986. Chapter 986

After Wrapped Up in Death

Chapter 2.19

By UCSBdad

Disclaimer: This is the Castle I do not own. Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: This is one of the continuing adventures of Kate "Idaho" Beckett, and her husband, Rick Castle, archeologists in the 1930s. It is a sequel to chapters 623, 632, 752, 776, 793, 848, 887, and 918.

"So, what brings you and the memsahib to Africa, old boy?" Asked Sir Cecil Babbling-Brooke, the Governor of the British colony of Kenya.

"We're both archeologists. We've been working in Asia, mostly in China, in fact. But since the Japanese invasion and conquest of Manchuria in 1931, things have gotten really bad in China. Japanese and Chinese troops fight and Chinese warlords are trying to set up independent areas under their control. Added to that, there are bandit armies and revolutionaries all over. It's no place for two peaceful archeologists."

"Then the Royal Geographic Society offered to fund a dig by us in the old Roman port of Nikon." Kate added.

"Nikon?" Sir Cecil said, scratching his head. "Never heard of it."

"You do know that the Romans traded far beyond the borders of their Empire?" She asked. "Roman traders in Gaul and Germania Inferior traded in Scandinavia and on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea. Traders operating in Roman Egypt traded down the Red Sea and all the way to India by sea. Archeologists have found Roman tombstones and Roman coin hoards on the Carnatic Coast of India. Rome also traded with China via the Silk Road across Central Asia. Archeologists have found evidence of Romans in Central Asia. And, a few Roman traders sailed south from Egypt and traded on the east coast of Africa."

"Amazing." Said Sir Cecil. "I read archeology when I went up to Oxford. I had hoped to follow in Lawrence's footsteps in Mesopotamia. He was a bit ahead of me at Oxford, you know. But the Colonial Office has seen fit to send me around to all parts of Africa. A Roman city in my colony. How interesting."

"Oh, it's not a Roman City." Kate was quick to correct that idea. "A second century AD traveler, a Metrocides of Thebes described it as a town of some two thousand people with only a hundred or so actual Roman citizens, plus workers and slaves from other parts of the Empire."

"Still, it would get one noticed." Sir Cecil had a faraway look in his eyes.

"We'd be sure to document your valuable assistance to our dig in our report to the RGS." Rick quickly added.

"Do you know where it is?"

"According to old Metrocides, the town was on a deep inlet that ran inland for some twelve Roman miles. The town was built on a bluff overlooking the inlet, avoiding the malarial swamps on the actual seacoast. However, we believe that the inlet silted up more than a thousand years ago."

Kate took over. "In 1913, a local hunter found a pottery jar full of old Roman coins, mostly from the reigns of the Emperors Trajan and Hadrian…"

"Who ruled from 98 AD to 138 AD." Sir Cecil finished for her. "I do recall my studies, you see."

"Very good, sir. The hunter had only a vague idea of where he was, apparently he was drunk a lot, but a report was sent to the Royal Geographic Society. However, the World War began before anything could be done and no one had any time then for archeological expeditions. The report was forgotten until about a year ago when someone in the RGS found it and that led to our expedition."

Sir Cecil suddenly looked at them. "By Jove! Now I know who you are. It just hit me. You're the fellow who writes those novels about the lady archeologist, Oklahoma Brown. I've read them all. Um, do you think you could sign them for me. Both of you of course. Why, you're Idaho Beckett, the model for Oklahoma Brown. How fascinating. I think your books are far superior to that Bulldog Drummond nonsense or that Christie woman."

"We'd be happy to sign them." Rick said smoothly.

"Dash it all. My memory is getting bad. Why, if you're heading south, you'll be heading for the area where that rogue Ernst von Demming is."

Von Demming?" Rick said, frowning.

"Back before the war, when British Tanganyika to the south of us was German East Africa, von Demming was some sort of trader. When the war started he was asked to lead the families of the German garrison to a safe place to sit out the war. The Hun managed to lose all but the younger wives and older daughters and…"Sir Cecil suddenly remembered he was in the presence of the fairer sex. "The man was a beastly cad. He didn't surrender until late 1919. The Germans wanted him shot, but he took off with some renegades and has been holed up in southern Kenya, hunting ivory, and robbing the natives. He has a woman with him, a Baroness Jacinda von Slutte. She was a young thing when she met von Demming and for some reason fell in love with the rogue."

