While waiting for Taylor and Delcarte to join him he is seized by uniformed soldiers. Turck worked there a month, making an educated assumption that this was an outpost for some military power with a strong literary heritage. Turck begins learning the language. Belik takes Turck as his personal servant rather than send him south in the chain gang. Turck learns that 50 years earlier Emperor Menelek began expanding the Abyssinian empire north, now holding all of Africa, some of the Middle East, and Europe except England, Scandinavia, and eastern Russia.
Orders come for the army to move east.
A guard moves Victory to Menelek's apartments. Turck follows but is stopped by a guard. The enemy begins bombing the city. Turck sees Menelek enter his apartments. He overpowers the guard and finds the emperor trying to force his attention upon Victory.