“I’ll wring the bastard’s neck. I’ll squeeze his balls until he squeals, I fumed as I dragged Roger up the stairs into Government House. Sumala followed at a discrete distance. Ignoring Shelumba I barged straight into Major Entembe’s office. He looked up in surprise but before he could open his mouth, I started, I didn’t think that even you could be such a cruel bastard. Treating us like animals! Why? Haven’t you made us suffer enough? First you make us walk all the way there and no doubt you knew storms were forecast and we’d get battered and soaked, then you kindly offer us transport on the way back for which I have to pay in advance by getting fucked by the old man who is drive us and then we find our transport, the transport that you with all your authority arranged, was a cattle truck, with nothing to sit on except the bare shit covered boards! I hope the smell we picked up stinks your office out and it cannot have done the baby inside me any good. Your baby Major, The Major opened his mouth to say something but I flew on running sentences together and barely pausing to breathe. And don’t say nothing else was available. Not an hour after we’d been bumped and bruised on the road a half empty bus passed us. You just wanted to inflict more pain and suffering on us. Why? When you know full well we still haven’t fully recovered from the thrashing we had at the whipping post; a whipping you could no doubt have saved us from if you had really used your powers. Does it give you pleasure to see us hurt and suffer? Are you just getting back at us because we’re British? For some long forgotten reason? Or is this all part of the game we are in? The suffering game? Does it please you to Roger jerked the chain linking us.

“I wouldn’t wish to be in Ted’s shoes when she gets back. A cultured British voice startled me. I heard she was a shy little thing.”

“If she gets back and doesn’t end up in the market square again. I turned to see Colonel Nubaro and a distinguished looking gentleman in a suit and, incongruously for this country, wearing an expensive tie. May I introduce Peter Spencer from your Foreign Office.”

“Sorry Sir, I didn’t know you were there

“Good afternoon Miss Eves and Mr. Hart. I hope we can talk about your problems a little more calmly when you’ve cleaned up.”

“Yes, I think that would be best, Colonel Nubaro smiled, And yes, it is a bit of a game to us. I heard of your analogy when you first came but now it is being played on two levels and you are once again a pawn. Please do go and get cleaned up and then perhaps we can discus this in a more civilised manner. Shelumba, please escort them out and bring them back in thirty minutes.”

My fury had only abated slightly. Is he acting on your orders? I nodded in the direction of the Major. He didn’t answer. Well I hope your sadistic talents have had some satisfaction!”

“Maybe another visit to the whipping post might do some good after all, the Colonel muttered calmly. Roger fainted to the floor. I glared hatred at the Colonel who only smiled. He knew he had the whip hand in both senses of the term. I held Roger for a few moments until he recovered and then before I could say any more and make the situation worse, Sumala picked me up and carried me from the room.

In the shower my anger dissipated and my fear returned. What if the Foreign Office gent hadn’t come to take us home? Would we be tortured again for my outburst? What did they really want with us? My tears were washed away by the flow of water. Shelumba came and told us to hurry and then led us back to the Major’s office.

“Please sit down Miss Eves, The Major requested. There was only one hard chair in front of his desk and I knew he was deliberately goading me. Sumala please wait outside the door in case we need you to take the fireball away again. I sat and, without being told, Roger knelt on the floor beside me. Colonel Nubaro stood to the right of the Major and Peter Spencer sat on his left. It was Peter that opened the conversation.

“Miss Eves, Elaine, I came here hoping to secure your release but as you guessed you are a pawn in a game, except that it isn’t a game. It is a matter of hard negotiation between the Tumalian head of state and the British Government. Colonel Nubaro is representing Tumali interests and I am here of behalf of Britain. To secure your immediate release, we would have to agree to give Tumali several million pounds in aid. So you are a valuable commodity

“But one that is expendable and can be made to suffer almost unbearable punishments!”

