David stood quietly as the boy was strung up by the wrists in his place. Vaguely he heard the sounds of the flogging, the crack of leather on bare flesh, the anguished cries of the youthful victim, the gloating comments of the photographer as he recorded the other boy's agony.
David was beaten and he knew it. There was no point in struggling any longer. He had failed and that was the end of it. More importantly he had failed his friends. Both had been prepared to suffer for him and neither had he been able to help in return. Mark had been left to die slowly in the Mission horribly wounded. Michael's body was lying out there in the desert with the vultures and wild dogs probably already feasting on it. He had been no use to them. He must accept his fate. He did not deserve any better.
He wondered what was going to happen to him. He had heard the discussion between Pietre and the fat news paper reporter. He knew they were talking of setting him free in return for a very large sum of money but he was not a stupid boy. He thought it unlikely that Pietre would let the other two men have any part of the money if it did materialise or that he would allow David to escape to bear witness against him. On the other hand Pietre could no doubt make money out of him. He thought that probably like the other boys his fate would be decided on the auction block and the best he could hope was that his purchaser would be a kind master to him.
"There we are," he heard Nigel say. "That's the end of that. I think I would like this one as one of the boys you so kindly offered me Captain. Those welts look very fetching don't they. "
He bent and kissed one of the livid weals that now disfigured the boys shoulders.
"And the second one..... Well if you would sort one out as similar to this one as you can.... that would be fine."
"I'll get the men to do it," Pietre said. "Do you want the second one whipped as well."
"Oh I don't know," Nigel paused to consider. "No I don't think so. I think it would be a nice contrast really. One marked with the whip the other not."
"Right. Now let's for God's sake have lunch," Pietre said setting off towards where his tent was pitched in the shade of the palm trees. He paused and looked back over his shoulder. "You boy come on." Obediently David trotted after the three men.
Pietre's tent was large and square. The canvas walls on the side facing the lake had been looped back and a wooden plank floor on which stood a table and a number of canvas chairs, had been built in front of it. David was following the three men onto the platform when Pietre turned back towards him.
"Get off," the man shouted lashing out at him with his whip. "Filthy little animal. You stay back. I'll have you sorted out after Lunch."
David squealed and jumped backwards rubbing the front of his thighs where the whip had caught him.
"Ah Joseph," Pietre continued addressing a black man who came hurrying up from one side of the tent. "About time too you lazy black oaf. Whisky and three glasses fast. That grubby little animal over there is your new helper. After we've eaten see he's clean and set him to work."
David stood awkwardly at the edge of the planking for a moment and then, when the men ignoring him began drinking and talking among themselves, squatted down .
"How much time can you give us to set this thing up Captain?" the fat man asked.
"Ten days. The summer market is being held on the 24th July so we need to get the money by then or the boy goes on the block with the rest of my stock."
"That's not long. But still perhaps that's not a bad thing. Long enough to whip up hysteria not long enough to give any one time to think."
"How'll we manage the exchange. That's the money for the boy?"
"You set up a numbered Swiss bank account into which you pay all the money, all of it mind you. You arrange it so that funds can only be withdrawn under our joint signature. You come out here with the cheque book and an account certified by say Peates supporting the sum in the account. We write out bearer cheques. You go back to Britain for a heroes welcome with the boy and your share of the loot. I, well I just, quietly disappear."
"A bit cumbersome surely," the fat man protested. "Why can't I just take our share out and bring you yours?"
Pietre said nothing. He simply put his knife and fork down and stared coldly at the man.
"Oh, all right then. Where do we make the transfer?"
"Here," Pietre replied. "Usually the market's held over the other side of the mountains but there's some political problem. Some bleeding hearts in the US and Europe putting pressure on our friends in the government so this year they asked us to have it somewhere out of the way."
