Dennis Wheatley - The Secret War

His first request was rather surprising: he asked for news of the war; but he explained that communications with the fronts were so difficult that even the Emperor usually learnt of fresh movements, when he was in Addis Ababa, through reports brought in from the outside world by neutrals before he heard of them before from his own commanders.

'We heard the Italians had opened a big attack at Sasa Baneh this morning,' Lovelace informed him.

Blatta Ingida Yohannes smiled. 'There they will break themselves against our “Hindenburg line”, Many lion pits have been dug to trap their tanks. When these have fallen through the thin, earth covered layers of sticks into the holes Ras Nasibu's men will overwhelm their infantry and wipe it out. What do they say in Jibuti of the fighting on our northern front

'We've heard nothing of that since they captured Dessye close on a fortnight ago.'

The young coloured man shrugged his shoulders, `So that silly rumour still persists. We had it here ten days back, but it is false, of course just one of the many propaganda lies that the Italians send out over their powerful wireless to try and hearten their troops in other sectors. You see, it is quite impossible, because the Emperor is still at Dessye.'

Lovelace forebore to contradict him, although he had seen the Italians occupying the town itself from Count Dolomenchi's plane. He feared that the officials in Addis might become suspicious and troublesome if they knew their visitors had just spent some time as guests of the enemy. Spy mania was running high. Their movements might be restricted and the aeroplane seized, It was safer to allow it to be believed that they had come straight from Jibuti. 'You feel that the war's going well for you, then?' he asked.

'It is difficult to say,' the Abyssinian replied. We know so little only that it is certain we shall win in the end. The Italian casualties are far higher than they say, since we contest every inch of the ground, and every one of our soldiers is a crack marksman. Each night we raid their lines, too. They hate that. It is shaking their morale even worse than their air raids are shaking the morale of our people. Every mile they penetrate, too, lengthens their lines of communication and makes them more vulnerable. Sooner or later they must collapse. It will happen quite suddenly one night. Then we will chase them out of our country. You will see.'

`They won't collapse as long as they keep on sending out adequate reinforcements,' Christopher said, 'because you cannot possibly hope to beat them in a pitched battle owing to their complete supremacy in the air.'

`No.' The young Abyssinian gave him a sly glance. `You are right, perhaps, as long as the fighting is on the low levels with only an isolated mountain to be captured here and there; but wait until they reach the high ground. European airmen cannot fly day after day at fifteen thousand feet. Their hearts will give out in the rarefied atmosphere and they will be crashing all over the place. That is why they so seldom attempt an air raid here. White people cannot even walk here in Addis without their hearts giving them trouble.'

They knew that he was right. Every step they had taken since they arrived in the Abyssinian capital had seemed to cost them a special effort.

'You feel very confident of victory, then?' Valerie said.

'How can you doubt it when everybody knows that the British are coming to our assistance?'

`If they did it would mean another World War,' Christopher said quickly.

'About that I do not know, but our situation is obvious. A few years ago the Emperor might have been willing to compromise with his powerful neighbour rather than risk a war which must mean much misery for his people, whichever side was victorious. Since that time Abyssinia has been admitted to the League. What is the League for if not to protect small nations from aggression? Naturally, after that the Emperor would not consider any form of compromise. He knew that he could rely upon the League to maintain him in his just rights. The machinery at Geneva works slowly. We understand that; and we are perfectly willing to defend ourselves while Britain makes her preparations. But as the champion of the League she is bound to intervene on our behalf before very much longer. Many squadrons of her aeroplanes are already in Egypt waiting for the word to attack.'

Valerie sighed. The whole world knew now that the League was a broken reed to lean upon, yet this man's faith in it was apparently unshakable and quite pathetic.

More coffee and liqueurs were sent for. Lovelace took advantage of the interruption to get Blatta Ingida Yohannes off the thorny subject of the League, and asked him about the Emperor.

The young man was one of the Jeunesse d' Ethiopie; the society of progressive Abyssinians. He spoke with real enthusiasm of the Emperor's reforms, and sadly of how the westernization of his country was being held up now for lack of funds because the Emperor was being compelled to spend every penny of his money on munitions for this wicked war that had been forced upon them.

Believing them to be ordinary tourists, he expressed great anxiety that they should see everything before they went away and leave with a good opinion of Abyssinia. He said that the Emperor received all visiting Europeans personally when he was in the capital, but in the Emperor's absence it was his duty to entertain them. To start with, he proposed a drive round the town that afternoon and that he should call for them again after dinner to take them to the cinema.

Christopher's face showed his anxiety lest their self appointed guide would seriously embarrass their movements; but Valerie leaped into the breach by saying that they were all tired after their journey and feeling the effect of the high altitude; for the remainder of the afternoon they would prefer to rest. The evening was already disposed of by their arrangement to dine at the American Legation.

Blatta Ingida Yohannes accepted the situation, but insisted that he should call for them first thing on the following morning. He would take them to see the French and English schools where the children of the Abyssinian aristocracy were being educated on modern lines. In the meantime he would see about securing suitable personal servants for them, to look after them during their stay, and attach a special police guard to them in case they wished to walk in the town; but he begged that they would confine themselves to the European quarter.

The moment he had gone Christopher gave a despairing groan. `What with servants, and police guards, and that fellow hanging round us all the time, we'll never succeed in getting at Zirrif even if we can find him.'

'We'll manage somehow,' Lovelace said grimly. `These people have plenty of low cunning, but we whites have far better brains. It's not difficult to trick them, and I've been thinking, if we can't trace Zirrif through the American Legation we'll probably be able to get a line on him through his friend Ras Desoum.

You go off and have your rest now; you're looking rotten.'

'Yes, I feel it too. See you later, then.'

As Christopher left the room Valerie looked across at Lovelace, 'So we're off on this murder game again, it seems.'

Lovelace gave her a quick glance and began to fiddle with a new pipe he had bought. 'When Zirrif shot down your plane in the Danakil country he did it with the deliberate intention of murdering us all, so, quite apart from the fact that the Millers of God have ordered his execution, to my mind he deserves all we mean to give him.'

`Yes yes,' she nodded wearily. `I know.'

He stroked his small, upturned moustache and went on slowly: `You're not quite so keen now on this Crusade as you used to term Christopher's mission are you? It's a grim business and I've wished all along you were safely out of it. Listen, Valerie. Why not fly back to Jibuti this evening. We'll beg, borrow, or steal some reliable chap from one of the Legations to go with you.'