

Slave Girl

Christian Fiction

by Darryl Matter

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2019 by Darryl Matter

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

Slave Girl

This is a work of fiction The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

* * * * *
PROLOGUE

The heavy steel chain had again been padlocked around Angelica's ankle for the night. That length of chain itself was securely anchored to an iron ring in the concrete wall of her prison cell in the sub-basement of General Dawodu's Royal Palace. There was no escape from that dungeon.

She had not done anything wrong to deserve her harsh imprisonment. Her parents had been agricultural missionaries and she a teacher in a rural Mabutoma school when General Chike Dawodu's military-backed rebels overthrew the national government a few months ago. Her parents and younger brother had been brutally slaughtered in the general's maniacal drive to rid the country of foreigners and all Christians, but Angelica had been spared, only to be chained in that dungeon.

As the new President of Mabutoma, General Dawodu had a variety of uses for an attractive, well-educated young woman-slave. In fact, Angelica spoke several languages and would be especially useful to him as a translator when General Dawodu, for he had determined to keep the title of General even though he was officially to be known as President, entertained wealthy foreigners bringing money to invest in his impoverished country. They would come at his invitation, and General Dawodu knew that they would come back again and again once he made it attractive for them to visit and invest in his country.

Furthermore, Angelica was an attractive young woman, and would be offered to those same foreign visitors not only as a translator but as a "companion-girl," for them to do with as they pleased. She would be theirs, compliments of the general whose first name, Chike, meant "Power of God." For those reasons, she'd been taken captive when her family was murdered.

General Dawodu's symbol for his new Mabutoma was a red, seven-pointed star. He'd had it boldly emblazoned on his military equipment, on all of the government office buildings, and on his official stationery. He'd even designed a new flag using the star. To show his assumed "ownership" of Angelica, he'd ordered the seven-pointed star to be tattooed in color on her shoulder. To Angelica, that seven-pointed star was a horrible symbol with evil connotations. Whether Dawodu viewed it that way or not, she did not know. Perhaps he worshiped the evil power behind that symbol. At any rate, she hated that symbol.

And then came the doctor, Dawodu's personal physician, no less, with his promise of regular injections. "So you won't get pregnant, my dear," he'd snickered.

Yes, Angelica would serve the president well as a slave. But she would not be known any more by her given name. Instead, General Dawodu had decreed that she would henceforth be known as "Dada." Ironically, Dada was a name typically used in Mabutoma to denote a girl with curly hair, and Angelica's natural hair was straight and black. She would eventually get used to answering to her new name, but doing so was almost as painful as the chain that secured her night after night in her dungeon prison.
CHAPTER 1

Six months later:

"Dada. Get up! Get up!" One of the palace guards barked through the small window in the door to her cell. He then switched on the single bare light bulb that hung from the ceiling and illuminated the small room where she slept. There was no way she could estimate the time when he awakened her because they'd taken away her watch, and there were no windows in the sub-basement dungeon. It was always dark in her cell when the light was switched off, and the switch was located well beyond her reach outside the locked door.

Dada did as she was told, quickly swinging her feet over the side of her cot as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. They no longer attached the chain to her ankle at night. There was no possibility of her escape, and she knew it. To even attempt an escape and be caught would mean terrible torture and certain death for her. The guards knew that, too. They would show her absolutely no mercy. "Yes, sir," she answered.

The guard unlocked and pushed open the heavy door, then entered her cell. "You are to get showered and dressed immediately," he ordered, leering at her as she sat there. "Wear a nice dress and pack an overnight bag. Better pack enough for several days. I will return for you in twenty minutes. Be ready."

"Yes, sir."

Dada hurriedly showered in the tiny bathroom next to her cell, and then put on one of the few nice dresses she still possessed, an ankle-length red dress with embroidered flowers. Her overnight bag was already packed with a change of clothing, and she added enough to see her through several days away from her cell. Unless she missed her guess, there was an important foreign visitor arriving that day. She'd be expected to entertain him as well as serve as a translator for him. Although she hated what they forced her to do, she'd do what she had to do to stay alive.

And she'd pray. Dada often thought about the Bible stories she'd studied as a child. One of those stories about a young man named Joseph who'd been sold into slavery by his brothers often came to her mind. He'd been faithful to his God throughout his years of enslavement, and God had somehow honored his faith by granting him favor in the eyes of the rulers of Egypt. Dada saw little chance of her ever finding favor in the eyes of General Chike Dawodu or his henchmen, but she would continue to pray and believe that her God would remain with her throughout her trials.

* * * * *

Ken Davis was the only passenger on his flight to Mabutoma when his plane landed at the airport in the capital city of Gulo, the only currently useable airport in the country. He was there at the invitation of the president of the country, General Chike Dawodu, to evaluate the potential for mining gold in the small, impoverished nation, and would be met at the airport by Jabari Kabila, one of General Dawodu's "most trusted advisors," as Ken's letter from Dawodu referred to him.

Even as the plane landed, Ken noticed evidence of the recent military takeover he'd read about. Heavily armed soldiers in khaki uniforms patrolled the airport terminal. Military vehicles, each emblazoned with a red, seven-pointed star, were parked everywhere. Three Russian MiG fighter planes were parked at the end of one runway, as was a small military helicopter. Clearly, a military government was now in charge of Mabutoma.

Most of the military equipment that Ken could see appeared to be of Russian or Chinese origin. Could it be that General Dawodu had the backing of either nation? Ken couldn't identify any of the soldiers he saw as either Russian or Chinese, but they might be there in Mabutoma serving as advisors.

Parked beside the terminal building were what Ken assumed to be the president's private fleet of aircraft, two single-engine Cessna airplanes. In contrast to the Russian MiGs, which looked to be rather weather-beaten, both Cessnas appeared to be clean, well-maintained, and in excellent condition.

The Cessnas interested Ken. He had learned to fly and had earned his pilot's license while he was in college. The university flying club, of which he'd been a member, had a Cessna similar to the ones parked near the terminal, and he'd thoroughly enjoyed his time in that aircraft. One of these days, he promised himself, he'd have his own personal airplane.

He'd also spent a little time in the small helicopter owned by the flying club. It had been fun to fly, but Ken wanted an airplane rather than a helicopter for his own personal use.

* * * * *

Once introductions were made, Jabari Kabila assisted the visitor in loading his gear into the Jeep he was driving. "Come with me, sir," he invited, in only slightly flawed English. "We go see General Dawodu, and then I'll take you to your hotel."

"Do you work with President Dawodu?" Ken asked, largely in an attempt to get a conversation started once they were in the Jeep and underway to see General Dawodu.

"Oh, yes," Jabari replied, proudly, "I am the Secretary for Economic Development of Mabutoma." He smiled broadly. "Our new government is working quite well," he added, "because our president is very powerful. There was much chaos within our country for a time, but he has brought order and the rule of law to all of our people."

Ken nodded and smiled, not quite certain as to how he wanted to respond to that statement because Jabari did not sound completely convinced of what he'd just said. Before Ken could respond, however, Jabari suddenly blurted out, "You must know that your coming here was not General Dawodu's wish."

"Oh?"

Jabari was visibly nervous. "I must say that General Dawodu does not wish to receive advice from outsiders, from foreigners," he explained. "Actually, he does not wish to receive advice from anyone, including me or his other advisors, because he wishes for everyone to see him as all-knowing and totally in command. In fact, he has banished many foreigners from the country, and has even arrested some who refused to leave." He did not mention those who had been murdered on Dawodu's orders. It was best not to talk about those atrocities, especially if one wanted to remain on good terms with Dawodu. Furthermore, one never knew who might be listening.

"I see," Ken responded, after a moment's hesitation, "but I assume that the president is aware that I am here."

"Oh, yes." Jabari hesitated. "Perhaps I should explain more fully. He knows you are here, all right, and he does not disapprove. You see, when I suggested to him that I bring in a geologist to explore for gold, he was torn between two ideals. He knows that our country needs any and all the financial help it can get, and locating a gold mine would be a most wonderful benefit to us. It's just that, well, we have no one in our country who is qualified to evaluate the potential for mining gold, and . . . and . . . ." Jabari's voice trailed off. Something was bothering Jabari.

"And?" Ken asked.

Jabara looked around as if he wanted to be sure no one was listening. "Many of my countrymen will have nothing to do with searching for gold in those mountains where we think it may be found because--" Before he could complete his thought, however, Jabari was braking the Jeep to an abrupt stop before the gates to the presidential palace. "And here we are!" he exclaimed. The guards opened the gates and saluted when Jabari drove them inside the security fence.

"Does President Dawodu speak English?" Ken asked as he climbed out of the Jeep and joined Jabari in front of the presidential palace.

"Oh, please call him General Dawodu," Jabari whispered, then responded to Ken's question. "Yes, he speaks fairly good English, as do many of our government officials and our military officers," Jabari continued, with a glance over his shoulder, then lowered his voice. "If necessary, I will translate for you."

At the presidential palace, a young man swung open the heavy wooden doors to the president's office and announced, "Your Honor, the Secretary for Economic Development and his guest!" All the while, armed guards in the hallway eyed Ken suspiciously.

The president sat behind his huge mahogany desk under a colorful banner which proclaimed him as "General Chike Dawodu" and another banner that proclaimed him as "President of Mabutoma." Oversized medals on his crisp military uniform, some of which he had designed himself, glittered in the light. A cigar was clamped firmly between his teeth.

A large painting of the general in full dress military uniform hung on the wall behind him. Hanging on both sides of the portrait were flags with large red, seven-pointed stars set against a white background.

Dawodu glowered at Jabari and Ken from behind his desk but did not rise to greet them. "Come in," he finally growled, sounding as if he were annoyed at being interrupted, placing his cigar in an overflowing ashtray as he spoke.

"Your Honor," Jabari announced, "I present to you the geologist from the United States of America, Mr. Ken Davis."

Dawodu eyed the two men for several uncomfortable moments, his face portraying annoyance if not outright defiance. When he spoke, his voice was loud and intimidating. "I welcome you to Mabutoma," he roared.

"Thank you, sir," Ken replied.

"Mr. Kabila assures me that you are most knowledgeable about locating and mining gold." Dawodu's voice was challenging.

"I've worked as a consulting geologist for gold mining companies for over ten years with reasonable success," Ken replied. He'd encountered bullies like Dawodu before, and he wasn't about to be intimidated.

"So, how long will it take for you to have a gold mine bringing riches to Mabutoma?" Dawodu demanded.

"I don't know. I'll set about that work tomorrow. Of course, I will need a vehicle and supplies--"

Dawodu waved his hand. "Mr. Kabila will take care of all that. He will supply whatever you need." The president retrieved his cigar, held it between his fingers, and then rose pompously from his chair. Jabari and Ken took a step back.

Instead of dismissing them, however, Dawodu pressed a button on his desk and shouted, "Dada." Moments later, a young woman wearing a red dress and carrying an overnight bag was ushered into the room. She did not speak, but stood at the side of the president's desk, her eyes downcast.

"This is Dada," Dawodu grinned lasciviously as he motioned toward the young woman standing at the left side of his desk. "She has been assigned as your assistant while you are our guest in Mabutoma, Mr. Davis," Dawodu informed Ken, gesturing toward the young woman with his cigar as he spoke. "She speaks English and will translate for you when necessary, and she will assist you in your every need. Mr. Kabila will provide you with a Jeep and assist you with whatever else you need, but Dada will be your servant while you are our guest."

Ken nodded. He wasn't much interested in having a servant, but he probably would need an interpreter at times. "Thank you, sir."

"As Mr. Kabila informed you, gold has been mined in Mabutoma in the distant past and will be again. I will expect a favorable report from you at least every two or three days," the president directed Ken.

Ken nodded. "With Mr. Kabila's aid, I'll keep in touch with you."

With no further adieu, the president waved his arm, dismissing the group from his office.

Ken studied the slender young woman called Dada for a moment, then picked up her overnight bag and carried it for her as Jabari led them from the president's office, past a number of heavily armed guards, and outside to the waiting Jeep. Something was going on here that didn't ring quite true. Who was this girl, anyway? To judge by her facial features and complexion, Dada was not a native of Mabutoma. Of that, Ken was certain.

And exactly what was this girl expected to do for him?

* * * * *

General Dawodu watched the three of them leave his office, then pressed a button on his desk to summon one of his aids. "Keep an eye on them," the general ordered, and report their activities directly to me.

The aid, a member of Dawodu's secret police, knew exactly what General Dawodu expected of him. He'd shadowed foreign visitors to Mabutoma before. That was his specialty, and he was very good at what he did.
CHAPTER 2

It didn't take long for Ken to catch on to the fact that Dada was expected to actually share his hotel room with him while he was in Mabutoma. Why? Was she there to keep an eye on him? To spy on him? After all, General Dawodu seemed to be an excessively repressive dictator, and in Ken's experience, dictators were all alike in their paranoia regarding foreign visitors. And Kabila had indicated that Dawodu didn't much like the fact that he was there at all.

Well, Ken believed in being direct in dealing with people, and he'd find out what her purpose was right soon. In the meantime, he'd consider the hotel room to be equipped with listening devices of some sort and be very careful about what he said. Of course, it might be that Dada herself would be wearing a miniature recorder or transmitter of some sort as well. He'd find out the score at the earliest opportunity.

The hotel room was clean and comfortable, but interesting for what it did not contain. There was no television set or radio, and no telephone. Jabari had explained that those services had been disrupted during the time when General Dawodu had come to power, and they would be restored as soon as possible.

Ken noticed that Jabari himself carried a military communications radio on his belt. A wireless microphone was clipped to his shirt collar. No doubt he used that radio to keep in touch with Dawodu and the other government officials.

Telephone service was essentially nonexistent in Mabutoma. In fact, communication-wise, Mabutoma was essentially cut off from the outside world. Ken had been told this, but he'd brought his cell phone anyway. Several years ago he'd been in a small third-world country where telephone service was unavailable to the ordinary people, but available to the elite. He'd experiment with his phone to see exactly how nonexistent service was in Mabutoma.

Once settled in their hotel room, Ken brought out the maps he'd brought with him and unfolded them on the table. "Come over and look at these maps with me, Dada," he invited. The young woman dutifully got up from her chair, quietly crossed the room, and stood by his side, looking attentively at the maps with him.

Their room was on the eighth floor of the hotel, and they had a generally unobstructed view of the distant mountains to the east and south of Gulo. Ken carried the maps to the window and positioned them so they could identify landmarks in those directions. It was in those mountains that he'd begin their search for gold.

He'd programmed maps of the area into his handheld GPS unit. Still, the larger paper maps he'd brought with him gave him an overall perspective of the region and he would rely on them as well as the GPS unit. Besides, electronic gadgets sometimes failed in ways his paper maps would not.

In addition to looking at the mountain ranges from his window, Ken looked over the city. Below them, to the east of the hotel, was a large city park. It appeared that there were benches in that park, and very few people were loitering there. A military patrol went by every now and then, but that was all the activity Ken could see. There in that park he probably could talk a little more openly with Dada, assuming that she herself was willing to talk to him. Perhaps he could determine if she was wearing a listening device. Turning to Dada, he said, "Let's go for a walk outside before we go eat. It'll help me get oriented."

Dada bowed slightly, her eyes downcast. "Yes, sir."

The once-lovely park now was overgrown and showing signs of serious neglect, more evidence of an impoverished country unable to maintain anything that was not absolutely essential. That was fine with Ken, however, because there would be fewer people around to overhear what he was about to say to Dada.

Once he and Dada were seated on a bench in that park, Ken unfolded the maps. To the east and south were the distant mountain ranges they'd explore first in their search for gold, but he wasn't interested in them right now. The maps would serve for cover if anyone was watching them, and Ken was almost certain that they were.

"Dada?" he began, speaking softly, a little uncertain as to where this conversation would go.

"Yes, sir?"

"I don't know exactly what General Dawodu expects of you, but since it looks like we'll be working together, I'll tell you what I expect," he began, watching carefully for any signs that she would be antagonistic toward him.

Dada deferentially averted her eyes. "Yes, sir."

Whatever was going on with this girl? "Please look at me," Ken invited. Dada slowly raised her eyes to meet his. He smiled at her, trying to assure her that he wasn't going to order her around, if that was the problem. "First of all," he continued, still trying his best to be as polite and inoffensive as possible, "I don't go much for this bowing and 'yes, sir' stuff. Can you call me 'Ken?' I'd like that."

There was a tiny flicker of warmth in her eyes, a flicker that quickly vanished. "Yes."

"Okay," Ken continued. "You're 'Dada' and I'm 'Ken.' We're going to be working together, and I'm counting on you to be my partner, no more, no less. Do you understand?"

"Your partner?" Surprise was in Dada's voice.

"Yes. I'll need you to interpret for me when we speak to people who don't speak English, but in addition, I want you to be a part of our team as we explore for gold." He emphasized the words 'our team,' hoping she understood.

Dada sighed, and felt cautiously optimistic. This was something new for her. No one had ever asked her to work with them, to be their partner, not since she'd been taken prisoner, anyway. For a long moment, she studied Ken's eyes, wishing with all of her heart that she could trust him, but fearful that she could not, then nodded her head and diverted her eyes. "Yes. I try to understand."

"There are some things we need to talk over," Ken continued, ignoring Dada's curious response, "but we'll have time to do that later. Once we get back in our room, we'll talk about what you'll need by way of clothing, because you'll need something other than a dress and dressy shoes if you're going back into the mountains with—" Ken sensed Dada stiffen, stopped in mid-sentence, and turned to see Jabari Kabila approaching. He'd had to have been watching them in order to find them there in that park.

"Hello, Jabari," Ken called, waving his arm to invite the man over to where they were seated.

Jabari came to stand before them. "Hello."

"Dada's been pointing out the mountain range where we'll be going tomorrow," Ken explained, indicating the map he'd been holding. "It's not quite as far away from town as I first thought. In fact, the mountains are quite close."

"Um, yes. Yes, they are. Um-hmm." Jabari was visibly nervous. "I . . . I wanted to tell you that I'll be going with you." Jabari didn't sound happy at that prospect, and Ken assumed that he was going with them because General Dawodu had ordered him to do so.

Ken nodded. "Okay. That's fine with us."

Jabari fidgeted a bit, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, apparently uncertain as to what he might say. Twice he started to say something, then stopped as if he'd had second thoughts.

"We're going to the hotel dining room to eat soon," Ken continued, hoping to put the man at ease. "Can you join us?"

Jabari looked a bit embarrassed. "Um-mmm. Not this evening, thank you. I just wanted to check with you to be sure everything at the hotel is to your satisfaction.

Yeah, right. Ken knew better. Jabari had been snooping on them. Ken wondered if he had any sort of long-range listening device. Well they'd have to be careful about what they said if that guy was around, and he probably would be around. "Everything's fine at the hotel," Ken reassured him.

"I'll see you in the morning, then." Jabari started to turn away.

"Oh, by the way, Jabari?" Ken stopped the man as he was turning to leave. "Maybe you could help me understand something."

"Yes?"

"In looking over some satellite photographs of the mountains to our east here, the region where we're going to start looking for gold," Ken pointed to the map he held, "I noticed what appears to be the ruins of a large stone building surrounded by the ruins of several smaller buildings, but I couldn't locate any references as to what those structures might have been. Do you know what they were?"

Jabari hesitated. "Um . . . Yes."

"Well, what was it? Or, what were they?" Ken questioned.

Jabari seemed reluctant to answer the question. Finally, however, he said, "There was an ancient monastery on that site."

"An ancient monastery, eh?" Ken replied, stroking his beard. "Then there was a Christian presence here in Mabutoma at one time." This interested Ken because in the information he'd read about Mabutoma there was no mention of Christianity or any other religion.

Jabari's face fell, and he sighed. "Y . . . Yes, but . . . but please do not mention that fact to General Dawodu. He absolutely hates Christians and has actually had some of them killed . . . and . . . and . . . ."

"I understand," Ken broke in as Jabari's voice trailed off. "But up where this monastery was located is the general location of some early gold mining activity. Am I correct?"

"Yes." Jabari cast a glance over his shoulder and replied in a hushed whisper. "The monks mined gold and . . . ."

"And?" Ken pursued the statement. He might as well find out what was so hush-hush about that site right away.

"Okay. What I tell you about that site is part rumor, part fact."

"Okay."

Jabari came closer to Ken and lowered his voice to a whisper. "The monks were thrown out of the country and the monastery itself was later destroyed. It was all because people wanted the monk's gold."

"Um-hmm, and did they find the mine?"

"Oh, yes." Jabari looked over his shoulder as if he wanted to be absolutely sure no one was listening. "You will easily find the mine entrance when you search up in the mountain. It is directly behind, to the north of the ruins. However, when the government drove out the monks and took over the mine, they discovered that it was completely worked out. There was no gold left to be mined."

"I see."

"Of course, there were all kinds of rumors about other mines the monks had worked in the mountains," Jabari continued, "but, if so, those mines were never found." Jabari hesitated a moment, shifted his feet nervously, and then continued. "Of course, the people did not search much around the area, however, because they were afraid."

"Afraid?" Ken questioned. "Of what?"

"It's very complicated," Jabari began. "The monastery itself was located not all that far from the one mountain and stream where people yet today believe spirits live. People were afraid of the spirits. They also were afraid of the spirits associated with the monastery."

"Spirits associated with the monastery?" Ken was curious.

"Yes. You see, the monks had a graveyard near the monastery, and . . . well, . . . ." Jabari's voice faltered.

Ken nodded his understanding. "Um-hmm. Go on."

Jabari then seemed to warm to his story. "There's even more that went on up there that you should know about."

"What's that?"

"After they ran off the monks, the government used the monastery buildings as a prison for political prisoners. They had hoped to use the prisoners as laborers for the mine. Of course, as I've said, the mine was worked out, so their plans for the prisoners did not work out." Again, Jabari looked cautiously over his shoulder, and then leaned even closer to Ken. "Sorry to say, but there was much abuse of those prisoners, and the site is believed to be haunted by their spirits yet today."

"Haunted, eh?"

"Yes. There are believed to be spirits of all kinds inhabiting that site. Some say they protect the gold from those who are not worthy of it—and few, if any, are thought to be worthy of it. Others say they seek vengeance on those who abused the prisoners and their descendants. To disturb the spirits is to court calamity."

"People have searched for gold in that area, then?"

"Yes, but not for many years, and like I said, not far from that monastery. In addition to the spirits associated with the monastery and prison, people are afraid of the still more powerful spirits, evil spirits, I should say, that dwell in the nearby mountains." Jabari looked around, glanced at his watch, and shifted his feet nervously. "I'd better be going," he said. "I'll pick you up at your hotel tomorrow morning."

Ken waited until Jabari had walked away and then turned to Dada. "Have you heard those stories about the ancient monastery and the spirits?" he asked.

"Yes." She wished she could say more, but she was afraid to do so, at least until she knew Ken better.

Well, Ken had to know. "Are you afraid of the evil spirits Jabari was talking about?" he asked.

Dada shook her head. "No."

* * * * *

Back in their hotel room after eating dinner, Ken turned to Dada. "We need to get you some durable work-clothing," he said. "Is there a store nearby where we can pick up a denim or khaki outfit and some sturdy hiking shoes for you?"

"Yes. There is such a store within two blocks of our hotel. I can show you where it is."

"Okay, then," Ken replied. "We'll go get some clothing for you first thing tomorrow after we eat breakfast. Whenever we finish shopping, we'll go out to the mountains with Jabari and start to look around. See where we go from there."

It was more than a little awkward for Ken to be alone in a hotel room with a young woman that night. He had an idea of what Dawodu had in mind for the two of them, but it wasn't going to happen that way. He'd had a Christian upbringing and wasn't interested in casual sex. Furthermore, Ken wasn't about to get involved in any way with any woman, not after the way women had treated him and his father, especially his father. Well, he'd treat Dada as his partner in the search for gold, but not as Dawodu's proffered sex-toy. Turning to her a little later that evening, he put his finger to his lips to silently request that she not speak. When she nodded her understanding, he pointed to her and then to the bed, to himself, and then to the sofa.

Dada's eyes softened just a little, and she nodded her understanding. She'd sleep in the bed; Ken would sleep on the sofa.

* * * * *

Why would this man, this very important visitor from the United States, offer her the comfortable bed and himself sleep on the sofa? That question puzzled Dada. Ken Davis was, indeed, an unusual man and nothing like the men she'd been forced to associate with and "entertain" over the past several months. Ken had been so nice to her. She hoped it wasn't just an act. She hoped she could trust him.

Maybe that trust would come later. For now, though, she must and would be extremely wary. Even though she wanted to, she must not let herself come to like or trust Ken Davis too much. No. If General Dawodu suspected her of telling Ken the truth about what had happened to her parents or how she now served him as a slave, to be passed from visitor to visitor, she'd be tortured and killed. Dada knew this. The evil tattoo on her shoulder served as a daily reminder of how Dawodu viewed her as his property.

As for Ken, sleeping on the sofa presented no problem at all. He'd spent many nights sleeping out under the stars and in all kinds of weather. Sometimes he'd slept on the ground and sometimes in a tent. Occasionally, he'd slept in a vehicle, or under it. Where he slept made little difference to him.

* * * * *

It would be the first time Dada had been shopping for many months. Not since she'd been taken captive had she been allowed to select and buy any new clothing of her own choosing.

Oh, she'd been given clothing during that time, all right, but it was suggestive clothing designed to entice Dawodu's visitors and not things she would have selected for herself. And all of the clothing Dawodu gave her was designed such that it showed off that evil tattoo on her shoulder.

With Ken's encouragement, that next morning, Dada selected two pair of jeans and two denim shirts, sturdy hiking boots, a denim jacket, and several sets of socks and underwear. He even encouraged her to buy new pajamas, a luxury she hadn't had for a long time. Later, they would pick up a duffle bag and cosmetic items for her use. They'd buy other things, Ken assured her, as she had need for them.

Jabari picked them up at their hotel in the Jeep later that morning. "Where would you like to go first?" he asked Ken.

"The old monastery."
CHAPTER 3

Jabari was exceedingly and obviously nervous as he drove Ken and Dada through the rundown outskirts of Gulo, a part of the city still consisting mostly of mud-brick homes and chicken coops. People and livestock wandered freely through the streets. Swarms of flies were everywhere. It was not a part of the city that General Dawodu wished foreigners to see.

Before long, however, they reached the outskirts of the city and began the drive on what was little more than a trail toward the ruins of the ancient monastery. It was then that Jabari began to get extremely nervous, fidgeting in his seat and shifting his hands around and around on the steering wheel. Ken remembered what he'd said about the site being haunted, and wondered if Jabari was frightened of the spirits said to lurk there.

While they were yet a half-mile from the ruins, Jabari suddenly stopped the Jeep. "This is as close as I'm going to get to those ruins," he said, nervously climbing out of the vehicle and pacing back and forth. To Ken he said, "If you wish, you may drive still closer."

"That's okay, Jabari," Ken replied. "You're welcome to stay here if you wish. Actually, Dada and I can walk the rest of the way."

Jabari thought for a moment, then hesitantly got back into the Jeep. "I cannot stay here while you go on ahead!" he exclaimed. "General Dawodu said I should accompany you wherever you go. He'll have my head if I do not go with you, but I assure you I do not wish to have anything to do with those ruins or that abandoned gold mine, or the mountains beyond where the many spirits dwell. If something evil happens to any of us while we are out here, please remember that I tried to warn you."

"We'll remember that," Ken responded, suppressing a smile as he realized that Jabari was deadly serious. "We won't hold you responsible."

Jabari shook his head, but then muttered something and started the Jeep. Hesitantly shifting it into gear, he drove on up the trail to within several hundred feet of the ruins. "I shall stay with the Jeep," he announced, as Ken and Dada climbed out.

"Okay."

"But no!" Jabari suddenly exclaimed. "I cannot stay here while you go on ahead. General Dawodu would be very angry if I did not accompany you everywhere."

"Is General Dawodu aware of the stories about the spirits that may dwell here and in the mountains?" Ken asked.

"Oh, yes," Jabari replied, his voice strained slightly with emotion. "He is well aware of the stories, but he refuses to believe them." Jabari looked about as if fearful that someone might be listening, then continued. "He says such superstitions have no place in a modern country such as Mabutoma will become under his leadership."

Ken nodded his understanding as they walked, and then turned his attention back to the ruins of the monastery. Now that he was closer to the ancient structure, he could see that three of the original stone walls were still standing, mostly intact. The fourth had partially collapsed and the roof was gone. It had been a huge building, partially built into the mountainside, and Ken suspected that there would be a basement and perhaps a sub-basement underground.

Through a gap in the wall that had partially collapsed, Ken could make out the iron bars of the cells that had been installed when the building had been converted to a prison. Also, he noted the ruins of several smaller buildings on either side of the main building.

A small cemetery had been established to the left of the monastery. The gravestones had been vandalized over the years, so it was difficult to tell exactly where individual graves were located, and the fence that once surrounded the plot was in ruins. Still, one gravestone shaped like a cross remained standing, standing tall against the rubble, mute testimony to the fact that there had been Christians there in Mabutoma. At least, that was the way Ken interpreted things.

Ken had taken several classes in archaeology while he was in college, and greatly enjoyed visiting sites such as this. He would have loved to explore the ruins of that monastery but that would have to wait. He was here to look for gold deposits. He knew, however, that the ancient monks sometimes had a sharp eye for gold and silver. He would inspect the mine that was claimed to have been worked out, but he wondered if there might have been other gold deposits in the area as well, deposits that the monks might have known about or even worked but the natives had not discovered.

As he studied the ruins, Ken became aware that Dada was standing silently beside him. Turning to her, he asked, "Do you know where the entrance to the worked-out mine is located?"

"Yes. It's right over there." Dada pointed up the mountainside behind the ruins. "If you wish," she continued, "I can take you there. We can hike that far."

"Okay. I want to see it. Let's go."

"Um, Ken?" Dada murmured.

