Eight
The twins had indeed found the place Sheera had told them about; it was strewn with rocks the size Eva had asked for, but even for them they were too heavy. So they had asked a few other Amazons for help, and, as Eva's whistle reached them, were already on their way back to the village.
The photographer smiled at the scene: two girls, walking cautiously and covered with sweat, were carrying each stone. She went to meet them; there was no need to expose Samba chained to girls who were not "in training".
"Thank you, my dears! Please leave the stones at the entrance of the hut: Sunga and Munga can bring them inside."
The twins carried their stone into the hut and placed it by the large one, which served as a table. Their eyes opened wide as they recognized who was squatting at the far end of the hut; to conceal her embarrassment, Samba sat down and pretended to be very busy with something on her left foot.
"Samba is here because she got a
bulawa
on her tongue and cannot eat today," Eva explained as her toe went under the twins' pelts and touched their pussies one after another. "To help her to stay away from temptation, I have tied her to this long
bulawa
."
The girls kept silent; it was Miss and Samba's business, not theirs.
Eva remembered that she had planned to cut their hair short, so that the collars could be always visible as she lay on the litter She went to her bag and took a magazine with photos of Afro hairdos.
"Sunga, Munga, there is something I can do to make you even more beautiful. This long hair is not to your best advantage. Have a look at these photos, will you?" She leafed through the magazine and found a photo of a black girl with a shaven skull. Luckily for her, the ebony beauty was wearing a tight golden necklace and a pair of big earrings.
"See how pretty she is? I can make you look like her, if you want."
Samba was stretching her neck to look at the photo. Eva beckoned to her:
"Come, Samba, tell us your opinion."
The leader stood up and walked towards them, her chain rattling as she moved. She peeked at the magazine and nodded approvingly. Sunga said:
"I want to look like her, Miss"
"Very well. Samba, please hold Sunga's head. Munga, bring me that bucket; we will have to wet your sister's hair."
As Eva lathered the girl's head with shaving cream, an idea occurred to her: why not leave an
E
at the back of her head, like a natural brand? She took a razor she used on her armpits and glided it carefully over the top of the girl's skull, removing all the hair; then, still more carefully, she grated it on its back, sculpting on the left side a vertical bar of wiry hair, from which the three horizontal ones went out.
"How do you like it, Sunga?" Eva asked, holding a pocket mirror in front of her and one behind, so that she could see the result of her work.
"That is great, Miss!" The girl was utterly pleased with her new appearance.
Eva repeated the operation on Munga, this time making a smaller
E
; that would be useful to distinguish between the twins.
"Very well! Now, let's go out. You know your area better than I do; I trust you will show me some nice place. Samba, you stay here – you know why you have to."
"We could go to the river, Miss", Sunga said. "It is very nice there."
They went out of the hut. Eva sat on the litter; the twins lifted her and began to walk smoothly, the bells jingling happily on their ankles. Eva's eyes rested on Sunga's hips and back; the Amazon carried her with no apparent effort, holding firmly the rod on her right shoulder, which she had protected with the weeds pad. The litter didn't jostle anymore; it was as comfortable means of transport as any lady could wish for.
As they left the village, she recognized the girl who had asked her for her belt buckle the evening before. Eva evaluated her quickly: she had a slim waist, almond-shaped eyes and a finely chiseled pair of lips. "Very
decorative
", thought Eva as she approached. "She could volunteer..."
But she didn't want to rush things; better to wait for the next day. If she did volunteer, so much the better; if she didn't, perhaps the belt she coveted so much could lure her into the "program". In her mind, Eva pictured her in a lush garden, holding an umbrella behind her veiled mistress – a scene that could illustrate a tale from the Arabian Nights.
The girl stopped as she arrived near them; there was bewilderment in her voice:
"Munga! What has happened to your hair? It wasn't like that this morning!"
Munga made a halt; Sunga did the same. Eva gave a hearty tug at the reins:
"Who told you to stop? Move on! And don't do that again without permission. What will people say if my bearers walk and stop as they please?"
The twins resumed their march; they had learned that it was not wise to disobey the white lady. Eva motioned to the new girl:
"You are Matomba, aren't you? Is Munga your girlfriend?"
"Yes, Miss, that is right. We have been playing together lately."
It was obvious that they had been together that very morning. Eva felt curious; she had not yet seen two Amazons making love. She turned to Matomba, who was now a few steps behind them:
"Matomba, yesterday you asked for a
bulawa
. You see that I don't give them away for nothing; if you want to know more about my ways, you can come with us."
Matomba nodded. The whole scene had impressed her: she had never seen a person being carried that way. She noticed that Munga and Sunga had been given amulets – well, not exactly
given
: it was clear that the lady had asked them something in return. She had liked a lot that shining thing on the woman's waist; why not go with her and see what she was up to? Also, she was a bit worried about her girlfriend: Munga could want to play with the visitor... she had better keep an eye on them!
They entered a trail in the woods that led to the river; after some ten minutes, they arrived at it. It was wide; its waters flowed calmly towards a sharp bend about one mile away. There were trees and grass on its banks. Eva pulled Sunga's reins. The girls stopped; she dismounted and watched as they put the litter on the ground and knelt down, waiting for her to find a tree and park them.
There was an alarmed look on Munga's eyes: it was clear that she didn't want Matomba to see her "parked". Eva smiled; she was more interested in what was happening in the river. Four Amazons were standing in a boat, watching the water and holding slim wooden tubes between their teeth.
"What are they doing, Sunga?"
"Looking for fish, Miss."
Eva understood: they did not use rods or nets, but waited for the fish to come up and blew a dart on them. She had barely grabbed her camera and made a shot when one Amazon did precisely that, uttering a cry of victory: " I have got it!" Her sleek body formed a line against the blue sky as she dived into the water; half a minute later, she emerged with a sizable fish in her hand. She crept into the boot, threw her catch into a basket and stood again, sliding another thin piece of wood into her tube. The other girls didn't move; they were completely absorbed, screening the surface of the river. Eva had made photographs of every phase of the process; she blessed her good luck and turned to Matomba.
"Come here, young one. Let Miss examine you."
The girl approached. Eva traced her jawline with her fingers and went down her neck to reach the breasts, which pointed up like two Bourbon mangoes. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she lifted the pelt and brushed aside the curly hairs on her mound, revealing a generous pair of labia. Taking care not to hurt the girl, she inserted a finger into her pussy. Matomba jerked, scared. Eva said sternly:
"Keep quiet, girl! I am checking what is the best place for your
bulawa
. "
Her finger moved slowly, seeking the cherry. Sure enough, there it was, blocking any further advance. "Original condition", Eva thought. "Twelve thousand dollars, just waiting to be cashed..." She turned to Munga:
"Your girlfriend is very pretty and healthy. Have you been with her since you earned you
bulawas
?"
"No, Miss, I was busy looking for the stones, but I will, tonight", Munga replied. There was nothing wrong in her willing to play with her mate.
Or was there
? Her heart beat faster: another swatting, and in front of Matomba, would be hard to bear. But the white lady was not angry; she went on, in a friendly tone:
"Sure you will, and you will see how good they are."