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took out is a cousin of this same Justis Ngola.’
    ‘So this is a family business,’ commented Tug.
    ‘Do they know why Mwanga was kidnapped in the first place?’ asked Benny.
    ‘The word is that someone very important paid Justis Ngola a lot of money to have Mwanga captured and killed.’
    ‘So Mwanga’s dead?’ asked Gaz ruefully.
    Mitch shook his head. ‘No. According to Adwana, Mwanga is still alive and being kept hostage by Ngola and his men.’
    ‘Why?’ asked Tug. ‘If this Ngola was paid to kill Mwanga, whoever paid him is either going to start looking for revenge, or his money back.’
    ‘Ngola’s only been paid half the money. He gets the balance when Mwanga is found dead. But, like many criminals, Ngola is hoping to make a bit more out of it. He’s realised what a special commodity he’s got on his hands, so he’s upped the price to the original buyer, and at the same time he’s planning to see if anyone else will offer a better price. In the end, the highest bidder gets Mwanga. Alive, if they want him that way, or dead. It makes no difference to Ngola. But he’ll only hand over the goods once he’s been paid the money.’
    ‘Do these people know where Ngola is holding Mwanga?’
    ‘Adwana says it’s a big place where people stay. Itsounds like it used to be a hotel of some sorts. Now it’s been taken over by Ngola as his headquarters. It’s about ten miles away from here. According to the villagers, Ngola has turned it into a fortress.’
    ‘OK.’ Benny sat back. ‘So we’ve got what we want.’
    ‘We’ve got better than that,’ grinned Mitch. He gestured at Oba who was now sitting near them, watching the soldiers as he ate his meal. ‘Oba here says he’ll take us to the place.’
    ‘Can we trust him?’ asked Tug. ‘He could be leading us into a trap. He could be getting a handsome pay-off if he betrays us to the rebels.’
    ‘I’m with Tug,’ agreed Benny. ‘These people have given us information – surely that’s enough. Why put themselves at real risk by siding with us against the rebels? If he’s caught, the village will suffer even more than it already has.’
    ‘Oba’s wife and his brother were killed by those bandits,’ explained Mitch. ‘He says he wants to show his thanks to us for killing them. Plus, our friend,Gold Headband, was from the same tribe as the rebels,’ replied Mitch. ‘These people are a different tribe. The tribal thing is very big here.’
    ‘It’s big everywhere,’ said Two Moons. ‘Rival gangs in Los Angeles, New York.’
    ‘Newcastle, Liverpool,’ agreed Gaz. ‘Different people, same problem.’
    ‘OK,’ said Nelson. ‘We take up Oba’s very kind offer. Let’s eat up and go.’
    Mitch held up his hand. ‘We don’t go that quickly,’ he said. ‘Adwana and Oba say it’s bad magic to go through the jungle at night. Hungry animals are there. Lots of places to sink in swamps.’
    ‘So? Tell him we’ve got night-vision goggles,’ said Nelson. ‘Tell him we do some of our best work at night.’
    ‘We
might,
he
doesn’t,’ said Mitch.
    ‘He could borrow a night-vision set,’ suggested Gaz. ‘I’ve got a spare in my pack.’
    Mitch shook his head. ‘It’s more than that,’ he said. ‘It’s about the bad magic.’
    The others exchanged thoughtful looks. They all knew how important local customs were. If you wanted to win the hearts and minds of local people, you respected their customs and traditions.
    Nelson nodded. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘So when is good for us to go?’
    Mitch turned to Oba and asked him a question. Oba replied, and Mitch turned to the others.
    ‘First thing tomorrow morning, just before dawn. Oba says the magic isn’t so strong then, even though it’s still dark. Let’s face it, that jungle was difficult enough terrain during daylight hours. At night, even with night vision, the chances of us sinking in mud or getting stuck are pretty high.’
    Nelson thought it over, and then