Ken smiled. She'd actually called him by his name. "Yes?"

"We'd better explain to Jabari where we're going," Dada whispered.

"Good point."

Ken and Dada walked to the Jeep where Jabari now was seated. "We're going to hike up to the entrance of the old mine," Ken told him.

Jabari did not look pleased, but he got out of the Jeep. "I'll go with you." His voice was flat. He seemed quite nervous.

As the three of them walked toward the old mine, Ken raised a question that he'd wondered about: "Is this area prone to earthquakes?"

Jabari stopped in his tracks and looked intently at Ken. "Oh, yes," he hissed. "There are frequent earthquakes, most of little consequence, but the natives think that earthquakes are a sign that the gods are angry. You see," Jabari continued, "evil things often happen after an earthquake, and the natives know this."

Ken nodded his understanding, but did not pursue the topic.

The entrance to the mine was overgrown with scrubby trees and shrubs, but it was clearly visible. It appeared to Ken that the opening angled almost straight down into the rocky ground. There was no fence around the mine and no sign warned visitors of the obvious danger. Perhaps, Ken reasoned, no warnings were needed because no one would dare venture near the mine for fear of disturbing the spirits.

"It is very deep," Jabari ventured, keeping his distance from the opening.

Ken looked down the open mine shaft. "Yes, it is," he agreed.

A narrow steel ladder, now rusty with age, was anchored to one side of the near-vertical shaft. Whoever worked the mine would have had to climb down that ladder. Gold ore would have had to have been brought up in buckets, perhaps with a winch of some sort that had long since rotted away. Tailings from the mine had been heaped to either side of the entrance and were still visible.

"Are . . . Are you going down . . . down there?" Jabari's voice was a whisper, harsh with tension. He was looking around over his shoulder as if he was afraid someone or something was watching.

"Not today. Perhaps one day soon," Ken replied, concealing his amusement at Jabari's comment. How else could he inspect the mine?

"Not . . . Not today. Then . . . Then we must be leaving here right away, before we are discovered," Jabari whispered. He seemed genuinely frightened.

"Okay," Ken replied, a little reluctantly, but not wanting to offend Jabari. "Let's drive up as close as we can to the stream over there. That's where I want to go next." He pointed toward a nearby mountain stream that probably served as the monastery's water supply at one time.

Jabari would rather have returned to town, but he did as Ken asked and parked the Jeep near, but not too near, the stream. From his supplies in the back of the Jeep, Ken gathered two buckets, a shovel, and a large pan that he would use to pan for gold, as well as a pair of waders. "Come on, guys. Let's hike down to the stream," he invited.

Probably at one time the monks had a well-worn path to the water's edge, but no such path was visible after all these years. They'd have to make their way through the underbrush.

Dada and Jabari followed Ken toward the stream, pushing through the underbrush and clamoring over rocks as they made their way. It was rough going, especially for Dada, because she was not used to hiking in the mountains.

Before Dada had been taken captive, she and her parents had spent a good deal of time outdoors, but her captors hadn't allowed her to do that during the months of her imprisonment. She'd managed to exercise a little in her cell, but that didn't substitute for getting out into the mountains. Did it ever feel good to get some fresh air and exercise!

Before long, the group came to a steep bank overgrown with scrubby trees and vines. At the foot of the bank and beyond a sandbar they could see the flowing water.

Ken picked his way carefully down the embankment. It was difficult going because of the brush and it was very slippery in places. "You wait here, Dada," he told her when they came to a level spot. "I'll carry this gear down to the stream and then I'll come back to help you climb down."

Dada waited, hardly believing what she was hearing. No one had gone out of his or her way to help her with anything for a long time. A few minutes later, true to his word, Ken climbed back up the bank. "It's a little slippery, but I'll hang on to you," he told Dada, as he reached out for her. "Give me your hand."

Once the three of them were at the water's edge, Ken pulled on his waders. "I'm going out and get some mud from the river bottom," he said, taking his shovel and one of the buckets with him as he waded into the stream.

Back on the bank, Ken poured some of the mud from the bucket into his pan and added water. Then he began to swirl the pan around and around, letting the swirling water carry off the dirt and gravel. They'd soon know if there was any gold in that stream bed.

Dada watched the process, her eyes wide with interest. She'd never seen anyone pan for gold before, but she knew from things she'd read what Ken was doing. Moments later, when Ken momentarily stopped swirling the pan, she saw the flecks of gold stuck to the sides. "That's gold, isn't it?" she whispered excitedly, pointing at the flecks.

Jabara watched from a distance, nervously shifting his stance from one foot to the other, uncertain as to whether Ken's attempted recovery of gold from the river would annoy the spirits, but certain that he did not wish to be anywhere near Ken or Dada if the spirits should suddenly become angry and materialize. Perhaps he had made a mistake in inviting Ken to come to his country. On the other hand, if Ken could find gold, . . . .

"Yes, those are flecks of gold," Ken replied, ignoring Jabari's obvious restlessness. He retrieved tweezers from his pocket, picked the flecks of yellow metal from the pan, and deposited them in a small plastic container. "Now, let's see what else is in here," he said, as he began again to swirl the pan with its muddy content.

A little later, he handed the tweezers to Dada. "Look at that," he said, pointing.

Dada's eyes widened. "That's a gold nugget, isn't it?" she asked, repressing her excitement. This was proving to be the most interesting day she'd had for a long, long time.

"Yeah." Ken handed her the tweezers. "Go ahead and pick it up out of there with the tweezers."

Dada quietly retrieved the gold nugget. She studied it for several moments before placing it in the plastic container.

Ken noted her interest. "Have you seen a gold nugget before?" he asked.

Dada shook her head. "No." She cocked her head. "Is that nugget pure gold?"

"Not quite," Ken replied. "They're fairly close to pure, but not quite."

Dada nodded her understanding.

"Can you spot any more gold in the pan?" Ken asked.

Dada carefully examined the contents of the pan. "There's another nugget! It's a tiny one, but it's a nugget!" she exclaimed. Moments later, she had retrieved it and placed it in the plastic container.

Ken grinned at her. "Good girl," he said.

For a moment, Dada was taken aback. "Good girl?" Nobody had complimented her for a long time. She studied Ken's face, wanting to believe that he meant what he said.

Most of the contents of the pan had been washed away. "Let's try that again," Ken said.

He poured more river mud into the pan and began to swirl it. That effort yielded still more flakes of gold. Dada eagerly retrieved the gold from the pan.

As Ken was about to add still more mud and gravel to the pan for yet another try, Dada reached out hesitantly and touched his arm. "May I try?" she asked.

"Sure," Ken responded, pleased that she was interested. "This pan may be a bit heavy for you, but we won't load it with quite as much material from the stream bed." Dada was, Ken thought, cute as a button in her denim outfit, holding that pan. He wished she would smile, but her face somehow seemed frozen, and he wondered why. He'd find out what was going on with her just as soon as he could.

Ever so slowly, Dada began to move the pan in a circular motion, trying her best to duplicate what Ken had done. The pan and its contents obviously were heavy for her and she was a bit awkward. Twice she spilled some of the contents, but Ken didn't seem to mind, and she kept at it. "You're doing right well," Ken encouraged. If she wanted to keep panning for gold, they'd get her a smaller pan that she could more easily manage.

Around and around, Dada swirled the contents of the pan, letting the mud, sand and lighter rocks wash over the edge. Ken guided her movements as she tipped the pan so that the heavier flakes and nuggets would be caught in the ridges. Soon they'd found another nugget and a number of flakes. While Dada held the pan, Ken removed the gold with the tweezers, and then placed the flecks in another small container. When Dada finally placed the empty pan on the ground, Ken handed her the second container. "This is yours," he said. "Hang on to it."

Jabari was pacing back and forth on the bank. When he saw they had momentarily stopped panning for gold, he came over, anxiously looking at his watch and then at the sky. "It is time we were leaving here," he told them. "Even if we leave now, it will be almost dark by the time we return to Gulo." What he did not tell them was that it was at night when the spirits were more likely to come out of their hiding places to thwart anyone who might be trying to take their gold. It would not be well for them to be here after dark.

"Okay," Ken agreed, noting Jabari's obvious anxiety. "Let me make a few notes and we'll be going." With that, he withdrew a notebook from his pocket and recorded the location along the stream where they'd panned for gold as well as an approximation of what they'd found. He also noted the location on his GPS unit's map.

While he was pleased that they had been able to find gold in that stream bed, Ken was not surprised. In fact, the stream there seemed to him almost a textbook example of where to pan for gold. As Jabari drove them back to Gulo, Ken wondered if the monks had known about that gold that was theirs for the taking. He'd bet they did. And that raised some serious questions in his mind.

* * * * *

It was while they were riding back to the hotel that Dada had a chance to reflect on her relationship with Ken. At first, she absolutely hated him, expecting nothing from him but the brutish kind of treatment she'd received from the other foreign visitors she'd been expected to entertain.

Dada gritted her teeth as she recalled those visitors and what she'd meant to them—nothing more than a toy. That was all she'd been to the others—a sex-toy. They had their hands all over her the moment she was alone with them, and all they wanted was to get her into bed. She'd had no choice but to do their will if she wanted to live.

She was so fortunate that she hadn't gotten pregnant, and she thanked God every day that she hadn't, but what would happen to her if she did? And what would happen if she contracted a sexually transmitted disease of some sort? Who would take care of her? Would anyone take care of her? These questions troubled her greatly.

She had little faith in those injections Dawodu's doctor gave her regularly. He wouldn't tell her exactly what he was injecting, and he seemed to have little interest in her questions. Even if the injections prevented pregnancy, they probably would have little to do with preventing disease. Who would take care of her when she was of no use to Dawodu? Unfortunately, she knew the answer.

But Ken hadn't been like those others at all. Instead, he'd been friendly and kind. He'd said he wanted her to be his partner, and he'd treated her like a partner, too. When he'd taken her hand to help her down that slippery stream bank, she'd felt so secure. It was the way her father had taken her hand when she was a little girl. And Ken had actually let her pan for gold. Maybe there still was goodness in the world. Not that she could let down her guard. Her very survival was at stake, and she knew that.

Still later that night, as she and Ken ate dinner together in the hotel dining room, she found herself studying him more closely than she had since they'd met. He was a good looking man, perhaps a little over six feet tall and maybe 180 pounds in weight, with a rugged, weathered face, dark brown hair, and dark eyes that almost matched hers. She guessed him to be in his early 30s, only a few years older than she. In many ways, Ken reminded her of her own father, the one man in her life she'd always been able to count on, the one man who'd loved her. The man Dawodu's men killed.

Did she dare place her trust in Ken? The answer hit her like a slap in the face. NO! Not yet, anyway. Maybe not ever.

Dada wished she could allow herself to feel the same affection for this man who'd been so nice to her as she had for her father. She could not, of course, allow herself to feel about him in that way. No way! Before long, he'd be gone and she'd be returned to her dungeon cell—to become again nothing more than Dawodu's toy. Better that she not let herself feel any warmth toward Ken, because it would hurt so much more when he was no longer around. She could dream, but she would keep her thoughts to herself. It was the safest way.

Besides, Jabari would be sure to report to General Dawodu if she gave any inklings of her warm feelings toward Ken. She simply did not trust Jabari. He'd have her back in that dungeon, perhaps tortured, if either of them said anything negative about the government, too. Maybe she'd better warn Ken about Jabari and the ways of Dawodu's security police.

But how could she talk openly to Ken about Jabari and Dawodu? There was almost no time when Jabari wasn't close enough to hear or guess what she was saying to Ken, and the hotel room where they slept must have been equipped with listening devices of some sort. They'd know if she talked to Ken about her situation—or about her feelings toward him. It was as if she was in a trap that was closing in on her from all sides.

When Dada looked up from her plate, she caught Ken smiling at her. It took a great deal of self-control, but she managed to ignore his smile. Better that she not smile back at him, no matter how much she really wanted to. She used to be a happy girl, but she'd not smiled at anyone for six months or more now. She'd not had any reason to smile.

* * * * *

Back in their hotel room later that evening, Ken spread the maps of the area they'd explored that day on the table. "Come help me look at these, Dada," he invited, beckoning for her to come to his side with a wave of his hand.

"I not very familiar with maps, but I look," she said, hesitantly, suddenly aware that her English was not polished. Her face brightened. "Maybe you can explain them to me."

"Sure, let's take a look at the maps. See where we've been." Ken smiled at her, and then continued. "Oh, and I also want to show you how my GPS unit works."

"Oh, yes!" Dada exclaimed. "I like that." In fact, she'd been curious abut that device Ken called a GPS unit ever since she'd seen him use it. Her father had always taken time to explain things to her. He'd been so patient. Maybe Ken would be patient with her, too.

Once she was at his side, Ken began to point out the location of the ruins of the monastery, the abandoned gold mine, and the stream where they'd panned for gold. For some reason, he simply couldn't help glancing at her as she studied the map with him. She was cute. He could see why his father would have been attracted to a beautiful woman and want her for his own. But then, those women did him wrong.

Looking at those maps with Dada brought to mind a question he had earlier that day. Something Dada said puzzled Ken. Well, he'd just have to ask. "You seemed familiar with the--" he began, and then broke off his statement as he realized what they'd be talking about if he continued.

Dada was looking at him, her eyebrows raised questioningly, wondering what he meant to ask, and why he'd abruptly stopped. It was better that she did not ask.

There wasn't a really good time for what Ken now had in mind. Better to get on with it, and let the chips fall where they may. "Let's you and me go for a walk," he said.

"Oh! Okay." A walk? What could be on Ken's mind?

Instead of walking down to the park where they'd talked earlier, Ken led Dada to the stairs leading to the roof of the hotel. Once they were seated on the roof, having checked carefully to be sure there was no one else there, their backs against an air-conditioning unit for support, Ken looked at Dada for a long moment. "We need to talk about several things," he began. "You may not trust me and therefore not want to answer my questions, and I can accept that, but I hope you will talk freely with me."

Dada looked at him and nodded her understanding of what he was saying, not quite certain what was coming next. She wished she could trust this man, but months of hateful treatment toward her by Dawodu and his henchmen as well as those earlier foreign visitors had hardened her against trusting anyone.

"Okay," Ken began again, "let's start at the beginning. I've been in Mabutoma before, very briefly, years ago, so I have a little understanding of the land and its people."

Dada nodded, uncertain as to what Ken was leading up to.

"You were introduced to me as 'Dada'," Ken continued. "If I remember correctly, that's the native name meaning something like 'curly haired girl.' You know how I know?"

"No."

"I told you I was in Mabutoma some years ago. My uncle was a big game hunter back then, hunted all over the world, and he invited me to go to Mabutoma with him on a hunting trip. That was between my junior and senior years in college. We stayed at a lodge far to the west of here, almost to the border of the country. One of the girls who worked at the lodge was named Dada. She told me she was named for her curly hair—and it was curly!

"The thing is," Ken continued, "you don't look native to me, and your hair isn't curly. Instead, with your complexion and features, you look to me to be of Mediterranean background, or maybe a mix of Mediterranean and Oriental. Am I right?"

Dada did not—could not—answer for a moment. To answer that question honestly meant torture and death if she were caught telling this man the truth. Would he betray her? Well, she'd die or be killed eventually, anyway. Or kill herself when her torment got too great for her to stand. She lowered her eyes. "Yes."

"Tell me about yourself," Ken invited. "I think we're safe from listening devices here, and I promise I will not repeat anything you say to anyone."

Dada would be honest. "I sorry. After what I've been through, it is very hard for me to trust anyone."

"I understand, and you don't have to tell me anything you don't want me to know."

"I try to trust you."

Ken smiled, as reassuringly as he knew how. "Okay, and I'll try to earn your trust."

"My father was Italian," Dada whispered, anxiously glancing around the rooftop as she spoke, "and my mother was Chinese National."

"So what are you doing here?"

She might as well be honest. They'd kill her if they found out about this conversation, but it was a risk she'd have to take. "I am a slave," she whispered, her eyes downcast as she spoke. "General Dawodu's slave."

"A slave?" Ken was not exactly surprised at Dada's answer. He'd had experience with dictators. Few of them could resist the abuse of women.

"Yes. I am a slave." Dada took a deep breath, and then continued. "You see, my father and mother were agricultural missionaries to the people here. They taught them better methods of farming and preserving food, skills that the people desperately need. As for me, I speak several languages, and I taught at a small mission school my parents established." Tears glistened in her eyes and she wiped them away with her sleeve. She was trying her best not to cry. "My parents along with my younger brother were murdered when General Dawodu overthrew the government. He took me to be his slave, to be used by the important foreign visitors as a translator and . . . and . . . ." Words caught in her throat.

"And what?" he asked as gently as possible.

"A . . . A sex slave."

Ken sighed. He'd guessed as much. "What is your real name?"

"Angelica. Angelica Ferrari."

"Angelica." Ken repeated her name. "That's a very pretty name."

"If you are heard using that name for me," the young woman replied bitterly, "General Dawodu will have me tortured and killed. Maybe he kill both of us. It is a Christian name, you know, and Dawodu hates Christians." She hesitated. "Even Jabari may report us," she warned. "Do not trust him or anyone associated with Dawodu."

"I understand what you're saying. While we are here, you are Dada," Ken assured her.

"General Dawodu named me 'Dada.'" She looked up at Ken with tears in her eyes. "Do you know what they did? One of Dawodu's women-friends actually tried to curl my hair, probably on his orders." She almost laughed through her tears. "It didn't take."

"I understand. He tried to make your hair match the name he'd given to you, didn't he?"

"Yes. He try. It didn't work, but the name was mine to keep anyway."

"Um-hmm. Now, for a question along a different line."

"Yes?"

"This afternoon when we were at that monastery site, you seemed to know exactly where the abandoned gold mine was located. Have you been to that site before?"

"Yes, I have been there." She hesitated for a moment. "You see, my father's great-great-great uncle, I think that's right, was one of those monks who lived in the monastery. He is buried in the nearby cemetery. At least, we think so. My father took us there to that site several times."

"And to the stream where we panned for gold?"

"Yes. As you thought, that was the stream where the monks got drinking water. At least, that's what my dad thought." Dada hesitated, wanting to say something more, but not certain if she should.

Ken sensed her reluctance. "What is it?" he asked.

"I think there must have been another mine."

"Another gold mine?"

"Yes. From what I've heard from my father, a story passed down in the family suggests that the monks must have had at least two gold mines. When they were driven out of the country, they concealed that second mine. I wonder if Dawodu doesn't expect you to find that mine for him."

"Do you have any ideas of where that second mine might have been located?"

"Not really. My guess is that it is well beyond the river, somewhere in the mountains." she replied. "That country is off-limits for most of the natives here, but the monks were not afraid."

"That country is off-limits for the natives? Why do you say that?"

Dada almost smiled. "You saw how nervous Jabari got when we went near that stream. Well, that stream and beyond in the mountains is where the spirits are said to live. The natives think the spirits will curse or kill them if they go into that area, especially if they are searching for gold."

Ken looked at his watch. They'd been gone from the hotel room for thirty minutes. That was long enough. He didn't want anyone, especially Jabari, to get curious about their whereabouts and come looking for them. "We'll talk again, later," he said. "For now, let's go back to our room, but be very careful about what we say there."

Dada nodded. "The room has ears," she whispered. She knew because she'd overheard one of the guards joking about a conversation he'd heard when she was entertaining one of the foreign visitors in that room not long ago. At the time, she'd wondered if the eavesdropping might not provide embarrassing material for blackmailing someone.

"We'll watch what we say," Ken continued, "although we'll have to engage in some conversation so someone won't be suspicious about us having found a listening device."

* * * * *

Well, she'd done it. She'd told Ken the story of how she'd been taken captive and made a slave when her parents and brother had been killed. Maybe she'd been a real fool to trust him, but then she'd reached the point in her captivity where she had to trust someone. If Ken betrayed her, she'd kill herself, and she'd already made plans to do just that if things got too bad for her. At the very least, she'd be with her parents and brother in Heaven--if God would forgive her for taking her own life. She hoped He would forgive her.

* * * * *

The man seated in the yellow Toyota across the street from the hotel entrance was there to make certain that Ken Davis and Dada did not leave the hotel without his knowledge. He would report their every move to General Dawodu, and if that slave-girl tried to escape, his orders were to kill her.

"Torture her first and then kill her as an example to anyone who might think about defying my orders," General Dawodu had instructed him. That was exactly what he would do.
CHAPTER 4

Jabari seemed quite nervous when he picked up Ken and Dada the next morning. "We go to see General Dawodu this morning," he announced. "It is his wish."

Ken felt more than actually saw Dada cringe at the news. This request from Dawodu had surely frightened her. After what she'd told him about her situation there at the Royal Palace, he could understand that.

Indeed, this request from Dawodu had badly frightened Dada. Had Dawodu somehow gotten the message that she'd talked about herself and her situation to Ken? Maybe he'd send her back to her cell. That thought made her shudder. She'd been able to relax and enjoy herself just a little over the past few days, but now the thought of being in the presence of Dawodu brought agonizing knots to her stomach and set her head throbbing. She'd try her best to stay calm. "Dear God, help me," she breathed, "and help Ken, too."

Jabari escorted Ken and Dada past armed guards and into the presence of the President of Mabutoma. Again, Dawodu scowled and put down his cigar when they entered his private office, seemingly displeased with their very presence. "Have you found gold, Mr. Davis?" he barked, without any preliminary greeting.

"I'll show you what we've found so far, but we've only just begun to search for gold," Ken replied, calmly. Dawodu was full of bluster and self-importance, just like the other dictators he'd encountered, and Ken had learned to deflect the hostility.

"All right. What have you found?" Dawodu challenged.

Ken retrieved the small plastic container in which he had placed the gold nuggets and flakes found when they'd panned for gold at the stream and handed it to General Dawodu. The president studied its contents for some time, turning the container over and over in his hands. Finally, he looked up at Ken. "Where did you find this?" he asked.

"In the stream near the ruins of the old monastery."

Ken sensed Jabari gasp when he mentioned the monastery, but there was no other way he knew to describe where the gold had been found. If Dawodu was offended, so be it.

"So there is gold in that stream," Dawodu breathed.

"Yes, there is gold in that stream," Ken replied. "I do not yet know how much, but if there proves to be enough to warrant building a sluice, and I believe there is, we'll build one."

"A sluice?" Dawodu questioned. "What is that?"

Ken explained how a sluice worked. "Would you have a man or perhaps several men available who would be able to operate the sluice once it is in operation?" he then asked.

General Dawodu scowled and toyed with his cigar. "If it were not that particular stream, the answer would be an unqualified 'yes.' However, you must understand that many of my people are still possessed with the outdated and foolish belief that evil spirits dwell in the mountains and lurk around that stream, guarding the gold. It is nonsense, of course, but they think that if they take the gold from that stream, the spirits will attack them."

"I understand."

Dawodu sat for a moment, apparently deep in thought, turning the little container of gold flakes over and over in his hands. "Build the sluice. It will be up to you to operate it," he said, "at least for now." Moments later, he turned to Jabari, a scowl on his face. "You could operate the sluice, could you not?" he asked. The look in his eyes said that he did not expect 'no' for an answer.

"Er . . . Um . . . Yes, sir." Jabari stammered.

"I thought so," Dawodu roared. "After all," he continued, his voice booming, "Your given name 'Jabari' means 'fearless,' does it not?"

" Um . . . Yes, sir. It does."

"So, fearless one, you are not afraid to operate the sluice and gather gold for our glorious country, for Mabutoma." It was a statement, not a question, yet it demanded an answer. A correct answer.

"N . . . No, sir."

Dawodu turned to Ken. "Jabari Kabila is the man who can operate the sluice," he said. "You build it as quickly as possible and show him what to do. He can operate it until he finds others to help him, men who are not afraid of those spirits." Clearly, that statement was not to be questioned.

Ken nodded his acceptance of Dawodu's statement. He and Jabari would discuss that issue at a later time. "Thank you, sir. That will give Dada and me more time to search for other sources of gold."

Dawodu's dark eyes flashed as they leapt from Ken's face to Dada's face and back again. "She can help you find gold?" he asked, sounding more than a little skeptical that this girl could be of any practical use whatsoever.

"Yes, sir," Ken replied, confidently. "Dada helped me pan for gold in that stream near the monastery. With a little practice, she'll be very good at it. In fact, she found some of the gold in that container you have in your hands."

Dawodu examined the little container, now showing even greater interest, then turned to Dada. "You found some of this gold, eh?" he inquired, sounding just a little incredulous at the idea that she had actually found the gold.

"Yes, sir," Dada replied. "Mr. Davis showed me how to pan for gold. I'm not very good at it yet, but I did find some of the gold in that container." It was the first time Dada could remember speaking directly to Dawodu other than the occasional "yes, sir," meaning she'd understood one of his commands and would be quick to obey. Or else!

But of course, General Dawodu reasoned, after Dada and Ken Davis had been ushered out of his presence, because of her religion, Dada would not have been afraid of the spirits. She could actually go into that haunted portion of the mountains where his own people were afraid to venture, and there she could help this American geologist locate gold for Mabutoma. That would make her more valuable to him than she'd been as a sex-slave to entertain his foreign visitors.

It seemed highly unlikely to Dawodu that this geologist was interested in Dada as a sex-toy. In fact, he'd planned to take Dada away from Ken Davis and assign her to entertain another foreign visitor who would be arriving tomorrow. He would not do that now, however. He'd let her assist in the hunt for gold. Dawodu had other attractive women he could assign to entertain the new visitor. Dada would still be his slave, of course. Once the geologist left, she would resume her duties.

Still, Dawodu reasoned, he must keep Dada, and Kabila and Davis for that matter, in his sights lest they attempt to thwart him in any way. Lest they try to keep any of the gold for themselves. Summoning one of his aids, he gave the order: "Continue to keep an eyes on the three of them and report their activities to me." The aid knew exactly what General Dawodu had in mind and would immediately carry this order to the secret police.

* * * * *

Ken thought over what Dada had told him at their rooftop conversation. Now he knew why she never seemed to smile. He also realized, perhaps more than he had before, just how ruthless a dictator they were dealing with.

Somehow, he really liked Dada, liked having her with him. She was cute. She was smart. She was, well, vibrant. She would be even more vibrant if she were not Dawodu's slave. Much as he disliked and distrusted women in general, he found himself enjoying having her around. He'd surely miss her when the time came for him to leave Mabutoma.

And then suddenly it hit him. When he left Mabutoma, Dada would again be nothing but Dawodu's slave, sentenced once again to entertain guests of the dictator. And once she no longer was young and pretty, or if she got sick, she'd be . . . . Hmmmm? Was there, he wondered, any way he might be able to prevent that from happening to her?

* * * * *

After they left General Dawodu's office, Jabari drove them to a woodworker's shop where they picked up lumber and other supplies with which to build the sluice. They also stopped at another store and bought waders for both Dada and Jabari. Then they were off to the stream-site where they'd panned for gold.

Jabari's given name might mean "fearless" as Dawodu indicated, but Ken knew that the man did not possess that characteristic, at least where the spirits he believed in were concerned. Once they arrived at the stream, Jabari paced anxiously along the bank, cautiously eying the sky, while Ken constructed the sluice. Dada, meanwhile, watched Ken construct the sluice with a great deal of interest. She was the one and not Jabari who held the lumber in place as Ken assembled it.

* * * * *

It was late in the day when the sluice was finished. They would set it up in the river and Ken would show Jabari and Dada how best to operate it on the following day.

On the following morning, Ken and Dada placed the sluice in the stream so that an inch or so of water continuously washed over it. Then Ken scooped up some of the sand and gravel from the river bottom, screened it into one of the buckets to remove the larger rocks and debris, and showed both Dada and Jabari how to pour the material from the bucket into the sluice so the running water could wash away the lighter dirt and sand, leaving the gold to be trapped by the riffles.

Although Jabari was not happy with his assigned task, he began to work the sluice. It was obvious to both Ken and Dada that he was quite nervous, however, because he kept glancing around and over his shoulders as he worked. He was so nervous, in fact, that he spilled several shovels of material destined for the sluice.

Before long, they began to find gold flakes and a few nuggets caught on the sluice riffles. At every opportunity, Dada carefully removed the gold and placed it in another of the small plastic containers that Ken carried. It had been a good decision to build the sluice, but even obtaining the gold did not appear to lift Jabari's spirits.

While Jabari and Dada worked at the sluice, Ken waded upstream, programming information into his GPS unit as he did so. Occasionally, he trial-panned for gold, and was pleased to find a few nuggets as well as flakes of gold each time he did so. He also looked over the outcroppings of stone along the banks for any evidence of gold.

"Ken! Ken! Please come quickly!"

It was Dada's voice, and she clearly was agitated. Ken turned and looked downstream to where she and Jabari had been working the sluice. He could just barely make out their figures, and it appeared that Jabari was even then sprinting toward the bank as fast as he could move through the water. What could be wrong? Were they having a problem? He'd better get back down there--and fast. "Coming," he called.

By the time Ken got back to the sluice, Jabari was seated on a stone on the bank of the stream, his head in his hands. Dada was standing near him, an anxious look on her face.

"What is it, Dada?" Ken asked.

She put her finger to her lips and motioned at Jabari, then motioned for Ken to follow her up the stream just a little ways. Ken nodded his understanding that she wanted him to keep quiet and followed her upstream until they were out of Jabari's hearing.

"Look what I found," Dada whispered. She reached into her pocket, withdrew a small gold cross, and handed it to him.

Ken examined the cross. It was about two inches long, and quite heavy. To judge from the loop at the top, it probably had been worn on a chain. "Very interesting and valuable. Where did you find this?" he whispered the question.

"In the stream, a little above the sluice," Dada whispered back.

"Is there a problem with Jabari?"

Dada almost smiled. "Yes. He thinks this is an evil omen, a kind of warning that we will die quickly if we continue to search for and take the gold. He is very frightened and plans to ask General Dawodu for soldiers to accompany us to this place tomorrow. Maybe we'd better quit for the day and let him go back to the safety of the city."

