Prisoner
of the Seraglio
A
Cordelia Delacourt Adventure
Chapter
11
I must thank you again, Mr. Burton for saving me and my companion from
those savages, Cordelia said.
She had come to the end of her
story.
Savages?
Cordelia stared at him open-mouthed. She had not expected the British explorer to defend the Seranaga, but then she thought for a second. It was true that the king of the Seranaga had forced her to submit to him, but so had all of the others, except Janessic who had his own reasons for not raping her.
The Seranaga are a people like any other. When their king took you as his wife he was according you a great honour, not the other way around.
But he forced me, protested Cordelia.
Did he actually rape you? Or did you consent?
How could I consent? I spoke not a word of his language?
But you offered no resistance.
So he did not actually force you.
I see a strong similarity to many arranged marriages in
That is ridiculous. In
Really?
You really are the most infuriating man, Mr. Burton. You twist everything I say.
How so? inquired Cordelia.
Bride price,
But, we do the same thing in
So the English and the Seranaga are not so different after all,
Cordelia saw that she had been trapped, but was not quite willing to concede defeat. But Chulo gave me up willingly enough. No Englishman would do that.
Perhaps not,
You paid for me! Cordelia cried, completely astounded.
Five thousand glass beads, two hundred feet of copper wire, five good steel axes, seven bolts of cloth, and five head of cattle. I think it was the cattle that finally sealed the deal. You were most expensive. Why else do you think Chulo agreed to let you and Miss Brown go?
But that would mean Cordelia began.
That I own you?
What do you mean Not even from Miss Brown? What is wrong with my companion?
Just that she is not really your companion. Come come, Miss Delacourt, do you really think I believe that a girl with an accent as atrocious as Miss Browns is in the same social class as you are? Do you think that I have not observed how she addresses you and the way you address her? You are clearly a well bred upper class young lady, whereas Miss Brown most clearly made her living in ways considered a good deal less savoury.
Liz is my friend, Cordelia protested, not my servant.
Then why does she never call you by your first name? I note that she always calls you miss, which certainly denotes a position of inferiority.
Cordelia was snookered. She had
never thought too deeply about her relationship with Liz, merely accepting
it the way it was, but she realized that
Thank you, Mr. Burton, she said, as she got to her feet. Now if you will please excuse me I have something to attend to.
Cordelia went carefully. She
found Liz where she had left her, splashing in the cool waters of the pool.
Liz, said Cordelia awkwardly, I want you to call me Cordelia, not Miss,
Liz looked at her strangely. Miss, she answered, ignoring Cordelias directive, it haint my place to speak to like that.
Cordelia reflected that Liz still had a long way to go with her English, but didnt comment on it. There was a more important issue at stake. Liz, she said quietly, didnt you ever have a friend?
The girl thought and then answered. Well, not as what you call a real friend not like I knew some people once I was friendly with.
And did you call them Miss so-and-so or Mr. So-and-so?
Liz shook her head and smiled shyly. I guess you are a real friend after all, Miss Cordelia.
Thats Cordelia, Liz. I wont answer to Miss any more.
All right, m Cordelia, Liz answered hesitatingly .
There that wasnt so bad, was it? Cordelia smiled. Now get dressed. We have to go and see Mr. Burton.
Mr. Burtons canvas chair was empty when Cordelia
returned. He had left half a
glass of wine on the table when he left.
Cordelia reflected that for an adventurer
His negotiations with Chulo were not quite
finished.
Part of the problem was the huge number of trade goods that
And then, of course, there were
Cordelia and Liz made themselves comfortable while waiting for
Is there anything I might get you, miss? he said to Cordelia.
Cordelia shook her head. No thank you, James. Ill just sit here until Mr. Burton returns.
James bowed. He should be back soon, miss. He is just paying off some of the porters who are heading back.
Cordelia nodded and settled back to wait. She and Liz chatted idly, glad to be safe once more. Henry Burton seemed like a proper English gentleman in spite of his rather brusque manner. Cordelia put that down to simply being used to ordering large numbers of people about. He certainly had been most courteous to her and Liz, in spite of their conversation this morning.