"We're well armed and used to fighting. Plus, we've hired several locals. A man named Kevin Ryan who served in the Irish Guards in the Great War. A Don Javier de Esposito from Portuguese Mozambique, and an American ex-merchant sailor named Roy Montgomery."

Sir Cecil nodded. "I feel better now. They know the country well and are deuced good in a scrap."

Later that night, Rick and Kate got ready for bed in their rooms at the Empire Club. "Did you have to name the character in the book "Oklahoma"?"

"Well, you are Idaho Beckett." Rick said, gently stroking the birthmark in the shape of the state of Idaho at the top of Kate's thigh.

"Yes, but Oklahoma was the name of my cat as a young girl."

"You know that I've always loved your pussy….cat" Rick added, just as Kate was about to throw something at him.

"And did you have to mention the ice cube trick in the books? I think of that as being something special, just between us two. Not something to be shared with our readers."

Rick bowed to Kate. "Ice cubes will never again be mentioned in an Oklahoma Brown book."

"In that case, you should put your robe on."

Rick frowned. "I thought you liked me with my robe off."

"I do. But I hear someone in the hall headed this way. I'm sure it's the ice cubes I ordered."

Rick quickly put on his robe. "I'll be sure to tip him well."

The next morning, the safari was made ready in front of the Empire Club. Unlike the traditional African safari, this one was motorized. There was a four door Ford sedan for Rick and Kate, and four GMC trucks for the rest of the party. Or were there?

"Kevin?" Rick said. "Aren't we supposed to have four trucks?"

"That were the case, sor. But Oi found that ye'd made a mistake in our supplies which I rectified, sor."

"What kind of a mistake?"

"Ye had no Irish whiskey, so I bought a hundred bottles of Jameson's foinest Irish whiskey."

Rick scratched his head. "A hundred fifths of whiskey shouldn't require a complete truck, should it?"

"Fifths, sor!" The Irishman said, scandalized. "Oi bought a hundred gallon bottles. Jist barely enough, by my reckoning."

"What about the other truck?"

"That was me, Senor Castle." Said Don Javier. "Finding out we were entering the territory of that rogue von Demming, I bought each of the five of us a Thompson submachine gun, two Browning Automatic Rifles and rifles for all the rest of the men. I managed to get a good deal on some ammunition, as well, senor. I bought two hundred thousand rounds. You can never have enough ammo, sir."

Rick turned to Roy Montgomery. "Did you add to our load?"

Roy shook his head. "Not a bit."

"We should get going." Rick said, hoping they could get out of town before someone thought of something else.

They stopped well short of sundown. On the first day, they wanted to make sure the vehicles were fully functional and that the cargo was loaded properly. Tents were set up and a fire for cooking started. Kerosene lanterns were lit and Rick and Kate had a cocktail before dinner. Ryan, Don Javier and Montgomery we're sharing a gallon of Jameson's.

"Somebody's coming, boss." James, a Catholic mission educated African, announced.

In a minute or so a raggedly dressed heavily bearded, and rather dirty man stumbled into the camp.

"Good evening to you, sir." Rick said politely. "I'm Rick Castle and this is my wife Kate, and Misters Ryan, de Esposito and Montgomery. We're on an archeological dig."

"Don't lie to me." The man growled. "You know who I am and I know that you're not archeologists."

"I beg your pardon?" Kate said coldly.

"I'm "Thirsty Josh" Davidson and you're looking for the elephant's graveyard, but it's mine, I tell you. It's mine. I've been looking for it for over twenty years."

"Davidson?" Kate said. "You're the hunter that discovered the Roman coins back in 1913."

"Holy Mither Mary." Cried Ryan. "Look at his bearers. Why, them's great apes, not humans."

Davidson nodded. "I got them from a chap over in the Congo. Some kind of English toff. Name of Breaststroke, or something. Met him and his wife Janet? Janice? Anyway, he asked his friends here to carry my gear."

As he spoke, the apes put down their loads and one of them took a freshly opened gallon of whiskey away from Ryan and handed it to Davidson. The man chugged the bottle down and fell flat on his face.

"I assume he's staying, but not for dinner." Kate said.

The next day, they were woken early by the roaring of the great apes. When Rick and Kate dashed out of their tent, they found the apes walking around Davidson, pounding their chests and roaring.

"What is it?" Rick yelled over the din.