Episode 1 The Expedition Commences
Prologue
The Mountain rumbled as the steam rose into the air sending birds exploding from the green canopy of the forest and the roar and screams of the other animals as they fled the volcano that was no longer dormant. Yet almost as soon as the mountain had awakened it returned to a fitful slumber and the panic subsided as the animals and birds returned to their normal lives.
The forest returned to its distant calls and silences as the hunt for life continued beneath the green canopy that created the sky for the denizens on the ground below. Suddenly the silence below the trees exploded in a crashing of branches as a naked woman ran for her life. Fearfully she threw glances over her shoulder only to see her hunters loping through the shadows.
A look at her would convince anyone that they were looking at a goddess on earth. Her skin was the colour of rich earth and her straight black hair flew back away from a finely chiselled faced of one of the Nilotic races. It was a face that was already fearful and was desperately searching for an escape. The girl for she could not have been more than eighteen gasped for breath her firm conical breasts rising and falling as her lungs drove the air through her body. She ran with the speed and grace of a gazelle, her slim muscled driving her body forward. For like the gazelle she had predators behind her.
Then disaster happened as her foot slipped from beneath her and she stumbled into the blanket of leaves on the ground. With desperation she tried to rise before they reached her but just as she felt her body come up a hand seized her wrist and turned her brutally about so that she was looking into a face that screamed brutality and depravity. Bringing her knee up she felt it strike the soft flesh between his legs. There was a sharp grunt and he released her wrist yet just as he sank to the ground a fist slammed into the side of her head sending her into the ground again.
As the girl looked into the face of her new attacker as he held the sharp bronze blade of his spear to her throat and smiled at her with lust flaming from his eyes. The teeth seemed a shocking white compared to the almost black tint of his skin when he smiled. With that awful smile etched on his face he fell across her body and using his weight subdued her struggles. Using a hard muscled thigh he forced open her legs so that her cunt sparsely covered with black hair was open. His tongue licked his lips as he grasped one of her firm breasts and twisted cruelly a nipple until he saw tears in her eyes.
Then when she thought she could feel no more pain he thrust his huge cock deep into her cunt. A cunt that was barely lubricated, a cunt that screamed with the abuse it was receiving as he forced in his long, thick cock into her cunt. It was pushed into her and seemed to rip her open. Almost she passed out but the pain kept her from the blackness. Suddenly it hit the top of her womb with a sharp pain and he began the typical action of a man driving a cock in and out of a cunt.
Somehow her body took pleasure with the action and she felt the familiar tingle in her clit and lips. The motion became smoother as her cunt filled with juice and her gasps of pain changed to those pleasure as her body betrayed her mind and she felt the pleasure of his body rubbing along her now exposed clit. As he felt her grow aroused with his fucking he bit hard into her breast so that she felt pain again through her body. Releasing the tit from his mouth he began to abuse her with foul language as he humped her body with quick experienced movements.
Then he cried out in a keening moan as he felt his cum shoot through his cock and then into her body. Each thrust pumped more hot cum into her pussy and once satisfied that he would cum no more he rolled off the panting girl. As he released her he grabbed for the knife that hung from the belt about his waist and once in her hand cut between his legs. A high pitched scream filled the air as the woman sprung to her feet and dashed into the forest. Behind her the man desperately tried to stem the flow of blood from his wound. The other man barely recovered from his blow pressed leaves into the other man's crotch as the woman made her escape.
Only once did she turn to curse the two men with all the vigour and strength she could find.
i
"There they are Mr Masterson, the Mountains of the Moon," the compact middle-aged man beside Hawk said softly in a Scot's lowland burr. As he spoke he pointed to the green clad slopes before them.
Hawk Masterson drew his eyes away from the jagged tree clad ridges that were in the near distance, their tree clad slopes. Behind them were the majestic and awe-inspiring peaks, the clouds covered much of the blue grey stone though every now and again he saw the white covering of snow on some of the slopes. Then he looked at the man beside him and sighed in frustration.
The man beside him was in his forties and was relaxed on the brown gelding he rode. He chomped on a black briar pipe and looked to the to the slopes that were so near and yet so far. He was smaller than the muscular Texan but with a rugged hardness about him that spoke of life on a frontier. When you learnt he was the guide to this expedition and was a renowned Big Game Hunter of over twenty years experience in Africa it confirmed that opinion.
There was a dangerous quietness to this man and many a man would talk of John Carter in the same breath as the legendary Allan Quartermain. He impressed Hawk with his quiet efficiency and skill. Even though Hawk was a skilled hunter and bushman he had been unable to match this man in skill and knowledge. When you looked into the hunter's eyes you could see a cold summing up that made you cringe if you were a fool or enemy. Yet he could be warm and the best of friends if he liked you. As a man who suffered fools very badly Hawk liked the company of this man and had taken the chance to learn much from his example. That included the way he had an easy familiarity with his chief porter Jok.
Indeed Jok seemed to the mirror of this man, whereas the guide was taciturn to the point of rudeness the head porter was jocular and loquacious and ready to laugh. Even so Hawk knew that Jok was as tough and demanding as the hunter beside him. Yet they were as close as brothers and trusted each other with the familiarity that only years of experience can bring.