“But, Elaine, that only makes you more valuable. The articles in Today’s World, the underground version on DVD and especially those on the Tumali web site showing explicit and graphic pictures of what is being done to you is putting a great deal of public pressure on the Prime Minister to secure your release. In a way, the more you suffer the higher the amount they ask for in aid. However the PM is adamant about not giving in to blackmail and I think the people here are beginning to realise that further punishments might be counter productive. There is a growing amount of opinion that the government should not give in to a regime that uses what they see as inhuman methods to control its people. At the moment our negotiations have stalled but I’m authorised to stay here a few days more to try and secure a settlement. However, if I am honest with you, I doubt whether you will be returning with me. Tears flowed down my face as the hopes I’d had were dashed. Roger openly cried too. Sorry to disappoint you, he went on, What I expect to happen is that at the end of my stay I will be able to take a fresh set of terms back to England which the cabinet will debate and amend or reject and then I may be sent back again. Nothing will happen quickly. As I said Elaine and to you too Roger, I’m sorry that I cannot whisk you out of this situation but I will do what I can for you when I see General Cumu tomorrow but, in the meantime, you will still have to abide by the rules and laws here and not get yourself into any further trouble.”

From way he said the last remark I guessed that he had been in on our being sent here in the first place. Although the meeting went on for a further fifteen minutes we didn’t gain any more information as to when we would get home and with admonishments from the Colonel as to our behaviour, we were dismissed.

The following day was spent in IT working on the report of our trip. From Riku I learned that several dozen girls had, via the web site, applied for visas to live in Tumali but the government were going to be very strict in their vetting of the applicants. I gave Roger to her for the night and I think he was quite pleased to get out of my sight for a short while.

“Major Entembe wishes to see the three of you in his office right away. Riku gave us the news soon after we’d started work on the third day after our return. There were no chairs in his office that morning for us to sit on. Not a good omen.

“Mr. Spencer left for London earlier today. As expected he wasn’t able to take you with him. He paused and smiled while our hearts sank. Again I tried to puzzle out the Gent’s involvement in the scheme to abduct us and what benefit he got out of it. We knew he’d been given a room in Government House and each night two young girls had been sent to his room because we’d seen them in the cafeteria but I suspected he received a monetary handout as well but from whom? My mind was quickly brought back to the Major when he went on, Perhaps you thought I had forgotten about your outburst the other day Ellie; an outburst that tried to shame me in front of my superior. I do admire your spirit and the way you’ve changed over the few weeks you’ve been here but I cannot allow such derogatory statements to go unpunished and for the last few days I’ve been thinking what form that should take. The Colonel suggested another visit to the market square Roger shook violently and both Sumala and I had to hold him while he bleated out cries of NO! Don’t worry Roger, I didn’t decide on that and it might be something you will enjoy even if Ellie doesn’t.”

I twigged immediately and groaned, The Mummy Boy Camp.”

“Yes Ellie. I thought it would be a suitable punishment for you and a good subject for your next article. I know you’ve had it up the arse a few times but there it will be done many times a day and Roger will get to put his prick in men’s arses for the first time. Sumala, I know you’re not in the least inclined towards boys but you can take your feelings out on Ellie by using her like the other boys will. Her cunt will be out of bounds while in the camp. You will spend three nights there and it’s a two day walk each way although the terrain isn’t as rugged as the way to Neambu so the journey shouldn’t be as taxing. After your remarks on my kindness in providing transport last time, do not expect me to do so for this trip.”

Back in the IT room Roger muttered, You and your big mouth again! Why can’t you be quiet like you used to be?”

I was about to retort when Sumala stepped in. Arguing won’t help. Ever since you failed to take the proper caning at the whipping post, it was always part of the plan, the game if you like, that we were to visit the camp so don’t start blaming Ellie, and Ellie it is no good blaming Roger either. He cannot help being how he is. Whether what you said to the Major brought it forward or not is just guesswork. I’ve never had a prick up my arse either or sucked a man off but I’ve fucked a good few women that way so it will be a new experience for me too Maybe tonight you’ll let me try you Ellie. You haven’t had it that way many times and you know that I’ll be careful and with plenty of cream it shouldn’t be unpleasant and may help prepare your hole for men who won’t be as careful. We all had visions of having our bums buggered many times a day and none of us was looking forward to it. However, the actuality was not as brutal as we envisioned.

