Chapter 27: Boating

After lunch on the next day, the Emir had Diana brought, in western dress, to the helicopter pad and they flew out to the pool and waterfall in the chase, where a large rowing boat had been floated next to a small jetty. Stepping carefully into it, they sat comfortably facing the bow while a muscular eunuch rowed them about on the lake.

"This is lovely," said Diana, "But for the odd trees and the temperature one might be in England in summer."

"My grandfather had this chase built to use hunting. He had acquired that taste in England while fox-hunting was still permitted there."

"Did the foxes manage to live here?" she asked.

"Oh, no. There were and are no foxes in this part of the world. We hunt specially trained slaves and we use wolfhounds to do so. The huntsmen are mounted and dressed in exact replicas of English pink, and very warm they get," explained the Emir.

"And are the foxes killed at the end?" asked an alarmed Diana.

"Oh no," said the Emir, "I can assure you the dogs are trained not to attack the quarry. The 'kill' as we still call it is performed on a large divan and is essentially sexual in nature."

"That sounds exciting. Are women slaves used, then? And do women hunt also?"

"Almost all the quarry are female slaves, but if one can evade the hunt for two hours she gains her freedom and can leave Kobekistan for any country she chooses, with a pension. It does not happen often but when a quarry wins they are given enough money to live on for the rest of their lives, far from here. No woman has ever been a huntress, but that could be altered if I so choose. After all, I am the law," said the Emir, curious what her reaction would be.

"Interesting, but far too strenuous for me," she said, "How large is the chase?"

It stretches over several square miles. I'll show you from the air on the way back."

They settled to a companionable silence for some time while they were taken close to the waterfall and then back to the jetty. A tour of the chase followed when the helicopter arrived and then they headed back to the Golden Palace.

"Shall we dine together tonight? Just the two of us?" asked the Emir.

"Yes, I would like that," said Diana, who expected that there would be more kisses and cuddles that evening and who fully intended to take the opportunity of discovering the Emir's intentions if she could.