In a way even that conversation was
refreshing. Most young men she
had known had not cared to talk to her about anything more serious than the
weather. It was partly why she
had found most of them so uninteresting.
The sound of Burton approaching had Cordelias instant attention. She smiled as he came up. At first he seemed not to notice her as he was in animated conversation with the captain of his Arab escort, then he nodded his recognition and came over to her. Unlike most men Cordelia had known he did not bother to bow or take her hand instead he got right to the point.
Looks like well be here a few more days. King Chulo is proving a bit stubborn when it comes to the number of porters Ill need. But he has given me permission to hunt provided I give him a share of the kills. Would you and Miss Brown like to accompany me?
I would be delighted, Cordelia
answered. She and Liz had been
three days in
Excellent,
Ive fired a fowling piece, Cordelia answered, but I dont think Miss Brown has had much experience.
Liz shook her head, showing her agreement with Cordelias assessment.
A fowling piece,
Baako will be your gun bearer, Miss Delacourt and Juma will look after Miss Brown. Now shall we go?
They went. Even a hunting party was not a small expedition. In addition to the three African gun bearers there were two porters carrying their lunch and another packing an open tent to keep the sun off while they ate, and several others to carry any hapless animals they happened to shoot.
The country through which they walked consisted of rolling hills covered with a mixture of forest and grassland. For the first part of the hunt they passed Seranagan farms and herds of cows and goats and then they passed beyond the area touched by man and into the wild.
Here they carefully stuck to the path, when they could find one, and sent
a porter ahead to beat the grass when they could
not. For a moment Cordelia thought
that the man was trying to flush game birds the way her fathers beaters
had in
Snakes, ladies, he said. Bushmaster and king cobra. No chance of survival if bitten by one of them I assure you.
After that the two girls stepped more carefully, although no one else seemed the least concerned about the possible danger.
Cordelia found the African landscape
fascinating. Used as she was
to the colours and contours of the English countryside she was intrigued
by the vastness and colours of
She remained alert for any signs of wildlife, but saw only a few animals off in the distance. And then they topped a rise a came upon a sight that took Cordelias breath away. It was a herd of cow-like animals that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Gracious, Cordelia exclaimed, eying the massive curved horns of each animal. What are they?
Wildebeest, Miss Delacourt,
Liz looked decidedly dubious about the situation, but nodded her
head. Her gun bearer passed her
the heavy rifle and
Liz squinted along the barrel, holding the rifle awkwardly and gave a spasmodic jerk with her finger. There was a sound like thunder, a cry of alarm from Liz, and suddenly the girl was sitting on her backside, an expression of shock, pain, and embarrassment on her face. Incredibly in spite of the huge number of potential targets not a wildebeest was down.
Immediately
I I think so, Liz said slowly. But me shoulder hurts like ell.
The herd of wildebeest, spooked by the explosion was in full flight over
the nearest rise.
Liz just smiled at the remark, but Cordelia felt slightly
outraged. How dare
Ah, sorry Miss Delacourt. I forgot about your middle class sensibilities. Shall we continue the hunt?
Please do, Cordelia said
stiffly. She wasnt sure
why she was suddenly out of sorts, but there was something about
Perhaps you could try your hand at the next target,
They walked for another quarter hour marching up a grassy incline. Cordelia kept her eyes peeled for game, but the long grass, which was almost up to her shoulders, concealed whatever animals might have been hiding there. And then they topped the rise. If her sighting of the herd of wildebeest had amazed her, what she now saw left her speechless. She stared, wide-eyed at the panorama that spread out before her.
As far as she could see vast herds of animals filled the low plain below her. Many she recognized from animal picture books she had read when a child, but others were new to her. Beside her she heard Liz gasp.
Ooooh, what a sight! Liz exclaimed. Its incredible!
Indeed it is, Miss Brown,
Oh, Liz continued. What are those stripey horses?
Theyre called Zebras, Miss Brown. And those tall blonde and black animals with the long necks are giraffes.
Oh, Liz repeated. I didnt even see them, and theyre so tall. We arent going to shoot them are we?
No,
One of those pretty things? Liz asked. Oh I dont think I could shoot one of those.
Well, Miss Brown, what did you think you had for tea last night?
Oh, said Liz, her voice sinking. I thought it was veal.