Ken sighed and nodded. "Okay." How were they going to get anything done if Jabari was so terribly frightened of the spirits, yet at the same time thought he had to accompany them everywhere?

Dada and Ken walked back to where Jabari was seated. "Are you ready to call it quits of the day?" Ken asked.

"Y . . . Yes," Jabari stammered. "I . . . I am ready to quit." He lifted his face to look at Ken. "May . . . May we go now? Let us leave this place," he begged. "It is for . . . for our own safety."

"Sure. Let's gather up our things and go." What else could he say in response to Jabari's fear?

With Jabari hastily leading the way, the three scrambled up the embankment toward the Jeep. Seeing that Jabari was well ahead of them, Ken grabbed Dada's hand and helped her over the rough and slippery spots. "Thank you," she whispered, once they paused to catch their breath.

As Ken reflected on the adventure later, he had to admit to himself that he'd held Dada's hand just a little longer and tighter than had been absolutely necessary to help her through the underbrush and back to the Jeep. Once he'd actually managed to draw her close to him, and she'd almost smiled when their shoulders touched. Her hand had been so soft and warm, surprisingly so to Ken. It had been a long time since he'd actually held a girl's hand. Perhaps it was better that way.

Ken's touch had not been lost on Dada. She'd sensed the warmth and care as he'd helped her. Under other circumstances, she could imaging herself holding hands with Ken and enjoying his companionship there in the mountains, but then she quickly put those thoughts out of her mind because there wouldn't be a Ken to hold hands with in the dungeon cell that had served as her home—and would again once Ken left Mabutoma.

Jabari was seated in the driver's seat and had the engine running by the time they reached the Jeep. Without another word, he swung the vehicle around and drove as fast as he dared toward the city, glancing nervously in the rear-view mirror every few moments.

* * * * *

"Is your finding that cross what really upset Jabari?" Ken asked Dada once Jabari had dropped them off in the hotel parking lot.

"Oh, yes." Dada sighed and shook her head. "I thought he was going to have a heart attack there in the middle of the stream. He was very frightened. Just after I found the cross and showed it to him, some birds flew over us. They were making a racket. That's when he went over to the bank and sat down. His face was so downcast and anxious! He said he wasn't going to disturb the spirits any more that day. That's when I called to you."

"Oh, my." Ken sighed. "And he's going to ask Dawodu for soldiers to protect us?" he questioned.

Dada looked around anxiously. "Yes. That's what he said."

"Will Dawodu allow that?"

Dada sighed. "Oh, I'm sure he will. He wants whatever gold we can find for him. For Mabutoma, he says."

Ken repressed a chuckle. "How does Jabari expect earthly soldiers to protect us from spirits?"

Dada looked up at him, her eyes as close to a smile as Ken ever remembered them, but her voice was deathly serious. "I don't know." She thought a moment, uncertain as to whether she should speak her mind, then went ahead. "We may come to fear Dawodu's soldiers more than Jabari fears the spirits."

Ken shook his head, paused a moment and looked around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear what they were saying. Leaning close to Dada, he whispered, "How did they ever get into this belief in spirits?"

"When they ran out the Christians, the people here went back to their old tribal religions, most of which are based on witchcraft," Dada whispered in reply. "Still," she continued, "I think many of them recognized that the Christian God is very powerful, maybe even more powerful than the spirits they worship. The Christians had told them they must choose between the Christian God and the spirits, so having chosen to worship the spirits, they are afraid of anything related to Christianity."

"Like that cross you found?"

Dada nodded. "Yes. Actually, there are several aspects to the fear of spirits around that old monastery and near the stream. There is the fear of the Christian God, but there also is fear of the spirits of the prisoners that were tortured in that building when it was used as a jail. Some of those prisoners were buried in the cemetery near the monastery, and when their graves were disturbed by vandals years later, it was thought that their spirits were freed to exact vengeance on the people who harmed them and their descendants. The spirits of the monks buried there were also freed, of course, and they also could punish those who had persecuted them."

"So there are various reasons why people fear the spirits around that site?"

"Yes, around that stream and in the nearby mountains as well as around the ruins of the monastery." Dada hesitated, as she studied Ken's face, uncertain as to whether she should be so bold as to ask him a question that was uppermost on her mind. Finally, however, she spoke. "May I ask you a personal question?"

Ken smiled, pleased that she felt free enough to ask. "Sure."

Dada looked over her shoulder to be sure no one was listening, and edged even closer to Ken, more than a little hesitant to ask what she wanted to know. Ken's smile helped put her at ease, but . . . . She wanted to feel at ease with him, but did she dare to ask such a personal question?

"It's okay. I won't hit you," Ken whispered, repressing a grin, sensing her hesitation. Having an idea of what she wanted to ask.

"Okay, then," Dada responded, her voice hushed. "I've been wondering something. Are you a Christian?"

Ken looked at her for a long moment before he answered. Wished she hadn't asked. "I was, once upon a time."

Dada shook her head. Feeling bolder now that she had asked. "I don't understand. You're not a Christian now?" she questioned.

Ken took her arm and guided her toward the hotel, not really wanting to explain his answer, but wanting her to understand. "I was a Christian when I was a youngster," he replied, "but then some bad things happened in my life, and I quit going to church."

Bad things had happened in Ken's life as they had in hers. Dada would not push the question now, but she'd do the one thing she could do for him. She'd pray. She'd also pray that the two of them could stay alive in General Dawodu's Mabutoma—and, given what she'd overheard on numerous occasions over the past few months, that might prove most difficult.
CHAPTER 5

Z-O-O-O-O-M! . . . R-O-A-R! . . . Z-O-O-O-O-O-O-M! . . . R-O-A-R!

Ken and Dada were unexpectedly jolted awake early the following morning by the roar of two low-flying airplanes directly over their hotel. The windows rattled and the whole building seemed to be shaking. Those planes almost had to have been the Russian MiGs Ken had seen at the airport.

"Wow! Any idea as to what's going on?" Ken asked Dada, as they both sat up and hurriedly rubbed sleep from their eyes.

She shook her head. "More fighting, maybe."

"More fighting?"

Dada put her finger to her lips. She wasn't about to tell all she knew or suspected, not in a room with ears. "There are rebels in the north that do not accept General Dawodu's rule," she replied cautiously. "Sometimes they attack one of the military outposts."

Ken nodded. That he could understand. Before he could respond, however, there was a sharp knock at their door. RAP! RAP! RAP!

The moment Ken opened the door, Jabari Kabila burst into the room. His face was flushed, his eyes wide with excitement. "We will not be able to go exploring for gold today," he gasped.

"What's happening?" Ken asked.

"Rebels have attacked from across our border to the north," Jabari sputtered. "Not to worry, of course. We all are safe here. General Dawodu has things under control, but he has had to send many of the soldiers to put down this uprising, and the rest are on full alert. There will be none available to accompany us today."

"I understand."

Jabari suddenly grinned broadly. "Did you hear the warplanes overhead?" he asked.

"Yes. Two of them, I think?"

"Yes, two of them. General Dawodu sent them to attack the rebels. The third warplane is being prepared for combat as we speak." Jabari chortled. "The rebels are frightened of those planes, and they will run back to their caves and hideouts. If they do not run, they will die." He seemed delighted at the prospect of the rebels dying.

"The rebels don't have any airplanes?" Ken asked.

Jabari smiled, reassuringly. "No. Only General Dawodu has the combat airplanes. He has a strong army. Our borders are secure. Nobody can enter or leave Mabutoma without his permission." There was obvious pride in Jabari's voice.

"So when do you think General Dawodu's troops will defeat the rebels and things will be back to normal?" Ken asked.

Jabari wrinkled his forehead, deep in thought for a few moments. "This evening, perhaps. Almost certainly, by tomorrow night," he replied. "The rebels cannot fight long. They have few supplies. Victory for General Dawodu is absolutely certain." He turned toward the door and then turned back. "I will be back to see you this evening. Unless the rebels are much stronger than I believe they are, we will plan to go out in search of more gold tomorrow."

"With a guard?" Ken hated to bring that up, but he wanted to know.

Jabara again turned to leave, then smiled over his shoulder. "Yes, with several guards. We will be safe." He hesitated, then added, "By the way, you and Dada should not leave the hotel today, not even out into the street."

Ken nodded his understanding. "Thank you for the warning," he responded. "We'll stay inside."

* * * * *

Ken and Dada ate breakfast in the hotel dining room as they usually did. On their way back to their room, Ken led the way to the roof where they'd talked before. From that vantage point, they thought they could actually hear the sound of artillery gunfire in the far distance. Ken wondered if Jabari's confidence in Dawodu's army was justified.

"Tell me something, Dada," Ken began, and then hesitated, a little uncertain of where he might want to go with this conversation.

Dada studied his face and nodded, but did not press him to continue. She'd learned her place from Dawodu's Palace Guards, and even though she was beginning to like Ken, she'd keep quiet until she was asked to speak.

"Does anyone outside of Mabutoma know you are alive and here?" he finally asked.

Dada shook her head. "No," she replied, sadness evident in her voice. "No one who cares, anyway. You see, the church that sponsored my parents and me must think we all are dead. The guards said people had inquired about us and that is what Dawodu told them. He blamed the rebels, of course. Told them that the rebels killed us." She hesitated a moment, then continued, "Of course, I doubt that he told anyone the truth about what happened to my family. Besides him and me, only the soldiers who killed my family know for sure."

Ken sat quietly, thinking about what Dada had said. Was it his imagination that she had edged still closer to him? "I have no one who knows where I am or cares for me," she whimpered, tears suddenly filling her eyes as she spoke.

A chill swept up Ken's spine as Dada spoke those words. He wished he could find something to say that would comfort her. "Yes, Dada," he finally replied, "You do have someone who cares about you, because I do."

It wasn't that he wanted to get involved romantically with Dada, or any woman, for that matter. Still, he found himself curiously attracted to this young woman that Dawodu had assigned to him, and regardless of who she was, she didn't deserve to be held there against her will.

Dada's tearful, questioning eyes met Ken's for a moment. "Thank you," she whispered, wishing she could trust this man who had been kind to her. But then, she asked herself, what difference did it make whether she could trust him or not. Dawodu would never let her leave the country. Not with the things she could tell about his cruel regime. Maybe he would even prevent Ken from leaving as well.

Ken checked his watch, then stood up and reached for Dada's hand. "Come on," he said. "We'd better be getting back to our room."

* * * * *

Twice during the morning, Ken and Dada again heard the roar of the MiGs flying directly overhead. Throughout the morning, they watched from their window as a number of heavy-duty military trucks rumbled up the street, headed north. Most of those trucks were packed with heavily armed troops. Some carried supplies. Still others had weapons in tow. Dawodu obviously was sending many soldiers and supplies to the battle. For his and Dada's safety, Ken hoped Dawodu's army was victorious.

Dada saw something else out that window that made her blood suddenly run cold. A small yellow sedan was parked across the street from the hotel. She recognized that car as one she'd seen driven by Dawodu's security police officers—the secret police. They obviously were keeping an eye on her and Ken, no doubt making sure that they did not try to leave the country while everyone's attention was diverted by the fighting. With her finger on her lips, she pointed out the car to Ken. He nodded. He knew. He'd seen the car or a similar one parked there before and guessed the significance. They would stay in the hotel that day as Jabari had recommended—had ordered.

Once the military trucks had passed by, Ken spent the rest of the morning showing Dada how his GPS unit worked. They studied the maps Ken had programmed into the unit and compared those with the paper maps he'd brought with him. In addition, they spent a little time pinpointing those places they'd visited over the past few days on the GPS unit map.

Ken also showed Dada how to leave a "trail" on the GPS unit so that they could follow it back "home" to where they'd started. They'd need that capacity once they went into the mountains, assuming Jabari would allow them to do so. Dada easily learned how to use the GPS unit, and Ken assured her that he'd let her operate it the next time they were out in the mountains.

After eating lunch, Dada and Ken again climbed to the hotel roof. They could talk more freely there, and both of them were beginning to enjoy being there together, even if neither of them could admit to their attraction for each other.

"Tell me something, Dada," Ken began.

Dada managed a smile. "Okay."

"You said that you and your family visited the old monastery because one of your father's ancestors lived there."

"Yes, that and because my dad was interested in places like that."

"Did you and your family also get a chance to explore other parts of the country?"

"Oh, yes!" Dada exclaimed. "You see, in addition to his degree in agriculture, my father was an amateur archaeologist. He'd participated in what he called a 'dig' once or twice, too. Maybe that's where I got my interest in history. Dad always said that our interests were very compatible."

"That's interesting," Ken replied, "because I'm sort of an amateur archaeologist, too."

"That's one of the reasons you found the monastery and cemetery so fascinating, isn't it?"

"Yes. There's nothing I'd like better than exploring that old monastery, getting down into the basement and sub-basement if there is one, and trying to figure out how the people lived there and what they did."

Dada's eyes were wide with delight. "My father once said almost exactly the same thing."

"I'd also like to know the history of that monastery," Ken continued. "It would be interesting to learn when the monks arrived here, how they built that building, and what else they did besides mine gold."

"I know a little of the history of that place."

"And you'll share it with me sometime?"

"I sure will."

"What do you think the monastery complex looked like when it was inhabited by the monks?"

"If I may use your notebook, I'll draw you a picture!" Dada exclaimed.

"Okay." Ken handed her his notebook and a pen.

While Dada worked on a sketch of how she envisioned the monastery, Ken made his way to the edge of the roof and cautiously looked around. There didn't seem to be any more military activity, but the yellow car was still there. Did Dawodu's thugs think there was the likelihood that he and Dada would try to leave Mabutoma? Had they overheard something that made them think so? He and Dada must be extremely careful about what they said.

Dada had sketched her concept of the monastery once before, several years ago, after she and her family first visited the site. She'd made the main building stand out against the hillside, and then added the smaller buildings and the cemetery. In addition, she added two cloaked figures standing to either side of the main entrance, their arms stretched out in welcome to anyone who might wish to enter.

"So you got to see other places around Mabutoma, too?" Ken asked, changing the subject just a little after he'd studied Dada's sketch of the monastery complex.

"Oh, yes," Dada replied, more enthusiastically than Ken had ever seen her. "Up north where the rebels are fighting now, there are some caves that my father thought must have been inhabited by people thousands of years ago. We explored those caves, and my father tried to interest the government in preserving them along with some ancient drawings that we found on the cave walls, but they weren't interested." She sighed. "If those rebels are staying in those caves, they've probably ruined the pictures."

* * * * *

Despite Jabari's optimistic prediction that the fighting would be over that same day, the rebels proved stronger than he anticipated. Fierce fighting continued into the night. Several times, the MiGs roared over the hotel, rattling windows as they did so, and an occasional military truck rumbled by on the street, apparently loaded with supplies for the troops.

Jabari came by Ken and Dada's hotel room that evening to inform them of the progress General Dawodu's troops were making against the rebels. "The rebels are proving to be stronger than we anticipated," he informed them, "but I believe we are gaining the upper hand." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "I will come by in the morning with a report on the fighting, but I think we will not look for gold tomorrow." Then, as Jabari turned and was about to leave the room, he said, "Please stay in the hotel tomorrow, both of you."

Ken assured him that he and Dada would stay in the hotel.

* * * * *

Z-O-O-O-M! . . . R-O-A-R! . . . Z-O-O-O-O-O-M! . . . R-O-A-R!

Ken and Dada were again awakened early the following morning by the MiGs flying sorties against the rebels to the north of the city. There was little troop movement to be seen from their hotel room windows, suggesting to both Ken and Dada that most of the available troops were already engaged in the fighting.

Jabari came to their room as he'd promised. Even though the rebels were putting up a greater fight than he'd anticipated, he was not distressed. "The warplanes have taken their toll on the rebel forces," he assured Ken and Dada, "and our ground troops are pursuing the invaders as they flee for their lives. By tomorrow morning the fighting should be over, and we will be able to continue our search for the gold."

Ken could only hope that Jabari's assessment of the battle was correct.

Once Jabari left their room and they watched from their window as he drove away, Ken and Dada walked to the rooftop where they could talk freely.

"May I tell you a story?" Dada asked.

"Sure."

"This is a story that was passed down through several generations of my family."

"Okay."

"You know that one story is that the monks had a second gold mine somewhere in the mountains?"

"Yes."

"Well, as the story goes," Dada continued, "while they were going through the mountains to develop that mine, they discovered a very curious spring."

"Curious? How so?"

"This spring could not be used for drinking water because it had oil on the surface of the water."

"Oil, eh?"

"Yes. The monks skimmed off the oil and found they could use it in their lamps, that it would burn almost as well as the lamp oil they usually used.

"And," Dada continued, "when they skimmed off the oil, it came back overnight, apparently floating to the surface from somewhere in the earth." She turned to Ken. "Do you think there might be enough oil there to be worth drilling an oil well?"

"Maybe," Ken replied, thoughtfully. "If we can ever get into those mountains, we might be able to locate that spring and see what it is like today. Have you told anyone in Dawodu's regime about the spring?"

"No," Dada whispered her reply, "I haven't and I won't. I . . . I hate that man."

Ken nodded his understanding. "That's a very interesting story. Let's keep our eyes open for that spring," he said, "but let's not say anything about it to Jabari or anyone else—for now, anyway. Okay?"

"Yes."

"Now, Dada, here's a question for you?"

"Okay?"

"The natives seem quite frightened of those spirits Jabari keeps talking about," Ken began. "From what he says, they seem to mostly want to stay away from the spirits and not anger them by taking the gold or doing anything else that might anger them."

"In my experience, that is so."

"Are there any ways by which the natives can appease the spirits? Maybe bring them gifts or something?"

Dada thought for a long moment. "In the old days, there were witchdoctors who could control the spirits—for a price. That price might have been the sacrifice of a child or an animal or maybe a sizable gift of money. Now, however, there are few witchdoctors who would attempt to appease the spirits. My parents and I encountered only one such man, and he himself was very frightened of the spirits. So, no . . . I do not think there is any way for the natives to appease the spirits. They must simply keep away from the places where the spirits dwell. Honestly, Ken," Dada concluded, "I do not know how we will ever get to search for gold in those mountains as long as we must take Jabari and the soldiers with us."

* * * * *

By late that afternoon, Dawodu's troops were staring to return from the battles with the rebels. People on the street were cheering them on as the trucks drove by, and the soldiers themselves were waving to the people, shouting, and firing their rifles into the air. They'd obviously defeated the rebels—at least for that day.

Jabari came to their room shortly after they'd returned from eating their evening meal. He was all smiles. "The rebels have been soundly defeated," he declared. "Although some of the troops will remain on guard up north tonight and tomorrow in case the rebels attack again, we'll be able to have at least two soldiers to protect us while we explore for gold tomorrow."

Ken nodded. "That'll be fine." It wasn't, really, but there was no use trying to talk Jabari out of providing a guard for them, and he was anxious to get to work. "You'll pick us up in the morning as usual?"

Jabari's face broke into a wide smile. "Yes."

* * * * *

The two soldiers who'd been sent to protect Ken, Dada, and Jabari followed them in their own Jeep. Jabari led the way in his Jeep past the ruins of the monastery and parked near the bank of the stream where they'd set up the sluice. Even thought they were well armed, the soldiers seemed especially nervous as they followed Ken through the underbrush and approached the stream on foot.

"Dada and I are going to work our way upstream a little and then into the mountains, mostly to the south of here where we hope to find gold," Ken told Jabari, then added questioningly, "I know you'll want to come along with us, but I don't know about the soldiers."

"To the south?" Jabari questioned. "We are going into the mountains in the south? Oh, oh! I . . . I didn't know?" His eyes were wide, frightened.

"Yes, I thought we made that clear when we were out here the last time," Ken replied firmly. How did these people expect him to work at finding gold for them if he couldn't go in to these mountains where the gold might be found?

"We must be very careful," Jabari cautioned. "There is much evil in those mountains where the spirits dwell. Twice I myself have seen the bird-spirits overhead, and they were chattering. I could hear them talking among themselves. They were not happy."

"We'll be careful," Ken responded, "and--"

Jabari was shifting around nervously, glancing at his watch and then back at Ken. "I'll tell the soldiers," he interrupted. "They may not wish to accompany us, but they will, or I'll report them to General Dawodu. If they refuse my orders, he will have them shot."

"I understand," Ken replied, wondering if Jabari was serious about Dawodu having the soldiers shot and deciding he probably was. He looked at his watch, and then turned back to Jabari. "It's ten o'clock. If they don't want to go into the mountains, maybe they could wait right here until we return. We have packed lunches so we can be gone all day, but we can signal them by radio if we run into trouble."

"No!" Jabari exclaimed. "I am in charge of them today, and I say they are going with us."

Looking back at the way the soldiers were pacing nervously along the bank of the stream, Ken wondered if they'd even venture into the mountains to the south for General Dawodu, let alone for anyone else of lesser rank. Even so, once Jabari explained to the soldiers that they were coming with them, the men reluctantly paced along behind Ken, Dada, and Jabari as they set off up the stream.

The stream narrowed considerably a half mile up from where they'd set up the sluice. At that point, it was shallow enough for them to cross easily to the opposite bank. To Ken's mind, someone should be working that sluice right now if Dawodu wanted the gold from that stream, but the old superstitions appeared to be even more powerful than the human dictator.

Once they were on the opposite bank, Dada unfolded the map Ken had given her to carry. Ken marked the location where they'd crossed the stream and showed Dada how to orient the map using his GPS unit readings. "Let's push along due south," he told her, indicating the proposed route with his finger.

"Okay." It was good that Ken would trust her so much, and she felt confident she could do what he asked of her.

"Wait a minute," Ken said, as they were about to set off again. "Trade with me," he told Dada. With that, he handed the GPS unit to her and took the paper map. "Remember how to use the GPS unit?" he asked.

"I think so," Dada replied. She'd practiced enough with it the previous day to feel confident.

Ken watched as she studied the instrument and then, satisfied that she understood how to mark their trail on it, got ready to set forth into the mountains. He'd check with her from time to time to make sure she was operating the GPS unit correctly, but Ken guessed that she was entirely competent to use it. She'd caught on quickly when he'd explained its use, and there was no doubt in Ken's mind that Dada was very, very smart.

Ken went before them into the mountains then, pushing his way through brush where necessary and pausing regularly to study the landscape and be sure Dada marked the route they were taking on his GPS unit. He also marked their trail on the maps he carried, just in case the GPS unit failed.

To his trained eye, there was little if any indication that gold was to be found in this particular area of the mountains, but he took a few samples from the rocky outcroppings that appeared to have even minimal potential. They'd push on.

From what Dada had said, the monks were rumored to have found gold at some distance to the south of the stream. Even if they had time to conceal the entrance before they were run out of the country, there should be something to indicate where the mine had been located.

What he was especially looking for, then, was evidence that someone had actually developed a mine, at least to some extent, and then hurriedly hidden it. In addition to concealing the entrance to such a mine, there would have been tailings to scatter about, and a trail to cover. And would they have built any booby traps to discourage unwanted visitors?

The group explored the mountains for almost two hours, pushing south through the brush, and examining the rock formations as they went. When they came to a clearing, Ken called for a rest. It would be a good spot for a lunch break.

Just as Ken was about to sit down, Dada called to him. When he looked her way, she motioned him to come to where she was standing. "Look there," she said, pointing at a stone. On that stone was a roughly carved symbol that looked like a fish.

Before either Ken or Dada could say anything about the symbol, Jabari and the soldiers crowded around them. "What is that?" Jabari asked, his voice trembling with fear.

Dada suppressed a smile, and wished that she had not managed to call the carving to everyone's attention. "It's the symbol of a fish carved into that stone," she said.

"A fish? A fish?" Jabari looked puzzled. "That's odd. Are you sure?"

"Yes." Dada traced the curved lines carved into the stone with her finger.

Jabari wrinkled up his face. "A fish?" he questioned again.

"Um-hmm."

Dada wasn't going to get into the fact that the fish was an ancient Christian symbol, a revelation that likely would spook Jabari and the soldiers, but then suddenly Jabari exclaimed, "The monks must have put that there!"

"Perhaps," Ken said, trying to diffuse the potentially anxious situation, "but let us take a break for now." With that, he turned and the group reluctantly followed him back to the small clearing.

The two soldiers were obviously uncomfortable, and getting more so by the minute. They sat with their backs to each other, scarcely touching their lunches, watching nervously for something, their fingers toying repeatedly with the triggers on their rifles. Exactly what they were looking for, Ken did not know, but he could guess they were frightened. Perhaps they were expecting the evil spirits to attack them at any moment. Ken hoped they had the discipline to keep their weapons under control. He wouldn't bet on it.

Jabari, too, was nervous. That was obvious from the way he kept glancing over his shoulders, his eyes seemingly jumping around and around the area. The finding of the Christian symbol had certainly upset him even more than he'd been upset before.

After everyone finished lunch, Jabari motioned Ken aside and led him a little distance from the soldiers and Dada. "We are near a very evil place," he whispered. "I think we had better leave soon."

"We are near a very evil place?" Ken repeated, hoping Jabari would explain exactly what was bothering him.

"Yes." Jabari hissed.

"How so?"

Jabari waved his hands toward the mountain peak just visible to the east of the clearing. "That mountain is a sacred place. There are many caves there where the spirit-gods live. They do not like to be disturbed. We should turn and go now before they awake and discover our presence. If they find us there, I . . . ." His voice trailed off.

BAM! BAM! BAM! . . . BAM! BAM! BAM! . . . BAM! BAM! BAM!

Before Ken could respond to Jabari's request, they heard automatic rifle fire. Both men instinctively hit the dirt. The soldiers they'd left in the clearing obviously were shooting at something, but no bullets came their way.

"Oh, no!" Jabari exclaimed, as he picked himself up. "I was afraid of that. The spirits have discovered us," he gasped as both he and Ken hurried back to the clearing where they'd eaten lunch. Jabari was shaking with fear.

Both soldiers were on their feet, pacing anxiously back and forth, rifles in hand and raised toward the sky. When they'd raised their rifles, Dada had taken cover behind a sturdy tree and she came forward hesitantly when Jabari and Ken returned.

"What's going on?" Jabari questioned the soldiers.

Although Ken could not understand the words they were saying, it was obvious the soldiers were badly frightened. A little later, Jabari came to Ken. "They say the spirits took on the form of birds and were circling overhead, talking among themselves and watching us. They tried to shoot them, but they couldn't kill any of them, so that means they are not birds at all, but spirits. We . . . We'd better leave this place right away."

"Okay," Ken replied, still hoping to reason with Jabari, "but if we leave here, we cannot continue our search for gold, at least for today."

"We must leave this place," Jabari repeated, annoyance evident in his voice, paying absolutely no attention to Ken's argument. "Otherwise, I fear the soldiers will shoot us and then leave here by themselves. You must lead us back to where we parked the Jeeps. Please. We must go . . . "
CHAPTER 6

. . . and I mean now!"

Ken sighed. "Okay." There was no way to argue with Jabari's logic. Then, as he turned to lead the group back to the Jeeps, Ken saw something in the distance that caught his attention. Someone had carved what appeared to be notches or small steps into the wall of rock that slanted upward to their right, to the east of where Dada had found the symbolic fish. Those notches were visible now only because of the way they were illuminated by the sunlight at this particular hour. Once in the shadows, they would be almost invisible to the casual observer. "Jabari," Ken called, "wait just one minute."

"We can't wait," Jabari gasped. He slapped his leg for emphasis. "We must hurry, Ken. Please hurry. Please!"

"One minute." Ken turned to Dada. This was something important, and he wanted to show Dada what he'd seen. "Come with me."

Ken quickly pointed out the notches he'd seen. "I see them," she responded, "but we must go now." She, too, was nervous. "I fear the soldiers will completely lose control and kill us both if we do not go with them."

"Okay, we'll go." Ken and Dada studied the GPS unit for a moment and then quietly led the group on the long trek back to where they'd parked the Jeeps.

Once they were on their way back to Gulo, Jabari turned to Ken. "I am sorry, but we will not be able to go back into those mountains," he said, looking around nervously as he spoke. "As you saw," he continued, "even the soldiers are afraid to go there. Their bullets cannot drive away or kill the spirits."

"Would you let Dada and me go into those mountains by ourselves?" Ken asked.

Jabari thought for a long time. "I will talk to General Dawodu about that possibility," he said.

"He does not believe the spirits will harm us, does he?"

Jabari sighed. "It is hard to tell what he believes. You see, he may believe that the people will riot if they find out that you are back in the lair of the spirits, and that would be bad for his rule of Mabutoma. Then again, he may think Dada will try to escape the country without his permission if the two of you go off by yourselves. Of course, he would like the gold . . . ."

"How about us working the sluice, say tomorrow?" Ken asked. "Can we do that without causing any problems for you or for the soldiers?"

"I . . . I think so."

"It won't net a large amount of gold, but there will be some."

"I understand that, and . . . and . . . ." Jabari's voice trailed off once again.

"And?" Ken questioned. Jabari often left things just a little unexplained, and it was important to know just what he was thinking.

"You must understand that even a little gold will be helpful to Mabutoma," Jabari replied, his voice a whisper. "General Dawodu would not like for me to mention this, but Mabutoma is almost broke, completely out of money. Fighting those rebels costs a great deal of money. Fuel for the MiGs is necessary but very expensive, as is simply keeping the soldiers outfitted and paid for their work."

"I understand that."

"Maybe you could check out that abandoned mine near the ruins," Jabari suggested. "I think the soldiers would guard us there."

"Is there any point in us checking out that mine?" Ken asked. "I thought it was worked out long ago."

Jabari tensed, seemingly annoyed at Ken's question. "Perhaps, but we have only hearsay to substantiate that ancient verdict about the mine. Maybe there is gold left there to be mined, especially accessible with modern equipment."

"Maybe so, but did not someone explore the mine thoroughly before pronouncing it to have been worked out?" Ken questioned.