"Just got a message on the short wave radio from my agent telling me so. Not too bad really. We've got the boys here in good time so we can rest'em and feed 'em up a bit so they're in good condition for the sale. The only trouble is we'll have to ship some extra food in as we hadn't been planning to stay here more than a couple of days. Normally I'd get over that by starving the boys a bit, hunger's almost as good for discipline as the whip. Put them on half rations, they don't need much just to survive but that's not on with the market so near."
"And how do we know when we turn up here you'll honour the deal?" Nigel asked.
"I won't get the money without your signature on my cheque. That's the best guarantee you could possibly have."
The men ate steadily as they talked. David crouched at the edge of the planks watched them hungrily. He had filled his stomach with maize porridge at the end of the previous day but since then had nothing. He was almost crying with hunger.
Pietre glanced over towards the desperate boy . He grinned picked up a chop bone from his plate bit at it and then threw it in David's direction. It landed in the dust a metre or so away from the boy. There was no pride in him now. He scrambled over to grab it. The three men watched the starving boy.
"No different from a bloody monkey," Pietre remarked and the men laughed.
Nigel grinning picked up the chop bone from his plate and held it in the air
"You want this boy?" he called.
"Sir, please Sir," David made no attempt to keep the whine out of his voice.
"Beg, beg like a dog. Go on. That's right. Well here you are then."
He chucked the bone high up over David's head. David turned and scampered after it. A mangy pye-dog, it's ribs sticking out through it's skin, which Nigel had spotted lurking behind a tree near by, appeared. The two famished animals, dog and boy, raced each other for the scrap as the men laughed and shouted. The dog won. David set off in pursuit of it.
"Boy," Pietre shouted. "Boy come back here now or I'll have Josh hunt you back with the whip."
Reluctantly David trotted back and squatted down once more in the dust, tears streaming down his face. He was crying from hunger, he no longer felt shame or humiliation.
"Finished with this," Pietre said to the fat man pointing to the bone that lay on his plate.
The fat man nodded. Pietre picked it up and held it up so that David could see it. Unbidden the boy squatted on his heels his hands in front of his chest in a pathetic attempt to imitate a begging dog.
Very deliberately Pietre dropped the bone on the planks just out of David's reach. David made as though to get it. Pietre touched the handle of the whip that lay beside him on the table. David drew back. Grinning the men watched the boy hesitate, torn between fear of the whip and hunger.
"You as much as put one part of your filthy body on the deck and you'll have the lash across your bum," Pietre threatened.
Joseph appeared from behind the tent. He walked towards the table to clear away the dirty plates. He saw the bone and glancing towards David changed direction.
"You leave it where it is Josh and come and get on with your work," Pietre ordered.
"The trouble with Josh is that he's too kind hearted", he remarked. "Left to himself he would spoil the boys."
"No danger of you doing that Captain," the reporter said with a grin.
Flies began to buss about the bone. David gazed at it longingly.
Josh came out carrying the men's puddings. Pietre turned back to the table. Seizing his chance David made a quick dash towards the bone. He grabbed it and turned hoping to be out of reach before Pietre could use the whip on him. He was not quick enough. He howled as the lash cut him across his naked bottom. He kept hold of the bone though and soon he was tearing greedily with his teeth at the few fragments of flesh that remained on it.
He heard a slight noise to his right. He looked round. Joseph was standing behind the tent. The man put his finger to his lips and beckoned the boy to him. The fun over the men were once more intent on their food. David crept quietly over to him.
"Here," the man whispered. He produced a bowl full of scraps; fragments of potato and cabbage covered with cold congealed gravy. David took the bowl from him eagerly and gulped down the unappetising mess. He thought he had never tasted anything better.
Josh. Where the hell's that bloody boy?" Pietre shouted from the front of the tent.
"Here Sir," Joseph replied hurriedly. "I'm just getting him cleaned up like you said Sir."
"OK but don't you go feeding him till I say so. You hear. I want the little sod to suffer. He's caused me enough problems already."
"Yes Sir. Very well Sir," Josh called back winking at the boy crouching at his feet.
