thousand years ago," she agreed. "In his Scrolls he writes of them as
almost his cultural equals which was rare for him. He disparaged all the
other nations of the old world as his inferiors in every way."
From the air Addis was like so many other African cities, a mixture of
the old and the new, of traditional and exotic architectural styles,
thatched roofs alongside galvanized iron and baked tiles. The rounded
walls of the old tukuls built with mud and wattle contrasted with the
rectangular shapes and geometrical planes of the brick built
multi-storeyed buildings, the blocks of flats and the villas of the
affluent, the government buildings and the grandiose, flag-bedecked
headquarters of the Organization of African Unity.
The distinguishing features of the surrounding countryside were the
plantations of tall eucalyptus trees, the ubiquitous blue gums that
provided firewood. It was the only fuel available to so many in this
poor and war-torn land, which over the centuries had been ravaged by
marauding armies and, more recently, by alien political doctrines.
After Nairobi the high-altitude air was cool and sweet when Royan and
Nicholas left the aircraft and walked across the tarmac to the terminal
building. As they entered, before they had even approached the row of
waiting immigration officers someone called his name.
"Sir Nicholas!" They both turned to the tall young woman who glided
towards them with all the grace of a features lit by a welcoming dancer,
her dark and delicate smile. She wore full'length tradition al skirts
which enhanced her movements.
"Welcome to my country of Ethiopia. I am Woizero Tessay." She looked at
Royan with interest, "And you must be Woizero Royan." She held out her
hand to her and liked each other Nicholas saw that the two women
immediately.
I will see to the "If you will let me have your passports. There is a
formalities while you relax in the VIP lounge.
from your British Embassy waiting there to greet you, man Sir Nicholas.
I don't know how he knew that you were arriving."
the VIP lounge.
There was only one person waiting i He was dressed in a well-cut
tropical suit and wore the orange, yellow and blue diagonally striped
old Sandhurst tie. He stood up and came to greet Nicholas immediately,
Nor, ? it's good to see you again Must be all
"Nicky, how are yo of twelve years, isn't it?"
"Hello, Geoffrey. I had no idea they had stuck you out here."
"Military attache. His Excellency sent me down to meet you as soon as he
heard that you and I had been at Sandhurst together." Geoffrey looked at
Royan with marked interest, and with a resigned air Nicholas introduced
them.
"Geoffrey Tennant. Be careful of him. Biggest ram I safe within half a
mile of north of the equator. No girl him."
"I say,. steady on,, Geoffrey protested, looking pleased with the
reference that Nicholas had given him. "Please don't believe a word the
man says, Dr Al Simma. Notorious prevaricator."
Geoffrey drew Nicholas aside and quickly gave him a r6sum6 of conditions
in the country, particularly in the outlying areas. "HE is a little
worried. He doesn't like the idea of you swarming around out there on
your own. Lots of nasty men down there in the Goiam. I told him that you
knew how to look after yourself.)
In a remarkably short time Woizero Tessay was back.
"I have cleared all your luggage, including the firearm and ammunition.
This is your temporary permit. You must keep it with you at all times
whilst you are in Ethiopia. Here are your passports - the visas are
stamped and in order. Our flight to Lake Tana leaves in an hour, so we
have plenty of time to check in."
"Any time you need a job, come and see me,'Nicholas commended her
efficiency.
Geoffrey Tennant walked with them as far as the departures gate, where
he shook hands, "Anything I can do, it goes without saying. "Serve to
Lead", Nicky."
"'Serve to lead"T Royan asked, as they walked out to the waiting
aircraft.
"Sandhurst's motto the explained.
"How nice, Nicky, she murmered.
"I have always considered Nicholas to be more dignified and
appropriate he said.
"Yes, but Nicky is so sweet."
the high, thin air the Twin Otter aircraft that took them on the last,
northern, leg pitched and yawed in the updraughts; from the mountains
below.
Although they were at fifteen thousand feet above sea level, the ground
was close enough for them to make out the, villages and the sparse areas
of cultivation around them. Subjected for so many centuries to primitive
agricultural methods and to the uncontrolled grazing of domestic herds,
the land had a thin, impoverished look, and the bones of rock showed
through the thin red fleshing of earth.
Abruptly ahead of them the plateau over which they were flying was rent
through by a monstrous chasm. It was as though the earth had received a
mighty sword-stroke that struck through to her very bowels.
"The Abbay river!" Tessay leaned forward in her seat to tap Royan's
shoulder.
The rim of the gorge was Clear-cut, and then the slope dropped away at
an angle of over thirty degrees. The bare plains of the plateau gave way
immediately to the heavily forested walls of the gorge. They could make
out the candelabra shapes of giant euphorbia rising above the dense
jungle. In places the walls had collapsed in scree slopes of loose rock,
and in others they were up-thrust into bluffs and needles that erosion
had sculpted with a monstrous artistry into the figures of towering
humanoids and other fantastic creatures of stone.
Down and down it plunged, and they winged out over the void until they
could look directly down, a mile and more, on to the glittering snake of
the river in the depths.
The funnel shape of the upper walls formed a secondary rim as they
reached the sheer cliffs of the sub-gorge five hundred feet above the
Nile water. Deep down there between its terrible cliffs the river gouged
dark pools and long slithering runs through the red sandstone. In places
the gorge was forty miles across, in others it narrowed to under ten,
but through all its length the grandeur and the desolation were infinite
and eternal. Man had made no impression upon it.
"You will soon be down there," Tessay told them in a voice so awed that
it was almost a whisper, and they were both silent. Words seemed
superfluous in the face of such raw and savage nature.
.. Almost with relief they watched the northern wall rise to meet them,
and the high mountains of the Choke range stood up against the tall blue
African sky, higher than their fragile little craft was flying.
The aircraft banked into its descent and Tessay pointed over the
starboard wingtip.
"Lake Tana," she told them. It was a wide and lovely body of water, over
fifty miles long, studded with islands on each of which stood a
monastery or an ancient church. As they dropped in over the water on the
final approach, they could make out the white-robed priests plying
between the islands on their traditional little boats made from bundles
of papyrus.
The Otter touched down on the dirt strip beside the lake and rolled out
in a long trailing cloud of dust. It swung in -and stopped engines
beside the run-down terminal building of thatch and daub.
The sunlight was so bright that Nicholas pulled a pair of sunglasses
from the breast pocket of his khaki jacket and placed them on his nose
as he stood at the top of the boarding ladder. He took in the pock-marks