ungainly heap of arms and legs to hit the water with a splash.
'Where the hell are you, boss?' Bruce croaked a water-strangled reply
and Ruffy came ploughing down towards him with clumsy overarm
strokes.
He reached Bruce.
'Always playing around,' he grunted. 'Guess some guys never learn!' His
fist closed on a handful of Bruce's hair.
Struggling unavailingly Bruce felt his head tucked firmly under
Ruffy's arm and he was dragged through the water.
Occasionally his face came out long enough to suck a breath but mostly
he was under water. Consciousness receded and he felt himself going,
going.
His head bumped against something hard but he was too weak to reach out
his hand.
'Wake up, boss. You can have a sleep later.' Ruffy's voice bellowed in
his ear. He opened his eyes and saw beside him the pile of the bridge.
'Come on. I can't carry you up here.' Ruffy had worked round the side of
the pile, shielding them from arrows, but the current was strong here,
tugging at their bodies. Without the strength to prevent it Bruce's head
rolled sideways and his face flopped forward into the water.
'Come on, wake up.' With a stinging slap Ruffy's open hand hit
Bruce across the cheek. The shock roused him, he coughed and a mixture
of water and vomit shot up his throat and out of his mouth and nose.
Then he blenched painfully and retched again.
'How's it feel now?' Ruffy demanded.
Bruce lifted a hand from the water and wiped his mouth.
He felt much better.
'Okay? Can you make it?' Bruce nodded.
'Let's go then.' With Ruffy dragging and pushing him, he worked his way
up the pile. Water poured from his clothing as his body emerged, his
hair was plastered across his forehead and he could feel each breath
gurgle in his lungs.
'Listen boss. When we get to the top we'll be in the open again.
There'll be more arrows - not time to sit around and chat. We're going
over the rail fast and then run like hell, okay?' Bruce nodded again.
Above him were the floorboards of the bridge. With one hand he reached
up and caught an upright of the tie guard rail, and he hung there,-
without strength to pull himself the rest of the way.
'Hold it there,' grunted Ruffy and Wriggled his shiny wet bulk up and
over.
The arrows started falling again; one pegged into the wood six inches
from Bruce's face and stood there quivering.
Slowly Bruce's grip relaxed. I can't hold on, he thought, I'm going.
Then Ruffy's hand closed on his wrist, he felt himself dragged up, his
legs dangled. He hung suspended by one arm and the water swirled
smoothly past twenty feet below.
Slowly he was drawn upwards, his chest scraped over the guard rail,
tearing his shirt, then he tumbled over it into an untidy heap on the
bridge.
Vaguely he heard the guns firing on the south bank, the flit and thump