When David had cleared the bowl of food Josh set him to work him fetching buckets of water from the lake. These he heated and tipped into an old metal drum. When this was almost full he added some antiseptic and giving the boy a rag told him to sponge himself down. Then he made David stand in the drum and gave him a gentle but very thorough tubbing. Every now and again David gave a little gasp as the disinfectant stung when the man touched an open cut.
"Well we better let the Boss have a look at you," he said helping David clamber out of the drum. "Remember now call him Sir and do what ever he says and do it quick and perhaps you will be all right."
Taking the boy by the arm he lead him out to where the men still sat about the table. They had finished their meal and had nearly finished the bottle of whisky. "Ah I was wondering when you were going to produce the boy," Pietre said slightly slurring his words. "Well lets have a look at him. Come here boy and stand in front of me. Don't try to cover yourself with your hands boy. Put them on your head. Turn round. Oh well he looks clean enough to me. Take him away and set him to work."
David feeling the he had got off lightly, as indeed he had, followed Josh back into the tent.
Josh kept David busy sweeping out the tent and helping him prepare the evening meal while the three white men slept off the drink. In the evening David helped Josh to serve the men's dinner. That was almost over when a guard brought Nigel's two boys to the back of the tent. Josh took charge of them. David who was washing up saw him give each of them a slug of whisky before taking them to Nigel. Josh returned carrying a blanket.
"Here boy," he said handing it to David. "You go now. They won't miss you . Slee under the palm trees over there. You'll be out of their way there."
David wrapped the blanket around him and lay on the ground staring up at the stars through the palm fronds. Crickets chirped noisily all about him, frogs croaked steadily at the margin of the lake and out in the desert a hyena howled. From the tent came the murmur of human voices and the sound of drunken laughter.
He woke to see Josh sitting propped against a palm tree staring out into the dark. The tent now was quiet except for the faint sound of a boy sobbing.
"Josh," he said quietly
"Oh you're awake. Go to sleep now can't you."
"I've been asleep Josh........Josh what's going to happen to me?"
David waited but the man did not speak.
"Josh they're talking about ransoming me. That's not going to happen is it?"
"No boy, I'm afraid not."
"I'll be sold like the others won't I?"
Again there was no reply.
"I'm afraid Josh."
"It won't be too bad. You're a nice looking boy. You work hard to please your Master and do what he wants. You'll be all right."
"Josh, why did you give those two boys whisky tonight?"
"I reckon because I thought it would make things easier for them."
"That's the sort of thing I'll have to do isn't it.... .....Oh Josh."
"It hurts at first," Josh said reluctantly, "but it gets easier. Why after a time you'll enjoy it may be."
"You're not like the rest of them Josh. You're kind. Why are you here?"
"I killed some one back in Durban and if I'm caught I hang."
"Who Josh? Who did you kill"
"I killed my wife and her boy friend. I was working on the Captain's farm. He had to get out quickly. He gave me the choice; either come on the run with him or stay and be hanged. I'd have stayed if I knew what he was getting into."
"Now go to sleep. There's work to do tomorrow."
As the day of the auction drew near the population at the oasis increased. From the North came the customers in helicopters and gleaming air conditioned four wheel drive vehicles. From the south the merchandise; long columns of weary boys trudging resignedly through the heat and dust of the desert urged on with the lash. As the oasis filled up discipline of necessity had to be tightened. The boys were banished to make shift pens, designed more to define the area in which they were to stay than to physically confine them, down wind of the lake Even then, in the evenings, when the breeze would drop for a moment, or even shift, a horrible smell would afflict the nostrils of the customers who would complain loudly to each other about the boy's filthy habits---"no better than animals any of them".
Josh was kind to David. He did not work him hard and where ever possible kept him from Pietre, inventing little errands or tasks which would take him away from the tent.
He was not always successful. He woke David at dawn on the eighth day of their stop at the oasis. David could see from the expression on his face that something bad was about to happen.
"I'm sorry," Josh said. "You've got to go and join the other boys now."
