A Cleft of Diamonds
SYNOPSIS
Part One
A Cleft of Diamonds is a story of high adventure set mainly in British East Africa in 1914/15.
Norwood Tynbridge-Pierson, the son of Britain’s minister for war, has just completed his degree at Oxford and is at Cape Town enjoying a holiday when an urgent telegram arrives from his father. Norwood is instructed to go to Mombasa and Nairobi, where, as a temporary member of the British Diplomatic Corps, he is to gauge the public’s reaction to the possibility of war with Germany. His urgent instructions also require him to report on a series of border incursions into German East Africa which are being made by a rogue Scot named Carrick MacDonald.
En route, the ancient ship carrying Norwood to British East Africa breaks down in Dar-es Salaam and Norwoodis forced to take passage aboard a ridiculously small river barge manned by a very colourful and murderous Indian boatman named Rashiv.
Rashiv attempts to steal Norwood’s money and intends killing him to cover the theft. However Norwood manages to survive a rather bizarre attempt on his life and is thrown onto the wild shores of German East Africa with only a goatskin of water to sustain him.
Meanwhile, Carrick MacDonald and his fiery daughter, Corra, are raiding German convoy wagons of ivory and industrial diamonds. Germany is on the brink of war with Britain and before the Royal Navy can place a blockade on the ports, the German administration of the country is literally stripping the colony bare of its vast natural wealth.
Wild, colourful, and something of a loveable villain, Carrick MacDonald is a coffee grower in British East Africa, but his plantation is failing and he sees he can make enormous profits by raiding the German convoys. He becomes a thorn in the side of District Commissioner Felix von Schrober, whose every attempt to catch MacDonald and his daughter is thwarted.
Norwood Tynbridge-Pierson, now wandering haphazardly through the German colony, stumbles upon one of MacDonald’s ambushes and scares the Askari troopers who flee with the porters and their valuable cargo of ivory. MacDonald is furious but he realises he cannot leave the unworldly Norwoodto wander the wilderness alone, blissfully unaware of its dangers, especially with Von Schrober’s Askari troops searching the bush. MacDonald takes Norwood with him as they flee towards British East Africa.
The two men, accompanied by Corra, MacDonald’s daughter, travel quickly north towards Chyulu’s mountain, a wild inhospitable place where they meet the notorious Chyulu, a local chief who wields enormous powers over the African Kikuyu population. Here, after a prophesy made by Chyulu, Corra and Norwood become instant enemies. Corra attempts to drive Norwood away and even threatens to shoot him. She is prevented from doing so by her father, Carrick MacDonald.
The party now encounters various adventures as the German district commissioner, Felix von Schrober, aided by a frail spotter aircraft, pursues MacDonald and his men through the harsh African wilderness. MacDonald is wounded in an attack but manages to get his party to a spectacular gorge where he lays a bizarre trap for
the German commissioner and his African riflemen.
Finally, after many more adventures, the party arrives at the bustling port of Mombasa and the following day they travel by train through the spectacular East African countryside to Nairobi. In Europe, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife, Sophia, have just been assassinated, and the world teeters on the edge of war.
Recuperating slowly, Carrick MacDonald takes Norwoodto Glenmassen, his hauntingly beautiful plantation in the Ngong Hills. Here, Norwood helps with the coffee crop. His relationship with Corra has been slowly thawing, the hatred ebbing away in the face of their shared difficulties. To their utter surprise, Corra and Norwoodfall in love. But it is a brief love, unspoken and bitter-sweet, marred by the prospect of war.
War is soon declared. Norwooddecides to return to England where he enlists in the fledgling Royal Flying Corps. MacDonald persuades the Governor of British East Africa to allow him to continue his raids across the border, ostensibly in order to relieve the German colony of its cargoes of precious items, thus helping the British war effort, but in reality MacDonald wants simply to continue his own personal plundering. Corra is torn by what she must now do; remain with her loveable reprobate of a father, or join Norwood and go with him to England. Eventually she decides to stay.
PART TWO.
Norwood has almost finished his flying training and is about to be posted to a squadron in France. There he discovers that the aircraft he has to fly, the relatively modern but already obsolete Gunbus, is outgunned by the faster newer German fighters. He does his best with the aircraft he has, but one day is almost shot down over the German lines. In disgust he and his observer go one evening into the nearest village to drown their sorrows.
Meanwhile, after months of receiving little news, Corra cannot wait any longer and decides to travel to France to see Norwood again. She takes passage from Mombasa, landing at Marseilles. Encountering various adventures of her own, she eventually arrives at the village where Norwood’s squadron is based. However during a flight following his drunken night in the local estaminet, Norwood is confronted with a German Zeppelin and is shot down by its accompanying fighter aircraft.
