes in a clash of empires, then it's my duty to defend that to which I belong-besides which, if we don't keep the Prussians occupied here, they'll be able to rapidly establish outposts all the way to the Mountains of the Moon, making it almost impossible for you to get there.”

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Isabella Mayson cleared her throat. “Richard,” she said, “if you don't mind, I think I would like to stay and join the Daughters of Al-Manat.”

“And I,” added Sister Raghavendra. “Besides, you'll probably travel more quickly as a smaller group.”

The explorer looked from one woman to the other, then his gaze went past Isabel and his eyes locked with Swinburne's, and even in the dim light, the poet could see in them a great depth of despair.

“I'm afraid Isabel is right,” the poet said quietly. “We can't allow Speke to reach the Eye of Naga before us. Equally, we can't let Kazeh fall to the Prussians. The only option is to split the expedition.”

Burton leaned his head back and considered the stars. Then he closed his eyes and said, “And you, William?”

Trounce stepped forward and spoke in a low, gruff voice: “Am I supposed to run off and leave women to fight?”

Isabella Mayson whirled around to face him. “Sir! The fact that I wrote a book about cookery and household management doesn't mean I'm incapable of putting a bullet through a man's head! Have you forgotten this-” She pulled back her hair to reveal the notch in her right ear. “I fought by your side at Dut'humi. Was I any less effective than you? Did I scream? Did I faint? Did I start knitting a shawl?”

“No, of course not! You're as brave as they come. But-”

“No buts! No medieval nonsense about honour and chivalry! There isn't time for such indulgence! We have a job to do! Yours is to accompany Sir Richard and to retrieve that diamond!”

“Well said!” Isabel Arundell put in.

They all looked at Burton, who was standing stock-still.

Gunfire rattled from the town.

The cough of a lion sounded from afar.

Pox, on Herbert Spencer's head, muttered something unintelligible, and Malady responded with a click of his beak.

“All right! Enough!” Burton snapped, opening his eyes. “Sadhvi, will you prepare for us a pack of remedies and treatments?”

“Yes, certainly.”

“Take Algy with you and instruct him in their use. Maneesh-”

Krishnamurthy moved closer. “Yes?”

“I'm sorry, but I have to give you a very difficult mission. Sidi Bombay says an aggressive tribe called the Chwezi live among the Mountains of the Moon, so there's every chance that we won't make it out. It's imperative that the government learns what is happening here. For that reason, I'm going to entrust you with my journals and reports. I want you and Said and his men to trek all the way back to Zanzibar. I'm going to pay our remaining porters to accompany you as far as Ugogi. There, you can hire more. Once you reach the island, catch the first ship home and report to Palmerston.”

Krishnamurthy straightened his back and squared his shoulders. “You can rely on me, sir.”

“I don't doubt it, my friend.”

Burton next addressed Trounce and Bombay: “You two, Algy, Herbert, and I will depart at sun-up. Work with Isabella to get everything prepared. I'll join you presently. First though-” he took Isabel Arundell by the arm and steered her away, “-you and I need to talk.”

They walked a short distance, then stopped and stood, listening to the battle and watching dark shapes moving across the plain near the horizon.

“Elephants,” Isabel murmured.

“Yes.”

“You don't have to say anything, Dick. I'm familiar with your hopelessness when it comes to goodbyes.”

He took her hand. “Did you know that, had history never changed, this is the year we'd be celebrating our honeymoon?”

“How do you know that?”

“Countess Sabina. Palmerston's medium.”

“I ought to slap your face for reminding me that you broke our engagement.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I know. Do you think we'd have been happily married?”

“Yes.”

He was silent a moment, then: “Isabel, I–I-”

She waited patiently while he struggled to express himself.

“I'm filled with such regret I can barely stand it,” he said, his voice breaking. “I've done everything wrong. Everything! I should never have accepted the king's commission. I panicked. Speke had ruined my career and reputation. Then he put a bullet into his head and people said it was my fault!”

“Which is when Palmerston threw you a lifeline.”

“He did, but even with the situation as it was, I'm not certain I'd have accepted his offer had Spring Heeled Jack not assaulted me the night before.”

“There you have it, Dick. You regret a decision you made, but how much can you blame yourself when you were under the influence of such extraordinary circumstances? We all like to fool ourselves that we are independent and that our minds are our own, but the truth is we're always swayed by events.”