The Scotsman grunted to himself as they rode back to the camp where the others were. The man looked at the blonde muscular giant next to him and hid a smile he liked the young American and enjoyed being with him. He looked forward to being with the man and learning more about the young Texan.
"Few white men have explored this area and the locals consider this area haunted. There are many stories and legends about this place," this statement was a book compared to most things that the taciturn hunter usually said.
"What sort of stories?" Hawk curiously asked since John seemed to wish to talk.
"Mostly about ancient cities Mr Masterson, that and King Solomon's Mines and a beautiful Witch-Queen, some foolishness about Amazons and White Apes. Sometimes stories of travelling for weeks and learning that only a short time has passed," the guide spat into the red earth clearing his throat and then continued," That's why I wanted to come here, never seen such nonsense before."
He said it all in a laconic manner that left you wondering if he believed in what he said or he just thought other people were silly fools for believing the stories. Then they heard a sharp call from behind them. Looking back the oxen drawn drays and waggons came into view as they powered over the edge of the stream behind them. They would leave the waggons tomorrow and would continue on foot into deep almost impenetrable jungle before them. A jungle haunted by leopards, savage tribes and legends.
Hawk watched as the waggons stopped and drew themselves into a circle as the old west called it or a laager as the Boers call it. There was something about the mountains ahead that seemed to threaten and promise dark knowledge. Hawk shook his head cursing himself for a silly fool for even thinking it.
As he watched the waggons roll to a stop he rode up to Sir Henry Shelby who wiped his dirty face with an even dirtier cloth. Though well into his sixties he had the air of an energetic younger man though he had seemed to grow greyer as the expedition had moved towards the mountains. Next to him was a younger woman in her late thirties, she looked at Hawk with undisguised lust and pushed back a loose strand of blonde hair that had slipped onto her brow. This was Sir Henry's wife the Lady Constance.
Behind them another waggon pulled up and a young wiry man jumped out and grimaced with the pain as he landed on his left leg. He had the air of intense enthusiasm as he helped a young woman step onto the red soil. Even a quick glance would show that this girl was related to Sir Henry. In fact this was Sir Henry's daughter Prudence or Prue as she liked to be known and her fiancé Charlie. Both joined the others as they stretched after their jolting on the ox drawn waggons.
"We will camp here before we start into the Mountains tomorrow Sir Henry," John Carter spoke with authority.
"Very well, I don't know about the women but I need to have a break," the man spoke gamely as he rubbed at his full white moustache and then wiped the sweat from his brow.
"I need a bath dearest," Connie spoke to her husband but spoke with her eyes to Hawk, Hawk blushed at the obvious question. Both Charlie and Prue had seen the look and had glanced meaningfully at each other.
"Of course my dear no doubt we can find a safe pool of water near us. Perhaps Mr Masterson can keep watch over you as you bathe," Hawk had been surprised how Sir Henry had thrown them together at any possible chance.
At first Hawk had been confused by his attitude until he had explained that he was unable to hold an erection since an accident many years ago and his wife being a passionate woman needed much love-making. He had told Hawk that as long as they were discrete he had no hesitation about Hawk bedding the Lady Constance. They had come to an accommodation which met many of their needs. Soon after that they had made a passionate love-making that had endured the whole night. Hawk had soon looked forward to their times together and Connie had taught Hawk how to avoid the unwanted complications of making her pregnant amongst many of the other things she had guided the willing but inexperienced Texan into trying.
Even though there was the implicit acceptance of her husband's permission Hawk's deep sense of Texan morality made him feel guilty about taking another man's wife. Even so Hawk was a red-blooded man and had come to want this woman. So it was with a deep sense of relief that he walked with the luscious Connie to an isolated pool he had noticed before hidden from the view of others by the lush undergrowth about the stream. It was private from the camp whilst protected enough that hippopotami and crocodiles were not around and yet near enough the camp that if there was difficulty they could easily retire safely to the others.
Hawk looked carefully around before he signalled to Connie that she could bathe here. The woman a slight smile her face tossed her long pale blonde hair as she freed it from the clips that held it under the heavy pith helmut. Slowly as she watched Hawk who cradled the rifle in his arms she undid the buttons on her shirt which she gracefully allowed to slip from her body so that her linen shift barely covered her ample breasts.
Connie left it there though she unbuttoned the cloth so that the young man of twenty-one could see the breasts peak from beneath the cloth. Kicking off her shoes she pulled off her khaki pantaloons leaving her in her linen underclothes. Gingerly she stepped into the pool and was satisfied it was warm. The bottom was clean sand instead of mud and she allowed it to wash up to her chin until she felt it touch her body. She stood in the shallow water and allowed Hawk to see her body beneath the transparent cloth.
Hawk was again impressed by the older woman's body from her ample breasts to her long legs, between her legs was a juicy cunt which she plucked hair from leaving only a small strip just above the lips that he knew would be wet from her own juices when they made love. Stripping his own clothes off quickly he joined her in the pool wearing only his cotton underwear, the cloth already bulging impressively with his cock.
