The Seventh Scroll - Smith Wilbur - Страница 111

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brief glimpse of a green island with a few thatched huts on the tip, and

a dozen dugout canoes lying on the narrow beach.

"Well, the old man hasn't lost his touch yet," Fred remarked. "Still

good for a few thousand miles before we trade him in."

"Not so much of the old man stuff, you little squirt. I have some tricks

up my sleeve that I haven't even used yet."

"Ask Mara." Fred grinned affectionately at his father as he banked on to

a new southwesterly heading, and with his wingtip so close to the ground

that he scattered a herd of camels feeding in the sparse thorn scrub.

They lumbered away across the plain, each trailing a wisp of white dust

like a wedding train.

"Another three hours' flying time to the rendezvous." Jannie looked up

from the map. "Spot on! We should land forty minutes before sunset.

Couldn't be better,'

"I' better  go back and change into my hiking gear, then." Royan went

back into the main cabin, pulled her bag from under the bunk and

disappeared into the lavatory. When' she emerged twenty minutes later

she wore khaki culottes and a cotton top.

"These boots were made for walking." She stamped them on the deck.

"That's fine." Nicholas watched her from the bunk.

"But how about that knee?"

t vopuiuj ProcesV

"It will get me there," she said, defensively.

"You mean I am to be deprived of the pleasure of back acking you again?"

The Ethiopian mountains came up so subtly on the eastern horizon that

Royan was not aware of them until Nicholas pointed out to her the faint

blue outline against the brighter blue of the African sky.

"Almost there." He glanced at his wrist-watch. "Let's go up to the

flight deck."

Looking forward through the windshield there was no landmark ahead of

them - just the vast brown savannah, speckled with the black dots of

acacia trees.

"Ten minutes to go," Jannie intoned. "Anyone see anything?" There was no

reply, and they all stared ahead.

"Five minutes."

"Over there!" Nicholas pointed over his shoulder.

4 "That's the course of the Blue Nile." A denser grove of thorn trees

formed a dark line far ahead. "And there is the smokestack of the

derelict sugar'mill on the river bank.

Mek Nimmur says that the airstrip is about three miles from the mill."

"Well, if it is, it's not shown, on the chart," Jannie grumbled. "One

minute before we are on the coordinates."

The minute ticked off slowly on the stopwatch.

"Still nothing-' Fred broke off as a red flare shot up from the earth

directly ahead and flashed past Big Dolly's JI nose. Everyone in the

cockpit smiled and relaxed with relief.

"Right on the nose." Nicholas patted Jannie's shoulder in

congratulations. "Couldn't have done better myself."

Fred climbed a few hundred feet and came round in a one-eighty turn. Now

there were two signa I fires burning out there on the plain - one with

black smoke,, the other sending a column of white straight up into the

still evening sky. It was only when they were a kilometer out that they

were able to make out the faint outline of the overgrown and

long'disused landing strip. Roseires airstrip had been built twenty

years before by a company that tried to grow sugar cane under irrigation

from the Blue Nile. But Africa had won again and the company had passed

into oblivion, leaving this feeble scrape mark on the plain as its

epitaph.

Mek Nimmur had chosen this remote and deserted place for the rendezvous.

"No sign of a reception committee," Jannie grunted.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Continue your approach," Nicholas told him. "There should be another

flare - ah, there it is!" The ball of fire shot up from a clump of thorn

trees at the far end -of the runway, and for the first time they were

able to make out human figures in the bleak landscape. They had stayed

hidden until the very last moment.

"That's Mek, all right! Go ahead and land."

As Big Dolly finished her roll-out and the end of the rough and pitted

runway came up ahead, a figure in camouflage fatigues popped up ahead of

them. With a pair of paddles it signalled them to taxi into the space

between two of the tallest thorn trees.

Jannie cut the engines and grinned at them over his shoulder. "Well,

boys and girls, looks like we pulled off another lucky one!'

Then from the height of Big Dolly's-cockpit there was no mistaking the

commanding figure of Mek Nimmur as he emerged from the cover of the

clump of acacia trees. Only now did they realize that the trees had been

shrouded with camouflage netting; this was why they had not been able to

spot any sign of human presence from the air. As soon as the loading

ramp was lowered, Mek Nimmur came striding up it.

"Nicholas! They embraced and, after Mek had kissed him noisily on each

cheek, he held Nicholas at arm's was proce Wolrlc, length and studied

his face, delighted to see him again. "So I was right! You are up to

your old tricks. Not simply a dikdik shoot, was it?"

"How can I lie to an old friend?"Nicholas shrugged.

Hell' "It always came easy to you," Mek laughed, "but I am lad we are

going to have some fun together. Life has been very boring recently."

"I bet!'Nicholas punched his shoulder affectionately.

A slim, graceful figure followed Mek up the ramp. In the olive-green

fatigues Nicholas hardly recognized Tessay until she spoke. She wore

canvas para boots and a cloth cap that made her look like a boy.

"Nicholas! Royan! Welcome back!" Tessay cried. The two women embraced as

enthusiastically as the men had done.

"Come on, you Ous!" Jannie protested. "This isn't Woodstock. I have to

get back to Malta tonight. I want to take off before dark."

Swiftly Mek took charge of the offloading. His men swarmed aboard and

manhandled the pallets forward on the rollers, while Sapper started up

his beloved front-end loader and used it to run the cargo down the ramp

and stack it in the acacia grove under the camouflage netting.

With so many hands to help it went swiftly, and Big Dolly's hold was

emptied just as the sun settled wearily on to the horizon, and the short

African twilight bled all colour from the landscape.

Jannie and Nicholas had one last hurried discussion in the cockpit while

Fred completed his flight checks. They went over the plans and radio

procedures one last time.

Four days from today," Jannie agreed, as they shook hands briefly.

"Let the man go, Nicholas," Mek bellowed from below.

"We must get across the border before dawn."

They watched Big Dolly taxi down to the end of the strip and swing

around. The engine beat crescendoed as she came tearing back in a long

rolling shroud of dust and lifted off over their heads. Jannie waggled

his wings in farewell and, without navigation lights showing, the great

aircraft blended like a black bat into the darkening sky and disappeared

almost immediately.

"Come here." Nicholas led Royan to a seat under the acacia. "I don't

want that knee to play up again." He pushed her culottes halfway up. her

thigh and strapped the knee wit han elastic bandage, trying not to make

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