David didn't mind that. He rather enjoyed being with the other boys although he did wish that the smell wasn't so bad.
Nor were things unusually unpleasant when he arrived at their pen. A soldier fastened a thin piece of wire with a brass tag attached to it around his wrist with the twist of a pair of pliers, another soldier made a note in a book and he was told to sit with the other boys. Drums of hot water were produced and the boys were put into them four at a time and scrubbed down. The soap suds were rinsed off with a bucketful of cold water and they were lined up naked and dripping. When all the boys had been washed they were taken by a team of soldiers all carrying whips across to Pietre's tent and ordered to sit in rows facing it
After a time Josh appeared and began to arrange chairs on tables on the plank deck. More time passed with the boys patiently sitting in their rows on the sand. Pietre came out of the tent and looked round checking everything was ready. Then the guests began to arrive. Europeans, Arabs, Africans, Asiatics; they had two things in common;. they looked well fed and rich.
Josh busied himself serving coffee. Eventually Pietre clapped his hands for silence and turning to face his guests began to speak in his harsh nasal voice.
"Gentlemen, I am not going to say much today. I have been bringing boys now to this market for many years and I think you all know that I deal only in the highest quality stock. I don't put a boy on the block for your consideration unless he's young, fresh and disease free. This year is no exception. I know though you would prefer to see for yourselves rather than to listen to me."
He glanced at a piece of paper in his hand.
"Number 273," he called out.
A soldier grabbed one of the boys and pushed him onto the platform beside Pietre. The boy stood there dejectedly, naked in front of the men, his head bowed, his hands hanging loose by his sides .
"Here's a case in point Gentlemen. About fourteen years old, a healthy boy, a good looking boy, good teeth, good legs, nice bum," Pietre patted the boy on his rump and the men laughed. "Turn round and show the Gentlemen your bum boy."
"Now hands on your head boy and just walk around in front of the Gentlemen so that they can get a good look at you."
"Gentlemen if any of you want a closer look just help yourself"
"Right round the edge of the circle boy," he cracked his whip catching the boy with it's tip on the side of his right buttock. "I want the Gentlemen to get a good look at you."
One of the men stood up and stopped the boy. Coldly and methodically he began to examine the boy. He tipped back his head, looked into his eyes, peered into his mouth, his hands strayed down the boys body. Nicky watched appalled knowing that some time, not perhaps the next time or the time after that even, it would be his turn to be exhibited to the crowd of men. The man turned the boy round so that he was facing away from him. His hands squeezed the back of the boys neck, strayed over his bare shoulders. He put one hand on the back of the boy's head and pushed so that he bent forward. His hands moved down to the boys bottom. The lad cried out and started away straightening himself. Pietre brought his whip cracking down across the front of the boy's thighs.
"Get back you stupid brat," he shouted. "Josh get hold of that boy's shoulders."
A few minutes later the boy's ordeal was over. He bolted from the platform tears streaming down his face.
One by one the boys were required to exhibit themselves on the platform. At last it was David's turn. He had had plenty of time to think of what was to come. He remembered Josh's advice about trying to please his master and being obedient. Although he felt sick with apprehension he forced himself to trot briskly up to Pietre when his number was called. When Pietre told him to turn round to show his bottom to the men he gave it a little wriggle that raised an appreciative chuckle. He forced himself to stay still under inspection and remained in position even when the pain caused by the man's probing finger was at it's most intense.
That night though when Josh eventually came to sleep under the palm trees David was lying wrapped in his blanket sobbing bitterly to himself .
The next day David was returning from some errand to Pietre's tent when he noticed another boy, naked like himself, coming towards him. There were always boys moving about the place performing some task for their masters but this boy looked strangely familiar. As he got closer he saw he looked exactly like Michael. Indeed he was his splitting image.
"Hello David," Michael said with a broad grin.
"I did try and get back to help you," David said. Michael he knew was dead and he could only assume that his ghost had come back to haunt him. He thought that this was unfair since he had done his best. It wasn't really his fault that that wasn't good enough.
