Part 91 (2/2)

They were just above the tree line when they heard the helicopter.

It was coming up the valley. It was still behind the shoulder of the hill, but coming on fast.

”Hit the groundP Craig ordered, and slammed Sally Anne between the shoulder-blades with the flat of his hand. They went down and pushed their faces to the earth, but the beat of the rotors changed, altering to coa.r.s.e pitch and now the sound was stationary, just out of their line of sight behind the fold of rocky hillside.

”It's landing,” Sally-Anne said, and the engine noise died away.

”She's down.” Sally-Anne c.o.c.ked her head. ”She's landed. There! He has cut the motor.” Into the silence they could hear, very faintly, orders being shouted.

Tupho, come up here,” Tungata ordered. ”You two, wait.” Craig and Tungata crawled up to the shoulder of the hill and very slowly raised their heads to look over the crest.

Below them, a quarter of a mile down the valley, there was a small level clearing at the edge of the forest. The gra.s.s had been flattened and there was an open-sided canvas sun shelter at the edge of the trees on the far side of the clearing. The helicopter stood in the centre of the clearing, and the pilot was climbing down from the fuselage port. There were uniformed troopers of the Third Brigade under the trees near the tent, and in the tent they could make out three or four other men sitting at a table.

”Advanced headquarters,” Craig murmured.

”This is the valley thae'we entered, the main cave is just below us.”

”You are right.” Craig had not recognized the ground from this direction and height.

”Looks as though they are pulling out,” Tungata pointed into the trees. A platoon of camouflaged troopers was moving back down the valley in Indian file.

”They probably waited for forty-eight hours or so after dynamiting the grand gallery, now they must have given us up for dead and buried.” ”How many?”Tungata asked.

”I can see,” Craig screwed up his eyes, ”twenty at least, not counting those in the tent. There will be others staking out the hills, of course.” Tungata drew back from the skyline and beckoned to Sally' Anne She crawled up beside him.

”What do you make of that machine?” He pointed at the helicopter.

”It's a Super Frelon,” she replied without hesitation.

”Can you fly it?” 11 can fly anything.”

”d.a.m.n it, Sally-Anne, don't be clever,” Craig whispered irritably. ”Have you ever flown one of those?”

”Not a Super Frelon, but I have five hundred hours on helicopters.”

”How long would it take you to start up and get moving, once you are in the c.o.c.kpit?” Now she hesitated. ”Two or three minutes.”

”Too long. ”Craig shook his head.

”What if we can pull the guards away from the clearing while Pendula starts up?” Tungata asked.

”That might work,” Craig agreed.

”This is it then.” Tungata set it out quickly. ”I will track UP to the head of the valley. You take the girls down to the edge of the clearing. Got it?” Craig nodded.

”Forty-five minutes from now,” Tungata checked his wrist.w.a.tch, nine, thirty exactly, I will start throwing grenades and firing with the AK. That should pull most of the Shana away from the clearing. As soon as the shooting starts, you head for the helicopter. When I hear the helicopter lift off, I'll run out on the open slope, there! He pointed up the valley. ”Just below that rock sheet. The Shana will not have reached me by that time you can make the pick-up from there.”

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