late. The rockets exploded in the embankment of the tracks below them.
The blast threw Bruce over backwards. He fell and rolled, clutching
desperately at the smooth roof, but as he went over the edge his fingers
caught in the guttering and he hung there. He was dazed with the
concussion, the guttering cutting into his fingers, the shoulder strap
of his rifle round his neck strangling him, and the gravel of the
embankment rushing past beneath him.
Ruffy reached over, caught him by the front of his jacket and lifted him
back like a child.
'You going somewhere, boss?' The great round face was coated with dust
from the explosions, but he was grinning happily. Bruce had a confused
conviction that it would take at least a case of dynamite to make any
impression on that mountain of black flesh.
Kneeling on the roof Bruce tried to rally himself. He saw that the
wooden side of the coach nearest the explosions was splintered and torn
and the roof was covered with earth and pebbles. Hendry was sitting
beside him, shaking his head slowly from side to side; a small trickle
of blood ran down from a scratch on his cheek and dripped from his chin.
In the open trucks the men stood or sat with stunned
expressions on their faces, but the train still raced on towards the
rain storm and the dust of the explosions hung in a dense brown cloud
above the forest far behind them.
Bruce scrambled to his feet, searched frantically for the aircraft and
found its tiny shape far off above the mass of cloud.
The radio was undamaged, protected by the sandbags from the blast.
Bruce reached for it and pressed the transmit button.
'Driver, are you all right?'
'Monsieur, I am greatly perturbed.
'You're not alone,' Bruce assured him. 'Keep this train going.'
'Oui, monsieur.' Then he switched to the aircraft's frequency.
Although his ears were singing shrilly from the explosions, he could
hear that the voice of the pilot had changed its tone. There was a
slowness in it, a breathless catch on some of the words. He's frightened
or he's hurt, thought Bruce, but he still has time to make another pass
at us before we reach the storm front.
His mind was clearing fast now, and he became aware of the complete lack
of readiness in his men.
'Ruffy!' he shouted. 'Get them on their feet. Get them ready.
That plane will be back any second now.' Ruffy jumped down into the
truck and Bruce heard his palm slap against flesh as he began to bully
them into activity. Bruce followed him down, then climbed over into the
second truck and began the same process there.
'Haig, give me a hand, help me get the lead out of them.' Further
removed from the shock of the explosion, the men in this truck reacted
readily and crowded to the side, starting to reload, checking their
weapons, swearing, faces losing the dull dazed expressions.
Bruce turned and shouted back, 'Ruffy, are any of your lot hurt?'
'Couple of scratches, nothing bad.' On the roof of the coach Hendry was
standing again, watching the aircraft, blood on his face and his rifle