Early the next morning we set off in a northerly direction. My bottom was a little tender from Sumala’s attention the previous evening but it was nothing that I couldn’t cope with. He even made Roger soddomise me first so that I was already partially opened for him. Roger’s prick was fairly easy to take but I winced a bit when Sumala started to enter me but once he was in, it was uncomfortable but bearable. I wondered what it would have been like if he’d fucked me hard like I anticipated would happen at the Mummy Boy Camp. I thought I would try and get Sumala to have me that way again before we got to the camp but I was more concerned as to how Roger would take it. Would he just pass out? And if he did, would it annoy his rapist and make him cause Roger more pain? I pondered these and other questions as we plodded along.

As before, the first few miles were across the relatively flat agricultural land but in a couple of hours the land and forest rose up in front of us. We have two choices now, Sumala informed us, We can go on in more or less a straight line through the forest and up over the mountain, or we can walk around the contours. The mountain way is shorter and steeper but should be cooler in the shade. The contour route has less climbing but is a good few miles longer. Time wise, there should be little in it.”

“Can we go one way and come back the other Suma?”

“Yes, of course, and I would suggest we go the steep way and see the scenery. If our arses are sore, we may prefer to have less climbing on the way back. Roger didn’t comment and I noted he was unusually quiet. He’d noticed that I added the makeshift gag to his pack before leaving.

The path was steep and although we were in the shade, the atmosphere was very humid and soon all our clothing was soaked with sweat. After lunch and still on an upward path, the trees began to thin and a further hour on, we began to cross a plateau until we came to the rim of an extinct volcanic crater filled with crystal clear blue water. In no time at all we were slithering down the scree to the water’s edge. Several times the rope between Roger and I came taut as one of us slid faster than the other could keep up but generally we ended up laughing about it. The water was ice cold. It didn’t matter. Dropping our packs and without bothering to remove our clothing we lowered ourselves into the refreshing water. However the cold was too much for us to stay in long and we dried ourselves and our clothing in the hot sun. Reluctantly an hour later we were on the move again.

The climb up the loose scree caused further merriment and for the first time for days Roger actually laughed. It was largely a case of two steps forward and one slide back. One such episode when the connecting rope was nearly taut, Roger slid down and the rope pulled me on top of him. Neither of us was hurt and both of us grinned when I found myself cradled in his arms. On an impulse I kissed him and felt his lips on mine for longer than an affectionate peck. We continued to laugh as we tried to get to our feet on stones that refused to stay in one place and we ended up on our bums again. Suddenly his face clouded and took on its usual disturbing look. You’re worried at what might happen?”

“I’m not really gay you know Ellie. I’m not wanting to have sex with men.”

“I know. We’ll get through it though like we have the rest of this trip. It will work out as long as we stick together and don’t fight each other. A shout from Sumala, who had already gained the rim of the crater, broke our reverie and we started our way up the slope again.

An hour later and over another steep rise we came to a long, narrow lake. There is a fishing village at the end of this lake where we should find shelter for the night. We could go on if you want and are eager to reach the camp but we’d have to spend the night in the open.”

“We’ll stay, Roger and I answered together. We knew Sumala wasn’t eager to get to the camp either.

As we ambled along a good track by the lakeside, two elderly men came to greet us. That hat of yours obviously warned them of our coming, Sumala jibed. I wore the big, colourful hat I’d bought at the festival every time I ventured out into the sun mainly because that even with the sunblock my skin peeled continuously and I hadn’t started to tan due, no doubt, to my fair skin and hair colour. When they approached Sumala dropped back behind Roger so I was in the leading position. We hugged and patted each other on the back in the traditional way and I spoke the few words of halting greeting I had learned from Sumala and added Good afternoon Gentlemen. That brought laughter to their faces. I introduced Roger and Sumala, even though they knew him, and then we all made our way to a four grass-hut village.

Other men sat around smoking while the women gutted and cleaned what looked to me like a good catch of fish. Some were being filleted and hung on racks to dry. Fortunately the racks were downwind of the huts so the smell wasn’t overpowering. With Roger now chained to my wrist again, I was ritually introduced to the elderly men but only one of them spoke more than one or two words of english. Two of the younger girls did and when I enquired why, I was told that from the time they were old enough to go to school until they were of breeding age, they lived in a community dormitory for girls in Chapoti. The village boys were schooled in Chapoti as well, but they hadn’t returned to the village.