"I do not know what they did, nor do I know who might have explored it," Jabari replied, annoyance in his voice. "If someone actually looked it over as they say, that would have been a long time ago. And maybe that person did not understand about mining gold. It would be best if you checked it out for us."

Well, Ken would look over that abandoned mine, but he held little hope for finding gold there. It would, of course, be interesting to see how the monks had developed the mine, a much more difficult task in their day than it would be now with modern machinery that was available. Still, he simply couldn't imagine how Jabari expected him to search for gold if he wouldn't let him go into those mountains. He did not, however, argue that point with Jabari as they drove back to town.

Jabari dropped off Dada and Ken at their hotel, and then motioned for the soldiers to follow him in their Jeep. He would take them with him when he went to talk with General Dawodu.

* * * * *

"Did you get a good look at those step-like notches in the side of the mountain to the east of where you found that symbolic fish?" Ken asked Dada while they were eating in the dining room that evening.

"Yes, I saw what you pointed out, but I do not understand the significance. Please explain."

"Somebody went to a lot of work to carve those notches," Ken replied. "I'd bet on it. They are spaced about right for a person to climb that mountainside slope, one step at a time. I doubt that nature could have positioned them so regularly."

"What are you suggesting they mean for us?"

"I think they were carved there so people could climb that slope in order to reach some otherwise inaccessible place higher up on the mountainside, not just once but over and over again. What I'm wondering is where they lead."

Dada's wide eyes searched Ken's. "To a second gold mine, do you think?" She whispered the question.

Ken smiled. "Maybe. Or maybe to a shrine of some sort. We'll never know unless we get back into those mountains and climb those steps."

"Ken?" Dada whispered, her eyes darting around the room at the people who might be listening.

"Yes?"

"I was very much afraid this afternoon. Those soldiers were so frightened that I thought they might kill us and leave us there. I think they kept us alive only because they knew we had maps and the GPS unit, and could lead them back to the Jeeps. They might not have been able to find their way back by themselves, especially as frightened as they were. And," Dada added, "if they could not find their way out of those mountains, the spirits would destroy them come nightfall. Trust me, that is the way they think."

Ken nodded. He understood what she was saying.

"You see," Dada continued, her eyes again darting around the room, "soldiers like those who were with us today have very little actual military training. Dawodu gave a lot of guys a uniform and a gun, and he pays them so they will be loyal to him and fight for him, but they have little discipline or understanding of, well, anything. None of them could use the GPS unit. They might not even know how to read the paper maps. Unfortunately, when they saw those birds, they just went completely crazy. It must be terrible to be so fearful."

* * * * *

Ken and Dada climbed to the roof of the hotel after they finished eating. There was something Ken wanted to ask about, and he did not think it was wise to talk about it where someone with ties to Dawodu might overhear them. Once they were seated on the roof, he turned to Dada. "Tell me what you make of that symbolic fish?"

"I'd say it definitely was a Christian symbol," she replied. "It probably was carved there by the monks. Nobody else in this land would have put it there."

"I'd agree."

"It's been used as a Christian symbol for many years," Dada continued. "In fact, it's been used as a password and place marker during times throughout history when Christians have been severely persecuted."

"Like in the days when the Romans persecuted them?"

"Yes."

"At one time, I remember reading about how the fish was used as a Christian symbol, but refresh my memory. What exactly does it represent?" Ken asked.

"Okay. The ancient word for fish, and I'm sorry but I forget what language, but I think Greek, was 'ichthus,'" Dada explained. "Christians took those letters to represent 'Iota Chi Theta Upsilon Sigma.' Translated, that means, 'Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.'"

"You think the monks carved that symbol into that rock, right?"

Dada nodded. "I definitely think so. Nobody else in this land would have done so."

"Do you think it is a coincidence that that symbol was near those notches cut into the mountainside?"

Dada shook her head. "No, I don't think it is a coincidence. In fact, that symbol has been used as a marker or pointer by Christians for many years. If I remember correctly, it first appeared on the walls of the catacombs of ancient Rome and directed Christians to special places where they could worship and be safe in doing so. Oh, and Ken, there's something else that's interesting about the fish as a Christian symbol."

"What's that?"

"Personal question first?"

"Yes."

"Were you baptized?"

"Yes."

"Well, the fish is also a symbol of Christian baptism because water is the natural home of the fish." Dada touched his arm. "That symbol we found might have meant any number of things to the monks. I wish we could explore that area more."

"So do I."

* * * * *

When Ken answered a knock at their hotel room door later that evening, he was surprised to find Jabari standing there. "I just wanted to let you know that we will resume our search for gold tomorrow morning," he informed Ken and Dada, "and we will have soldiers for protection."

"The same soldiers?" Ken asked, just a little surprised that those men would be willing to again accompany them into the mountains or anywhere else after the events of that afternoon.

Jabari smiled weakly. "Oh, no. I took those two men with me when I spoke with General Dawodu." Jabari hesitated. "You see," he continued after a brief pause, "General Dawodu does not tolerate cowardliness in his troops."

"Will they be disciplined, then?" Ken asked. He hoped they did not blame him and Dada for getting them into trouble.

"Oh, they have been disciplined already," Jabari replied, with just the hint of a scowl. "Well, perhaps 'disciplined' is not the proper word. You see," he hesitated for a moment, "General Dawodu ordered them shot.

"The soldiers who will go with us tomorrow will not be frightened," Jabari continued, without waiting for a reaction. "They are members of General Dawodu's Royal Palace Guard. They are elite forces, well-trained, and totally unafraid."

Dada almost gasped aloud at hearing the news that the soldiers who would accompany them the following day would be members of the Palace Guard. Members of that elite unit were responsible for her capture and imprisonment in the palace dungeon. Maybe they would be the very ones who had killed her parents and brother. Would they, she wondered, harm her? She would share her fears with Ken. She also would pray that God would keep her and Ken from harm at the hands of those evil soldiers.

But wait! It wasn't quite true what Jabari was saying about those soldiers being fearless. Dada knew that. She'd seen plenty of fear in the faces of members of the Palace Guard, especially when there was talk about spirits and things supernatural.

Although Jabari may have simply walked in with a message about plans for the next day, he seemed reluctant to leave their room that night. For a long moment, he stood at the door, his hand poised on the doorknob, shifting his stance nervously from one foot to the other. Finally, he turned to Dada. "Dada."

She immediately stood up, but did not look up at Jabari. She'd heard that tone of voice before. She was a slave again. "Yes, sir?"

"Look at me, Dada."

Dada slowly raised her head until she was looking at Jabari. Suddenly a chill crept up her spine. What could he possibly want, speaking to her like that?

"You are not afraid of the spirits that dwell in the mountains, are you?" Jabari asked.

She'd be truthful, even though she did not understand Jabari's motivation for asking that question. "No, sir."

Jabari looked puzzled. "Why is that? Why are you not afraid of them?"

Dada remained calm, thinking about what her answer might precipitate. Would Jabari haul her before Dawodu for punishment, perhaps have her killed as he had her parents and brother? Well, she'd been asked a question and she would answer truthfully and boldly. "I am a Christian, Mr. Kabila," she replied, her usually soft voice now strong, "and my God is more powerful than any earth-bound spirits, evil or otherwise."

Jabari did not respond for a moment. "I see, and that gold cross you discovered in the stream is a powerful Christian symbol, is it not?"

"Yes, sir. It is a Christian symbol."

"It is not the symbol of an angry god-spirit?"

"No, sir." Dada was bolder now. "That cross most likely was worn on a chain by one of the monks who inhabited the monastery many years ago. My guess is that he lost it in that stream, perhaps when he went there for water or when he was crossing it to go elsewhere, perhaps into the mountains where we were today."

"General Dawodu does not want any religion to be practiced here in Mabutoma," Jabari declared. "He says religion is for weak people and we are strong."

Dada managed a smile. Perhaps it was not wise to do so, but she would speak boldly. "He may not wish any religion to be practiced, but obviously many people are frightened of the spirits they think live on that mountain. Just look at how frightened the soldiers were of those spirits."

"I know," Jabari responded. "They were cowards, and General Dawodu had them killed."

"If he were to kill everyone in Mabutoma who believes in those spirits, there would be very few people left in the land for him to govern," Dada replied, suddenly surprised by her own boldness.

Jabari had had enough. He obviously was nervous. "We . . . We will speak of this issue again," he said.

Dada nodded. "If you wish, sir."

Jabari quietly opened the door to leave, then suddenly turned back to face Ken and Dada. "As you may not suspect, this room has a hidden microphone to record conversations. I will see to it that our discussion of religion will not be heard by anyone."

* * * * *

Ken and Dada sat silently for several minutes after Jabari closed the door to their room. Then suddenly Dada's face broke into a grin. It was the first time Ken could remember seeing her smile like that, and it startled him just a little. She was absolutely adorable when she smiled. Without even thinking about it, he smiled back and gave her a little "thumbs up" signal, then motioned for her to follow him.

They walked to the roof. Once seated in their favorite spot, hopefully away from any recording devices, Ken turned to Dada. "I'm really proud of you," he whispered.

Dada edged closer to Ken and rested her shoulder against him. "Thank you," she replied, her voice a soft whisper. "I prayed before I spoke to Jabari, and God helped me say what I had to say, and you know what else?"

"What else, Dada?"

"It was because of you that I had the courage to speak to Jabari as I did, and I thank you."

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Then Dada broke the silence. "You know that if what I said gets back to Dawodu, we're both dead." She paused. "Well, at least I am."

"I understand the danger. Do you think it will get back to Dawodu?"

"I don't know. Jabari said it wouldn't, but I don't much trust him. Dawodu has him over a barrel, so to speak." Her voice was grim.

"Could it be that Jabari has had some Christian teachings?" Ken asked.

Dada slowly shook her head. "I don't know. He didn't seem antagonistic, and he was, I think, educated in a foreign country, England, perhaps. He might have encountered Christians there, or at least Christian teachings. Umm, Ken?"

"Yes?"

"I'm much more scared of those soldiers Jabari said are going to protect us tomorrow."

"How so?"

"Jabari said they would be members of Dawodu's Royal Palace Guard. That means they are some of the best trained men in Dawodu's army, but it also means they are the most cruel." Dada was silent for a moment. Did she dare tell Ken what she was thinking? She'd better. She wanted him to know. "It was soldiers in Dawodu's Palace Guard who attacked my family. They killed my father and mother and brother. On Dawodu's orders, they killed my family, and they took me captive."

Ken sensed the hurt. "I understand."

"Now you see why I am afraid of them," Dada continued. "It might even be that those sent to protect us are the very ones who killed my family. If they see birds or some animals they think are really evil spirits, they might turn on us and kill us to appease the spirits."

"Do you think Jabari can and will protect us?"

Dada sat thinking for several moments before she spoke. "Before our conversation tonight, I would have said Jabari would not go out of his way to protect us, well me anyway, from those soldiers. Now, I'm not so sure. I doubt that the soldiers would kill him, though, because that would invite Dawodu's wrath. Even though Jabari may seem weak and under Dawodu's thumb, Dawodu certainly needs him to help run the government."

"Okay." Ken nodded his understanding. "We'll be careful what we say in front of Jabari."

"Ken?"

"Yes?"

Dada turned and looked up directly into Ken's face, her eyes intense as they sought his. "I'm going to pray really hard for both of us, for our safety, and for God's care. I wish you would pray, too. Would you do that? Please?"

Ken sighed. "I'm sorry, Dada, but I don't know how to pray, not any more."

Dada's eyes never left his. "Ken?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't be angry with me."

"I won't. Tell me what's on your mind."

"You said you were a Christian once."

"Yes, but that's been a long time ago. I was a child."

"If you were a Christian, God hasn't forgotten you. He still loves you, and He will still hear you if you pray."

"I--"

"Talk to Him," Dada interrupted. "Talk to Him as if He were right here with us. Ask Him to forgive you for neglecting him, and then ask Him to keep us safe, both from the evil spirits and from the evil men who may wish to hurt us. You can do that. I know you can. Please try."

"I'll try."

"Good." Dada breathed a sigh of thanks. "I know you can. Please ask God to take care of us and . . . and Ken?"

"Yes?"

"Please ask God to get me . . . well, us . . . out of this horrible place. Please."

"I'll try. Now, we'd better be going back to our room." Ken stood up and reached for Dada's hand.

Dada got to her feet. "Ken?"

"Yes?"

Although she wasn't sure she should, Dada threw her arms around Ken and hugged him for an instant. "Thank you for being so nice to me," she whispered.

* * * * *

There was absolutely no way that Ken wanted to be romantically involved with a woman, not with Dada, not with anyone. Still, he'd had the most wonderful warm feelings he'd ever experienced in his life when Dada hugged him that night. Her eyes had been warm, warm and loving. In fact, he couldn't remember when a woman had actually hugged him or in any way expressed affection toward him. Certainly not since high school, or maybe his first year of college. That would have been well over fifteen years ago. Of course, he'd not sought out any such affection. Not after his father's experiences with women--and the impact those relationships had on him. No way!

It had been longer ago than that since he'd actually prayed. Those had been happier times when he was a youngster and attending Sunday School and church with his mother and father. He'd been a member of a club for boys that was sponsored by his church, and had played basketball in a church league. All that was before the women in his father's and his life had ruined things for both of them. And now Dada had encouraged him to pray and get back in touch with God.

These thoughts ran through Ken's mind as he settled down to sleep for the night. Over and over, he asked himself if he really could pray. Well, he'd promised. He'd try.

And Ken did pray. At least, he tried to pray, following as best he could Dada's suggestions about talking to God as if He were a person and right there in the room with them. He ended his prayer by asking God to bless Dada and get her out of Dawodu's Mabutoma.

* * * * *

Dada had a hard time going to sleep that night. After they turned out the lights, she prayed silently for almost an hour, imploring God to keep them safe and to rescue them from the evil influences around them, not only from the evil spirits but from the evil men. And she prayed for Ken. He'd been good to her.

She'd not had much actual romantic experience with men. She'd had a few dates when she was in high school and college, but that seemed like an eternity ago. Some of the guys wouldn't have anything to do with her because they said she was a bookworm, but she'd preferred the friendship of a few of the more studious fellows rather than the active social lives of the more marriage-minded girls she'd known.

Dada's mother had always told her that God would send her the man He had picked out for her, that she should be patient and not rush into marriage. Could Ken be that man?

No. That was impossible. Once Ken left Mabutoma, Dada knew she'd be returned to her prison cell. No way should she imagine she'd be able to go with him.

Thoughts of the chain padlocked around her ankle and the other terrors of confinement to her dungeon cell and the things she'd been expected to do to entertain Dawodu's visitors broke sharply into her consciousness. She hated the though of returning to that cell. She'd be better off dead.

Dada saw the possibilities more clearly now. She'd kill herself before she'd go back to that cell.
CHAPTER 7

Dada cringed when she heard Jabari's knock at their door the following morning. She feared what might happen to her that day, but then she breathed a silent prayer for God's protection. Suddenly, she had the inner reassurance that He would go with her, regardless of what was about to happen. A wonderful, God-breathed calmness settled over her as Ken opened the door.

To Ken and Dada's complete surprise, there were no soldiers accompanying Jabari that day. He did not explain why, and Ken did not feel it would be wise to approach the subject. They certainly didn't need those soldiers for protection—or anything else.

In fact, Jabari seemed rather subdued. Had he had a confrontation with Dawodu? Ken went over the possibilities in his mind, but did not question him.

It did not take long, however, to discover what was on Jabari's mind. As he drove them toward the stream where they'd set up the sluice, he suddenly turned to Dada. "I want to learn more about your God," he said, the words tumbling out.

"Yes, sir. I'll be happy to share what I know," she replied, trying to hide the surprise she felt at his request. "Please help me communicate with Jabari about You, God," she prayed silently.

Ken thought about how he might facilitate the opportunity for the two of them to talk. If Jabari was interested in talking religion with Dada, it would be inadvisable to take them anywhere near the mountain where the spirits were thought to dwell, and Jabari wouldn't be quite so frightened if they stayed by the stream. "I think I'll work with the sluice today," he told them, "and perhaps upstream just a little."

Dada spoke up, something she hadn't had the courage to do until last night. She'd sensed that Ken was trying to help her arrange a talk with Jabari. "Perhaps Jabari and I could find a place along the bank where we could talk?" she inquired of Ken.

"Sure" Ken agreed. "If you'll help me carry some things to the stream, I'll be able to work by myself."

Being a missionary and telling the people about the Christian God had been a major part of what Dada and her family had been doing here in Mabutoma. Ken would let Dada and Jabari talk all they wanted. That would certainly keep Jabari out of his hair, maybe distract him from thinking about the spirits he so feared.

Once they reached the stream, Dada followed Jabari to a small clearing on the bank where there were outcroppings of relatively flat rock. They could put down a blanket there and have relatively comfortable seats. As Ken went off and into the stream, Jabari hung his head. "I want you to know, Dada," he began, hesitantly, "that I had nothing to do with your family being killed."

Dada nodded. She believed him. "I understand."

"I did not approve of the many killings that took place when General Dawodu came to power, but there was nothing I could do to prevent them," Jabari continued, shaking his head sadly as he spoke. "It was a black time for Mabutoma, and I'm truly sorry about your parents and your brother."

"I understand," Dada repeated, "and I do not hold the deaths of my parents or my brother against you."

"Thank you." Jabari hung his head. "I also want you to know that I had nothing to do with your being taken captive and placed in that cell. That, too, was General Dawodu's doings. His, and a very few of his military advisors, I might add."

"I understand."

"I did not bring soldiers with me today, much as I wanted to," Jabari explained, "because they would have been members of the Royal Palace Guard, and the soldiers who killed your family were from that unit."

"I know that, and I thank you," Dada replied. For today, at least, God had answered her prayers in that regard. "Thank you, God. Thank you," she breathed.

Jabari turned to watch Ken, then motioned in his direction. "This man has been good to you, has he not?" he questioned.

"Yes, sir. He has been very good to me."

"That is good." Jabari nodded, approvingly, then continued, "So, Dada, tell me about your God."

* * * * *

Ken worked the sluice for some time that morning while Dada and Jabari talked. He recovered countless flakes of gold as well as a number of tiny gold nuggets. Truly, this stream seemed to be a rich source of gold, and for a time, Ken contemplated the advisability of bringing in a dredge, and then decided against it. The noise would not be welcome. Jabari and no doubt many other natives would be certain that the noise would upset the spirits.

From time to time, Ken glanced up at Dada and Jabari, to see that the two of them were still engaged in conversation. Once, he noticed that Dada was holding the gold cross she'd found, perhaps explaining the significance of it to Jabari. He hoped that Dada could turn Jabari into an ally.

Having worked the sluice for a while, Ken picked up his pan and buckets, then made his way upstream to where he'd noted some particular rocks on the river bottom. Because gold is heavier than gravel or sand, there might be gold trapped in the stream bed behind those rocks. Ah, yes! From his very first scoop of material from the bottom of the stream, Ken found several gold nuggets in his pan. More followed. They'd move the sluice up there one of these days--and soon.

Unfortunately, Ken had been seriously hampered in his search for gold in the mountains by the fears of Jabari and the soldiers. He'd found gold in the stream, all right, but probably not enough to excite Dawodu. Not for long, anyway. Well, he'd see how Dada's conversation with Jabari worked out and whether she thought they now would be able to go out into the mountains to search for gold with Jabari's blessing. If not, he'd keep working the stream. Ken shrugged his shoulders. Well, at least for a little while.

But what then? If it was not possible for him to search for gold in the mountains, he might as well go home and forget this place—if Dawodu would allow him to leave Mabutoma.

Perhaps he should explore the abandoned mine behind the old monastery. As Jabari implied, just because someone in the distant past said it was worked out did not make it so.

He also would like to know the circumstances under which the monks were forced from the monastery. Perhaps Dada or Jabari knew that story. What especially interested him was the question of what might have happened to the gold the monks already had mined. Had they smelted it into bars? Shipped it somewhere? And the big question: Had they hidden and abandoned it when they were forced to leave the monastery?

If they had to abandon it, that gold might remain where the monks had hidden it. Perhaps he could search around the ruins of the monastery with his metal detector. Surely Jabari would be comfortable with him doing that.

It was time for lunch, but Dada and Jabari seemed deep in a conversation that Ken did not wish to interrupt. Instead, he found a quiet spot upstream from them and ate his lunch, all the while contemplating what might have happened to the monks hoard of gold.

Another glance told Ken that Dada and Jabari were involved in an exceedingly animated conversation now, and wonders of wonders, Dada was actually smiling. Jabari, too, seemed more pleased and relaxed than Ken could remember him being since he'd arrived in Mabutoma.

Ken sensed that it was very good that Dada and Jabari had that talk. They both seemed happier. More relaxed. Smiling at each other. Even laughing. Perhaps Jabari could make things easier for Dada. Perhaps they'd even find love for each other.

Dada was a loving person. Ken knew that from the time he'd spent around her. If he hadn't developed such an aversion for women in general, he would find her very attractive. Well, so be it. His game was finding gold, not women. Still, he wasn't about to let Dada go back to that dungeon if he could help it. Of course, she might not have to go back to that dungeon if she and Jabari could work things out so they could be together.

He would miss Dada. Even in the short time he'd known her, he'd become attached to her. There was just no way he wanted to get involved with a woman. Not now. Not ever. Now that Jabari seemed to enjoy her company, he wouldn't have to worry about that. She and Jabari could find love for each other and build a life together forever.

With his lunch finished, Ken turned back to exploring the stream for additional gold deposits. It was mid-afternoon before he saw Dada and Jabari eating lunch. By that time, he'd accumulated three small plastic containers of gold flecks and nuggets. He'd present them to General Dawodu the next time he was called to the Palace. Who knew when that would be.

Jabari seemed much calmer than he ever had when he and Dada came to the stream bank near where Ken was working. He thanked Ken for his patience and willingness to let them talk. "Perhaps Dada and I will talk again tomorrow," Jabari said, and Ken assured him that would be just fine.

Dada, too, seemed pleased. "I enjoyed talking with you," she told Jabari, bowing slightly as she did so, "and we will talk again whenever you wish."

* * * * *

"Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?" Ken asked Jabari as they were driving back to the hotel.

"Yes, thank you. I would like that," Jabari replied.

Ken had been absolutely right about Jabari's mood. As they ate and visited, Jabari seemed relaxed and rather jovial. Ken hoped he would remain in such good spirits over the coming days.

* * * * *

"Did you have a good talk with Jabari?" Ken asked Dada once they'd climbed to the hotel roof later that evening.

"Oh, yes!" Dada exclaimed, her voice an excited whisper. "I do not think that Jabari will be nearly as frightened of those spirits now that we have talked. Maybe he will eventually become a Christian," she added, "although right now all of the Christian concepts are a little strange and new to him."

"It's good that you had that talk," Ken assured her. "I noticed that Jabari was in much better spirits this evening."

Dada sat silently for a few moments. "Ken?"

"Yes?"

"It was good that we had that talk," Dada said, "but I'm sorry that neither of us helped you today."

"It's okay," Ken reassured her. "What you were doing is probably more important than what I was doing, anyway."

"We did have a good talk. I think we now have an ally in Jabari, and not an enemy," Dada whispered, leaning close to Ken as she spoke. "Of course, he still must do what Dawodu commands him to do so we must be careful as to what we say around him."

"Yes, of course," Ken replied, "Jabari must do what Dawodu demands of him, and we will be cautious about what we say." Ken thought a moment, then asked, "Do you think Jabari is loyal to Dawodu?"

"Yes."

"He seems extremely loyal to Dawodu," Ken affirmed Dada's thinking. "Still, if he's more favorably disposed toward you, that's good." Ken stood up. He wasn't about to say that he thought Jabari would change loyalties fast if it were an aid to his career to do so. "We'd better get back to our room," he said, extending his hand to help Dada get up. As they started down the stairs, he turned to Dada. "Question: Do you know about the circumstances under which the monks were forced from the monastery?" he asked.

"A little," Dada replied. "Jabari knows that history, too, I think, perhaps better than I do."

"Do you think Jabari could talk with us about those circumstances? That is, would he be willing to talk about those things?" he asked.

Dada stiffened. Hesitated. Shrugged her shoulders. It was a difficult question. "I'm not sure, but I don't think it will hurt to ask him," she responded. "Would you like for us to talk about that with him tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'd like to know what happened when the monks were forced to leave the monastery."

Why Ken would be interested in that ancient event, Dada wasn't quite sure. Still, it wasn't her role to question him. He would explain what he wanted her to know. She could accept that.

* * * * *

Life is funny, Ken thought to himself. Here he'd recently had the warmest of warm feeling toward Dada, the warmest feelings he'd ever let himself experience toward a woman. He wondered if she had similar feelings toward him, but he wasn't about to ask. She'd had a good talk with Jabari and the two of them seemed to be enjoying each other's company.

Dada prayed silently for a long time that night after they'd turned out the lights. Mostly she prayed for Jabari and for Ken. Jabari had been quite interested in Christianity that afternoon. She'd told him about God creating the universe and everything in it, including him and her. She'd told him about Jesus spending time on earth and about how he'd been killed and then rose again from the grave. Now, through her prayers, she'd turn his eternal spirit over to God so that he could understand what she'd tried to explain to him. And she'd keep praying with all her heart that he would become a Christian. If only Jabari would become a Christian, he'd never again fear the spirits in the mountains or anywhere else.

* * * * *

Jabari came into the hotel dining room where Ken and Dada were eating breakfast the following morning. "May I join you?" he asked, his face showing more animation than Ken could remember.

"Sure. Please do." Ken motioned to a chair at their table.

After Jabari had ordered breakfast and the three exchanged friendly words of greeting, Ken asked if he might ask a few questions. Jabari smiled. "Yes."

"I'm curious about some things related to the old monastery," Ken began, lowering his voice and keeping an eye on Jabari for any sign that he did not wish to talk about that subject.

"Yes?" Jabari, too, spoke softly. His eyes darted about the room, and Ken was fearful for a moment that Jabari would not want to be overheard talking about the monastery.

"Let's assume that they were mining gold from that mine just beyond the monastery," Ken began. So far Jabari hadn't shown other overt signs of nervousness, and a glance around the room assured Ken that there weren't many people near, so he continued. "What were they doing with the gold?"

Jabari thought for a moment, then replied. "I believe they had some sort of smelter set up so they could melt the gold into bars. At least, that's what I was told. Maybe they made some smaller coin-like pieces to use in exchange for goods, because they did trade with the natives."

Ken nodded. "I understand."

"They used the gold to purchase supplies for themselves from the natives. I assume they sent some of the gold to Rome, and no doubt used some to expand their mission here." Jabari's eyes again searched the room. "You see, they apparently had plans to move into the mountains, perhaps to establish another monastery, or . . . ." Jabari shrugged his shoulders as his voice trailed off.

"Would they have been able to take what gold they had on hand with them when they left the country?" Ken asked.

Jabari smiled as he thought about that for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. "I doubt it."

"How were they sent out of the country?"

Jabari cringed. He did not wish to get into a discussion of how the monks were driven away.

Ken sensed Jabari's hesitation and changed the course of his questioning. "So, what did they do with the gold they could not take with them when they left the country?"

"It was not found with them when they were sent away, so they would have had to have hidden it, perhaps inside or near the monastery," Jabari replied. "Beyond that guess, I do not know."

"Did anyone ever search for that gold?"

Jabari thought for a moment, and then replied. "I don't know, but I don't think so, not seriously, anyway. You see, the government immediately took over the buildings and converted them into a prison. None of the natives would have ventured near that place, either while it was a prison or afterwards. They believed it to be a haunted place. Then, too, most of the natives believed the gold to be protected by the spirits." He looked at Ken and was silent for a moment, then asked, his face brightening, "Do you think there might be gold buried around those buildings?"

"From what you've told me, yes," Ken replied. "Of course, someone might already have found it. If they did, they might not have told anyone. Then again, if the monks had sufficient warning that they were going to be evicted, they might have taken the gold into the mountains and hidden it."

Jabari thought for a moment. "If someone found the gold, it would have been extremely difficult for him to have done anything with the gold and not be noticed by someone in the government."

"And if someone in the government found it? Perhaps someone who worked at the prison?" Ken asked.

Jabari shrugged his shoulders. "It is hard to say, but I think finding a hoard of gold would have been very hard to keep secret." His eyes suddenly grew wide with excitement. "Do you think you could find any gold that might have been hidden around the monastery?"

"Perhaps. I'll take my metal detector and search the grounds, but it may be desirable for me to actually go inside the structure. Will that be permitted?" Ken was not about to bring up the question of guards. He'd leave that to Jabari.

Jabari was silent for a moment. "Will you wish to take Dada with you inside the building?"

"That really won't be necessary, nor will you need to accompany me," Ken replied, shaking his head slightly. "Both of you will be near, and--"

"Ken?" Dada interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Where you go, I go."

Ken shook his head. "It will be somewhat dangerous if I actually go inside the structures. You see, some of those old monasteries had basements and sub-basements, and I have no idea of the condition of those parts of the buildings. The passageways by which they could descend to the lower rooms were often quite small, and some even were designed with pitfalls to trap unwary outsiders."

Dada placed her hand on Ken's arm and looked directly into his face, her eyes searching his. "Ken?"

His eyes caught her emotions, and he anticipated her response. "Um-hmm?"

"Where you go, I go," she repeated, more forcefully this time.

"No, Dada," Jabari declared. "That won't be necessary. As Ken says, that exploration he proposes of the buildings will be dangerous." He smiled at her. "Besides, I want the opportunity to talk more about the things we talked about yesterday."

Dada was bolder than Ken ever imagined she could be. "It would be best if we both went with Ken," she retorted.

Ken did not want—could not allow—this exchange to continue, not there in the hotel dining room, anyway. "I'll tell you what," he said, breaking the tension that he sensed was building between Dada and Jabari.

"What's that?" Dada responded, just a little embarrassed that she had been so outspoken, hoping she had not offended Jabari.