Miss Delacourt,
Id be delighted, Cordelia answered, determine to succeed where Liz had failed. She took the rifle from her gun bearer, a little surprised at its weight. This was no fouling piece. It was a firearm intended to bring down big game.
She tried to appear nonchalant as she hoisted the heavy rifle to her shoulder. Carefully she pulled back the hammer, noted that the percussion cap was in place, and then lay her check along the stock so that she could sight down the long barrel.
The weight of the rifle dismayed her. It took all of her strength to hold it steady and she knew that she would have only seconds to find her target before her muscles began to tremble.
About a hundred and fifty yards away a large gazelle stood grazing calmly. No doubt it had never encountered anyone with a rifle and thought itself safe. It was one of the most beautiful creatures Cordelia had ever seen, but she put that thought out of her mind. She was not going to fail in the task she had set for herself. She held her breath and gently squeezed the trigger.
The explosion of the rifle, the cloud of smoke it created, and the recoil obscured her target. But Lizs glad cry told her that her bullet had struck true.
You got it, Cordy, you got it!
Cordy? It was a nickname Cordelia detested, but she had encouraged Liz to call her by her first name. She had just not expected the girl to shorten it.
Excellent shot, Miss Delacourt,
Cordelia almost grinned in pride, but she was torn between the pleasure of her success and the realization that she had just killed a most beautiful animal.
Let us, go see shall we?
They quickly reached the dead gazelle. Right behind the shoulder, Miss Delacourt. Doubt the animal even knew what hit it.
Well, Cordelia thought, that was something at
least. The gazelle had
not suffered. She watched while
The hunt continued for another hour with
The trek back was uneventful except for the conversation. So, Miss Delacourt, you can shoot. Thats something at least. Can you defend yourself in any way?
Defend myself? Cordelia asked, surprised. Im just a girl. What could I do to defend myself?
You are a
woman,
But men are so much bigger and stronger than I am. How could I possible defend myself?
Not all techniques of self-defence depend on strength,
I can use a knife, Liz said brightly.
Well,
Well enough to discourage the last bludger that came at me.
Really?
Cordelia coloured and to her surprise so did Liz, her complexion turning bright red.
So,
Mr. Burton, Cordelia protested. I find this conversation in very poor taste.
I apologize, Miss Delacourt. But the fact remains that both you and your companion are ignorant of even the simplest means of self-defence.
Cordelia could not control her anger. It was bad enough to be kidnapped and then subjected to rape and torture, but to be blamed for it as well was simply too much. Then why dont you show us how? she demanded hotly.
The remainder of the walk continued without further conversation, but
Cordelias mind buzzed with curiosity as to what
Cordelia was more than a little mortified to find that
What I am going to teach you is a mixture of martial techniques I have
acquired during my lifetime. I
will show you a little each day and you will work on each technique until
I judge you proficient. Quite
frankly, I do not expect either of you to make much progress, but you will
at least know more than most English
women.
Cordelia was not quite so sure that she wanted to learn how to defend herself. It sounded extremely unladylike and she said so.
I apologize, Miss Delacourt,
Cordelia coloured. Without saying
so
She bowed her head. No Mr. Burton, it is I who should apologize. You are only trying to help. I will participate in your training.
Liz smiled and took her hand. Its alright, Cordy; Ill be right beside you.
Cordelia returned the smile. Thank you, Liz, she said. There is just one thing. Please dont call me Cordy.
The next few weeks passed rapidly.
The day after the hunting expedition the Chulo gave his permission
for
It was an exciting time for the two
girls. The porters moved at a
pace they had no difficulty matching.
And then there were the short, but intense training sessions each evening. Cordelia learned that there was no point in washing up after the days march until she had completed her daily lesson. She invariably finished each session bathed in perspiration and panting in exhaustion.
Liz made an excellent training partner and after two weeks of basics,
Something else happened as well. In
spite of her longing for home, Cordelia began to thoroughly enjoy
herself. For the first time in
her life she was on her own and free of the stringent restrictions of Victorian
England.
