Taffari shook his head. Sir Peter Harrison's opinion of you seems to be well founded. Planning is one thing, Cheng pointed out modestly.
Execution is another thing entirely. I am sure that you will bring the same energy and drive to that part of the operation. Taffari looked at his wristwatch. I am expecting a guest for lunch. . I am sorry, Your Excellency. I have overstayed my welcome.
Cheng made as if to rise. Not at all, Mr. Ning. I absolutely insist that you join us for lunch. It may amuse you to meet my other guest, a member of the film team which Sir Peter Harrison has hired.
Ah, yes.
Cheng looked dubious. Sir Peter explained to my father and myself why he had invited a film company to Ubomo. I am not certain that I agree with him, however. The English have a saying about sleeping dogs. In my view, it may be better not to draw world attention to our operations. I would like to cancel the project and send the film team out of Ubomo. I am afraid it is too late for that. Taffari shook his head.
We have already- received a great deal of adverse publicity.
There is a woman, a protegee of the previous presidents Omeru. . .
For another ten minutes they discussed Sir Peter's plan to defuse Kelly Kinnear's propaganda campaign by a countercampaign of their own. In any event, Taffari pointed out, we can always suppress anything we don't like about this film production. Sir Peter Harrison has an approval clause written into the contract. We can even suppress the final product completely, and destroy all copies of the film, if we feel that is advisable. of course, you are taking precautions to make certain that these people do not get to see any of our sensitive areas?
The convict labour camps, the main logging operations, and the refill mining? Trust me, Mr. Ning. They will see the pilot scheme only. I have a reliable military officeraccompanying them at all times. He broke off at the sound of an approaching vehicle. Aht That would be the person we are discussing, the cameraman and Captain Kajo.
Cameraman?
Cheng asked, as ihey watched Bonny Mahon and Captain Kajo cross the lawn towards them. Inaccurate, I agree, Taffari chuckled. But is there such a term as camerawoman, I wonder? He stood up and went to meet his guest.
Captain Kajo came to attention and saluted. Taffari ignored him.
Kajo's job was done. He had delivered Bonny. He turned on his heel and returned to wait in the army Landrover. He knew it might be a long wait.
Cheng studied the woman as Taffari led her down the verandah. She was too big and bosomy. She had no delicacy of bone structure nor refinement of feature. Both her nose and mouth were too large for his taste. Her freckled skin and coppery hair repelled him. Her voice and laughter, as she joked with Taffari, were loud and vulgar. Her confident attitude and powerful limbs made Cheng feel threatened as though she were challenging his masculinity. He did not like a woman to be as strong and assertive as a man. He compared her unfavourably with the dainty ivory-skinned women of his own race, with their straight black hair and submissive self-effacing manner.
However, he rose politely and smiled and shook her hand, and saw that Taffari was quite smitten by the woman.
He knew that Taffari had a dozen Hita wives who were amongst the most beautiful of the tribe, but he supposed that the president was attracted by the novelty of this gross creature.
Perhaps he felt that it would add to his status to have a white woman as a plaything. However, Cheng guessed shrewdly that he would tire of her soon enough and discard her as casually as he had taken her up.
Mr. Ning is the chief executive officer of the Ubomo Development Corporation, Taffari told Bonny. Technically he is your boss. Bonny chuckled. Well, I can report that we are doing a hell of a job, boss.
I am delighted to hear that, Miss Mahon! Cheng was unsmiling. It is an important task that you are undertaking.
What have you accomplished so far? We've been working here in Kahali and on the lake. We've already filmed the site of the new hotel and casino.
Both Cheng and Taffari listened seriously to her report. Where are you moving to after this? Cheng wanted to know. After we finish here we are driving up-country to the forest area. A place called Sengi-Sengi. Have I got that right, Your Excellency? She looked at Taffari.
Quite right, my dear Miss Mahon, Taffari assured her. Sengi-Sengi is the corporation's pilot scheme for utilising the forest assets.
Cheng nodded. I will be visiting the project myself at the very first opportunity. Why don't you come up to Sengi-Sengi while we are filming?
Bonny suggested. it would give much more weight to the production to have you in it, Mr. Ning. She paused as another thought struck her, and then with a boyish grin she turned to Ephrem Taffari. But it would really be terrific to have you in the production, Mr. President. We could interview you on the site of the project at Sengi-Sengi. You could explain to us your hopes and dreams for your country. just think of that, Your Excellency.
Ephrem Taffari smiled and shook his head. I'm a busy man.
I don't think I could spare the time. But she could see he was tempted.
He was enough of a politician to relish the prospect of favourable exposure to a wide audience. It would be very valuable, she urged him.
For both Ubomo and your personal image. People out there in the big world have heard about you only vaguely. If they could see you, it would change their whole perception. I assure you from a professional point of view that you would look plain bloody marvelous on the screen.
You are tall and handsome and your voice is sensational. I swear I'd make you look like a film star. He liked the idea. He liked the flattery. Well, perhaps. . . They both realised that he wanted to be persuaded just a little longer. You could fly up to Sengi-Sengi by helicopter, Bonny pointed out. It would take half a day, no more. . .
She paused and pouted suggestively and touched his arm. Unless, of course, you decided to stay over for a day or two. That would be okay by me, also. Daniel and Bonny, accompanied as always by Captain Kajo, drove up from Kahah. Although it was only a little over two hundred miles it took them two full days, for much of that time was spent not in travelling but in filming the changing countryside and the rural tribes in their traditional manyattas that they found along the way.
Captain Kajo was able to smooth the way and negotiate with the tribal elders. For a few Ubomo shillings he arranged that they had the run of any of the Hita villages that they passed.
They filmed the young girls at the water-holes, clad only in tiny beaded skirts as they bathed and plaited each other's hair. The unmarried girls dressed their coiffures with a mixture of cow dung and red clay until it was an intricate sculpture on top of their heads, adding inches to their already impressive height.
They filmed the married -women as they returned to the village in long files clad in flowing red matronly togas, swaying gracefully under brimming calabashes of water drawn from the spring.
They filmed the herds of dappled, multi-coloured cattle with their wide horns and humped backs against 4 background of flat-topped acacia and golden savanna grasslands.
They filmed the herdboys bleeding a great black bull, twisting a leather thong around its neck to raise the congested vein beneath the skin, then piercing it with the point of an arrow and capturing the scarier stream of blood in a bottle-shaped calabash. When the gourd was half filled they sealed the wound in the bull's neck with a handful of clay, and topped up the calabash with milk stripped directly from the udder. Then they added a dash of cow's urine to curdle the mixture into thick cheesy curds. Low cholesterol, Daniel pointed out when Bonny gagged theatrically. And look at those Hita figures. I'm looking, Bonny assured him. Oh, hallelujah, I'm looking-" The men wore only a red blanket over one shoulder, held with a belt at the waist.