"You both will be able to stay in the Jeep or find a spot where you can sit and talk and still see me when I search the ground around the buildings," Ken replied. "I'll do that part first. Then we'll decide what we should do about exploring the interior. At any rate, we'll be close enough that we can talk over our progress." He looked from Dada to Jabari for their reaction.

This suggestion seemed to satisfy both Jabari and Dada. Moments later, Jabari spoke up with a question. "Where will you want to go after you search around the old buildings?" Ken noted that he did not refer to it as a monastery.

No way would Ken risk tormenting Jabari by telling him they'd go into the mountains, not while he'd been so terrible frightened of going near the peak where he thought the spirits dwelled. Nor did he tell him his thoughts about abandoning the entire project in the face of so much interference. "I think we'll work our way up the river a bit."

Jabari smiled. "This is good," he said. "We will not need soldiers to protect us if we do not go further into the mountains."  
Dada breathed a sigh of hope. If she had anything to say about it, Jabari would soon come to know her God as a personal friend and protector. Never again would he have to fear those spirits or need soldiers for protection from them. How she hoped he would speak with her about those things today.

Still, her loyalty belonged with Ken, not Jabari. If Ken went into a dangerous place, she should go with him. Two people could face danger together better than one could face it alone. She did not want Ken to have to face danger alone.

* * * * *

Later that morning, Jabari drove Ken and Dada to the ruins of the monastery and parked the Jeep where he and Dada could watch Ken work. As Ken walked away from them and toward the ruins, Jabari turned to Dada. "You really care for him, do you not?" he asked.

Dada nodded. She'd be honest. "Yes. I do like him."

"Does he care for you?"

"I hope so," she murmured, wishing she could be sure that he did but fearful that he saw her as a friend and partner, and nothing more. Furthermore, she hoped that Jabari would not carry her thoughts about Ken directly to Dawodu. That would not please Dawodu.

Jabari turned to watch Ken adjust his metal detector and begin to search the grounds around the ruins. Moments later, he turned back to Dada. "So, is your God the same God the monks who were here at this monastery worshiped?" he asked.

"Yes."

Jabari leaned toward her, his eyes wide with interest. "Tell me more about Him."

Dada sensed that Jabari was sincere in his questioning. She wished that she had her Bible, but they'd taken it away from her when they'd captured her, and they'd burned it as a way of tormenting her. Still, she'd memorized enough Bible verses that she was able to quote some from it to him. This might be the last chance she'd have to tell Jabari about her God, and she'd make the best of it. She hoped Ken would understand why she wasn't at his side.

* * * * *

Ken began his practiced pace, swinging the metal detector from side to side, as he searched the grounds around the ancient monastery building. It did not seem likely to him that the monks would have buried anything of value outside the building itself, but he'd begin there.

The morning's search proved rather futile. Ken unearthed an old copper coin that he could not identify and a variety of metal fragments of one sort or another, but no cache of gold.

There was a plot of ground to the left of the main building that likely had been used by the monks as a vegetable garden. Ken searched that plot carefully because it would have been a place where digging in the ground would have been a common activity. Someone might have hidden things there. His search there turned up several ancient metal buttons and one small gold cross but no buried hoard.

A glance at the Jeep where Dada and Jabari were seated assured Ken that they were engaged in serious conversation. That being the case, he did not wish to interrupt them. He'd carried his lunch and canteen with him, so he found a place in the shadow of the monastery wall where they could see him if they looked his way, sat down quietly, and began to eat.

As he rested and ate his lunch, Ken began to project himself into that monastery setting as a monk, a monk with something to conceal, and quickly. Where would he hide it?

Of course, he didn't yet know the layout of the underground portions of the monastery, or whether he could reach them, but if he were a monk trying to conceal gold coins or bars, that's where he would go. If the monks had any idea they were about to be driven from this place, and they likely did, they'd have had time to hide anything they couldn't take with them so it would be difficult for anyone else to find.

Now, Ken wondered, how was he ever going to convince Dada that she should stay with Jabari while he explored the underground portions of the old monastery? Since she and Jabari were talking and apparently enjoying each other's company, that might not prove as difficult as before.

Moments later, as he eyed the interior of the main monastery building, Ken felt the ground tremble slightly. He'd thought that area might be prone to earthquakes, and Jabari had indicated that it was. Now, he had first-hand experience.

"Ken! Come quickly! Come quickly!" Jabari was out of the Jeep, motioning wildly and screaming for him to come.

The slight earth-tremor ended almost as quickly as it began. Ken got up and walked toward the Jeep where Jabari now was waving his arms, motioning for him to hurry.

"Hurry! Hurry! The spirits are angry!"Jabari shouted. "We must leave here immediately!"

Ken did not welcome a confrontation with Jabari. Still, there was no way he could do the work he'd been hired to do if he was confined by the irrational views of Jabari's spirit-religion.

Jabari already had the Jeep running. "Get in! Get in!" he shouted.

"Jabari?" Ken would try to reason with him.

"There is no time to explain. We must leave here immediately."

"Jabari?" Just a little more insistent this time.

"What . . . What is it?"

"Calm down, Jabari," Ken retorted. "That was just an earth-tremor, a mini-earthquake. They occur all over the world and they have absolutely nothing to do with angry spirits."

Jabari shook his head. "No. You are wrong. You do not understand. Get in!" he commanded, his voice reflecting his anxiety.

Ken shook his head in frustration. "Okay, but I cannot do my work if I cannot stay here."

Jabari paid no attention to Ken's protestations. As soon as Ken was seated in the Jeep, Jabari spun the vehicle around and roared away from the ruins of the monastery, and back toward town. Only when they were back at the hotel parking lot did he seem to calm down.

Well, Ken would try again. "How about if you and Dada stay here at the hotel, go have something to drink and a snack in the dining room and let me take the Jeep for the rest of the afternoon?"

"I cannot do that," Jabari replied, his eyes still wide with fright. "General Dawodu ordered me to go with you, to be with you at all times. He would be very angry with me if he were to learn that you were out there on your own." Jabari waved his arm in the direction of the ancient monastery.

"I know, but one of these days he will be demanding to know what I have for him, and I will have nothing if I can't search where I want to search," Ken explained. "Besides, I'll cover for you. I'll even tell him you were with me if that will help."

"Jabari?" Dada spoke up.

He turned to her. "Yes?"

"If you will trust my God, you will not fear the spirits," she said, calmly. She, too, wanted to reason with him.

Jabari diverted his eyes. "I would like to trust your God, but . . . ."

"Jabari?"

"Yes?"

"If you will trust my God, you will not fear the spirits," Dada repeated.

"It . . . It is so hard . . . ." Jabari's voice trailed off. He still was shaking with fear. Turning back to Ken, he said, "You must remember something, my friend."

"What's that?"

"General Dawodu did not hire you. I did."

"Yes, and therefore General Dawodu can have us both shot if I do not produce results," Ken countered.

"No." Jabari was defiant. "General Dawodu cannot kill me. He may not wish to admit it, but he needs me to help him run the country. He cannot kill me, and I won't allow him to kill you or Dada."

Ken wasn't so sure of that. He'd seen enough dictators in action to know that they pretty much did as they wanted, with little concern for the immediate consequences.

Jabari was silent for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "Okay. I will pick you up in the morning as usual, and we will go wherever you wish. Dada and I will wait for you."

Dada stiffened. "Jabari?"

"Yes?"

"Where Ken goes, I must go," she said. "It is my duty."

"No," Jabari snapped. "You are my link to the God you say is more powerful than the spirits in the mountains. I wish to learn still more of Him. We will talk while Ken explores."

"That's a good idea, Jabari," Ken responded. He turned to Dada. "There is no need for you to place yourself in danger. I'll be okay."

Dada would not argue with Ken right then, but there was no way she was going to let him go into dangerous places by himself. In fact, she found it hard to imagine herself letting him do anything without her, simply because she liked him so much. She realized, of course, that kind of thinking was unrealistic. Even though Ken treated her wonderfully, she was still a slave. She took her orders from General Dawodu and not Ken. Her life was in Dawodu's hands, literally.

"Come on inside the hotel with us, Jabari," Ken invited. "We'll go have something to eat together. We can eat an early dinner and then get some rest before we start work tomorrow.

Jabari seemed to relax. "All right. I'd like that."

"Tell me about yourself and what you do as Secretary for Economic Development, Jabari," Ken invited, once the group was seated at a table in the hotel dining room.

Jabari smiled broadly, obviously feeling much better than he had earlier that day. "Okay."

Once Jabari started talking, he quickly warmed to his task. Ken could see just how valuable a man like him would be to a blustery military dictator such as Dawodu. Jabari was not only well educated, but he was polished, and had excellent communication skills. Dawodu might have the power of the military behind him, but Jabari had the diplomatic skills necessary to economically develop a country. Any leader would be fortunate to have Jabari working with him.

Indeed, Jabari explained, Ken's search for gold in Mabutoma was only one of his several economic-development initiatives. Under General Dawodu's direction, he was actively negotiating with a company in Spain to build a casino in Mabutoma, and he already had contracted with a company in Germany to build a munitions plant in the western part of the country. Of course, General Dawodu was especially pleased at the prospects of a munitions plant for his country, and had rewarded Jabari with a gold medal for his efforts.

Dada listened quietly. She was well aware of Jabari's initiatives. At Dawodu's command, she had entertained company representatives several times from both Spain and Germany when they'd visited Mabutoma. She hated those men and the companies they represented because of the way they'd treated her.

By the time dinner was over, Jabari was quite relaxed. "I have some office work to do first thing in the morning," he informed Ken and Dada, "so I'll pick you up mid-morning."

Ken nodded. "Okay."

Jabari grinned broadly. "Yes, we will be inking the compact for the casino early tomorrow morning," he said, a touch of pride in his voice, and then turned to Dada. "I wish to continue our conversation when I see you tomorrow."

* * * * *

Ken felt very tired and a little discouraged as he climbed the stairs with Dada to their room. The wrangling with Jabari had drained him. He had been pleased to see Dada in conversation earlier that day with the self-assured Secretary for Economic Development, as Jabari presented himself, yet he felt just a little annoyed as well. And why should he feel that way? Why should he be even the least bit jealous? Dada was in no way his girl. In fact, he didn't want to get involved with a girl. Any girl. Perhaps Dada and Jabari could find pleasure in each other's company—while he went about his work.

In the meantime, there really was no need for Dada to accompany him if he ever got the chance to explore that old monastery. It would be him taking the chances that the structure might collapse. And if it did, well, that was a hazard he'd face alone. The truth was, Ken hadn't cared all that much about his life since that terrible day when he'd received a visit from the sheriff to inform him that his father had committed suicide. He'd been in college at the time. If the old building collapsed on his head and killed him, well, he'd assume that it was simply his appointed time to go. He'd kept himself free of romantic entanglements, as he thought of boy-girl relationships, so there wouldn't be anyone to care if he died or not. Mabutoma might not be his choice of a place to die, but it was as good as any. When you're dead, you're dead, right? To die doing something you enjoyed would be the best way to go.

Now that Jabari was warming a little toward Dada, he'd see to it that she was better cared for. Yes, it was good that Dada was getting acquainted with Jabari. Ken hoped they would continue to communicate with each other while he worked, discussing Dada's God, or whatever topics they wished to talk about.

Besides, Jabari didn't fool Ken one bit. He might say he wanted to learn more about Dada's God, but what he really wanted was to spend more time with Dada. And why not? Dada was a pretty girl, well educated, and a charming companion once she broke free of Dawodu's shackles. Jabari could do a whole lot worse.

But, as far as Jabari's learning more about Dada's God? Yeah, right! How much time did it take to learn about God? Ken wished them well.

* * * * *

General Dawodu spent twenty minutes reviewing the file his aid assigned to shadow Ken, Dada, and Jabari had prepared for him. He was not pleased with Ken's lack of progress or with Jabari's infernal interference, or with Jabari's long conversations with Dada. He'd better make some decisions about that operation soon. Quickly summoning his aid, he directed that a GPS tracking device be installed on Jabari's Jeep so that their movements might be traced and their whereabouts monitored at all times.
CHAPTER 8

Jabari was in great spirits when he arrived at the hotel to pick up Ken and Dada the following morning. He and General Dawodu had just signed a compact with the company in Spain that had plans to build a casino in Mabutoma. Construction would begin within the month. Wealth from abroad would soon flow into Mabutoma. General Dawodu was very pleased.

Ken had been doing a great deal of thinking about what his next steps should be in exploring for Mabutoma gold. Until Jabari got his fear of the spirits under control, there was seemingly little that he approved of Ken's doing in that regard. Because of Jabari's fears, Ken could not go far into the mountains. Nor could he completely explore the ruins of the monastery in search of long-hidden gold. He'd already shown that there was gold to be found in and recovered from the nearby stream, and he could make recommendations as to how that resource should be exploited, but beyond that, well, what? What about the abandoned mine? Would Jabari actually let him explore that mine? He'd try to get some direction from Jabari. See what he could do.

Once Jabari had parked the Jeep near the ruins of the monastery, he turned to Ken. "It's a fine day for exploring, don't you think?" he asked, smiling as he remembered his successes of the morning.

"Yes, it is."

"Have you particular plans?"

"I shall await your suggestions," Ken replied, not wanting to anger his boss, but not sure what Jabari would prefer that he did—or allow him to do. "When you are ready," he continued, giving Jabari some suggestions, "we will explore the mountains to the south and the ruins of the monastery. We also will explore the abandoned mine."

Jabari sat down, thinking. "I was a little too insistent yesterday," he replied, frowning slightly, "and I regret that." He hesitated. "I wish to talk with Dada for a little while this morning. This afternoon, however, I will accompany you either to the ruins or to the abandoned mine."

It was Ken's turn to think. "I know that you like to keep me in sight, so how about if I look around the ruins by myself. You and Dada can spend time together--"

"Oh, I--" Jabari interrupted.

"Wait," Ken interrupted Jabari, sensing his likely objection. "If you will drive around to the other side of the monastery, you'll be able to see me through the opening where the one wall has collapsed. I will go inside the ruins, but I will not go underground. You'll be able to see me at all times."

"Hm-m-m-m. I would not want you to be injured. Will you promise to be very careful?" Jabari questioned.

"Of course."

Jabari turned to Dada. "Will that be all right with you?"

It wasn't, but she'd say it was. "Yes."

"Okay, then." Jabari had his reservations about Ken's exploring the ancient monastery, what with it being what some called "holy ground" while others claimed it harbored the spirits of the prisoners who'd been tortured there, but he started the Jeep and drove to a spot where he could watch Ken through the opening in the wall that had collapsed.

Ken had examined the walls of the old monastery when he'd walked around it with his metal detector. As near as he could tell, the walls were basically sound, a testimony to the excellent construction of the building long ago. True, the roof had rotted away and fell in and one wall had partially collapsed, but the rest appeared sturdy and likely to stand for a long time. Unless, of course, a stronger earthquake than the one they'd experienced yesterday were to shake the building.

A glance toward the Jeep assured Ken that Dada and Jabari were fully engaged in conversation. For a moment, he felt envious toward Jabari but that feeling quickly passed. It would be nice to have someone like Dada to share things with.

Yeah, and his father had thought that, too. He'd really liked women, his father had. Trusted them. Practically worshiped them. Worshiped the very ground they walked on. Yeah! And look what happened to him. He'd loved women, and he'd lost everything in the process, including his life. Ken had seen what a woman could do to a man.

After another long glance at Dada and Jabari, Ken placed his hard hat on his head and climbed through the doorway and into the ancient building. There was ample evidence that the building had more recently been used as a prison. Small cells had been constructed against one wall using heavy steel bars. Rusty chains and manacles once used to secure the prisoners were still there and visible in the rubble. Ken also could see where offices for the prison officials and guards had been partitioned off at either end of the building.

Birds that had been nesting in the ruins of the collapsed roof squawked and scattered when Ken entered the building. He hoped that Jabari had been so busy talking with Dada that he hadn't seen them fly out. He'd fancy them to be disturbed evil spirits for sure.

Ken studied the layout of the building's interior, making sketches of details in his pocket notebook, wishing he knew how it looked when the monks inhabited it. He then made his way down the central corridor, stopping occasionally to sketch the floor plan and making special notes of changes that likely were made when the building was converted into a prison.

To Ken's thinking, something that should have been obvious was missing. He assumed that there was at least a basement under the main part of the building and probably a sub-basement as well. Where was the entrance to that basement? There did not seem to be a doorway opening on a stairway, nor did there seem to be any trapdoors in the stone floor. There had to be an entrance to the basement.

If the monks had hidden gold, they'd most likely hidden it in or from the basement. Now, how did they get there?

Over there? Maybe. There was enough rubble in the one corner of the building to conceal such an entrance. Ken made his way there, and began to push aside the rubble as silently as possible so as not to disturb Jabari and Dada. He'd let them enjoy one another's company as long as possible.

Although Ken searched everywhere he thought an entrance would have been constructed, there was no obvious basement entrance to be found. There had to be an entrance. He'd go over the interior again, inch by inch—and he'd find that entrance.

As he began to intently study the building, one corner now particularly interested Ken. Whereas the exterior walls of the building had been constructed of stone and were approximately two feet thick, the wall at that one corner appeared to be much thicker, perhaps closer to three feet or more in thickness.

After clearing more rubble, further examination of that corner gave evidence that someone had walled up an opening. If there was a stairway behind that stonework, it would have to be extremely narrow, but that just might be where the monks descended into the basement. He could only wonder about what might be found in the rooms below, and whether Jabari could be persuaded to authorize the removal of those stones that blocked entrance to the basement.

As Ken looked back at the doorway through which he'd entered the monastery, he realized there was an ornate cross cut into the stone above that door. There appeared to have been an attempt to deface the cross, but whoever tried had not completely destroyed it. The cross remained there, defaced, yes, but there nonetheless, a silent Christian presence in this land of spirit worship.

The abandoned gold mine was located directly to the north of the monastery. He could make out the entrance to that mine through one of the windows. What if? Could there have existed a tunnel from the basement of the monastery to that mine? It would have been a fair distance to tunnel, but they could have done it. If so, it might prove to be another entrance into the basement.

Ken saw by his watch that it was almost noon. Again, as was his habit, he'd brought his lunch with him, and after assuring himself that Jabari and Dada were still seated in the Jeep, he sat down by the door through which he'd entered the building and ate the sandwich and cookies the hotel food service staff had prepared for him.

He'd certainly like to explore whatever still existed in the basement, but that wasn't likely to happen. Whoever had promoted the idea that fearless spirits inhabited that nearby mountain had done an excellent job of convincing the natives. They'd driven out the Christian witness when they'd driven out the monks, and the natives had completely latched on to the idea of spirits ruling the earth. That hadn't been a good exchange, at least not to Ken's way of thinking. As one of his professors used to say, it's not one world. Ken shook his head and almost chuckled aloud at the variety of cultural differences existing side-by-side throughout the world—and even within Mabutoma.

Ken had made up his mind about one thing. At the next opportunity he'd take a look at the abandoned mine. He hoped that Jabari and Dada would let him go into it by himself. Let him confront any underground dangers that might exist. If the damned thing collapsed--"

"Ken?" Dada's voice broke into Ken's thoughts, startling him. He turned abruptly and saw her standing in the doorway. She was wearing the hat they'd bought for her, and was, in Ken's mind, just plain cute. 'Cute as a bug,' as the saying went. Not that he'd dare tell her so.

"Hi, Dada," he responded.

She looked around. "You've already eaten lunch, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"I, well, we, thought we'd eat lunch with you."

"Come on in if you'd like," Ken invited. "Where's Jabari?"

"Right here!" Jabari exclaimed, as he followed Dada although the doorway and inside the old monastery building, his eyes wide as they searched the interior. Jabari, too, was wearing the hat they'd purchased for him.

Ken had wanted both Dada and Jabari outfitted with hard hats, but that wasn't possible. There were no such hats to be had in Mabutoma. They'd purchased sturdy hats, the best they could find. They'd have to do, and Ken would try to keep both Dada and Jabari out of places where a hard hat would be vital.

Ken didn't dare ask what was going on, but he knew something was different. Jabari wouldn't come within half a mile of the monastery a few days ago. Now he was inside the ruins, and not looking very anxious at that. Interesting.

Both Jabari and Dada had their sack lunches in their hands. "You're welcome to use my table and chairs," Ken joked, as he pointed to the rocks where he'd sat to eat.

"What have you discovered in here?" Jabari asked. From the way he kept looking around, Ken sensed that Jabari wasn't entirely comfortable with being in the old monastery. Still, he was making an effort to conceal any anxiety he might be feeling.

"Not too much," Ken replied. "I've attempted to determine how it looked when the monks lived here, but the government did a massive job of rearranging things when they converted the building into a prison."

"Yes, of course. I'm sure they did."

"What I was hoping to find was the entrance to the basement."

"And you could not find it?"

"See that wall over there. That corner." Ken pointed. "That wall is about twice as thick as the others, at least a portion of it is. There's been some masonry work done there. My guess is that someone walled up the entrance to the basement."

Ken did not tell Jabari a part of what he was thinking. If prisoners had been taken to the basement for torture, the government might have wanted to wall up the basement entrance to prevent others from finding evidence of what went on there.

"That would have been an awfully narrow stairway," Jabari reasoned as he studied the wall, holding his hands only inches apart to visualize the width of such an opening.

"Yes. It probably was built that way on purpose," Ken responded, "and people were smaller back then. Anyway, it would take some work to clear the entrance."  
Jabari was getting more nervous now. He was glancing over his shoulders and his eyes darted back and forth around the area. "It may be as well that you don't go into the basement," he whispered.

Ken didn't say anything. He knew what Jabari was thinking.

"Who knows what you would unleash if that entrance were opened." Jabari shuddered.

It was time to change the subject. "So, did you have a chance to talk with Dada?" Ken asked.

Jabari brightened. "Oh, yes. She has explained many things to me, things I never heard of before. I hope to have many conversations with her."

Ken suppressed a grin. He'd bet that statement was the truth, and those conversations Jabari envisioned weren't all going to be about God. There could be no doubt that Jabari was discovering just how much enjoyment he could experience with a pretty and charming young woman.

"Ken?" Dada's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"What do you plan on doing this afternoon?"

"I think I'll take a look at the abandoned mine up there." Ken pointed to the north of the monastery.

"You'll be going down into the mine?" Jabari asked, nervously.

"Yes, at least a little way." Ken wasn't sure where this conversation was going, but when Jabari hesitated, he continued. "You do not need to go with me unless you wish to do so," he said, wishing that neither of them would. "In fact, you--"

"Oh, yes!" Jabari exclaimed, interrupting Ken. "We will go with you."

"Well, okay." Ken wasn't all that sure that either Jabari or Dada should accompany him into the mine. Seeing that both of them had finished eating, he turned to Jabari. "Why don't you and Dada drive over closer to the mine in the Jeep? I want to walk from the monastery to the mine to do a little looking around, and I'll join you there."

"Okay," Jabari said. "Come on, Dada."

"I want to walk with Ken," Dada responded. "I'll see you at the mine."

The entrance to the mine was almost exactly due north of the middle of the monastery's north wall. It was as if someone had purposely positioned the building and the mine in that spatial relationship although that was rather unlikely. That the building and mine were situated that way was interesting, however, perhaps even meaningful, to Ken's way of thinking. If there had been a tunnel connecting the main building and the mine . . . .

"Ken?" Dada's voice softly broken into his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I haven't been much help to you over the past few days," she whispered, a little hesitant to say so but feeling that she must.

Ken smiled at her as they walked. "It's okay. I know that Jabari really likes you, and likes to talk with you," he replied, "and you've certainly made a great deal of difference in his thinking."

Dada didn't respond, but Ken's response hurt. She was afraid he was thinking along those lines, thinking that she was spending time with Jabari because they really liked each other. It wasn't that she didn't like Jabari, but she liked Ken much better. Then, too, Jabari was loyal to Dawodu and she could only trust him so far.

As they walked from the building toward the mine, Ken looked carefully to see if he could spot any evidence of a tunnel connecting the two. Nothing gave any indication of such a tunnel. It wasn't that he expected to find anything, he told himself, but he had to be thorough.

Upon reaching the mine, Ken examined the pile of tailings near the entrance. Whoever worked that mine apparently had done a good job of separating the gold ore from the rocks because he didn't see any evidence of gold remaining in the tailings. Or maybe someone had worked the tailings after the monks had left the country.

He next examined the entrance to the mine. The circular shaft sloped down at a steep angle. To the one side was the steel ladder, seeming securely anchored to the rock even after all of these years.

Ken put a foot on the ladder. It seemed secure. He'd test the ladder more thoroughly before he put his entire weight on it, of course, but from the looks of things, it was solid.

"Are we going to climb down there on that?" Jabari asked, rather dubiously, as he pointed to the ladder.

"Maybe, but I'm going to drop a steel-cable ladder into the shaft as a safety precaution," Ken replied, retrieving it from the gear stashed in the back of the Jeep. "It won't be as easy to climb on, but I know it'll hold us if we need it."

Jabari looked around as Ken unfolded the ladder. There were no nearby trees or rocks sturdy enough to use as an anchor for the ladder. "But what will you anchor it to?"

Ken smiled. "The Jeep. Let me ask you to drive it up close to the mine entrance." He pointed out the spot where he'd like Jabari to park the Jeep.

Jabari brought the Jeep near the mine and Ken fastened the ladder to the vehicle's bumper. Even though the cable-ladder was probably more secure than the one anchored to the rock and used by the miners, the ancient ladder would be easier for them to descend because it offered wider steps and side-rails.

"I'll give it a try in a moment," Ken said, motioning toward the ancient ladder as he slipped on sturdy gloves, "and we'll see if it holds. If it holds me, it'll hold you guys. First, though, we'll drop a light down and see what things look like down there." He pointed into the mineshaft.

He retrieved a battery-operated lantern and some rope from the Jeep, tied the lantern to the rope, and slowly lowered the lantern down the shaft. Once the lantern reached the bottom of the shaft, the three of them could see where the mine opened to the right. And there did not seem to be much debris to block their access to the mine.

Jabari was just a little spooked already. "That looks mighty scary," he said, edging away from the entrance.

"Yeah," Ken replied. "That's why I'd prefer that you and Dada stay here at the surface and let me go down and look around. Besides, we couldn't get hard hats for either of you, and I'd rather you had them before we go in there.

"I want to go with you," Dada said.

"Well, okay, but let me go down first and see what we're facing," Ken replied, stifling a sigh. "We may find that the supporting timbers have collapsed and we can't even go into the tunnel. We'll also see if the ladder will support me all the way to the bottom. You'll be up here and can give me a hand if I get into trouble." He wasn't expecting to get into trouble, but it was a good excuse to get them to stay on the surface until he'd checked things below. And he really didn't want either of them in that mine.

With an electric lantern securely attached to his belt, Ken began his descent into the abandoned mine. To his relief, the ancient ladder seemed secure and did not give any under his weight. The people who attached that ladder to the rocks certainly seemed to have known what they were doing.

As he descended into the mine, Ken studied the rock through which the monks had cut the entrance shaft. The rock appeared to be quite solid. He also paid attention to the remote possibility that the monks had dug a tunnel from the mine to the basement of the monastery. It was a far-fetched idea, he had to admit, but then . . . .

No such tunnel was immediately visible. If they'd dug such a tunnel, they'd concealed it well. Perhaps they'd filled it in before they left the country. Or when the mine was no longer worked.

A ledge carved into the rock part way down the shaft and opposite the ladder interested him. It appeared to be an ideal place from which to exit a tunnel from the monastery building. He'd explore that possibility later.

When he reached the bottom of the entrance shaft, Ken studied the timbers supporting the main mineshaft that branched off to the right. Even after all these years they appeared to be reasonably solid, probably due to the relatively dry climate.

A further examination of the timbers, however, indicated that they were not nearly as solid as they first looked. While the wood indeed appeared to be generally sound, the joints gave the appearance of having been shaken and twisted, perhaps by a number of small earthquakes over the years. Those joints might not withstand another earthquake. Certainly not a serious earthquake.

How far back did the mine tunnel go, anyway? Farther than his lantern clearly illuminated it. Even his more direct and powerful flashlight beam could not reach the end of the mine. The mine was certainly deeper than he'd imagined it would be.

Well, Jabari and Dada had wanted to come down here. He wished they wouldn't but he guessed that it was safe for them. With great reluctance, knowing full well that he couldn't dissuade them from joining him in the mine, Ken climbed back to the surface and explained what he'd seen.

"Have either of you been in a mine like this before?" Ken asked.

Both Dada and Jabari shook their heads. "No."

Ken drew a sketch of the entrance shaft and showed them how the main part of the mine branched out to the right. He also illustrated how timbers were used to support the mine so the tunnel wouldn't collapse on the miners. Maybe if he diagrammed the mine and explained the dangers, they'd agree that it was better for them to wait at the entrance and let him explore the mine by himself. He could wish.

"Are you sure you want to go down there?" he asked again, knowing the answer he was sure to get from both of them.

"Oh, yes!" Dada exclaimed. "We want to go with you, don't we Jabari?" Ken chuckled silently. Jabari didn't have a choice now.

"Let's climb down the ladder one at a time, just in case," Ken suggested, "and let's stick together. The mine may branch out to either side of the main tunnel, and we don't want anyone to get lost. Actually," he cautioned, "it would be better if you just looked into the mine and didn't actually go inside."

Ken descended the ladder again. Once he was at the bottom of the entrance shaft, Dada climbed down the ladder. Finally, Jabari joined them, seeming very ill at ease.

From what Ken could see as they advanced slowly into the mine, it appeared that the mine had indeed been worked out. There was no evidence of remaining gold ore to be seen, except perhaps a few glittering flecks here and there that might or might not be gold. The monks apparently had done a thorough job.

To judge from the size of the mine, they'd certainly processed a lot of ore, considering the labor involved. Ken wondered how much gold they'd managed to obtain from this mine, and what they'd done with it. If they'd have smelted it down, they would have produced a number of gold bars. Where were those bars today, anyway?

