Chapter 5

"A week," Don Hugo spat at his henchman in anger from across his desk. "You've been hiding from me for a week and this is all you have to tell me. What am I paying you for?"

Don Diego lowered his eyes and flushed red from the rebuke he was receiving from his master. He had expected the Count to be angry but not as angry as this. It tied up his tongue so he couldn't even open his mouth in protest. All he could do was to stand there and suffer the Count's glare and his stern words.

The Count had been at supper when Don Diego had made his appearance. It had been an unexpected but sought after intrusion. The Count had been dining with his niece and her companion which was something he tried to avoid whenever possible. The Count had always disliked his brother, Dona Isabella's father and he felt no love towards the girl, particularly since her open defence of Dom Pedro in the king's audience chamber. Unfortunately Don Hugo was entertaining an emissary from Madrid and courtesy dictated that Dona Isabella joined them for the meal.

The emissary was Don Sebastian de Sousa of the court of the King and Queen of Spain and he carried the full weight and authority of the Spanish court with him. To ignore him would have been foolhardy at best. Don Sebastian had brought papers with him from the king for Don Hugo to review and to act upon in his capacity as the Spanish ambassador to the King of Portugal. Those papers currently lay unread upon Don Hugo's desk. He would read them later at his convenience and he would discuss them with Don Sebastian if necessary in the coming days and not before then.

The meal had been tedious at best. The old man from Madrid had been an acquaintance of Don Hugo's brother and he had spent much of the meal speaking about the man. This had pleased Dona Isabella, but it had annoyed Don Hugo to no ends. When Don Diego had intruded upon their meal, Don Hugo had left his niece and her companion in the care of Don Sebastian. The old man was flattered to be left the honour of entertaining the young lady and the nun while his host dealt with matters of state.

"So man," Don Hugo sneered at Don Diego in a manner that belittled his servant at best, "that is all you can tell me about the cursed Alverez and his schemes. It is not enough."

"Forgive me your Excellency," Don Diego pleaded frantically, "but it has taken time to recruit an new agent from amongst those within the Count de Alverez's villa and even now that we have a man willing to spy upon the Count and his party, it has taken time for that man to be in the right place at the right time to learn anything."

"Yes you fool," Don Hugo threw back at Don Diego in an exasperated manner, "you've already explained that to me. What I want to know is why our agents at court have been silent. Surely one of them has heard something."

"No Excellency they have not," Don Diego responded with a sigh. "It appears that Dom Roberto has kept silent as to the letters he received a week ago from his nephew. While he has attended court every day this week, the man has not spoken once against you. Thus our agents have nothing to tell us."

"This is not good at all," Don Hugo muttered sourly from behind his desk. "I know the man has the letters in his possession and I am certain that he will use them against me. The question is what his plans will be. If he has not shown them to the King of Portugal as of yet, then he must have another scheme up his sleeve. We must find it out."

"We will try your Excellency," Don Diego answered hesitantly, bowing his head as he did.

"You will do more than try Don Diego," Don Hugo growled back at him. "If the Count de Alverez succeeds in embarrassing me before the King of Portugal or the court in Madrid, it will not be just my head at stake. It will be yours as well and many others along with us. It would do well for you to remember this."

"Most certainly Excellency," Don Diego declared looking a little paler than he had been a few moments ago.

"In the meantime we must move forward with our own plans," Don Hugo declared, changing the topic. "What about the Bella Rosa and Dom Jose. I have heard that the ship has been taking on crew and provisions and trade goods. When will it sail."

"Our people on the quayside say that the ship and the two others that will be sailing with it will sail on the morning tide," Don Diego stated with a little more confidence than he had displayed so far in the meeting. "Dom Jose will be travelling with a full crew plus ten extra men. The other ships will also be carrying extra men and weapons. I've been told that these men are fighting men and not simply sailors."

"Ah hah," Don Hugo muttered thoughtfully, "I can see their plan right now. Dom Jose will sail to Eko first where he will join up with that whelp Dom Pedro. The extra men will add to the troops that they already have there and together Dom Jose and the boy will attempt to raid our secret base. We will need to prevent that from happening."

"I have already seen to it that a man amongst the crew of the Bella Rosa will act for us, your Excellency," Don Diego stated with a thin smile upon his lips. "The man is reputed to be discrete in conducting himself about his duties and it is said that he never fails. I think we can rely on him."

"You had better be right Don Diego," Don Hugo spoke sternly, "however in case you are wrong we must prepare a secondary plan. I will send a message to Captain Hidalgo and order him to sail to Eko. If your man fails it will be up to him to raze the village and the factory and to put an end to these meddlesome Portuguese."