In spite of the forty year difference in their ages she felt strangely attracted to the plain-spoken explorer. He was intelligent, incredibly knowledgeable about all things African, and did not speak down to her or Liz simply because they were young women. For the first time in her life Cordelia was treated as if she had a brain.
It was difficult not to be drawn toward the charismatic explorer. Although brusque in his demeanor he was invariably polite and soft-spoken, and ran his expedition with discipline and a sense of fair play that all seemed to admire. In spite of the large number of men under his command his very presence could often settle minor disputes, and few dared to argue with him.
Each evening Cordelia and Liz ate supper with him and then retired to their tent. The two girls were usually much too tired to do much more than that, but Cordelia found she enjoyed the demanding regime. She felt herself getting stronger each day and it gave her a sense of independence and well-being that she had never experienced before.
Liz too seemed to prosper under the unusual routine. Cordelia realized that the young woman had grown up in a very harsh environment. Freed from the brutality of her past life, Liz blossomed, changing from a shy subservient member of the underclass to confident self-possessed young woman. It was a change that filled Cordelia with pride, in that she had been partly responsible for it.
I cant thank you enough, for helping me to speak more like a
lady, Liz said one morning as they prepared to accompany
Cordelia reflected that Liz still had a strong strain of the
The hunt went well, as it usually did.
Liz bagged an antelope, Cordelia a wildebeest, and
In spite of its comical appearance it is a rather tasty beast, especially
when cooked whole,
It is fortunate, Cordelia thought, that he doesnt like giraffe. She would certainly have drawn the line at shooting one of those beautiful and gentle giants.
For some reason the walk back to the camp seemed much longer than the walk out and Cordelia was sweating profusely by the time they reached the tents. That was not surprising considering the hunt had begun in the morning and it was now late afternoon. They had stopped for an elaborate lunch on the way back, but the heat had stolen Cordelias appetite. She briefly considered walking down to the pool and having a swim, but abandoned it in favour of a lie-down.
She thanked
She awoke shivering. Her clothing was soaked in perspiration and she felt as weak and limp as a rag doll. Whats the matter with me? she muttered. She tried to sit up and her head swam. A wave of nausea washed over her, and she had to fight hard not to bring up the little bit of lunch she had eaten.
She managed to struggle into a sitting
position. Beside her cot was
a small collapsible table and on it was one of the tiny mirrors that
The tent flap was pulled back and Liz
entered. Cordy, are
you
Blimey, Ill get
Its all right, Cordelia began, but Liz was already
gone. Less than a minute later
the tent flap was pulled aside again and
Youre burning up, Miss Delacourt. Looks like youve come down with a case of malaria.
Cordelia fell back on the cot. Is that serious? she asked.
Hmm,
But shes shivering, Liz protested.
Yes, and five minutes from now shell be burning up. Please do as I say. Ive dealt with this before.
Right, Liz responded. She sped out of the tent.
Ill be right back,
He returned a few minutes later, enough time for Liz to help Cordelia undress and tuck her into the cot under dry sheets, although by this time Cordelia was sweating so profusely that they would remain dry only a few minutes.
Quinine,
Cordelia lay back, her body shaking violently. She felt as if she would never be warm again. Her joints ached and she was constantly on the verge of vomiting.
An hour later she was on fire, her body consumed by a dry heat. Liz dutifully bathed her forehead and other parts of her body to keep her cool while two of the porters were recruited to fan her.
For the next week Liz stayed by her almost constantly, except when ordered
by
Her fever lasted a week, finally breaking after a pronounced sweat that left
Cordelia so exhausted she simply wanted to sleep, a desire that was fully
supported by
Cordelia smiled her thanks; she was too weak to do much else. She doubted that she would have survived without his care and that of Liz.
Ill send in Miss Brown when she is awake,
Cordelia closed her eyes. A few seconds later sleep washed over her.
It took her a full week to recover, but
I am sorry to be in such a hurry, Miss Delacourt,
Cordelia smiled weakly. What exactly is your objective, Mr. Burton? It seems you are expending a great deal of effort in this remote part of the world.
The furtherance of human knowledge, Miss
Delacourt.
Ah, Cordelia replied. So you have no motive of personal gain?
