We will be going in through Egypt, but without landing there.' He
pointed out their flight path on the maps spread over his desk.
'Bit of a problem over the Sudan. They are having a little civil war
there.' He winked at Nicholas. I However, the northern government are
not equipped with the most up-to'date radar in the world. Lot of old
Russian reject stuff. It's an enormous bit of country, and Fred and I
have worked out their blank spots. We will be keeping well clear of
their main military installations.'
'What's our flying time?' Nicholas wanted to know.
Jannio pulled a face. 'Big Dolly is no sprinter, and as I have just told
you we will not be taking any short-cuts.'
'How long?'Nicholas insisted.
'Fred and I have rigged up bunks and a kitchen, so that during the
flight you will have all the comforts of home.' He lifted his cap and
scratched his head before he admitted, 'Fifteen hours.'
'Has Big Dolly got that sort of endurance?' Nicholas wanted to know.
'Extra tanks. Seventy-one thousand kilos of fuel. Even with the load you
have given us, we can get there and back without refuelling.' He was
interrupted by the huge hangar doors rolling open, and a heavy truck
being driven through. 'That will be Fred and Sapper now.' Jannie swigged
the last of his coffee and hugged Mara. She giggled, and her bosom
quivered like a snowfield on the point of an avalanche.
The truck parked at the far end of the hangar, where. an array of
equipment and stores was already neatly stacked, ready for loading. When
Fred climbed down from the cab, Jannie introduced him to Royan. He was a
younger version of the father, already beginning to spread around the
waist, and with an open bucolic face, more like a Karroo sheep farmer
than a commercial pilot.
'That's the last truckload.' Sapper came around the front of the truck
and shook Nicholas's hand. 'All set to begin loading.'
'I want to take off before four 'clock tomorrow morning. That will get
us into our rendezvous at the optimum time tomorrow evening,'Jannie cut
in. 'We have a bit of work to do, if we are going to get some sleep
before we leave.' He gestured to the pallets waiting to be loaded.
I wanted to get some of the local lads to give a hand with the loading,
but Sapper wouldn't hear of it.'
'Quite right,' Nicholas agreed, 'The fewer who are in on this, the
merrier. Let's get cracking.'
The cargo had been prepacked on the steel pallets, secured with heavy
nylon strapping and covered with cargo netting. There were thirty-six
loaded pallets, and the canvas packs containing the parachutes formed an
integral part of each load. This huge Cargo would require two separate
flights to ferry it all across to Africa.
Royan called out the contents of each pallet from the typed manifest,
while Nicholas checkd it against the actual load. Nicholas and Sapper
had worked out the loads carefully to ensure that the items that would
be required first were on the initial flight. Only when he was Certain
that each pallet was complete in every detail id he signal to Fred, who
was operating the forklift. Fred ran the arms into the slots of the
