Binky and the Aqeda Dagger

Part 2 - Crossing the Omigoligosh River

	in the late afternoon the safari reaches a village and the natives come out to meet them.  They are very pleased to see the white men with their guns because they are being  terrorised by demons that drive off the game and steal calves and kids from the cattle and goat herds.
	Mah’iti Woriah immediately offers to lead a section of Askaris to scout out the area as the main safari goes on its way.  He will catch up easily.  He does not believe in demons.  After a fruitless search they start to return when a movement catches his eye and he heads off to investigate.  Suddenly he falls.  The Askaris led by Sergeant Achmed Tokar rush forward to his rescue.
	As soon as they turn the corner they see a group of large chimpanzees feasting on the carcase of a goat kid.  The chimpanzees hurl a salvo of rocks knocking out an askari.  Achmed and the remaining askari fire and kill all three.  They follow up and kill the others in the group as they flee.  Really superb shooting!  Mah'iti soon recovers and all four return to camp with the heads of the "demons".
	After a couple of days on the march Mah'iti catches up as the safari approaches the Omigoligosh River.  The river is flowing quickly and lies in the bottom of its flood plain.  It will be a minor engineering problem to cross it.
	Binky sends out patrols to investigate the huts that can be seen near the river.  Adrian flanks the stockaded hut and approaches it to find a trading post with a sizeable stock of ivory.  The trader there wished to trade his ivory and information for goods.
	The Baluchis stop short of their objective when they find it occupied by a witchdoctor.  She makes some signs.  The Baluchis wait.
	The Sheikh arrives and starts negotiating.  He eventually makes a tidy profit, hires a boat and obtains permission to take all the fallen wood he can find in the copse.  If he wants to cut down trees he will need to get the witchdoctor to carry out a ritual to appease the spirits.
	The first crossing of the river is by raft and it drifts down river a way and has to be dragged back.  The cable is secured and a simple if slow ferry process starts.  A careful watch is kept for crocodiles and hippos.
	The main safari comes up close and the Baluchis deliver two goats to the witchdoctor as her fee.  And the felling of trees for the construction of a second raft takes place until nightfall.
	Nightfall finds the safari split in two.  Binky and Gerald over the river and Adrian with the Beluchis on the near side.  Both parties expect to be attacked and post sentries as the mist rises from the river.
	Soon after dark, swimmers emerge from the mist and the river and attack the raft site and the baggage animals.  Adrian and his askaris fight a desperate hand-to-hand battle.  The attackers are driven off only after they cut the ferry raft free.
	Just as the firing died away one of Gerald's men sees a movement in the swirling mist.  He is in a quandary.  He sees another movement and fires a shot.  It is followed by a shower of arrows.  A war cry sounds and men painted as skeletons charge out of the mist.
	Binky's men, alerted by the firing from Adrian's force and the sentry's shot unleash deadly volleys into their attackers stopping the charge in its tracks but suffering casualties from the archers. Binky lay amongst the fallen and was later found to be gashed and stunned.
	With the raft recovered the safari crossed the river.  Crocodiles were very much in evidence, no doubt attracted by the blood of the night time battles.  Adrian watched over them from the canoe.  Then suddenly a herd of hippos attacked the raft and had to be driven off in some desperate fighting.
	The safari set off for the wells at Kwenja Turst.

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