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