Chapter 6

The next morning the five visitors sat once again with the Chieftess. The results were, if anything, more astounding in daylight than they had been last night. The woman who sat across from them was young, vibrant and beautiful. Again Renee entertained thoughts of seducing the young Chieftess, perhaps persuading her to give up the seeds by the use of guile and sex, but she was also aware that her body was no longer as attractive as it once was. Besides, it was Christine who the tribal leader kept looking at and it was Christine who figured into Renee's plans as well.

There was round after round of negotiation through Raluu, but the Chieftess was adamant. The tree itself was off limits and while she might negotiate for the sale of one Luaki seed, two were out of the question. Martin told Raluu to offer her anything she wanted, he would fly out, get it and bring it back. However, the woman indicated that trading meant the actual passing of one thing for another and promises meant nothing.

At last in frustration, Ben reached into his backpack and brought out an ordinary butane lighter. He flicked the flame to life, astonishing the Chieftess. He extinguished the flame, then flicked it to life again. He did this several times. He held it out and she reached for it, but he withdrew it having Raluu explain that they would trade the firestick for one of the seeds.

The young leader was thoughtful, but while considering the offer, her eyes fell again on Christine. She smiled and spoke rapidly to Raluu.

"Well, what did she say?" asked Ben when Raluu hesitated.

"She say she will trade one Luaki seed for the firestick and the white haired woman."

"What!" roared Ben and Christine in unison.

"That is the offer," repeated Raluu.

"Tell her she can go to hell!" said Christine.

"No, wait," shouted Renee, thinking the Chieftess had implemented her plan for her, "let's think about this a minute."

"What's to think about?" asked Christine indignantly. "She wants every man in the village to screw me so I can make one baby right after another!"

"Look," said Renee, "I know it may sound crazy, but suppose we agree to the deal. We get back to the helicopter pick up point in three days. Another day to get back to Brazzaville. Martin hires some heavily armed mercenaries and we're back to rescue you in a matter of days."

"You... you... you intend to leave me here for a week or more while every savage in the village pokes me full of sperm?" Christine sputtered.

"A week, tops! encouraged Renee.

"You've got to be kidding!... Ben!" said Christine, turning to her husband.

"You might as well," said Ben, "after all, it can't be any worse than fucking eleven dogs in one night!"

The blonde's mouth flew open.

"How did you know about..."

"Renee told me last night after you were asleep. As a matter of fact she told me everything you've done behind my back for the last two years. Right now I don't much care what you do!"

Christine turned to Renee with hatred in her eyes.

"How could you?"

"Nothing personal, but I've got to have that seed."

"The seed is going back to a lab," announced Ben coldly.

"Could we talk about that... in private?" asked Renee, motioning toward the hut in which they had been sleeping, but which was now empty.

"Martin, stay with Christine. We'll be right back," she said as she and Ben left the hut.

They could still hear Christine's, "No, I won't do it! You can't make me!" and Martin trying to calm her down as they entered the empty hut.

"Ben, I have to have the seed," she said calmly.

"Renee, this is just too big. I can't let something like this escape medical science. It has to be taken to a laboratory for study. "

"And that's your final word?" she asked, modifying her plan somewhat since he could not be persuaded.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is," he said turning away to avoid having to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorr..."

The knife blade entered just below the rib cage on his right side. His eyes widened in surprise and shock. As he tried to turn to face her, the blade found flesh a second time entering just below the sternum and finally a third time in his lower abdomen. He hadn't even had time to react, let alone defend himself. He fell to his knees, vomited blood profusely and fell, face first, into the dust near the door, a sickening dark pool beginning to stain the earth beneath him.

She collected three more of the lighters from Ben's pack and headed back to the hut of the Chieftess.

"Tell her," she said to Raluu, "that we will give her all four of the firesticks for the seed."

"And the woman?" asked Raluu.

"And the woman!" said Renee.

"No, you can't! I won't!... screamed Christine as she tried to rise.

"Hold her!" ordered Renee and Raluu grabbed the attractive blonde and held her arms.

"Ben!" she screamed.

"Ben is no position to help you... now or ever again," said Renee calmly.

The unspoken but clear message passed between the two women. Christine's eyes opened wide with fear.

"Noooooo!" she pleaded as the man wrested her outside.

"My God, Renee are you saying..." Martin began.

"It was an accident," she lied. "I only wanted to scare him into agreeing to give me the seed, but he lunged at me and the knife..." she broke off, crocodile tears in her eyes.

Martin seemed in shock, frozen into immobility, his mouth open, his eyes unseeing as Renee turned to exit the hut.

The Chieftess followed Renee. They noticed that two of the tribesmen were now holding Christine, awaiting orders from the Chieftess.

"Tell her Christine won't submit willingly," Renee instructed Raluu.

"She says they sometimes have young girls who do not wish to submit for their first time. They will deal with her."

"Good," said Renee handing the four lighters to the young chieftess and holding out her own hand.

The beautiful young tribal leader pulled a seed the size of a large acorn from her loincloth and dropped it into Renee's hand.

"At a nod from the young leader, Christine was carried, screaming, to a center area near the fire pit where four bamboo posts had been driven into the ground. Two of the tribesmen, at the behest of the Chieftess ripped Christine's clothes from her. She was then tied, face up, spread eagled to the bamboo posts, her arms and legs spread wide open for all to see and for easy access to the men of the village.