Dennis Wheatley - The Secret War

Lovelace smiled. 'I'll grant you, sir, that you've put up a good case; just the sort, in fact, that Britain has used time and again to justify her own annexations, but honestly, is the country worth it? These miles of waterless desert, dense jungle and barren rock can offer nothing to colonists.'

The General shook his head slowly as he lighted another cigarette. `At the moment no; but certain portions of them, in the hands of Italy, could be made to offer much. I give away no state secrets, but look at that map.'

Glancing over his shoulder Lovelace saw a big map of Ethiopia pinned up on the wall. `Yes?' he said.

`You see Italian Somaliland to the south of Ogaden?' the General pointed with a thick finger. `That is a good country. It is hot but healthy and it has no disease carrying insects; on the other hand, it has little water. Only certain sections of the river Juba flow all the year round and the Webi Shebeli, which is much longer, becomes a mere trickle during the great heats. Look at the Webi Shebeli again. It is nearly two thousand miles in length. If modern engineers could get to work upon it that river could be turned into another Nile and made to fertilize great tracts of territory; hut two thirds of it lie in Abyssinia.'

`You need the upper reaches before you can build your dams and power stations:"

'Exactly. The whole of the Ogaden must come under the Italian flag. It is not only a question of the people we can settle on the land once it becomes fertile, but towns, roads, villages will need to be built and ah de innumerable services necessary to a great modern community installed. At one stroke Italy will have solved her unemployment problem for two generations.' Lovelace nodded, 'I see. The campaign in the north from Eritrea is only a feint then?'

The General smiled. `National morale demanded tat we should avenge the catastrophe we suffered at Adowa as early in the war as possible. That naturally necessitated considerable concentrations of troops on the frontier of Eritrea.'

Lovelace noted the smile and returned it. `The opinion of the experts among the neutrals was that you had decided to engage and defeat the trained army of the Emperor there in order to break his personal power, but that strategically those battles in the north were only staged to exhaust the enemy while your southern army advanced through the comparatively easy country the Fafan Valley, gradually subdued Ogaden, captured Harar, and penetrated to the Jibuti Addis Ababa railway.'

The General's smile broadened into a grin. `The so called experts said many things. For example, that our first action would be a terrific bombing raid on the railway where it crossed the Awash river in order to smash the bridges and cut Addis off from the outside world. Could any suggestion be more foolish? It would cost us millions of lire to build those bridges again and we shall need the railway for our own use immediately we have conquered the country,' It was obvious to Lovelace that the Italian did not mean to answer the really interesting question as to whether the Higher Command intended to attempt pushing their northern flying columns through from Dessye to the capital or if they would gradually subdue the country from the south as had always been predicted. He returned to wider spheres.

'I think it's a pity, sir, your real intentions about the

Webi Shebeli are not more widely known. Few people could fail to sympathise with your wish to turn a great slice of Africa from useless desert into fruitful farmlands but, from what you tell me, the troops are having a very bad time of it in spite of their victories. D'you think they'll stay the course?'

`There is no doubt of that,' the General replied firmly. `The rains, which are due to start any day now, will mean further delay, of course, and conditions are appalling. Our soldiers fight, not only against a merciless enemy, who does not observe the decencies of war, but against heat stroke, fever, sunburn, dysentery, shortage of water and even wild animals which seem to be the allies of the Abyssinians; but our organization is sound and they have confidence in their leaders together with the inspiration of a great national ideal. There has never been any question of our failing to achieve complete and final victory.'

Christopher and several officers joined them at that moment so the talk became general. Orderlies carried round trays of Asti Spumanti and the aromatic, sparkling wine made them disinclined for further serious conversation. A young officer began to strum upon an upright piano; soon a group was gathered round him singing the old songs of Italy and the newest importations from the States.

More Asti Spumanti more singing; for a little the war and its horrors were forgotten. The thought of that anxious hour at sundown, when those who were off duty gathered on the aerodrome each evening to count the chickens as they came home to roost and tried to thrust out of their minds the terrible fate which had probably overtaken the missing, was submerged in gaiety.

At one o'clock Valerie declared that if she was to make an early start in a few hours' time, so as to avoid the heat, she must really get to bed.

As she left with Christopher and Lovelace she carried away with her the hearts of a dozen handsome young exiles who might never see Italy again, and the sounds a last, tremendous ovation followed them nearly back to the hospital.

Only Lieutenant Count Dolomenchi, for once bereft his usual gaiety, saw them off as the dawn was breaking. He told them that the great attack of the southern armies had just been launched against Sasa Baneh which lay a little above the fork of the all important Webiebeli. Four and a half hours later they arrived at last in Addis Ababa,

20

The last black empire

If the irregular row of hangars which constituted the aerodrome at Addis Ababa seemed a toy by comparison with the great Italian base at Assab it certainly did not suffer from lack of personnel,

As the four seater plane came to earth at least three hundred people ran across the open space towards it, Some were in the dirty white shaman of the country and others in khaki uniforms of European design, but nearly all were barefooted.

At first Lovelace would not let Valerie leave the plane because, although many of the uniformed men were driving back the crowd with hippopotamus hide whips, the mob showed a sullen and, at times, vociferous hostility.

A white man arrived on the scene, however, and introduced himself as Henrick Heidenstam; a Swedish pilot in the Emperor's service. He told them that the war with Italy had caused the Abyssinians to develop an intense distrust of all Europeans particularly those who came in planes, on account of the way in which the population had suffered from air raids but that they had no cause to be frightened. It was his duty to meet all arrivals at the airport and he was personally responsible to the Emperor for their safety. He then introduced a bearded, copper coloured man as Ato Habte Worku; a chief of Customs.

Ato Habte Worku demanded fifty thalers landing tax and, while Christopher paid him, sent his apparently numberless assistants to rummage the contents of the plane. Valerie handed over a cardboard box containing the clothes she had worn the previous night and Lovelace another which held their united washing and shaving tackle purchased in Assab. They were charged five thalers on the dress but the rest of their things were 'let in free. When the Customs men returned to report that there was no baggage in the plane, however, there ensued a most excited discussion in Amharic.

Lovelace told Heidenstam that they had been forced to come down in the desert and that robbers had made off with their luggage.

The Swede expressed surprise that they had succeeded n getting away with their lives but Ato Habte Worku was neither sympathetic nor interested. He said that since they had no luggage which he could tax they must gay another fifty thalers landing fee.