Things Get Tense

Embarrassed by Verity's 'are you racist ?' outburst and the glares of the guards, Rob went to try to make peace with the elderly couple who had accompanied them on the bus from the lodge. He received a frosty reception there also but did obtain the advice that when the passengers were brought forward to go through security, it was best to let all the locals go first, since there was no seating on the other side of the barrier and they did not always board immediately.

When he returned to his seat the girls were being particularly noisy, laughing and posing and smiling at the three security officers. "Can't you ever keep quiet ?" he asked them. "And can't you ever just chill ?" retorted Verity, who was waving her phone around and recording the scene. "You shouldn't record in here, it might be restricted" Rob advised her. "Oh for goodness sake. Can you see any signs ? Can you see those guys objecting ?" She smiled at the guards again and pointed to her phone. "See ? They're cool with it. Anyway, the school wanted a full record of everything we encountered on the trip to be given in a presentation for end of term."

Rob lapsed into sullen silence. His prayers were answered when a barely decipherable Tannoy announcement informed them that passengers could now commence passing through security. He informed the girls of the elderly couple's advice and for once they did not raise any objection to sitting there while the locals began to process past the guards.

Everything proceeded in a mundane and rather routine fashion with most of the locals being waved through after the most cursory of checks. This changed when the guards came to a tall, well built guy wearing a faded blue football shirt with Drogba 11 on the back. This guy had been hanging back nervously and was one of the last of the locals to come forward. Adopting a noticeably more aggressive tone, the chief officer demanded that he place his case on the counter and open it for them. A fierce argument began to develop in Swahili as the guards sifted through his belongings and felt around the lining of the case. The guy began to gesticulate wildly and for a moment, Rob feared that they might come to blows. Surely one of the guards had not just cocked his gun ?

Fortunately, the altercation seemed to subside to some extent but then the four girls became galvanized when they heard the barked command in English, "Strip !"