"Well Mark told me how you tried to safe him too David."
"Well Marks dead as well," David said. It seemed entirely logical to him that the two brothers should have met up after their deaths to talk things over.
"What do you mean dead? We're both alive. Mark is in a Landrover with two of our soldiers hidden in a wadi about four kilometres from here."
"He can't be. He was badly wounded in the mission. I saw him. He was dying. And Michael you can't be alive either, you were left behind in the desert. You died long ago."
"Mark got a bullet in the right side of his chest. It didn't hit any thing vital. The heart is on the left side. Don't they teach you anything in those English schools. He was also wounded in the leg. Pietre's men never looked for the train. When the shooting was over the men from the train came up to the mission. They found Mark and gave him first aid. He and one of the men found a Landrover and took off after us. They couldn't intervene because there was only two of them but they picked me up and the other boys who collapsed.."
David was silent for a moment absorbing this.
"Well what are you doing here now?"
"Having a look round and trying to find you. I slipped in before dawn this evening. They don't have much of a guard mounted. It was easy and stripped off they just think I'm another slave boy."
"I bet you Mark wasn't too keen for you to come."
"Mark doesn't know I'm here. Well he does now because I left him a note. I didn't tell him before hand because I didn't want to worry him.."
"I am doing him a favour anyway. You see David we've got hundreds of men coming after this lot. It's taken time but now we've got4x4s, a couple of armoured cars and some half tracks, although they keep breaking down. And we've got the loan of some American Special forces experts and some British SAS. But they spend most of their time quarrelling. Mark says they'll be all right when it starts."
"The trouble is that unless we do something, if we come at might they'll hear us, about three hours off we think, and in day time they'll see the dust cloud even sooner. Then some will get away and probably take at least some of the boys with them. So that's what Mark came up here for. To see if there was some we could get the whole lot close without being spotted."
"I saw what to do straight away but grown ups are so stupid they won't even listen so I decided to fix it up myself."
"You'll catch it you know Michael when Mark gets hold of you."
Michael waived his hand expansively indicating his complete disregard for this thought.
"What I'm going to do when they're real close is fire the vehicle park here. It's not guarded hardly at all and I've hidden matches and a couple of water bottles full of petrol in the sand on the edge of the oasis."
"Where did you get the petrol from."
"Oh well, we did an experiment at school in science class with a rubber tube and some water, making a siphon it's called. It works with petrol. I got it out of our Landrover tank when Mike wasn't looking."
"Well the rubber tube then how did you get hold of that."
"Plenty of tubes round the engine."
"Gosh," David was lost in admiration of such resourcefulness.
"I'll fire it when our lot are pretty close so we need to cover them before that and it's obvious how to do it only Mark just told me to shut up. We get the boys singing."
"Singing?"
"Yes, once we've got our lot started they'll keep going and the rest'll join in."
David thought about it. He remembered the Rev. Mr Elwyn Jones who was meant to be teaching them maths in the mission school, but was much more interested in translating Welsh hymns into Swahili, exhorting them "to give it some spirit boys, you're not an English church choir." And spirit they had given it.
"I bet I can slip away from the tent. Josh'll cover for me when he notices I'm missing. We'll start off with 'Oh pure of heart'", he said excitedly. "You can't help singing to that. There won't be any tenors or bases though."
"It doesn't matter David. You're not giving a concert. And look they'll be coming in on your side and the vehicle park is on the opposite side . When you reckon they're real close do 'Pure of Heart' again and that will be the signal for me to start the fire."
"Stat your singing just as it gets dark. They've got up as close as they dare, so try and keep going for about three hours if you can."
It was difficult after this for David to return to being what had become his usual submissive self. Once or twice in the coarse of the day he caught Josh looking at him in a puzzled sort of way.
Then his plans were almost destroyed at their very outset when the fat reporter and Nigel reappeared. They settled down to drink with Pietre. It was becoming dark and David was just about to slip away when Nigel asked after those "two lovely boys" he'd had such fun with last time he had been there.