The three had explored perhaps one hundred feet into the mine, when Ken felt a slight tremor shake the earth under his feet.

Jabari felt it, too. "Yii-i-i-i-i! It's an earthquake! The spirits are angry! We must get out of here!" he shrieked, spinning on his feet and sprinting for the entrance as he cried out.

"Come on, Dada," Ken called. "Let's go. Let's get out of here!"

Before Dada could respond, another tremor, this one much stronger than the last, shook the earth around them. This time, there was a loud crackling CRACK! . . . CRACK! . . . CRASH! from somewhere deep in the mine, followed by another resounding CRASH! Ken guessed that some of the timbers supporting the tunnel had shattered and collapsed. And then there came yet another tremor, followed by a terrible rumble. Dust now was billowing up from the far reaches of the collapsing mine, engulfing them as they hurried toward the entrance.

Jabari was well ahead of Ken and Dada, sprinting for the mine entrance as fast as his feet would carry him. Dada was just ahead of Ken and slightly to his left. Then, as another terrifying tremor shook the mine and the roiling dust cut visibility almost to zero, the timbers near where Ken had last seen Dada collapsed with a tremendous CRASH!

Through the swirling dust, Ken heard Dada's voice: "Help me!"

Crawling on hands and knees through the thick dust, Ken found Dada sprawled on the floor. And then he made out what had happened. One of the shattered timbers had hit her and fallen across her left ankle, throwing her to the mine floor and trapping her there.

As the quake subsided, Ken quickly located a length of timber that he could use as a lever. Using a rock as a fulcrum, he managed to lift the end of the timber holding Dada's ankle just enough to free her foot.

"Pull your foot out, Dada," Ken gasped, as he strained to hold the timber. Then, seeing that Dada didn't have the strength to do so, he managed to grasp her foot with his free hand and push it out from under the timber.

Once he'd freed her foot, Ken grasped Dada by the shoulders and dragged her along the mine until they both were out from under the part of the tunnel that had almost completely collapsed, then lifted her in his arms and carried her toward the mine entrance.

CRASH! . . . CRASH! . . . CRASH! Timbers were splintering and the mine collapsing as the earth again shook violently. By then, however, they were at the vertical entrance shaft and the earth was again quieting from the violent quake.

Looking up through the swirling dust that was spilling into the vertical shaft, Ken could make out the form of Jabari just now reaching the top of the ladder. He'd made it out okay. That was good.

"Dada?" Ken called her name.

"Ken?" Her voice was weak, but she wasn't whimpering.

He'd try to be reassuring. "Yes, it's me, Dada. I know you hurt, but we're going to be okay now."

Dada's eyes were wide as she gazed up the mine entrance shaft and toward the surface. "There's . . . There's no way I can climb out of here," she whimpered, the seriousness of the situation registering on her face.

"I have a plan," Ken responded. "Here's what we're going to do."

"O . . . Okay."

"I'm going to hunch down. You're going to get on my shoulders."

With Ken's help, Dada got her legs around his neck. Her left foot and ankle were hurting something awful, but she hooked her right foot around Ken and hung onto him with all the strength she had left.

"I'm going to stand up, and we're going to climb out together. You grab hold of the rails on the ladder when I stand up." He hoped that ladder would support both of them at the same time. If it didn't, they'd go up the cable ladder he'd attached to the Jeep. It would be harder to climb, but they'd make it. One way or another. He wasn't about to abandon Dada.

Ken slowly stood up with Dada on his shoulders and gripped the ladder for support. Dada gritted her teeth, fought through her pain, and managed to grip the ladder rails.

"Okay, steady now." Ken took a step onto the first rung of the ladder. Dada hung on with both hands. He took a second step. She gripped the ladder still higher. He took a third step. She moved her grip up the sides of the ladder. If they could keep this up . . . .

Part way up the ladder, Ken paused. He wasn't breathing well in the dust. "I want to show you something, Dada," he gasped.

"O . . . Okay." It hurt to talk, what with the way her head was throbbing. She'd try her best to focus on what he had to say.

Ken hung by his left hand on the ladder and with his right hand reached for Dada's right foot. "This is . . . your . . . your good foot, right?" he said.

"Y . . . Yes."

"Hang on . . . to the ladder. I'm . . . going to . . . to move your foot . . . for a moment . . . to show you . . . something." She'd hooked her foot behind his back. He gently pulled it forward and placed it on the ladder rung in front of him. "See . . . how close . . . it is . . . to the ladder . . . rung?"

"Y . . . Yes."

"Okay." He hooked her foot behind his back again. "If you . . . feel . . . me start to . . . to slip, get your foot . . . right out there . . . and set onto a rung. Hang on. You can . . . make it . . . to . . . the top . . . by yourself . . . if I fall. It won't be . . . easy, not with . . . your left foot . . . hurting, but . . . you can do it. Understand?"

"Yes." "Dear God," Dada breathed aloud, "please don't let Ken fall."

"Ready?"

"Y . . . Yes."

"Good. Let's climb . . . on up." With Dada's foot securely behind his back, Ken took another step up the ladder, and then another and another. It wasn't easy, but he'd do his best to get Dada out of there, and then they'd get her to a hospital.

Minutes later, although it seemed like hours, Dada felt Jabari's hands reaching for her, lifting her from Ken's shoulders and on to solid ground. While Jabari was helping Dada, Ken managed to climb up and out of that mine by himself.

Ken explained briefly what had happened. "Dada needs to go to a hospital so they can check out her ankle," Ken said, and without any objections, Jabari agreed.

Ken held Dada close to him in the back of the Jeep as Jabari drove them to the emergency room of the Gulo hospital. Even though she was hurting, she felt protected and secure with his arm around her. This was the man she loved.
CHAPTER 9

It was late that same evening when Jabari drove Ken and Dada back to their hotel. "You're going to be black and blue and hurting all over for quite awhile," the doctor had told Dada after his examination, "but I don't think you broke anything." The doctor had given her some pain medication and advised rest. "Take it easy for a day or so and you'll be okay," he'd advised.

Jabari and Ken helped Dada limp up the stairs to their room. Jabari said he'd check in with them just a little later that evening, then hurriedly left. Ken wondered briefly if Jabari felt that the spirits had expressed their anger toward them by causing the earthquakes, but for some reason Jabari seemed to be in reasonably good spirits despite having had to run for his life.

"Dada?" Ken looked at her, wishing he had the courage to take her in his arms and hold her, yet knowing that he did not. She was obviously hurting, even with the pain medication.

"Yes?" She wished he would take her in his arms and hold her close, just as he had in the Jeep.

"It looks like we both need three things," Ken said after they'd rested for several minutes. "We need baths, food, and some good rest. Which do you want to try for first?"

Dada didn't hesitate. "I'm awfully dirty," she replied, wrinkling up her nose as if she were smelling a bad smell. "I'd like a bath."

"Okay."

"You will have to help me."

"Sure. How can I help you?"

Just then there was a knock at their door.

Ken went to the door and was surprised to find Jabari and a woman he did not know standing there. "This is Ayodele, my sister," Jabari announced. "She is a nurse. I thought she might assist Dada with a bath, wash her hair, tend her bruises, and get her anything she might need."

"Oh, thank you," Dada said. "I really hurt all over, and I do need a bath.

"I shall return soon," Jabari said. With that, he turned and left the room.

Ayodele and Dada disappeared into the bathroom. When they emerged sometime later, Dada was feeling much better about herself.

Jabari returned while Ken was showering. Ayodele left with him, but promised to return the following day if Dada requested her to do so.

Once Ken had showered and changed his clothes, he asked Dada if she was ready to get something to eat. He wished there was reliable room service, but knew there wasn't. He'd go to the dining room and bring back food for both of them.

Once they finished eating and had rested a little, Ken was startled when Dada wrote him a brief note, "Can we go up to the roof and talk?"

"Are you sure you want to climb those stairs?" he wrote back.

"Yes."

Instead of sitting beside Ken as she usually did, Dada slowly dropped to her knees beside him, then put her head on his knee. "Ken?" she whispered, turning her head to look up into his face as she did so.

"Yes."

"You risk your life to help me, and . . . and . . . ." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm so grateful." Without waiting for a response, she continued, "I . . . I know you don't like me very much, but . . . but I . . . I sure do love you." There, she'd said what she'd been thinking. Even if Dawodo took her away and locked her into that dungeon cell, locked her out of Ken's life forever, he would know how she felt. He would know that she loved him. Only she wasn't going back to that dungeon. No way. She'd made that decision.

"Dada?" Ken's voice was soft.

"Y . . . Yes?" she questioned, wondering what his response would be, fearful that he would reject her.

"Sit beside me."

Ken steadied her as she painfully shifted her kneeling position to sit beside him, and then put his arm around her. "Dada," he began.

"Yes?"

"There was no way I would leave you in that mine, or anywhere else where you might be hurt. No way. You're my partner—and my friend. I couldn't leave you. I'd rather have died with you than leave you." He paused a moment and studied her bruised, tear-stained face, then continued. "I hope you know that now."

"Yes, I know now."

"There's something else you should know. Something very important."

Dada looked at Ken, her eyes questioning. "What is that?"

"You're wrong when you said I don't like you very much."

"You . . . You mean that?"

"Yes, I mean that. As a matter of fact, I like you very much. You're pretty, you're smart, and I enjoy your company, your companionship. Sometimes I even think I could love you. The thing is, well, after my dad's experiences with women, I've never let myself get very close to a woman." He hesitated, wondering how she was taking what he was saying. "Trouble is," he continued, "I guess I don't know exactly how to go about loving you or anyone else."

"Ken?"

"Yes?"

"Help me understand what you're saying."

"How can I do that?"

Her eyes met his. "Tell me what happened with your father."

"Well, okay. I guess it's an old story," Ken sighed as he began, hoping Dada wouldn't laugh at him. He wouldn't share his story with just anyone. It was just too painful. "My dad's first wife, my mother, ran off with a traveling evangelist who came to our church. That was when I was a junior in high school. Her leaving was very hard for both of us. Once day she was there. The next day she was gone. She didn't even say goodbye or leave a note or anything. She was just gone. For good.

"And then about a year later," Ken continued, "my dad married another woman. She was absolutely beautiful. In fact, she'd been a model in the fashion industry. Well, it took her almost two years, but she spent my dad into bankruptcy, and then she divorced him fast. She had the divorce in the works before my dad knew what hit him. He lost his hardware store as well as all of his savings. He was ruined financially.

"I was a sophomore in college, and didn't know everything that was going on with my dad and my stepmother," Ken concluded. "One day the sheriff came to my dorm room and told me that my dad had killed himself. I had to come home and take care of what was left of my dad's estate, which wasn't much." He paused and shook his head. "After those experiences, I never wanted to have anything to do with women."

Dada put her head on Ken's shoulder and slipped her arm through his. "Ken?" she whispered.

"Um-hmm?"

"I'm very sorry about what happened," she said, "but I'm not that kind of woman. I hope you know that."

Ken hesitated. "I hope not."

"I would be faithful to you in every way," Dada whispered, "and I'd never hurt you in any way. If you leave here without me, I'll kill myself before I go back to that dungeon where Dawodu keeps me."

It wasn't an idle threat. She'd found a jagged shard of glass in the ruins of the old monastery and secreted it in her pocket, carefully wrapped in a napkin. She'd slash her wrists if she had to go back to the dungeon—to slavery.

Ken drew Dada close to him. "I would like to take you with me when I leave here," he whispered, "but I don't know how that will work out."

"I don't either, but I want you to know I love you and I trust you. Please help me." The words tumbled out.

Well, he'd be honest with her. "I've got several plans in the back of my mind for getting both of us out of here alive," he said, " but . . . ." His voice trailed off as he thought about Jabari's interest in Dada.

"But what, Ken?"

"What about Jabari? He really likes you, you know that."

Dada shook her head as she again lifted her eyes to meet him. "Ken?"

"Um-hmm?"

"I know Jabari likes me, but you are the man I love. I hope you know that."

"Well, you have the right to choose your true love," Ken said. "It's better to take your time and be sure."

Dada shook her head. "I am sure." She hesitated a moment. "I don't know how long it will be before Dawodu loses patience with Jabari and you and me on the search for gold. I mean, it's not my fault or yours that Jabari keeps us from seriously looking for gold in those mountains, but . . . ."

"I don't know Dawodu's thinking either, and like I said, I do have some plans for getting us out of here, with or without his permission".

Dada squeezed Ken's hand. "I doubt that Dawodu would ever agree to my going away from here. He'd kill me if I tried."

"He might not approve of my going away, either," Ken replied, "and I don't know what will happen, but we've got to be prepared to get out of here when the time is right."

"I don't know what will happen either," Dada agreed, "but with your help, I'll be prepared to go with you when the time comes. I mean that."

"Good." Ken hesitated. "Jabari probably thinks our going into that mine unleashed the anger of the spirits and that caused the earthquake," he reasoned. "If that's so, he might wish that I get out of Mabutoma right away."

"I don't know what Jabari's going to think about those spirits, but please don't leave me here in Mabutoma," Dada whispered, wanting to be absolutely sure Ken knew how she felt.

"Believe me, I won't if I can take you with me." Ken gave her the warmest hug he could manage and Dada responded in kind. It was the most affection either of them had experienced for a long time. "We'd better go back to our room now," Ken said. "After our experiences in that mine this afternoon, we both need some rest."

* * * * *

Although he was tired, Ken spent a good deal of time that night studying the maps he had of Mabutoma and the surrounding countries. He'd programmed those maps into his GPS unit, but that night he studied the paper maps he'd brought with him with an eye to getting out of the country. He'd have to plan for a variety of contingencies—and, tired or not, he would begin to do so then and there.

He simply did not know what to expect from Jabari. If the man was so frightened of those spirits that he could not allow him to do his work, then he might as well get out of the country and go on to other consulting work. On the other hand, if Jabari were to let him work freely in Mabutoma, hopefully giving him much more leeway, then he'd stay. There was gold to be found here. Ken was convinced of that. What the leaders of the country would do with that gold, he could not know. That wasn't his call.

From Dada's story, Ken reasoned, there might be oil to be found as well. Still, it was the gold that Dawodu wanted now.

Through his experiences in searching for and locating gold, Ken had learned two important lessons. First, when compared with fictionalized accounts, real treasure hunting can be and usually is terribly dull. Second, he'd found that gold, wherever it is found, often brings out the absolute worst in men. What he'd seen of Dawodu didn't make Ken optimistic that any gold he found in Mabutoma would contribute to the good of the citizens of that nation.

But he also must take Dada into his plans to vacate Mabutoma if that became necessary. He simply could not leave her behind. The problem was, Jabari or Dawodu might insist that she be assigned to some other project or guest before Ken was finished with his assignments. If that were the case, then they might simply have to flee the country without much time to prepare. They'd have to be ready to go at a moment's notice. No way did Ken want Dada to go back to her life as Dawodu's slave. That simply was out of the question.

"Ken?"

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost jumped when Dada put her hand on his arm and softly called his name. She'd been sleeping, but now was beside him. Turning towards her, he reached out and slipped his arm around her. "Yes?"

"It's time for both of us to get some rest, don't you think?" she admonished.

"You're right."

Perhaps he'd misjudged women. At least one woman. Maybe Dada wasn't like the two women who'd ruined his dad. He certainly hoped not.

Once Dada was again fast asleep, Ken sat for a long time, just looking at Dada and watching her sleep. Maybe she wasn't like those other women. Still, he vividly remembered the terribly haunted look in his father's eyes, the look of a man betrayed twice by women, not all that long before he killed himself.

* * * * *

Jabari appeared at their door mid-morning. He inquired about Dada's injury and asked if they'd like to stay at the hotel the rest of the day to rest.

Well, it was time for Ken to find out what was going on with Jabari and how much leeway he would give them in the search for gold. "No," he said, "we both rested well. I'd like to drive out to see how the monastery building faired in the earthquake. Maybe I'll also go down to the stream and look for additional gold deposits. Dada needs to take it very easy, but she can ride along. It'll do her good to get out and be active."

Jabari hesitated and shifted about rather nervously. "Well, okay," he replied. "We can do that if you . . . if you wish." It was obvious that he'd prefer to stay far away from those ruins and the mountains where the spirits dwelled.

"Good," Ken replied. "Let's take lunches in case we want to stay into the afternoon." If Jabari went along with his plans, they'd be gone all day.

Once they were in the Jeep and headed toward the ruins of the monastery, Jabari turned to Ken. "What do you hope to find at the ruins?" he asked. He seemed truly puzzled about Ken's plans.

"I didn't have a chance to see what damage the earthquake did to the main structure," Ken explained. "If it shook that one wall enough to knock it down, it might have opened up a passageway into the basement."

Jabari's mouth dropped open. "You . . . You wouldn't think of going down there, would you?" he gasped. "Not after . . . ."

"Sure. That's the only way we'll know what's down there. We might even find a cache of gold."

Jabari shook his head in disbelief. "Even after the mine collapsed, you are not afraid?"

"No." Ken chuckled. "Everybody's got to go some time."

Jabari grimaced. "I for one will not go with you into that basement, not after being in that mine when the terrible evil overtook us."

"That's fine." He did not remind Jabari that he'd asked him not to go with him into the abandoned mine.

"That old mine should have been sealed long ago," Jabari mused.

"Yes, probably so," Ken agreed.

"I've made arrangements for it to be filled in," Jabari said.

Well, if Jabari had the mine filled in and sealed, Ken reasoned, no one would be able to see if the monks had actually worked all the gold from it or not. Ken hadn't had a good look at the depths of the mine shaft before the earthquake shook it, so he couldn't be sure. One thing he did know; the monks had put a great deal of work into that mine. Still, it didn't seem as if Jabari or anyone else had the funds or the inclination to clear the rubble. Perhaps it was best if Jabari had the mine filled in.

As they approached the ruins of the monastery, Ken could see that the wall that likely guarded the passageway into the basement had indeed collapsed. "Pull the Jeep on around as near as you can get to that corner of the building," Ken suggested, and Jabari did so, reluctantly.

There! There it was! The opening that led down into the basement was visible in the rubble, just where Ken though it should be. As he climbed over the rubble and looked down into the small opening, Ken could see narrow stone steps leading downward. Without another thought, he went about clearing the rubble blocking the passageway.

"You found it, didn't you?" Jabari asked, when Ken returned to the Jeep for his lantern and a length of rope.

"Yes."

Dada reached her hand for his arm. "Ken?"

"Um-hmm?"

"Can I come see?"

"Sure, but I'd rather you didn't go down into the basement, even if I go."

"Okay, but can I sit at the top of the stairs and watch?" She did not ever again want to let Ken out of her sight, but she dare not say that right now, certainly not within Jabari's hearing.

"Sure." Ken put out his hand and steadied Dada as she climbed down from the Jeep and limped along with him, more than a little pleased that she was interested in what he was doing.

Once they were a little distance away from the Jeep, Dada whispered, "Jabari is not pleased."

"I know. Any particular reason?" Ken asked.

"From some of the things he said, I think he had a confrontation with Dawodu over the earthquake and my getting injured."

"Hmmmm?"

"Perhaps Dawodu wants me back soon? It's possible, you know."

"Wants you back?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He's unhappy that I got hurt, and he probably blames you."

"Do you think he wants you back to entertain another foreign guest?"

"Probably, but he won't want me to do that if I'm black and blue and have to limp along."

"Um-hmm." Ken's mind was racing ahead. If he wanted to take Dada with him out of Mabutoma, he'd better do it soon. If she went back to Dawodu, he might never see her again.

While Dada sat on a smooth stone near the opening that led to the basement and watched, Ken lowered his electric lantern into the basement, then leaned into the opening and looked around. Although he couldn't see all that far into the basement, to Ken's horror, it appeared as if the area he could see had indeed been used as a torture chamber—or as a slaughterhouse. Dark splotches that appeared to be dried blood covered the floor and two walls. Heavy chains were secured in the floor and others dangled from the ceiling. Shackles were evident around the walls. A wooden club resembling a heavy baseball bat could be seen in one corner. Even the smell of death remained in that basement.

"It's bad," Ken told Dada as he drew back.

"What is?"

Ken described what he'd seen.

Dada nodded. "I'm not surprised. When they disposed of the monks and turned the monastery into a political prison, they were very abusive of the prisoners," she said, diverting her eyes as if she didn't want to think about what went on there. "You'll remember," she continued, "that Jabari alluded to this fact."

"Yes, I remember. If those are blood stains like I think they are, any number of people must have died in that room. It still smells like death." He shook his head. "I wouldn't be surprised to find a corpse in that place. Perhaps many."

"I'm sure that many people did die in this place," Dada whispered. After checking to see that Jabari was not near enough to hear what she said, she continued. "You can see that this country has a history of extreme violence. It is no wonder that people fear the spirits, especially the spirits of the people who were killed here and may be waiting to seek vengeance." She hesitated, and glanced over her shoulder. "Ken?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think maybe they walled up the entrance to the basement to keep people from discovering what went on down there?"

"Maybe so." He got up. "If they did wall it up for that reason, the fearful people among us will probably assume that either I or the earthquake unleashed the spirits. Or maybe the spirits unleashed the earthquake and that did it." Ken shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you going down there?" Dada asked, anxiousness showing on her face.

"Maybe. Right now, I'm going to take another look. What I'm really wondering is if the monks might have hidden gold in the basement." He didn't mention the possibility of a sub-basement because he didn't want to worry Dada into thinking he'd be going so far below ground.

Once again, Ken lowered his lantern through the opening, then leaned in after it and looked around. This time, he was more concerned with the soundness of the structure than with the massive bloodstains.

The walls that Ken could see appeared to have been constructed of heavy stones that were fitted closely together, a tribute to the craftsmen who built the structure. There were no major cracks or deterioration that he could detect, at least within the range of his lantern's glow. Likewise, the ceiling seemed to be sound. It should be safe for him to enter.

"What have you found?" It was Jabari's voice.

Ken slowly withdrew his head from the entrance to the basement and turned to him. "Want to look?" he asked.

"I . . . I don't think so," Jabari stammered, shaking his head. He sat down on a stone near Dada

If Jabari didn't want to look for himself, Ken wasn't anxious to tell him what it was like in that basement. If Jabari did look, he well might insist they leave immediately. How he wished Jabari had stayed in the Jeep. Instead of saying anything about his intentions to either Jabari or Dada, Ken picked up both his lantern and flashlight in preparation to descending the steps.

"Are . . . Are you . . . Are you going down there?" Jabari stammered, obviously displeased at the thought.

"Just a little ways," Ken answered, hopeful that Jabari would not stop his exploration.

"Just a little ways? Sure?" Dada questioned, chiding him just a little.

"Yes, I'll stay on the steps for now," Ken replied. "I want to get a better look at the structure, and at the other end of the basement if I can see that far," he explained. To his surprise, Jabari didn't object.

The opening was only large enough for Ken to slip through sideways. As he began to disappear down those steps, Dada bowed her head and prayed silently. "Please, God," she prayed, "don't let Ken get hurt."

Jabari looked at her. "You are worried about him, aren't you?"

"Yes."

* * * * *

Ken cautiously edged his way down the narrow stone steps, testing each one as he went to make sure that it was solid under his feet. Once he was at the foot of those stairs, he paused and beamed his lights around the cavernous basement.

At one time, there had been rooms partitioned off along one side of the basement. Perhaps those had been sleeping rooms for the monks? Or prayer rooms? There had been air shafts extending upward through the floor. Ken remembered seeing the broken portions of them from the outside. Along one side of the basement walls were fixtures designed to hold torches or oil lamps for light.

How the native people had turned a building dedicated to God into a place of torture and murder, Ken did not pretend to understand, but they'd obviously done so. In fact, it appeared to him that there had literally been pools of blood in several depressions in the floor.

Now, where might there be an entrance to a sub-basement below this one? He'd never know without a thorough examination of the basement, but he'd promised Dada that he wouldn't go beyond the stairway, and he wouldn't. This time, anyway. Unless he missed his guess, the monks would have hidden gold somewhere in the sub-basement of the monastery. Well, a search for that gold would have to wait.

As Ken reluctantly climbed the steps toward the opening through which he'd descended, considering his next move as he did so, he was startled to hear Jabari anxiously calling to him. "Come quickly, Ken," he was shouting, agitation rattling in his voice. "Come quickly! Come quickly!"

Whatever could be wrong now? Ken scrambled through the opening and saw Jabari running for the Jeep, pulling Dada along with him, and waving his arm for Ken to follow.

"What's going on?" Ken asked as he scrambled into the Jeep.

"It is General Dawodu on the radio," Jabari breathed. "He wishes to see you in his office immediately."
CHAPTER 10

Jabari drove the Jeep as fast as he dared, away from the ancient monastery buildings and back toward the city of Gulo. In what seemed like only minutes later, the guarded gates to the Predential Palace were swinging wide open, admitting Jabari, Ken, and Dada past the armed guards and to the government complex. Ken, Dada, and Jabari scrambled out of the Jeep and hurried toward General Dawodu's office.

General Dawodu scowled when he saw them. "It is with Mr. Ken Davis that I wish to speak," he growled.

"Yes, sir," Jabari responded, bowing as he did so. With that, he took Dada's hand and the two of them quickly left Dawodu's office.

Once the door closed behind Jabari and Dada, Dawodu turned to Ken. "Please be seated," he said, motioning toward a chair in front of his desk. Ken sat down. It was the first time he'd heard the General speak in a relatively pleasing voice. Whatever could be going on?

General Dawodu eyed Ken for several minutes before he spoke. He then placed his cigar into the ashtray on his desk and leaned back in his chair. Ken sat there, waiting for Dawodu to speak. He'd been in the presence of dictators before, and Dawodu didn't threaten him.

"I am very disappointed," General Dawodu began, paused a moment, then added, "not in you or in your work, but with Jabari—and perhaps even moreso with many of the citizens of Mabutoma."

When Ken didn't respond, Dawodu continued. "I realize that you have been delayed in your search for gold because of the foolish beliefs of Jabari and many of the others here."

Again, Ken felt it best not to respond. He'd wait to see where this conversation was going.

"I am working on a solution to this problem." Dawodu sighed. "However, it will be several days before I can locate the people I have in mind who can and will accompany you into the mountains where we think there may be gold to be mined. Not only that, but with your instruction, they will work the sluice."

"That would be most helpful," Ken replied, "and I want you to know that Dada has been most helpful to me."

"I understand that," Dawodu agreed, "and I do not understand what it is that Jabari keeps wanting to talk about with her for hour after hour after hour. However, as I said, I have a plan to locate some people who can help you. In the meantime, I have a request for you, a request that will take you away from here for a very few days at most."

So Dawodu knew that Dada was spending quite a bit of time with Jabari. Someone must be watching the three of them. That did not come as a surprise. Turning his attention directly to Dawodu, Ken asked, "What is your request, sir?"

"As a geologist, you must be familiar with what are called subterranean rivers, sometimes called underground rivers, are you not?" Dawodu replied.

"Yes, I am familiar with subterranean rivers."

"I thought you would be. There is one such river in the northwestern part of Mabutoma," Dawodu continued. "It brings water from the mountains located well beyond our borders. It flows for a distance within Mabutoma, but it then disappears through a sinkhole, only to emerge much further downstream. Maybe it flows through a cave system of some sort. I do not know." Dawodu thought for a moment, then added, "The river is quite rocky, and rather scenic."

Ken nodded his understanding.

"I would like for you to look at that river with two objectives in mind," Dawodu told him. "First, it has been rumored that placer gold was once discovered in that stream and that if such gold were traced to its source, there might be hard-rock gold deposits to be found. Unfortunately, I think any gold deposits would be upstream, beyond our borders. Still, I would like your recommendations in that regard."

Ken smiled. "Yes, that river was on my agenda in coming to Mabutoma, but I thought the fact that gold had once been mined near Gulo made that the place to start looking for recoverable gold."

"I would agree with you," General Dawodu replied, "and if it were not for the foolish beliefs of Jabari and many of our citizens, that would be true."

"You said you had two objectives in mind regarding that subterranean river? Exploring for gold is the first, and what is the second?" Ken questioned.

"Yes. I'll explain the second objective," General Dawodu said, and for the first time Ken saw Dawodu smile.

"Okay." Ken smiled back.

"Jabari and I have recently negotiated a compact with a company to build a casino in the northwestern part of Mabutoma. It will be built not all that far from the subterranean river we've been talking about. I would like your evaluation of the scenic attraction of that river for the tourists. Perhaps we could offer day-trips from the casino to view the river, and especially where it goes underground."

"That's a very good idea, General Dawodu," Ken responded. "Subterranean rivers are not all that common, and it well might be a scenic attraction for visitors to the new casino." He thought a moment. "There is only one problem that I can think of with my exploring that river," he added.

"What is that?"

"How do I get there?"

Dawodu smiled again. "I have that already arranged that. One of my personal pilots will fly you there in one of my personal aircraft. There is a small settlement with a landing strip suitable for small aircraft near the river. You can stay in that settlement overnight and find something to eat there. A personal friend of mine will meet you at the airstrip and provide transportation while you are there.

"You will be safe there," Dawodu continued, "because I have stationed many troops there to guard our border."

"Does your pilot speak English?" Ken asked.

"Unfortunately," Dawodu replied, "my pilot does not speak good English, nor do most of the people who live there, but you may take Dada with you to translate for you." He paused a moment. "Oh, and by the way, I will have enough to keep Jabari quite busy here in Gulo, so he will not be going with you. By the time you return in two or three days, I hope to have some people who are unafraid of the spirits to accompany you into the nearby mountains." Dawodu paused again, thinking, and then continued. "I plan to have a discussion with Jabari while you are away, and I will do my best to convince him of the value of aiding you in your search for gold—wherever you wish to search."