"Yes your Excellency," Don Diego muttered in agreement, "I believe that would be wise."

"So there you are," Ishmael muttered in greetings as he walked up to where Pedro was standing. "I've been looking for you for the last hour or more."

Pedro turned and smiled at Ishmael's approach. The young nobleman was standing with two local men near the most northern tip of the island. One man, native of the area had a light brown complexion while his companion had a rich black complexion that heralded the fact that he had come from other lands. Both men were dressed in light linen robes like most in the area. Unlike most others in the area the two men were armed with bows and arrows and each carried a pair of thrusting spears. Pedro had been talking to both of them when Ishmael had made his presence known.

"Ishmael my friend," Pedro called out to the swarthy man in Arabic, "come over here and meet my acquaintances. This man is Rashid bin Abdullah and the man with him is call As-wad. Rashid is a local hunter and As-wad is his slave."

Ishmael came to a halt beside Pedro and greeted Rashid courteously in Arabic. The other man did the same. As for As-wad, Ishmael just nodded his head in the black man's direction. Then he turned his attention to Pedro and asked him what he was doing so far from the factory and work. He said this in a jovial manner but the expression on his face showed some concern. Pedro noted it immediately but brushed it off with a dismissive comment.

"You needn't give me such a sour look my friend," Pedro chuckled softly, slipping back into Portuguese as he addressed his captain of the guard. "I am armed and being careful and besides, over this past week I have made many friends here on Eko. You shouldn't worry so much."

"I worry my lord," Ishmael stated firmly, "because you do not; however we will let that go for now and talk about it later. Right now I would like to know why you are with these two men."

"I am trying to recruit Rashid," Pedro declared aloud, switching back to Arabic so that he could include the other two men into the conversation with him and Ishmael, "to come with us when we raid the Condor's secret lair to the south."

"And why in the name of the prophet would you do that Dom Pedro," Ishmael asked in amazement at what his lord had stated.

"I've been speaking to As-wad these last few days," Pedro informed his friend, "whenever I saw him in the market. Rashid owns a stall there where either his sons or As-wad sells game that they have taken, either off a nearby island or from the mainland. I've learned from talking to As-wad that he is from the south and that he learned his skill as a hunter there in the dark jungle. Hearing it I decided I wanted him and Rashid to come with us when we journeyed south."

Ishmael didn't know what to say. Pedro had been active since arriving in Eko, now a week ago; planning the venture to the south so that he could depart the moment Dom Jose arrived on Eko. Each day he had spoken with Ishmael about who they would take with them and what they would need to accomplish their task. By now Dom Pedro's plan was well established and Ishmael and Ibrahim had both gone over it to voice their own opinions and to ensure that nothing had been missed by the young nobleman in his hurry to revenge his father and his house. It hadn't been the only thing that Pedro had been doing either in relationship to preparing to deal with the Condor and his machinations. One of the things that Dom Pedro had done was to establish a watch on one of the islands that was closer to the mouth of the lagoon and the gulf beyond. As Dom Pedro had pointed out over dinner the third night he was in residence, while only a skilled pilot could navigate the waters leading into the lagoon and towards the factory on the island, a clever and determined foe could lower boats at sea and land men on the outer islands. Those men could then hop from one island to another in their boats or they could strike up one of the narrow tributaries that ran amongst the various tree covered islands until they were on the doorstep of the factory. By then it would be too late to even raise the alarm. By putting a watch on an uninhabited island, hidden from prying eyes, then an alarm could be sounded if such a ploy was unleashed upon them by either the Condor or other foes such as a band of roving pirates. To add to the precaution, Dom Pedro had ordered that one of the surviving cannons off of the Virago should be placed on the island. He was positive that even one cannon could prove decisive if it caught an attacking enemy unaware. Grudgingly Ishmael had been forced to agree with the young man, even if it meant offloading the cannon from the Virago and shipping it with powder and ball to the island and then placing it in a defensive position that he had to send men to build. He even agreed when Pedro insisted it would be manned around the clock. Thankfully, Dom Pedro had made that part easy on him. Until Dom Jose returned the gun would be manned by men from the Hawk.

Now however he was confused as to why Dom Pedro wanted to recruit two local men, of which one was a slave, to travel with them when they did go south to deal with the Condor's men. To him it made no sense. Finally he signed with resignation and asked the young nobleman what he was thinking.