"They're down in the pens," Pietre said carelessly. "If you want to see them David will take you."
"That'll be lovely and there are lots of other naked black boys down there? Delicious."
"David come here," Pietre shouted.
David, who was helping Josh prepare vegetables behind the tent and who had over heard this exchange, glanced round desperately. It wouldn't do at all to have Nigel about the pens when he was trying to start the singing. He caught Josh's eye who shook his head. As he went round to the men he picked up a long thin kitchen knife that Josh had been using to cut up meat for the stew. He hid it as well as he could held tight against his side under his arm. He didn't know if Josh had seen him but if he had he said nothing.
It was already dark under the palm trees. Nigel was more than slightly drunk. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder and as soon as they were well away from the tent spun him round to face him. He put his arms around David and bent to try to kiss him on the lips. David responded enthusiastically wrapping his left arm tight about the mans neck and opening his mouth to allow the man's tongue to enter. Suddenly he thrust the knife into the man's stomach slashing upwards with all his strength. He felt the mans warm blood soaking the front of his bare body. He fought to keep his mouth pressed tight against the man's as Nigel staggered and then fell to the floor. Once he was sure that the man was beyond crying for help he rose from his body and sloped quietly off towards the pens.
David had no difficulty in getting in among the other boys. They were all very quiet, which was not surprising since they new that the next day they were going to be sold like cattle to the highest bidder. He realised that getting them to sing might be a more difficult task than he had thought. The problem was solved by the boys very silence. Very faintly in the distance came a faint growl of engines running. David felt the boy next to him tense. There had been engine noise all week as prospective customers arrived but it had been to the North now the sound was coming from the opposite direction. The boys stirred and murmured together.
"Sing," David whispered to the boy next to him and started to do so himself. One by one the boys picked up the song first in Pietre's pen then in the surrounding ones. The noise of the motors grew nearer and the boys voices rose in volume. Callan Llan finished, a clear boys voice from a neighbouring pen struck up the ANC anthem. Political songs, hymns and popular songs followed each other. The boys voices now were full of hope and edged with anger. David could hear the motors very near now. He began to sing "Pure of Heart" once more.
Pietre had fallen asleep over his drink. He was woken by the singing. He did not like the sound. He looked about him. The fat reporter was slumped at the table in a drunken slumber. Josh was standing on the edge of the decking listening. There was no sign of either Nigel or David.
Pietre cursed and scrambled to his feet. He got his pistol holster and a torch from the tent and set off towards the slave pens. Josh waited a moment and then picking up the bottle of whisky followed him.
Pietre stumbled over something soft in the dark. He switched on his torch. It was Nigel's body. The man was very dead. Ants were busy about the congealed blood that had gushed from the gaping cut that had laid opened his stomach. Pietre swore again and broke into a lumbering run.
He arrived at the pens just as the boys had begun to sing "Pure of Heart" for the secondtime. He switched on his torch and it's beam fell straight on David who was now standing up to encourage the others to sing. Pietre saw the dark blood stain down the boy's chest and legs. He grabbed for his pistol. A dark shadow appeared behind him and there was a dull thud. Pietre slumped to the ground.
It was at that moment that Michael fired the vehicle park. The blaze lit the sky and in it's light David saw Josh, still holding the neck of the shattered whisky bottle, standing over Pietre. Josh raised his hand and vanished into the shadows.
Pietre was still for the moment but David did not know how long that would last. He darted over to him and pulled the pistol out of his holster. He settled himself on the ground facing the man. There would be a safety catch he thought. He had heard about them. He examined the gun and pushed a leaver on the side of it's butt upwards. That was probably it he thought.
Flares burst high in the sky illuminating the ground below. A voice magnified by a loud hailer shouted.
"You are all surrounded surrender now. You are all surrounded. You are all surrounded," and was followed by a burst of automatic gunfire.