Two Hangmen, One Scaffold Book II: In The Hangman�s Shadow

Chapter 28

277 C Chapter 28 inga steeled himself against showing his repulsion of what was cooking in a used five-litre tin of paint on a log fire around which he, Bomani and one of his men sat. On all fours, the man fanned and blew the fire religiously, an assignment his master gave him. Flames licked the bottom and sides of the smoke-blackened tin that had obviously cooked many strange dishes like the black hen cooking in it. Loose feathers moved in endless circles on the seething water. The hen met its death by strangulation in the hands of Bomani. It wasn’t cut or dressed in any way and had all its feathers. Binga couldn’t believe he penetrated the fowl to Bomani’s satisfaction. The act was an affront to his self-esteem. When he withdrew, Bomani grabbed the hen and twisted its neck. The fire had already been prepared. The brute placed the fowl in the tin and sat by the fire. For Peza he had done it, Binga kept reminding himself quietly as he endured the pain in his wounds. Now around the fire they sat in silence, the three of them, Bomani and his henchman’s eyes on the chicken. Binga shied from looking at the cooking fowl with his seed inside it. They had been sitting around the fire for fifteen minutes now, he estimated, wondering if Bomani and his men would eat the adulterated chicken. Though he feigned relaxation, as if he had become of similar mind with his captors, he worried about Jasper. Three of Bomani’s men had gone searching in the direction the crocodile catcher had come from. “Your brother-in-law is a cat,” Bomani said deadpan. “He’s several lives.” Binga didn’t know what to say. He grinned sheepishly. B 278 “After this,” he pointed at the chicken, “you’ll become a member of Bomani’s family and a close confidante. For starters, you and Bomani’ll change operational policy. We’ll behead those who fall in our hands to protect our backs. Assumptions can prove dangerous.” Binga nodded. “It’s well cooked now,” Bomani said to the man minding the fire. “Set the tin on the ground and throw away the water.” He turned to Binga. “Whether your brother-in-law is found or isn’t, we shall leave this place tonight.” The man set the tin on the ground and tipped it carefully, spewing boiling water and loose feathers. “We’ll take the boy back to his mother,” Bomani continued. “As a family, it’s our collective responsibility to handover the boy. If you’re kind enough you’ll let Bomani’s men sleep with your wife and give her gifts. They haven’t touched women in a long time. Then we’ll begin our trek to Chiadzwa through gold claims and farmhouses.” Binga nodded understanding. “By the time we reach our destination about four hundred kilometres away in a straight line, we shall be rich but not rich enough to part ways. The long march shall be your induction.” He looked up and cocked an ear as if he had heard something, and then continued, “Don’t despair, you’ll have occasion to sleep with the wives of these men and give them gifts.” Binga nodded again. “When do you free the boy?” “After we partake,” Bomani pointed at the chicken steaming in the tin. Binga and Bomani then sat quietly. The henchman put out the fire, log by log. A hum, distance and growing rapidly, caught their attention. All of them turned and scanned the clouds eastwards. At first, Binga saw nothing but shifting clouds. The noise continued to grow. After some 279 seconds, he saw three dark dots, which turned out to be military helicopters flying abreast. He estimated they were about two hundred metres apart and flying at an altitude of one hundred metres. The low altitude and the distance between them meant one thing: the planes were on a surveillance mission. The helicopters whizzed above them, their noise deafening. Binga noticed two of the helicopters were Hawks, helicopter gunships flanking a personnel carrier with a large white cross on its belly. The helicopters turned left in a wide arch and disappeared in the distance. Their drone faded and died. “What do you think of the war birds, Binga?” Bomani asked; gazing in the direction the planes had...