"There are two reasons that I want to recruit Rashid and As-wad," Pedro told his captain in a manner meant to reassure him. "The first is the fact that none of us have journeyed into the interior of the region we will be entering. I know that it is hilly in places and mountainous in others and that deep thick jungle covers most of the land. To travel we will be forced to follow the great river and the tributaries feeding into it. That could be dangerous. As-wad grew up in country like that and he hunted in that kind of terrain. He wasn't born in the Kingdom of Kongo, where we are bound, but in principal where he did grow up should be no different from where we are going. He could guide us over trails if we needed him to do that and he can point out what is good to eat and what is not. More importantly he can track our enemies once we have found their trail. The other thing that concerns me and makes me want to take Rashid and As-wad with us are the weapons that we will be taking with us. Our men will carry blades and pistols and muskets. A musket going off in the jungle will tell our enemies that we are there and they will prepare a trap in an effort to capture us. If Rashid and As-wad journey with us, they will have their bows and spears. With these they can hunt without alerting the Spaniards to our presence and if we encounter a patrol, their weapons will kill silently."

Again Ishmael fell silent as he reflected on what Pedro had just told him. It only took an instance for him to realize that the young nobleman was right. Taking As-wad with them would give them an advantage they would need and bringing Rashid along would only improve their chances of reaching the enemies secret lair undetected. Still he did have a concern and he voiced it without any hesitation.

"Your idea is wonderful Dom Pedro," Ishmael stated first, "but I am concerned that two bowmen will not be enough on our little adventure. What if we encounter a stronger force, whether locals or the Spaniards, while we are trekking through the jungle? Those men with pistols and muskets will use them anyway."

"I have thought of that as well my cautious friend," Pedro chuckled in reply. "I intend to start training our men with hunting bows like the ones Rashid and As-wad use and I will continue training them upon the Hawk while we journey south. Hopefully it will give our men some skill with the weapons and we will be able to leave our muskets and powder behind."

"A risky plan, my lord," Ishmael declared with a look of concern upon his face. "True skill with a bow takes years to achieve."

"You are right my friend," Pedro admitted readily, "but it will be a risk that we will have to take. Naturally our final decision on the matter will be made when we get there. If the men show no skill whatsoever then we will take the weapons that they are familiar with and pray for the best."

Ishmael nodded his head in agreement and then looked over to where Rashid and As-wad had been standing the whole time he and Pedro had been speaking. Rashid smiled when he noticed that Ishmael had taken notice of him. As-wad's face remained neutral.

"So what do you say Rashid the Hunter," Ishmael asked the man. "Do you wish to go on an adventure in the darkness of the south or is hunting game here adventure enough?"

"I have thought about it, Ishmael bin Yusuf," Rashid replied courteously, rubbing his bearded chin as he spoke. "Your young master has made me a good offer. He has said that there are riches to the south that I can have a share of once we have done what must be done and he has offered me compensation for my time and the work that As-wad must do. He will pay gold so that my wife and sons do not go hungry while I am gone. He has also sworn to Allah that if ill befalls me that he will give alms to my family and provide for them so long as he and his family lives."

"That is a generous offer," Ishmael muttered in acknowledgement.

"It is," Rashid agreed with a nod of his head, "and I will accept it. If god wills it all will go well and we will return with stories to tell and memories to share."

"As god wills it, let it be so," both Pedro and Ishmael said in reply, with Pedro shaking the man's hand to close the deal. Then with a smile he told the man, "I will see you tomorrow at the factory. We will start training after morning prayers."

"So why were you looking for me?" Pedro asked Ishmael as they entered the village and walked slowly towards the walls of the factory. "It wasn't just to reprimand me for wandering about without a guard, was it?"

"No my lord," Ishmael acknowledged in a low voice, "although I should scold you a little more about that. You may be young and fearless but you are reckless as well. While many of the villagers tolerate us because we buy and trade with them and we often provide them with work not all of them love us and some think of us as infidels who should be slain. I wish you would at least take a couple of guards with you when you wander about."

"I will," Pedro promised with a sigh, "even though I would rather not. I want these people to think we trust them and that we consider them our friends. Walking about with men armed with muskets will not win their hearts. It will only isolate them and us."

"It is not their hearts that I'm concerned about," Ishmael stated dismissively, "but their knives and spears that they could turn against you if they ever thought that you had insulted them or the prophet. You might understand the Quran and you may speak their language but you will never be one of them."

"So you have told me before my friend," Pedro admitted with a grim look upon his face, "and I will take heed from now on about it. For now leave the sermons to Father Gerome and tell me why you sought me out."