Ken doubted that Dawodu would be able to convince Jabari of any such thing, but he wasn't about to pursue that reasoning. Instead, he asked, "How do I contact your pilot and arrange a trip to see the river?"

"I will talk to Jabari this evening, and he will arrange that flight for you," Dawodu replied. "He will arrange things with the pilot, and he will take you and Dada from your hotel to the airport at the proper time, probably in the morning."

Dawodu stood up, indicating the discussion was over.

Ken stood up. "Thank you, sir," he said.

Dawodu smiled. "Thank you," he said.

* * * * *

This was a side of General Dawodu that Ken had not anticipated. The man could be most gracious when necessary. Still, Ken knew that he could not place a great deal of trust in Dawodu. He could just as easily become angry and aggressive if his plans were thwarted. Ken would do his best to explore that subterranean river for gold and for any scenic attraction value it might have, but he must also consider how he might get himself and Dada out of Mabutoma when that became necessary.

* * * * *

Jabari and Dada were waiting for Ken when he left General Dawodu's office. On the way back to the hotel, Ken filled them in on Dawodu's plans for him and Dada to visit the subterranean river. He also let Jabari know that General Dawodu would be contacting him to arrange transportation for that visit.

To Ken's surprise, Jabari was pleased to learn that he and Dada would be going to view the subterranean river near where he and General Dawodu had negotiated the contract for a casino to be built. There would be little if any objection to Ken's seeking gold in or near that stream because few of the residents in that area were as fearful of the spirits as those in Gulo or the surrounding area. And Jabari desperately wanted that casino to be built and operating as soon as possible. Dawodu might claim responsibility for landing the casino contract, but it had been Jabari's idea all along—and Dawodu knew that. If the subterranean river would serve as an additional tourist attraction and bring additional tourists and their money, that would be a huge plus in Jabari's favor.

Jabari wished Ken and Dada well as he drove them to the airport the following day. Once he saw them off, he hurried to keep his appointment with General Dawodu.

* * * * *

Just as Ken had suspected when he first arrived in Mabutoma, the two Cessnas he'd seen parked at the airport were General Dawodu's personal aircraft. The pilot appeared to be quite experienced, and Ken thoroughly enjoyed flying in an airplane almost identical to the one he'd learned to fly back in his college days.

* * * * *

To Ken's disappointment, however, a two day exploration of the river did not reveal any worthwhile gold deposits. It appeared to him that one would have to search much further upstream for any gold deposits, but that would be across the border into the neighboring country.

It also appeared unlikely that anyone from Mabutoma would be allowed to cross that border. Ken observed a number of heavily armed soldiers patrolling along the border, watching his and Dada's every move, while General Dawodu's troops patrolled the Mabutoma side of the border.

However, the river on the Mabutoma side of the border certainly had potential as a tourist attraction. The location where the river disappeared through a huge sinkhole was well defined and would interest many people as would the site where the river emerged again downstream. Ken took a number of pictures of the area with his cell-phone camera to show General Dawodu, and made notes of some recommendations he had for enhancing the viewing of the river as it went underground and then emerged.

The river might well provide additional forms of recreation for tourists. There might be possibilities for rafting, not the whitewater rafting popular in the mountains of the United States, but gentle and scenic rafting for families and children. Whether developing these activities would interest Jabari or Dawodu, Ken couldn't say—but the potential was there.

* * * * *

Before Ken and Dada completed arrangements to fly back to Gulo, Ken asked Dada a question that had been puzzling him: "Who do you think General Dawodu will be able to locate who will willingly accompany us into those mountains where we think the monks located a second gold mine?"

"I have no idea," she replied, shaking her head, after several moments of thought. "What concerns me is that upon our return to Gulo, General Dawodu will wish that I come back to him—to my dungeon cell. He'll expect me to entertain more visitors to his country."

Ken shook his head. "I don't think so, Dada," he replied, "because he seemed to think you were helping me locate the gold in those mountains, and you are one of the few people who is not frightened of the spirits there."

Dada shook her head. "Do not trust him, Ken," she whispered.

* * * * *

The flight back to Gulo proved uneventful for Ken and Dada. From his window in the Cessna, Ken could imagine that he saw the part of Mabutoma where he'd been on the big game hunt with his uncle many years ago, but he couldn't be absolutely sure. Things had certainly changed in Mabutoma since that time. Of that, Ken was certain.

Jabari met Ken and Dada at the airport and drove them directly to their hotel. When Ken asked Jabari if he would join them for lunch at the hotel dining room, he seemed eager to do so.

"So, tell me about your trip," Jabari invited, once they'd ordered lunch.

Ken told Jabari about his exploration of the subterranean river and asked if he'd seen it."

"Yes!" Jabari exclaimed. "After I viewed the river, I told Dawodu that we should build the casino nearby. You agree that the scenic river would attract tourists to the area, do you not?"

"Yes," Ken agreed. "I've taken some pictures of the river, and I will show them to General Dawodu when I meet with him."

Jabari sighed. "I think General Dawodu will want to meet with you in the morning. However, the rebels to our north have been quite active over the past two days and he has had to spend much time coordinating raids by our soldiers to keep them at a distance across the border."

"I noticed a number of troops just over the border from where the casino will be built," Ken responded. "Do they make trouble for General Dawodu?"

"Oh, no," Jabari replied. "General Dawodu has stationed troops in that area to assure that there is no trouble. You see, I recommended that he do so because no one will want to build a casino in an area where soldiers from the neighboring country will attack it. The tourists must be made to feel safe."

* * * * *

"I will talk with General Dawodu later this afternoon," Jabari assured Ken and Dada. "I will let him know that you have returned safely and that you would like to speak with him. As I said, I do not think he will want to see you until tomorrow morning, however, but I shall return to see you with his wishes at your hotel room this evening."

* * * * *

As he had promised, Jabari came by Ken and Dada's hotel room late that evening. "General Dawodu wishes to see you in the morning," he assured them, "and I will pick you up after breakfast."

Ken hoped that General Dawodu would not be disappointed that he hadn't discovered gold.

Jabari had not been gone from their hotel room for over twenty minutes when he came back. His face was flushed and he seemed quite flustered. Clearly, something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Ken asked.

Jabari sank down into a chair, sat there for a moment, and then responded. "General Dawodu will not be able to see you tomorrow morning," he gasped.

"Is something wrong?" Ken asked.

"Yes, but I cannot speak of it," Jabari gasped.

"Will we be able to go search for gold in the morning, then?" Ken asked.

"No. . . . Well, yes. . . . You see," Jabari stammered, "I must meet with General Dawodu. It concerns the contract with the company wishing to build the casino." He thought for a moment. "Perhaps you could go work the sluice without me. I . . . I think General Dawodu would allow that, if . . . if you do not go into the mountains."

"That will be fine," Ken responded. "If we may borrow your Jeep, Dada and I will go out and work the sluice. We will not go back into the mountains. Please tell General Dawodu that we will look forward to talking with him at his convenience."

Jabari got up slowly. "Okay. I will tell him, and I will come by and take you to the sluice tomorrow morning after breakfast. But . . . But please . . . please do not go back into those mountains by yourselves. General Dawodu would have me shot if you do."

* * * * *

True to his word, Jabari picked up Ken and Dada shortly after they'd finished breakfast. He seemed quite subdued and downcast, and Ken wondered if the casino deal had fallen through.

Jabari did not have time or the desire to talk. He simply drove them to the stream, wished them well, and said he'd pick them up about noon.

Once they were at the stream and well away from the "room with ears," Dada turned to Ken. "Jabari seems very discouraged. Something has not gone well for him."

"Do you think the casino deal has fallen through?" Ken asked.

Dada looked over her shoulder and around the area to be sure no one was listening. "This is something I overheard while the people were drafting up papers to build the casino," she whispered. "They were afraid that General Dawodu did not have complete control of the country of Mabutoma, that the borders were not all that secure from the rebel attacks. They did not wish to build a casino in a country where there was constant warfare or where the tourists might be in danger. I think General Dawodu convinced them that he had everything under control, however, and they signed the compact to build the casino. It may be that they are rethinking that compact, what with the recent fighting along the northern border."

All that morning as Ken and Dada worked with the sluice, Ken had the distinct feeling that they were being watched. He could not see anyone watching them, and he did not wish to alarm Dada, but the sensation was there. Maybe General Dawodu was testing them, testing them to see if they might try to go into the forbidden mountains. Well, they would give anyone watching them no cause for alarm.

* * * * *

Ken and Dada had worked for about an hour when they heard the roar of an airplane overhead. One of General Dawodu's MiGs was flying overhead—flying north.

"Do you think there is more fighting to our north?" Ken asked Dada.

Dada nodded. "I think so."

"Will we be safe working here?"

"I . . . I don't know," Dada responded, "but I think Jabari will come for us if there is danger."

They worked the sluice a little longer, gathering a few gold nuggets and more flakes. If they had someone working the sluice regularly, they would be able to obtain a fair amount of gold. Maybe Dawodu would be able to find men who could work the sluice. Neither Ken nor Dada had much hope of that.

Then suddenly they heard Jabari's voice. "Come quickly, Ken," he was shouting, agitation rattling in his voice. "Come quickly, Ken! Come quickly, Dada!"

It was Jabari's voice all right. Looking up, Ken and Dada saw him standing on the bank of the stream, motioning for them to come--and come quickly.

Ken and Dada hastily picked up the things they were using and climbed up the bank to where Jabari was waiting. "What's going on?" Ken asked.
CHAPTER 11

Whatever could be wrong now? As Ken and Dada scrambled up the bank, they heard the second MiG roar overhead. It must be that General Dawodu's Mabutoma was at war again.

Jabari was on the run, already half way to the Jeep he'd been driving. "Come on, Ken! Come on, Dada!" he shouted again and again over his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Ken asked, as he and Dada finally caught up with Jabari.

"The rebels are attacking again. A great number of government troops are being been sent to repel them," Jabari gasped, as Ken and Dada climbed into the Jeep. "Those planes have been sent to attack them, too. General Dawodu says both of you must go back to the hotel as quickly as possible, that it is not safe for any of us to be out here in the open country."

Jabari had the Jeep running by the time Ken and Dada climbed in, and roared off for the city the moment they were seated. "Do not leave the hotel," he admonished them, as he hurriedly dropped them off in the parking lot. "I'll check in with you either later tonight or in the morning."

As they made their way across the parking lot to the door of the hotel, Ken and Dada could see large military trucks carrying troops and equipment heading north past the hotel. They'd seen a similar troop movement only a few days ago, but today everything seemed much more urgent--almost chaotic--by comparison.

Once they were inside the hotel, Dada turned to Ken. "Could we go up to the roof?" she whispered.

"Sure."

It was still awkward for Dada to climb the stairs, but she limped along with Ken's support. Once they were seated side by side, Dada turned to Ken. "I want to hear about what you saw in the basement of the monastery before we left to view that subterranean river, but first there is something very important I want to say to you." She was whispering as they always did when they talked about important things.

"Um-hmm?"

"I don't know what's going to happen with the rebels attacking and all that fighting that's going on," she began, "but I want you to know that whatever happens, I love you."

Ken put his arm around Dada, wishing he could trust her when she said she wasn't like those women who'd so badly used his father.

"We'd better go back to our room soon," Dada whispered, before Ken could reply in any way, "in case Jabari comes looking for us." Ken agreed.

Back in their room Dada sat next to Ken while he drew a sketch of what he'd seen in the basement of the ancient monastery. He sketched out how the small rooms had been partitioned off and where the air vents that had served to ventilate the underground space were located. He also told her about the chains and the club and the blood stains--the horrible blood stains. Those stains remained as stark evidence that people had been badly mistreated in that place.

"Do you think there's a sub-basement?" she asked.

"Probably."

The idea of actually descending into a sub-basement sent shivers through her entire body. "Do you have any idea as to where the entrance to the sub-basement might be?"

"Not yet."

Dada smiled. "You'd like to find that entrance, wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

Dada's eyes sparkled. "Do you know what I'm thinking?"

Ken shook his head. "No.

Dada put her finger to her lips to indicate that she wanted them both to be very quiet. Putting her lips close to his ear, she whispered. "I'd love to go exploring places like that with you. It would be scary, but I wouldn't be afraid if we were together."

Ken nodded. "Maybe we could go treasure hunting together some time," he whispered. "Some place a long ways from Mabutoma and General Dawodu and the evil spirits."

Dada's eyes brightened. "I'd love to do things like that with you," she whispered, "and I wish we were a long ways from Mabutoma."

Overhead they heard the roar of one of the MiGs. Outside the hotel they heard additional military activity. Both Ken and Dada sensed that this battle would not be easily won.

* * * * *

Jabari did not come to their room that evening. When he came to their door the following morning, his face was ashen and he looked as if he'd not slept at all during the night. Ken asked him to come in and he did so, immediately sinking into a chair.

"What's going on?" Ken asked.

Jabari scowled. "The rebels to our north have attacked with much greater force than ever before. We believe some foreign power is supplying them with arms, and perhaps mercenaries as well. General Dawodu has responded with tremendous force, and there is fierce fighting going on right now. Even so, it may take several days to crush them."

"I understand."

"These are very difficult times for General Dawodu and Mabutoma," Jabari continued. "You see, if the Spanish and Germans do not think we can secure our country, they will not wish to build the promised casino or the munitions plant. No one will want to invest heavily in a country that is in the midst of a civil war, and that is how our fighting these rebels will be perceived. In order for General Dawodu to maintain our credibility, we must put down this uprising immediately and regain peace."

"Yes. That is so."

"I cannot stay, but I wanted to let you know what is going on. It will be best if you stay in the hotel, and I will contact you again this evening." Jabari stood up. "You see," he continued, "General Dawodu is even now out in the field commanding the troops, leaving me and several other senior advisors to oversee the government functions."

* * * * *

"What is your impression of these rebels who are fighting General Dawodu's forces?" Ken asked Dada, once they'd again made their way to the roof where they could talk more freely. Throughout the day, they had seen even more military trucks, troops, and weapons move past the hotel.

"This part of the world has often been in turmoil," Dada replied, sadness evident in her voice. "It is like you saw in the history of the monastery. One faction gains control and kills or runs out the people they do not like, and then another group overruns them. Over and over it happens. The killing never seems to stop." She shook her head. "Perhaps Mabutoma will be in turmoil forever. Dawodu came to power by force. At first I thought these rebels to the north would have no chance against him and his powerful army, but if they are being financed and supplied by another country, well, then, they well may be able to overthrow Dawodu. At any rate, there will be tremendous bloodshed. Many people on both sides will die.

"And for what?" Dada asked, rhetorically, with a shrug of her shoulders. "There is little here except poverty. Agriculture could be improved greatly, and my parents were trying to help with that, but there is no industry to speak of. Of course, there may be gold and oil in those mountains, but . . . ." Her voice trailed off as she shook her head. "Jabari is right about one thing. Nobody will invest here unless the fighting stops."

* * * * *

They had just returned to their room after eating their evening meal when there was a knock on their door. Jabari was there, and from the look on his face, things obviously were not going well with the battle against the rebels.

"Things are not going well for General Dawodu and his troops," he gasped, confirming Ken's suspicions. "I think you will be safe here, but you should be prepared to leave, should I have to take you from the hotel to a more secure place." He backed through the open door, and then turned back. "I'll be back for you if . . . ." His voice trailed off as he stepped into the hall.

"We'd better get ready to leave here," Ken whispered to Dada, and she agreed. They each quickly packed a small bag of things they wanted to take with them and placed the bags near the door.

That done, Dada turned to Ken. "I'm really scared," she whispered, "but I want you to know that no matter what happens, I love you, and I thank you for being so kind to me."

Ken put his arm around Dada and tried to be reassuring. He hoped they'd get out of Mabutoma alive and together, but . . . .

It was well past midnight when Jabari returned. Neither Ken nor Dada had slept at all. The tension was just too great. When Ken cautiously opened the door, Jabari lurched into the room, his face a mask of fright. "You'd best come with me right away," he gasped. "There is no time to waste."

"Okay. We're ready to go with you." Ken and Dada grabbed the bags they'd packed and quickly followed Jabari as he ran down the stairs and to his Jeep.

"There is serious fighting just outside of Gulo at this very moment," Jabari informed them, his voice trembling as he spoke. "The rebels are very strong. They have modern weapons. I don't know if General Dawodu's troops can hold them back. He has asked for aid, but it may not arrive in time." Before Ken could respond, Jabari continued. "General Dawodu has commanded me to bring Dada, well, both of you, back to the Presidential Palace. He thinks you both will be safe there."

Ken shook his head. "No. Dada is not going back to that dungeon."

"It is my order," Jabari replied, his hands spread in resignation. "I have no choice. I must obey."

Terror gripped Dada for a moment, "I will not go back there," she hissed. "I will kill myself first." Her fingers closed on the shard of glass in her pocket.

Jabari looked helplessly at Ken. "Where, then?"

"I have a plan that might get us out of here. If you will help us, it will go much better."

Jabari thought for a moment. To help Ken and Dada leave the country meant overt disobedience to General Dawodu, a move that might get him—and his sister—killed. Still, there was no assurance that General Dawodu would win this conflict, in which case . . . . "Okay, I'll help you," he whispered.

Ken looked at Jabari, hoping that he meant what he said, that he wouldn't betray them. "Then you will soon have to make another decision," he said.

"What is that?"

"Do you wish to accompany us?"
CHAPTER 12

"You must be absolutely certain you want to help us escape," Ken told Jabari, his eyes hard as he studied the man's face. He would not push the question of Jabari's actually accompanying them. Not yet.

"I said I'd help you." Jabari could not yet commit to actually going with them.

"I know, but I want you to be sure. Dawodu will be very angry with you when he learns what you did," Ken reasoned. "If you don't want to be involved, let us take the Jeep and we'll do the best we can to get out of Mabutoma. You can tell Dawodu that we deceived you or overpowered you and took the Jeep without your permission."

"I said I will help you." Jabari repeated. There was a boldness in his voice that neither Ken nor Dada had heard before.

Ken glanced at Dada, anxious for her take on trusting Jabari with their escape plans. When she nodded her willingness to trust him, Ken briefly outlined his plan for escaping from Mabutoma. Jabari had to agree that it just might work.

"All right, then," Ken told Jabari, "drive us out to the airport." Dada, riding in the back of the Jeep behind Jabari, quietly selected a heavy glass drinking mug from her satchel and cradled it in her hand. If Jabari tried to double-cross them, she'd knock him cold. Maybe they could escape without his help, and maybe not. Regardless, there was no way she was going back to that dungeon. If Dawodu's henchmen killed her in their escape attempt, well, she'd be better off dead. "Please help us, God," she prayed.

Jabari seemed resigned if not enthusiastic about helping them escape. He drove rapidly, yet smoothly, not drawing undue attention to them. All the same, Ken kept an eye on him to be sure he did not attempt to betray them by alerting anyone on his radio or on the street.

As they neared the airport, they encountered a roadblock set up in the street. It was manned by two uniformed soldiers. Both were carrying automatic rifles. When the soldiers manning the checkpoint recognized Jabari, however, they waved them right on through. It was the kind of help Jabari could best provide. So far, things were going according to Ken's plan.

Most of the military vehicles that had been parked around the airport when Ken arrived in Gulo were no longer there. They no doubt were in use carrying troops and weapons to fight against the rebels. As they approached the airport, they saw that one of General Dawodu's three MiGs had just landed and was being refueled and rearmed.

"See them? Over there," Ken hissed, pointing out where he wanted Jabari to take them.

Without a word, Jabari drove around the end of the runway and approached the two Cessnas Ken had seen parked at the airport when his plane landed. They'd flown in one of them when they went to look over the subterranean river a few days ago.

Ken was familiar with those airplanes. They were Cessna 172s. It was not surprising that they were to be found here as part of General Dawodu's fleet because there were more 172s built than any other aircraft. In fact, he'd learned to fly in a similar Cessna 172 when he was in college and a member of the university flying club.

If one of those planes was fueled, he just might be able to fly the three of them out of Mabutoma, that is, assuming Jabari wanted to go with them. Otherwise, he and Dada would attempt the escape by themselves.

"Park over there in the shadows, behind that retaining wall." Ken directed Jabari to park the Jeep in a sheltered area near the terminal building where it would be out of sight. "Wait here," he told Dada and Jabari, as he scrambled out of the Jeep, "while I check out the planes. See if there's fuel in one of them."

Once the Jeep was hidden, Ken made his way to the first Cessna, keeping to the shadows as best he could, hoping to avoid detection. Fortunately, there was not much of a military presence at the airport that night except for the men who were refueling and rearming the MiGs and they were some distance away. No doubt, the soldiers he'd seen patrolling the airport when he'd arrived were now off fighting the rebels.

A quick walk-around of the first aircraft assured him that things looked okay. He climbed into the cabin. Everything seemed to be in order, and the fuel tanks were full. Quickly scrambling down from the cabin, he yanked the chocks from the wheels. Now to get Dada and Jabari on board.

There was no time for a thorough pre-flight inspection. It was now or never. Just as Ken was about to motion for Dada and Jabari to join him, however, he heard Dada shriek, "No!" Her yell was followed by the sounds of a scuffle—and then a rifle shot.

"Damn!" Ken swore under his breath and started for the Jeep on the run, taking a circuitous path so that he would not be quite so visible to anyone near the vehicle. Before he'd taken three or four steps, however, he suddenly heard the roar of airplanes to the north. They were coming right toward the city. A quick glance over his shoulder told him that those planes were likely targeting the airport.

They couldn't be Dawodu's planes. One of his MiGs was being refueled and rearmed at the end of the runway. The other two must be in the air somewhere. So the rebels must have acquired attack aircraft. That would surely have shifted the balance of power against Dawodu.

The roar of the approaching planes grew louder and louder, until they were almost overhead. Ken could see missiles being fired at the aircraft by Dawodu's troops. Those missiles were arching their way across the sky as Dawodu's forces attempted to bring the attacking planes down, but they were too late. And then the bombs began to fall on the airport.

KA-BOOM!

Before Ken could get to the Jeep where he'd left Dada and Jabari, a bomb landed right between the two Cessnas. Ken hit the ground and rolled behind a retaining wall at the edge of the tarmac as both planes were blown to bits. Smoke and flames billowed upward as the fuel in their tanks caught fire. Moments later, another bomb hit the terminal building not far from where they'd parked the Jeep. Additional bombs seemed to be exploding around the airport and the city as well.

Even though he was temporarily disoriented by the bomb blasts, Ken was aware that the Jeep was racing away. He didn't get a good look at the driver, however, so he wasn't absolutely certain that Jabari was driving. And he couldn't tell if Dada was in the passenger seat.

Ken lurched to his feet, shaking his head to clear the confusion, and stumbled to the spot where they'd parked earlier. A soldier lay near by, shards of glass and the handle from the mug Dada had carried as a weapon near his head.

The soldier was out cold, and there was blood oozing from the cuts on the back of his head. He'd most likely live, but Dada must have hit him awfully hard. She'd obviously meant it when she said she wasn't going back to that dungeon. Now, where could Jabari be taking her?

At any rate, Jabari and Dada must still be alive. There wasn't time to waste if he were to find them. If he could find them.

Ken picked up the rifle and ammunition pouch the soldier had been carrying. A quick check told him that the rifle had recently been fired. That must have been the shot he'd heard.

In addition to the rifle and ammunition, Ken took the soldier's radio. He also took three hand-grenades that the man was carrying and clipped them on his belt. He'd made up his mind; he wasn't going to be thrown into one of Dawodu's dungeons either.

The Cessnas were ruined, but there was a small helicopter about a hundred yards down the tarmac that didn't appear to have been harmed in the bombing raid. With one last look at the unconscious soldier, Ken sprinted for the chopper as fast as he could.

In addition to learning the fundamentals of flying small helicopters as a member of his university's flying club, he'd flown a number of hours in a chopper similar to this one when he was working in Brazil. After he'd become friends with the pilot, she'd let him fly it and taught him how to fly it on instruments, something he hadn't learned in college. If this chopper was fueled, it just might be his ticket out of here. He'd need to fly on instruments that night.

It took a few minutes to familiarize himself with the chopper, but there wouldn't be any point in his hurrying if he ended up crashing when he tired to take off. Although the moments felt like hours, it wasn't long before Ken had the chopper in the air.

Now to see if he could find Dada and Jabari. It had better be soon because the fuel tank was less than half full and there was no way he could refuel the chopper now. Well, he'd do the best he could.

From his vantage point in the air, Ken saw that the bombs and missiles had taken their toll on the airport. Several explosions had blown craters in the longest runway, making future landings and takeoffs risky for the MiGs. Another missile had destroyed a portion of the terminal building, probably knocking out power to the control tower.

There had been other bombs exploding in the city, but Ken had no idea of what they'd hit. He strongly suspected that Dawodu might be losing this battle. By morning, Gulo might be in ruins, perhaps burning--or in the hands of Dawodu's enemies.

More pressing problems occupied Ken's mind. Where would Jabari, assuming he was the one driving the Jeep, make a run for it? Probably to the same place he and Dada had talked about, through the mountains to the south and across the border into Togowana. Surely he wouldn't take Dada and himself back to the Presidential Palace. Would he? Now? Even at Dawodu's command?

Even though they'd gotten a head start on him, Ken knew that Jabari would find the trek through the mountains slow going. It was quite dark, save for the light of the fires and the sliver of moon in the sky, and there wasn't any vehicle traffic to be seen. If Jabari had the Jeep's lights on, Ken might be able to spot him.

Ken had earlier contemplated the possibility of driving the Jeep to Togowana, but that would have been risky because, unless he missed his guess, Dawodu's security police would have placed some sort of bug on the Jeep so they would know where Jabari was at all times. And that road looked like it was built for an ambush. Much better to leave the Jeep behind and fly out of Mabutoma. Maybe he could still catch up with the Jeep and get Jabari and Dada into the chopper.

Just as Ken circled to the south, trying to spot the Jeep and trying to make sure it wasn't headed back toward the Palace, he heard the roar of still more aircraft approaching from the north. Once again, bombs and missiles would surely begin to fall on Gulo.

Something was different now, however. As the planes approached, General Dawodu's missile defense system went into action. This time they were most effective. Two of the approaching planes exploded in mid-air. Another turned back.

More planes were approaching. Ken couldn't take his attention away from flying the chopper, but he could hear several explosions. If those were bombs, they'd certainly be taking their tole on Gulo.

Ken kept the chopper low, trying to avoid being seen by the invading aircraft. Suddenly he heard a tremendous explosion from the direction of the airport. Looking back, he could see what happened. They'd hit the MiG that was being refueled. Flames shot high into the air. Smoke billowed upward. At least one of the enemy aircraft had gotten through. It would be a tremendous loss for Dawodu and his forces.

The escape route Ken and Dada had planned paralleled a once well-traveled but now seldom-used and neglected road through the mountains and toward neighboring Togowana. Continuing to follow it once they had crossed the border would take them to Kakasero, the capital city. What trouble they'd have at the border would depend on their ability to communicate with anyone who came to intercept them.

While escape from Mabutoma to Togowana by air would not have taken long, the trek by Jeep would be much slower and quite difficult. The road leading to freedom in Togowana had fallen into serious disrepair and was seldom if ever used now, partially because of the fear of the spirits that were thought to dwell in those mountains.

If only Jabari had waited for Ken. Still, if Jabari and Dada were attempting to escape to Togowana via that road, Ken might be able to spot them from the air. He'd try. It was his best hope. His only hope.

* * * * *

Dada had eyed Jabari with deep suspicion as they waited for Ken to inspect the Cessnas for airworthiness and fuel supply. Both she and Jabari got out of the Jeep and tried their best to keep an eye on Ken as he ran to inspect the airplanes, but lost sight of him as he ducked between the aircraft. "Please get us out of here, God," Dada prayed.

Jabari's radio was tuned to Dawodu's command frequency. From what Dada could overhear, the general was making frantic requests to his field officers, exhorting them to do the near-impossible and stop the invaders. And then she heard Dadodu ordering Jabari to return to the Palace immediately and bring both Ken and Dada with him. When Jabari did not respond to the general's order, Dada heard him order his troops to apprehend all three of them. That order was followed by the announcement of a reward in gold for their apprehension and return to the Royal Palace. Dawodu must have thought they'd try to escape.

Moments later, Dada overheard someone broadcast the exact location of Jabrai's Jeep. Someone had spotted them. Knew exactly where they were. Perhaps the soldiers at that checkpoint had reported their whereabouts. Or could it be that Dawodu's security officers had some way of pinpointing the location of the Jeep? A bug of some sort? Ken had thought so.

Upon hearing on his radio that someone knew exactly where they were, Jabari climbed back into the Jeep, preparing to leave quickly if necessary. Dada reluctantly joined him. What could they do now? Leave Ken?

The soldier had come upon them without warning just then, stepping out from a door in the airport terminal building behind the Jeep. He'd announced in no uncertain terms that Dawodu had ordered her and Jabari to return to the Palace immediately. "Get out of the Jeep. You are to come with me," he'd commanded, raising his rifle and firing it into the air for emphasis.

"No!" She'd raised her voice even as she responded to his order to step out of the Jeep with the hope that Ken could hear her and be alerted to the danger at hand, Then, when the soldier thrust out his hand and tightly gripped her wrist, Dada twisted sideways and kicked him in the groin. As he released her wrist, dropped his rifle, and doubled over, she smashed the heavy glass mug into the back of his head. Moments later, Jabari was shoving her back into the Jeep.

Even as she was settling into the passenger seat, Dada heard the roar of those approaching planes. It appeared obvious to her that General Dawodu's Mabutoma was in serious trouble.

As the bombs and missiles began to hit the airport, Jabari started the Jeep, shoved it into gear, and began to speed away. "Don't leave Ken," she'd protested as loudly as she dared, but Jabari had ignored her.

Dada hung on to the Jeep grab-bar as Jabari roared away from the airport terminal building and down a side street. Glancing back, she saw that the two Cessnas were in flames. "Ken couldn't have survived those bombs," Jabari shouted over the roar of the engine, "and we're getting out of here." By then, he was driving like a mad man, and Dada was hanging on for her very life.