That night we had a delicious fish stew and I was able to find out more about the lives of the fishermen and we sat talking, mainly to the girls but Sumala seemed to be filling the others in on what was being said and he translated much of what he learned from the men for us. I wondered what the sleeping arrangements would be and why I hadn’t been fucked during the evening but I’d forgotten that having Roger chained to me prevented them from asking. I remembered when I saw the English speaking man looking intently and me and with his erection showing below his shorts. In a whisper, I asked Sumala about the protocol and he replied, Just ask him if he would care to fuck a white woman. I did and that seemed to be the signal for others to grab a woman. I think Roger wanted one of the younger girls but the other men beat him to it. A woman that looked very much older than him, late fifties or early sixties I would have guessed, jumped up and grabbed his prick. Nevertheless she got him hard but she had to wait until my partner finished before we could get into a position where the chain didn’t get in the way. I suppose I could have transferred the chain to her but I didn’t largely because I doubted Roger wanted to be with her too long. The woman was old enough to be his mother, or even his grandmother, but he didn’t take to her like he did to Riku.

We slept in a hut with an old couple but the man could still get an erection and he kept going for ages before he spent his load. Roger lay on his back beside me while the woman worked herself on him. Sumala had better luck in that he had both the younger girls during the night. Roger was peeved when Sumala told us and I guess he blamed me again for not giving him to one of them.

We set off late the next morning and didn’t hurry overmuch trying to arrive, we hoped, about when dinner would be served. Midway through the afternoon we descended to a wide dirt road which Sumala said was the main highway between the cablecar station and the Mummy Boy Camp. Having had Roger linked to me all day by the waist rope, both of us were glad to exchange it for wrist cuffs and rub some cream into the chafe marks on our bodies.

The road followed the route of the Songwe River but several hundred feet above it so we had splendid views of the river and across into Tanzania. This made the walk quite pleasant especially as we didn’t have to force the pace. Several times lorries slowed down and would have given us a lift but I waved them on. For once, Roger didn’t disapprove. After a couple of miles we came to a roadside stall and bought flavoured water and flatbread filled with a savoury mixture and sat in the shade to eat them. How much further Suma?”

“A few miles only.”

“I don’t think I’m gay, Roger blurted out, repeating what he’d told me earlier, I’ve enjoyed it when I’ve fucked women. It’s just that I was always too shy to do anything about it.”

“I know, I said sympathetically, And neither is Suma, and I’m not either for that matter, but this is just another trial they are putting us through.”

“Ted’s behind it you know. I looked at him in askance, I saw an email when I went to Riku’s office the other day. I wasn’t supposed to see it so don’t blab it to the Major or anyone so she gets into trouble. The stories of our hardships are selling Today’s World and also The Real World Today an underground DVD publication where there’s no censorship. He wanted us to have more experiences that would excite the readers. Perhaps we should just write a travel type journal with details of the lovely scenery.”

“And annoy the Major so that we end up in the market square again. No thank you Roger!”

We sat and talked as long as we dared, knowing that the lorry drivers would probably have informed those at the camp of our position. You’re worried about this too, aren’t you Suma? His face had lost its cheerful smile. He nodded. Just think, it cannot be worse than the whipping you had.”

“No, but it will be very much more embarrassing and there won’t be a nice nurse to look after us afterwards either. He did smile at that remark.

We trudged on. Dust clung to our sweaty bodies and clothes and we hoped we’d be able to shower when we got there. My spirits sank when we came to the camp gate. The Mummy Boy Camp was situated on a peninsula at the far north-western corner of Tumali and the entrance to it was blocked with a high, razor-wire fence. It reminded me of a concentration camp from which there was no escape. Armed guards stood by the entrance gates and I wondered if we were actually going to be allowed out in three days or whether this was a ruse to confine us here permanently. I half trusted the Major over this, but I wouldn’t have put it past him to extend our stay if it suited his schemes. However, on remembering what Ted’s email said, I guessed there were other ordeals planned for us.