Norwood survives the crash and is taken to Englandto recuperate. Meanwhile a telegram arrives at the Ministry for War from the governor of British East Africa requesting the provision of air cover for a special mission into
German East Africa which is being devised by Carrick MacDonald.
At the Lake Manyara diamond mine, in the harsh interior of German East Africa, two Indian brothers find and attempt to steal an extremely rich pocket of diamonds, the ‘Cleft of Diamonds’. They are caught and quickly executed but Commissioner Felix von Schrober sees the discovery as a way of luring his archenemy, Carrick MacDonald, once more into German territory where he can be captured and placed on trial for his life.
MacDonald has heard of the discovery of the cleft. He wants the diamonds more than life itself and cannot see that he is being lured into a trap. He requests air cover for his expedition, and Norwood, with Corra, who has secretly boarded the aircraft disguised as a crew-member, are sent from England to provide it.
During the historic and epic flight over Europe and North Africa, Corra and Norwood encounter many dangers and adventures, including being held captive by Italian rebels, and dealing with a rather disgusting and over-amorous Arab sheik, Omar Salim El Hoff, who wants Corra to become his eighth wife.
Finally they arrive in British East Africa and are only just in time to rendezvous with MacDonald at the Kanyu Lugga, where Von Schrober has set his trap.
However events turn disastrously wrong. Norwood’s aircraft is brought down under bizarre circumstances and Corra is captured by Von Schrober who flees with her back to his barracks at Mboto. It is the commissioner’s intention of using her as bait to lure MacDonald to Mboto where he and Norwoodcan be captured and hanged as criminals.
MacDonald and Norwood quickly get to the coast where an Arab dhow is awaiting them. They plan an elaborate hoax to get Corra out of the barracks but this too fails and the following morning all three, Corra, MacDonald and Norwood find themselves standing on a gallows in the centre of Mboto barracks.
Corra is in tears as MacDonald turns to her. His bonnet with the gay feathers of South Morar sits proudly on his head. His kilt is torn and bloodied. Will fate take a hand, or will Von Schrober get the revenge he seeks? And what becomes of the fabulous ‘Cleft of Diamonds’?
SYNOPSIS
Part One
A Cleft of Diamonds is a story of high adventure set mainly in British East Africa in 1914/15.
Norwood Tynbridge-Pierson, the son of Britain’s minister for war, has just completed his degree at Oxford and is at Cape Town enjoying a holiday when an urgent telegram arrives from his father. Norwood is instructed to go to Mombasa and Nairobi, where, as a temporary member of the British Diplomatic Corps, he is to gauge the public’s reaction to the possibility of war with Germany. His urgent instructions also require him to report on a series of border incursions into German East Africa which are being made by a rogue Scot named Carrick MacDonald.
En route, the ancient ship carrying Norwood to British East Africa breaks down in Dar-es Salaam and Norwoodis forced to take passage aboard a ridiculously small river barge manned by a very colourful and murderous Indian boatman named Rashiv.
Rashiv attempts to steal Norwood’s money and intends killing him to cover the theft. However Norwood manages to survive a rather bizarre attempt on his life and is thrown onto the wild shores of German East Africa with only a goatskin of water to sustain him.
Meanwhile, Carrick MacDonald and his fiery daughter, Corra, are raiding German convoy wagons of ivory and industrial diamonds. Germany is on the brink of war with Britain and before the Royal Navy can place a blockade on the ports, the German administration of the country is literally stripping the colony bare of its vast natural wealth.
Wild, colourful, and something of a loveable villain, Carrick MacDonald is a coffee grower in British East Africa, but his plantation is failing and he sees he can make enormous profits by raiding the German convoys. He becomes a thorn in the side of District Commissioner Felix von Schrober, whose every attempt to catch MacDonald and his daughter is thwarted.
Norwood Tynbridge-Pierson, now wandering haphazardly through the German colony, stumbles upon one of MacDonald’s ambushes and scares the Askari troopers who flee with the porters and their valuable cargo of ivory. MacDonald is furious but he realises he cannot leave the unworldly Norwoodto wander the wilderness alone, blissfully unaware of its dangers, especially with Von Schrober’s Askari troops searching the bush. MacDonald takes Norwood with him as they flee towards British East Africa.