* * * * *

Ken kept the little helicopter low as he flew over the outskirts of the city, trying to get a glimpse of Jabari and Dada. He didn't dare circle close to the Presidential Palace to be sure Jabari wasn't taking her back there for fear of Dawodu's missiles. All he could do was hope that wasn't the case.

Jabari must have gotten a fast start, because Ken couldn't spot the Jeep. Much as he wished he could, he didn't dare try alerting Jabari on the radio he'd taken from the solider. That might tip off Dawodu's troops to their whereabouts, if they didn't already know. He wished he'd inspected that Jeep for some sort of a GPS monitoring device Dawodu might have ordered installed on it. Still, he knew that would have been difficult if not impossible without Jabari's assistance and approval.

Well, there was nothing that he could do now except follow the most likely escape route, south out of Gulo and toward Togowana, the route he and Dada had thought to be the best. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any military presence in the south part of Gulo. At least no one was shooting at him yet.

There was no way he could fly the helicopter all the way to Togowana, however. Not now. There simply wasn't enough fuel in the tank. Maybe there would have been if he hadn't had to waste time searching for Jabari and Dada. Well, he'd get as close as he could to the border, and then he'd walk the rest of the way. Unless he could somehow hook up with Jabari and Dada. That was becoming less likely by the minute.

* * * * *

Jabari raced along the trail as fast as he dared to drive the Jeep, which wasn't very fast on most parts of that rutted road, especially when he had to drive using only the Jeep's blackout parking lights for illumination because the headlights would be much too visible. Then, as daylight was just beginning to light the sky in the east, he rounded a sharp curve to find two soldiers, both wearing the uniforms of General Dawodu's Royal Palace Guards, standing behind a tree that had been felled across the trail to block his path. Both men raised their rifles as he skidded the Jeep to a stop. Jabari and Dada both raised their hands in the air as the men approached.
CHAPTER 13

The road Ken was following toward Togowana had rapidly deteriorated into little more than a rutted trail. He could even make out the condition of the road by the pale moonlight. Jabari wouldn't have any trouble traveling that trail with the Jeep, of course, and Ken certainly hoped he and Dada were on their way to the border, but he wished they were in the chopper with him. If he hadn't had to waste the fuel in searching for them, he grumbled to himself over and over again, the three of them would be well on their way out of Mabutoma by now. Well, what was done was done.

The helicopter's fuel gauge was registering empty and Ken was still miles from the border. As the sun was just lightening the sky to the east, he began to search for a clearing where he could land, and he found one some distance from the trail. It was surrounded by scrub trees that would partially hide the chopper, at least from people on the ground.

After gathering what supplies he could carry from the chopper, Ken hiked down the mountainside and toward the trail. He'd follow it to Togowana on foot. And then, only a few minutes after he reached the trail, he heard a motor vehicle approaching. Who could that be? Secreting himself behind a tree, he watched for it—and, to his surprise, spotted Jabari's Jeep.

Only Jabari wasn't driving it now, and it was heading back along the trail toward Gulo. There could be no mistaking the Jeep as the one Jabari had been driving, however. Ken knew every dent and scratch on it. It was Jabari's Jeep, all right, and in the back of the Jeep was what appeared to be a large truck tire.

Two men were in the Jeep. Both were carrying automatic rifles and wearing the uniforms of General Dawodu's Royal Palace Guards. Had they captured Jabari and Dada? Had they killed them?

As soon as the Jeep was well out of sight, Ken picked up the rifle he'd taken from the unconscious soldier back at the airport and began to hike. Knowing that someone must be up ahead on the trail, he kept to the mountainside, traveling above and parallel to the trail leading toward Togowana.

Most of Ken's supplies had been in the Jeep when Jabari left with it, but he had his two canteens, a first-aid kit, and some energy bars. From his GPS unit, he calculated that he was perhaps eighteen miles from the border. He could easily make the border and escape into neighboring Togowana if he were traveling alone, but first he just had to find out what had happened to Dada and Jabari.

Whoever had waylaid Jabari and Dada had to be up ahead, exactly where, Ken did not know. After carefully noting his position on the GPS unit, he climbed still higher up the mountainside and cautiously surveyed the area before him. There was no one in sight.

Keeping to the cover of shrubs and trees as much as possible, Ken continued to hike toward Togowana, paralleling the road. Several miles or so later, Ken looked down the mountainside and saw where a tree lay across and blocking the road. "That's where they stopped the Jeep," he murmured to himself.

After carefully surveying the area and seeing no human activity, Ken made his way to the road. There were tracks in the dust where the Jeep had turned off the road, only to emerge later backtracking the way Jabari had come. There also were footprints, Jabari's, Dada's, and three sets of military boots, that told a part of the story of what happened.

Two sets of military boots, likely those belonging to the two soldiers who'd taken the Jeep, walked up to where the Jeep stopped. Jabari and Dada had gotten out of the Jeep. The third set of military boot prints followed Jabari's and Dada's off the road and down a trail to the right.

A glance at the map on his GPS unit confirmed what Ken already knew. To his right, perhaps a mile or less off the road and accessible only by a rugged trail, was an old hunting lodge. He'd noticed it when he and Dada had been considering escape routes to Togowana. She'd heard that soldiers from the Royal Palace Guards utilized the lodge as a military outpost, and sometimes held training exercises there. Ken now had a good idea of where he would find Dada and Jabari. How many soldiers would be guarding them—if either or both of them were still alive--was another question.

Ken had no doubt that General Dawodu and his men knew exactly where Jabari's Jeep was located at all times. If they could bug his hotel room, they could easily place some kind of surveillance device on the vehicle. Furthermore, it was likely that Dawodu suspected they'd try to escape the country during the rebel attack on Gulo, and would go to any lengths to prevent their leaving.

That would explain what the soldier who had confronted Dada and Jabari at the airport was doing there. He'd probably been given the location of the Jeep and instructions to bring Dada, or all three of them, to the Royal Palace. And the direction the Jeep was traveling was probably radioed to the soldiers at the hunting lodge. All they had to do was wait for it.

So now, to judge by the tracks in the dust, Dada and Jabari and a soldier were on their way to the hunting lodge. On foot. There was only one thing for Ken to do. He'd follow them.

The soldier wasn't making much of an attempt at concealing their trail. He probably didn't suspect that Ken or anyone else was anywhere near. That might work to Ken's advantage.

As Ken followed the tracks, at what he believed to be a safe distance, he came across a discarded cigarette butt. A little farther along was a crumpled empty cigarette pack and a broken match. Three sets of footprints showed him that he was on the right trail, leading directly toward the hunting lodge.

A check of his GPS unit map indicated that Ken now was only half a mile from the lodge. He began to circle around, keeping a distance from the trail to avoid any sentries who might be posted and keeping a careful watch for any perimeter alarms, or an ambush.

There! There it was. The lodge was set in a small clearing, surrounded by trees. Nearby was a small stream. There didn't seem to be a sentry posted anywhere. Maybe they felt secure without a sentry.

A military truck sat in front of the lodge. So why had they taken Jabari's Jeep? Then he saw that the truck was jacked up. The right front wheel and tire were missing. Okay. That explained their having commandeered Jabari's Jeep and also explained the tire he'd seen in the back of the Jeep. They'd probably taken the tire for repair.

Ken sat behind a tree just a little uphill from the lodge and studied the building for signs of human activity. Nothing. No sign of Dada or Jabari, or of the soldier who must have accompanied them there. He'd have to get closer.

Crawling on his stomach, Ken angled his way across the clearing toward the lodge, careful to keep to the meager shelter he could find, knowing that at any minute he might be shot dead. Moments later, however, he reached the side of the building.

Sitting with his back against the building, rifle in hand, Ken quieted his breathing and listened intently. Nothing.

Making his way to the first window, he raised himself and peered into the room. It was a sparsely furnished bedroom, and to judge by the rumpled bedding, had recently been used. No one was in that room now, however.

Ken studied the window. If he removed the screen, a relatively easy task, it appeared likely that he could raise the window further and easily enter the room without making much noise. He'd keep that option in mind.

Cautiously making his way to the second window, this one wide open, Ken raised his head and looked inside—directly into Dada's eyes.

She was seated on the floor across from the window, her back to the wall, her knees drawn up under her chin. Ken saw that her ankles were bound with a length of rope. He couldn't see her hands, but from the way her arms were positioned, he assumed her wrists were tied as well, tied behind her back. As Dada's eyes grew wide with recognition, Ken put his finger to his lips to warn her to be quiet, and she nodded her understanding.

A bed was to Dada's left, a door to her right. It was partially open. Ken thought he detected movement beyond that door, and Dada's glance in that direction assured him that someone was in the adjoining room.

Just then a shadow fell across the open doorway. Ken ducked quickly out of sight. He was about to move completely away from the window when he heard a man's sarcastic voice: "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

The speaker must be facing Dada, his back to Ken's window. Ken cautiously raised his head and saw a man wearing the uniform of the Royal Palace Guards standing over Dada. To judge from his uniform and the holstered pistol he carried, this man was an officer.

"I asked you a question, sweetheart?" the soldier repeated when Dada didn't respond, his voice this time even more harsh and menacing.

"Please leave me alone. I'm okay." What else could she say?

The soldier squatted beside her and put his hand on her knee.

"Please don't."

"Please don't. Please don't." He mimicked her, sarcastically, then ran his hand down her thigh. "Um, nice. Very nice."

Dada hung her head. "Please don't."

"We gonna have us a party, sweetheart, soon as my friends are back." He laughed. "You be the party."

"No. Please."

"No. Please." He sneered. "You too good for us, sweetheart?" He reached for and unbuttoned the top button on her shirt and then the second and third, then pulled her shirt apart to reveal her bra. "There, you lookin' sexier now, sweetheart. Get us in the mood to party."

Dada didn't respond. Her eyes were downcast.

"You been showin' all those rich foreigners a good time," the officer taunted. "Well, tonight when my friends get back, we're gonna show you how Mabutoma warriors party. We gonna tie you to that bed, and show you a real good time, sweetheart." He pinched her cheek as he stood up. As he turned to leave, he laughed down at her. "We sure is lucky. We got the Palace escort girl delivered right to our door."

Had Ken not been so intent on what was happening between Dada and the soldier, he might have paid more attention to the sharp sting on his ankle. As it was, he simply slapped at what he assumed was an ant or spider, or something. When the soldier left Dada's room, he continued his reconnoiter of the lodge, moving around the corner and to the next window, a window which should give him a look into the room behind Dada, the room from which the soldier had emerged to threaten and taunt her.

Jabari and the soldier, who now was lighting a cigarette, were seated at a small table in that room. Cups of coffee were at hand. It would have appeared to be a congenial scene had not the officer placed his pistol within easy reach on the table in front of him beside his radio.

The two men appeared to be carrying on a fairly animated conversation, although they did not appear to be arguing. Ken could not hear the conversation, and could only wonder at Jabari's intent with regards to Dada. Would he play his hand with those loyal to General Dawodu which would mean her rape and going back to a life of slavery—if they did not kill her?

As Ken watched, puzzling over his next move, the soldier snubbed out his cigarette, got to his feet, picked up the pistol and walked to the door of the room where Dada was tied. Apparently he was only checking on her this time, because he returned immediately to his seat at the table.

Ken's first inclination was to shoot the soldier, take Jabari and Dada with him, and set off for Togowana. Still, he couldn't be sure if there were other soldiers around. Even though the one who'd taunted Dada implied that he was the only one here, Ken knew he'd better check out the entire building and surroundings. If there were other soldiers posted nearby, a gun shot would bring them running.

Jabari and the soldier seemed to be relatively settled at the table. Neither apparently had any inkling that he was near. Jabari probably assumed he was killed in the bombing of the airport back in Gulo and had told the other so. Good. Let them think he was dead.

Moving even more cautiously now, Ken made his way completely around the lodge, peering into each window and doorway as he passed them. There was no sign of any other people at the lodge.

The military truck was parked a short distance from the lodge. As Ken noted earlier, it was jacked up and missing a tire, and there didn't appear to be a spare. That tire Ken had seen in Jabari's Jeep as it was going back toward Gulo must have been that tire. No doubt they'd get the tire repaired and return to the lodge as soon as possible.

Ken hoped that he wouldn't have to kill the soldier guarding Jabari and Dada. There already had been enough killing in this wretched country, but he wasn't about to let Dada be raped or go back to Dawodu's dungeon. No. He'd kill first.

He checked the rifle.

And stood up.

"Yiii!" Ken almost yelped aloud as the pain shot through his leg.

There was no time for pain now, however. He kicked the door to the lodge wide open and quickly stepped into the room where Jabari and the soldier were seated, covering them with the rifle. "Don't move," he hissed.

The soldier raised his hands into the air. "Don't shoot."

Jabari raised his hands as well. Ken wished he could trust him, but he couldn't, at least not totally. "Back away from the table, slow and easy, both of you." Ken motioned with the rifle. Both men did as they were told.

Ken retrieved the soldier's pistol and radio from the table. He shoved the pistol into his waistband and the radio into his pocket, and then ordered both the soldier and Jabari into the room where he'd seen Dada. After motioning for the solider to lie flat on the floor with his hands on his head, he turned to Jabari. "Untie her."

Jabari knelt to untie Dada.

"Damn!" Ken grimaced and swore under his breath as the pain engulfed his leg, then leaned back against the wall to steady himself, all the time keeping his rifle trained on the soldier. If the guy had sensed his pain and tried to rush him, Ken wouldn't hesitate to shoot.

Jabari made quick work of untying Dada, reached out his hand to help her to her feet, then turned to Ken. "What now?"

"Tie him up." Ken motioned toward the soldier. Ken wished he could fully trust Jabari. Knew he couldn't.

Jabari picked up the rope that had been used to tie Dada, then hesitated. "Tie him up," Ken repeated, "and be quick about it."

Ken watched closely as Jabari tied the soldier's wrists and ankles, apparently doing a serious job with the knots, then inspected those knots for himself. Once he was satisfied that the man could not easily escape, Ken ordered Jabari to roll him over and search him. Other than his military identification, there was nothing in his pockets, but Ken wanted to be sure the man wasn't carrying a knife with which he might free himself.

"Put him in that closet." Ken pointed with the rifle.

It was all Jabari could do to drag the soldier to the closet and shove him inside, but he finally managed to do so. "What now?" Jabari asked.

Ken looked at his watch. It was hard to tell what time the others might return to the lodge. "Let's the three of us get out of here."

After carefully checking to see that no one was outside, Ken led Dada and Jabari out the door and across the clearing to a grove of trees where they wouldn't be spotted so easily if any of the soldiers returned. Quickly checking the map on his GPS unit, he led them away from the lodge and cross-country toward the road to Togowana.

By now, Ken's leg was so painfully swollen he could barely walk. Furthermore, he felt absolutely feverish. There was no way he could walk to Togowana. He might not even make it another half a mile. They'd have to go on without him.

Once they were a little distance from the lodge and out of sight, he halted the group and sat down heavily. "You're going to have to go on without me," he informed them.

"I can see you're really hurting. What's wrong, Ken?" Dada asked, her eyes searching his.

Ken pointed to his leg, which by now was seriously swollen and turning a blotchy purple. "Something bit me. Something poisonous, I guess. Anyway, I can't walk on it much longer." He sat on a rock and unfastened his boot to relieve the pressure from the swelling. "Here's what we're going to do," he continued.

Dada and Jabari looked at him.

"We're only fifteen miles or so from the Togowana border," Ken replied. He handed the GPS unit to Dada. "Remember how to use this?"

She studied the display for a moment. "Yes."

"Okay. Both of you keep going up that way." Ken pointed. "You'll come to the road you were taking toward Togowana when the soldiers stopped you. Keep out of sight as best you can, and-- "

"But what about--" Dada interrupted.

Ken grimaced, ignoring her interruption as he explained, "There's no way I can make it, and I'd just slow you down if I tried to go with you. I'm going to make it up to the road, all right, though, and I'll find a place where I can cover you. Those soldiers who took the tire into town will be back soon, and when they find you missing from the lodge, they'll come looking for you."

"Oh, Ken, I can't go without--?

"I'll ambush anybody who comes down that road looking for you," Ken interrupted her as he unfastened one of the canteens from his belt and handed it to Dada. "Take this one with you." He withdrew a money clip stuffed with United States currency from his pocket. "And this." He then handed her the pistol and radio he'd taken from the soldier.

Dada handed the pistol to Jabari. Ken wished she hadn't done that, but it wasn't his call. Maybe she didn't know how to use it. She turned back to Ken. "I don't--"

"You've got to be going," Ken interrupted.

"Come on," Jabari urged Dada, echoing Ken's concern. "We've got to get out of here before those guys return." Tears were trickling down her cheeks.

Jabari grabbed her arm. "Come on, Dada. "We've got to go. Now!"

"I'll . . . I'll send help for you when . . . when we reach the border," Dada sobbed as she reluctantly let go of Ken.

"Good bye, Dada—and good luck."

"Good--" Dada could not bring herself to finish saying "goodbye." She was crying.

"Come on!" Jabari pulled her along.

And then they were gone.

* * * * *

Ken managed to drag his hurting body up the side of the mountain until he reached a place above the road where he could see anyone coming from quite some distance. There was no doubt in his mind that Dawodu wanted both Dada and Jabari back at the Palace. And the soldiers wanted a "party" with Dada before they returned her to Dawodu, if they ever did. Well, he'd do his best to delay those guys as long as he could. He hoped it would be long enough for Dada and Jabari to escape.

Twice he glanced in the direction Dada and Jabari had gone, but they were now out of sight. He'd been afraid Dada would not go, would not leave him there. He was glad that she had.

Maybe Dada and Jabari could find a new life—perhaps together. Jabari had seemed quite interested in her. If not, Dada would have plenty of suitors once she got out of Mabutoma, out of slavery to Dawodu. Of that, Ken was certain.

Up ahead and to his right was a fallen tree. It would make good cover and he could see a long ways down the road where he knew the soldiers would come. Although his swollen leg would not now allow him to stand, he managed to crawl to the shelter of the decaying tree.

Just as he thought, he now had a commanding view of the road. He placed the rifle so that its muzzle rested on the tree trunk, aimed at the road, then settled himself behind it. It wouldn't be long now.

They'd go to the lodge, find out what happened, and then go after Dada and Jabari with a vengeance. Dawodu would be angry when he found out what happened, and might even send more troops to prevent their escape—assuming he still had control of the country.

And when those troops did come, they'd kill him. He could delay them, but in the end they'd kill him. Probably want to torture him first.

He'd see to it they didn't get that chance. Lifting himself up with his left arm, he scooped out a hollow in the earth below his chest, a hollow just large enough to hold one of the hand grenades he'd taken from the unconscious soldier back at the airport.

A shallow trench under his chest would allow him to reach and grasp the grenade's mechanism with his left hand. That trench completed, he dug out another shallow trench such that he could reach beneath his chest and pull the grenade's firing pin with his right hand. He'd blow himself up. That was how he'd cheat Dawodu's soldiers from the pleasures of torturing him.

The two other grenades he placed out in front of him where he could reach them easily. If he got the chance, he'd take some of Dawodu's men with him.

His head was hurting and the pain in his leg was growing intense. There were aspirin in his shirt pocket and he retrieved the pack with a trembling hand. In fact, his hand was shaking such that when he opened the aspirin pack and attempted to shake four of them into his hand, he accidentally dropped two of the tablets into the dirt.

The soil might be full of bacteria, but it didn't make any difference now, not now that he was this close to death. Ken found the two tablets and brushed them off, then popped them and two others from the pack into his mouth.

The water in his canteen tasted gritty and brackish as he washed down the aspirin. He'd tasted worse. Of course, he'd given Dada the canteen with fresher water. They'd get thirsty before they got to Togowana. He sure hoped they'd make it.

As the overdose of aspirin began to take effect, Ken felt a little better. At least the pain in his head abated some and he was able to focus his attention on the road stretching out before him. There was as yet no sign of Dawodu's troops. That was good news for Dada and Jabari.

The increasingly intense pain in his leg was beginning to play mind-tricks on Ken. For a moment he was back on his college football team, in the final minutes of the most thrilling game in which he'd ever played. His team was four points down with only a few minutes to play when he threw that touchdown pass, giving his team an upset victory and a tie for the conference title. Over and over in his mind he relived that play. He could still hear the cheers.

Only as Ken came back to reality, he realized that this wasn't a football game and there wasn't going to be any victory, not for him, anyway. No victory. No cheers. Nothing.

And then he glanced at his watch. What was this? It had been almost three hours since Dada and Jabari had walked away toward Togowana. Three hours! Had he been out of it that long? It seemed like only a few minutes had passed.

Had Dawodu's troops passed by when he'd been out of his head? Surely he'd have heard the sound of a Jeep or a truck, wouldn't he have? Maybe he'd already let Dada and Jabari down.

Ken shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his thoughts. He could clearly see the road below him, and there didn't seem to be any fresh vehicle tracks. The realization that he'd been out of it for so long a time shook him. Frightened him. He'd do his best to stay awake and alert from now on. For Dada's sake. For Jabari's.

Maybe he'd been wrong about the soldiers pursuing Dada and Jabari. Of course, he had. They assumed that both Dada and Jabari were at the lodge and under guard. What this meant, Ken wasn't sure, but it must mean something, something his mind couldn't grasp at that moment.

Suddenly, it was cold, very cold. No, it wasn't cold. He was cold. Almost shivering. Then, a few minutes later, he was hot. Perspiring.

Searching once again in his pocket, Ken took out three more aspirin and washed them down with brackish water. He had to keep alert. Had to keep an eye on that road just in case they did come.

After all, the soldier they'd tied up at the lodge could and would work himself free. Ken had taken his radio, but chances were he had some other way of communicating with headquarters. Maybe the truck had a radio. He'd report the fact that Dada and Jabari were not there just as soon as he could.

Or would he? Would that officer want to face the music when Dawodu learned that he'd let them get away? It would certainly be an embarrassment for the officer, maybe enough to get him disciplined. Nothing seemed to make sense.

Ken almost wished Dawodu's troops would come. Get the confrontation over with. No, that wasn't right. Every minute they delayed meant another minute for Dada and Jabari to reach the safety of Togowana's border.

He was reliving that football game again, the one where he'd thrown the game-winning touchdown pass. They'd taken the ball on their own sixteen yard line and . . . and . . . .

When he regained consciousness and looked at his watch yet another hour had passed. Where had the time gone? He knew.

The pain in his leg was even more debilitating than before. The swelling was advancing. His whole leg was swollen. One moment he was sweating, the next, he was shivering with waves of cold sweeping over him.

His arms felt weak, his hands unsteady. He'd never be able to aim and fire that rifle now.

Somehow he managed to push his right hand under his chest. The grenade was still there. Comforting. He fumbled with the firing pen and wondered if he'd be able to pull it when Dawodu's men came for him. And then the blackness of unconsciousness settled over him.
CHAPTER 14

"Mister Davis! You back with us. Oh, thank God!"

Ken's eyes fluttered open again and managed this time to focus on the young woman in the white nurses uniform who was hovering near his bed. "I . . . I guess so," he managed, trying his best to grin. "Where . . . Where am I?"

The nurse smiled back. "Togowana Military Hospital." Before Ken could respond, she added, "I call your doctor now."

Turning back to Ken as she dialed the phone, the nurse continued, "Doctor not speak English. I interpret for you." She giggled, just a hint of pride in her voice. "I only nurse here who speak much English, so I assigned to you. You been here long time. Very, very sick. I so glad you wake up."

Ken nodded his understanding of what this angel in white by his bedside was saying, trying all the while to read her name tag. She saw him. "I am Dayo."

"Dayo?"

"Yes. My name Dayo. Dayo Okello."

"I'm Ken. Ken Davis."

"She grinned. "I know. I glad to meet you. When doctor finish exam, I call Angelica," she continued. "She want to know you wake up. She will come see you right away."

That startled Ken. "Angelica!" he exclaimed, hardly believing what the nurse was saying. "Is . . . Is she here?"

"She here, all right. She stay with me. You lucky guy. She adore you. Fine girl. Guess you know all that. She tell me all about you. She be happy you awake."

"Um--"

"We both pray for you. A whole lot. Long time."

"How long have I been here?"

"Fifteen days." Dayo shook her head and frowned. "Bad poison in you. Take long time to treat. I so glad you wake up."

Before Ken could respond, the doctor came into the room. He was smiling.

* * * * *

Once the doctor left, Ken's nurse told him he'd be kept in the hospital for a few more days, but that he was going to be okay. "We even save leg," she noted, proudly pointing at Ken's leg that had been badly infected. "I so glad we save leg. Oh, and doctor says we get you up later today. Get you walking and eating real food."

He tired to smile. "Dayo? Is it okay if I call you Dayo?"

"Yes. I am Dayo." She returned his smile.

"Thank you for all you've done for me, and for praying for me," he murmured. "You must be a Christian?"

"Oh, yes! I Christian. Same as Angelica. We both Christian. Pray for you every day. Day and night, we pray for miracle." She smiled and clapped her hands. "We got one. Angelica been praying for you since she left you in the mountains. Leaving you make her very sad. She be so happy to know you all right."

"Is her ankle healed?"

"Oh, yes. Something else you should know, too. That . . . um, how you say it . . . tatt . . . tattoo?"

"She got the tattoo on her shoulder removed?" Ken guessed correctly.

"Oh, yes. She hated it. It was the mark of an evil man. I glad it gone."

"I'm glad, too."

"I call her now."

* * * * *

Angelica held Ken's hand as she explained how she and Jabari had made their way to the border of Togowana where they'd encountered a Togowana border security unit on patrol. She'd immediately asked them to alert the Italian ambassador to their presence. Then she'd prevailed upon a Togowana military officer to send a Special Forces team to aid and rescue Ken. They'd done so, using Ken's GPS unit and the trail she'd marked on it to easily locate him. They then brought him to the hospital, where she'd met Dayo. "Wonderful girl, Dayo," Angelica concluded, "her name means 'joy arrives' and it is fitting because she is a real joy to know."

"She said you've been living with her."

"Yes. She is a Christian. She took good care of you--and of me. We both prayed for you."

"Thank you. Where's Jabari?"

"Jabari! Oh, he's already back in Mabutoma, in Gulo to be exact." Angelica smiled, then explained. "Dawodu was ousted as ruler, and Jabari is helping to organize the new government."

"General Dawodu has been ousted?"

"Yes. The rebels overcame his forces with the aid of some foreign governments. They've placed him under house arrest. He can't go anywhere. Can't leave the country. They may try him for crimes." She shrugged her shoulders. "I doubt it. They're all alike in their crimes. Maybe they will kill Dawodu. Who knows?"

"You didn't go back to Mabutoma with Jabari? Or want to?" Ken feared her answer, but he had to know where he stood with her.

Angelica's eyes were soft and warm as she looked at Ken. "He asked me to go with him, said he'd protect me, but I did not go with him. No! Absolutely not! You're the man I want to be with, and I'm not going to let you out of my sight again." She hesitated for a moment, trying to gauge Ken's reaction. "I hope you know I mean that," she added, squeezing his hand tightly in hers, "and I'm not like those other women you told me about, the ones who hurt your father."

Ken nodded. "I know."

"I hope you want me, too," Angelica whispered.

Yes, he wanted her, all right. Despite the problems his father had with women, he'd take his chances with Angelica. "I sure do."
EPILOGUES

Two days later:

"I must tell you something," Angelica began, as she and Ken talked after they'd walked the hallway of the hospital together, helping Ken regain his strength.

"What's that?" Ken asked.

"You remember how much time Jabari and I spent talking about God?"

"Yes."

"Your nurse, my friend, Dayo, gave me a Bible to give to Jabari." Angelica smiled. "I wasn't certain what he might do with it, but he seemed sincerely pleased. We talked about how the Bible is God's word, and he promised to read it."

"That's very interesting." Ken hoped that Jabari would follow through with his promise.

"Yes," Angelica agreed. "I pointed out some of my favorite verses and explained how John 3:16 is a keystone verse. If only Jabari will accept the God of the Bible as his Savior, he will never again fear the spirits in the mountains as many of his countrymen do."

Ken nodded. "We must both pray for him," he said.

"Yes, we must both pray for him, and we will do that," Angelica readily agreed. She was so very pleased that Ken was now returning to his Christian faith. "Thank you, Jesus," she whispered.

Six months later:

Angelica and Ken were married as soon as Ken was allowed to leave the hospital. The Italian Ambassador to Togowana and his staff performed the simple ceremony at Dayo's house. Dayo and Ken's doctor also were honored at the ceremony for their care of Ken while he was in the hospital. Neither Ken nor Angelica would have it any other way.

Back in the United States, Ken and Dada found a church they enjoyed attending together. Before long, they arranged for a Christian wedding ceremony to be performed by the pastor of that church. They continue to pray for Jabari and for the people of Mabutoma.

It was six months later when they were back at Ken's house in the United States that a letter arrived addressed to both of them and postmarked Gulo, Mabutoma. The return address: Office of the Secretary for Economic Development.

"I wish to extend sincere congratulations on your wedding, and I certainly wish you well," Jabari wrote. "Many exciting things are happening here. Our new government is in place and Mabutoma is prospering once again. The new casino is under construction and our new munitions plant will be under construction within the month. Telephone service is being restored, and our television stations will be back on the air within a few weeks.

"Christians are welcome here now. In fact, several groups of Christians are now meeting in houses in the Gulo area, and plans have been made to build a church building for them to worship in. I, myself, supplied the house-church groups with Bibles.

"Of course, I invite you both to visit me in here in Mabutoma," he continued. "Most importantly, I invite you to explore the entire region for gold. Rest assured that you will be given every opportunity and assistance in doing so. I look forward to seeing both of you again. Please contact me at your earliest convenience."

"What do you say to that invitation, Angelica?" Ken asked.

The End

###