Only fame, Miss Delacourt,
The trek continued for the next two weeks. Cordelia rode the litter for the first week and then walked a bit the second in an attempt to recover her conditioning. She was able to walk farther each day although she still tired easily.
She still slept by herself,
Cordelia had to agree, although she missed Lizs company at night. From infancy she had slept in her own room. It was only since her kidnapping that she had been forced to share a room with others. Now, however, she found that the tent seemed empty without her cheerful companion.
Liz was remarkably good company, as was
Here Cordelia found that she had something she could offer to the
expedition. Part of her education
as a young lady had included sketching and painting with
watercolours. Her skills far
surpassed
There was also ample time to further work on Lizs diction. As the girl walked alongside the litter they went over and over common phrases, further attempting to eliminate the girls gutter accent.
By the third week of her recovery Cordelia was able to resume walking on her own. The pace they kept was not an especially arduous one - three hundred porters simply could not move particularly quickly - and she was able to keep up without difficulty after the first few days.
She was also able to accompany
The terrain was also much more uphill than it had been before, although there
was no sign of any mountain range.
Weve just passed the five thousand foot mark, he remarked, carefully putting away his instruments.
I think we will set up camp here for today, he continued, but I would like to scout a bit ahead. Would you and Miss Brown care to accompany me?
Certainly, Cordelia replied. She looked at Liz and the girl smiled and nodded.
Together they went ahead for another mile of so, climbing a gentle slope through scattered clumps of vegetation. They topped a slight rise and then stopped in amazement. Cordelia found herself looking upon one of the most incredible sights she had ever seen.
Before them the ground fell away, forming a gigantic bowl so far across that its far rim was shrouded in a haze of distance. In the centre of the bowl, and about five miles in diameter was an almost circular lake. It picked up the sky reflecting it in a shade of turquoise that made it seem almost unreal.
Do you see it?
It is wonderful, Cordelia gasped, almost overwhelmed by the beauty of the panorama that spread out before her. But how do you know what it is called? Or did you decide that is what its name should be?
Cordelia looked at
You are most observant, Miss Delacourt,
It is beautiful almost beyond description, Cordelia said, but it seems a strange thing to spend half ones life to find.
They walked back to the camp.
Cordelia was lost in thought and did not engage in the conversation,
but Liz chattered excitedly to the explorer about his discovery while he
explained its importance. Something
did not fit.
There was certainly nothing wrong with that. Many pervious explorers had been searching for something that they knew existed; Columbus and many others being examples of such men, but Cordelia felt that there was something special about Burtons Lake of the Sky. For some reason she felt a little uneasy.
A celebration, ladies,
Cordelia did not comment. There
would be time enough for that later.
She waited until the porters had set up her tent and then retired
to remove the days accumulation of dust from her face and
neck. The campsite
Somewhat refreshed she joined Liz and
Liz, however, drank carefully, lifting her glass only when Cordelia
did.
Mr. Burton, Cordelia began.
Perhaps you could tell us more about this
Indeed I can, ladies,
The two girls were struck dumb at this startling revelation, but
Cordelia thought she had never seen a man consume such huge quantities of liquor, but other than taking away his sense of reserve it seemed to have no effect on him. His speech didnt even slur as he revealed that as second son of a noble house he had quarreled with his older brother over his place in the family and had attempted to settle the manner by putting a bullet through his siblings chest.
The fact that it had been a duel seemed to make little impact on the authorities
and
Believing the map to be genuine,
And what is there, now that you have finally found it, that makes the
Her eyes opened wide, and her heart skipped a beat as the sound increased in volume and then suddenly died, but she knew what it was. It was the unmistakable sound of a woman in the throes of coitus.
Cordelia threw off the covers and stood shaking in the tent. Liz, she thought, how could you?
Now she knew the truth behind
Suddenly weak-kneed, she sat down again.
Why should she be feeling this
way? What was it to her if
Liz could have at least told me, she
thought. I would have
understood. Liz was, after
all, very attractive and immensely
experienced. She had been pleasing
men for almost a decade and
Damn, she muttered, using uncharacteristically strong language. Im jealous. Im jealous of my best friend and a man the age of my grandfather.
She wrapped her arms about her long legs, and rocked back and forth on the cot. Oh no, she wondered. What am I going to do?
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