The two men, accompanied by Corra, MacDonald’s daughter, travel quickly north towards Chyulu’s mountain, a wild inhospitable place where they meet the notorious Chyulu, a local chief who wields enormous powers over the African Kikuyu population. Here, after a prophesy made by Chyulu, Corra and Norwood become instant enemies. Corra attempts to drive Norwood away and even threatens to shoot him. She is prevented from doing so by her father, Carrick MacDonald.
The party now encounters various adventures as the German district commissioner, Felix von Schrober, aided by a frail spotter aircraft, pursues MacDonald and his men through the harsh African wilderness. MacDonald is wounded in an attack but manages to get his party to a spectacular gorge where he lays a bizarre trap for
the German commissioner and his African riflemen.
Finally, after many more adventures, the party arrives at the bustling port of Mombasa and the following day they travel by train through the spectacular East African countryside to Nairobi. In Europe, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife, Sophia, have just been assassinated, and the world teeters on the edge of war.
Recuperating slowly, Carrick MacDonald takes Norwoodto Glenmassen, his hauntingly beautiful plantation in the Ngong Hills. Here, Norwood helps with the coffee crop. His relationship with Corra has been slowly thawing, the hatred ebbing away in the face of their shared difficulties. To their utter surprise, Corra and Norwoodfall in love. But it is a brief love, unspoken and bitter-sweet, marred by the prospect of war.
War is soon declared. Norwooddecides to return to England where he enlists in the fledgling Royal Flying Corps. MacDonald persuades the Governor of British East Africa to allow him to continue his raids across the border, ostensibly in order to relieve the German colony of its cargoes of precious items, thus helping the British war effort, but in reality MacDonald wants simply to continue his own personal plundering. Corra is torn by what she must now do; remain with her loveable reprobate of a father, or join Norwood and go with him to England. Eventually she decides to stay.
PART TWO.
Norwood has almost finished his flying training and is about to be posted to a squadron in France. There he discovers that the aircraft he has to fly, the relatively modern but already obsolete Gunbus, is outgunned by the faster newer German fighters. He does his best with the aircraft he has, but one day is almost shot down over the German lines. In disgust he and his observer go one evening into the nearest village to drown their sorrows.
Meanwhile, after months of receiving little news, Corra cannot wait any longer and decides to travel to France to see Norwood again. She takes passage from Mombasa, landing at Marseilles. Encountering various adventures of her own, she eventually arrives at the village where Norwood’s squadron is based. However during a flight following his drunken night in the local estaminet, Norwood is confronted with a German Zeppelin and is shot down by its accompanying fighter aircraft.
Norwood survives the crash and is taken to Englandto recuperate. Meanwhile a telegram arrives at the Ministry for War from the governor of British East Africa requesting the provision of air cover for a special mission into
German East Africa which is being devised by Carrick MacDonald.
At the Lake Manyara diamond mine, in the harsh interior of German East Africa, two Indian brothers find and attempt to steal an extremely rich pocket of diamonds, the ‘Cleft of Diamonds’. They are caught and quickly executed but Commissioner Felix von Schrober sees the discovery as a way of luring his archenemy, Carrick MacDonald, once more into German territory where he can be captured and placed on trial for his life.
MacDonald has heard of the discovery of the cleft. He wants the diamonds more than life itself and cannot see that he is being lured into a trap. He requests air cover for his expedition, and Norwood, with Corra, who has secretly boarded the aircraft disguised as a crew-member, are sent from England to provide it.
During the historic and epic flight over Europe and North Africa, Corra and Norwood encounter many dangers and adventures, including being held captive by Italian rebels, and dealing with a rather disgusting and over-amorous Arab sheik, Omar Salim El Hoff, who wants Corra to become his eighth wife.
Finally they arrive in British East Africa and are only just in time to rendezvous with MacDonald at the Kanyu Lugga, where Von Schrober has set his trap.
However events turn disastrously wrong. Norwood’s aircraft is brought down under bizarre circumstances and Corra is captured by Von Schrober who flees with her back to his barracks at Mboto. It is the commissioner’s intention of using her as bait to lure MacDonald to Mboto where he and Norwoodcan be captured and hanged as criminals.
MacDonald and Norwood quickly get to the coast where an Arab dhow is awaiting them. They plan an elaborate hoax to get Corra out of the barracks but this too fails and the following morning all three, Corra, MacDonald and Norwood find themselves standing on a gallows in the centre of Mboto barracks.
Corra is in tears as MacDonald turns to her. His bonnet with the gay feathers of South Morar sits proudly on his head. His kilt is torn and bloodied. Will fate take a hand, or will Von Schrober get the revenge he seeks? And what becomes of the fabulous ‘Cleft of Diamonds’?