'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
his pleasure in this task too apparent. He was pleased to see that the
bruising had almost faded and there was no longer any swelling.
He palpated it gently. Her skin was velvety and the flesh beneath it
firm and warm to the touch. He looked up, and from the expression on her
face realized that she was enjoying this intimacy as much'as he was. As
he caught her eye she flushed slightly, and quickly smoothed down her
culottes.
She jumped up and said, 'Tessay and I have a lot of catching up to do,'
and hurried across to join her.
I am leaving a full combat platoon to guard your stores here,' Mek
explained to Nicholas as Tessay led Royan away. 'We will travel in a
very small party as far as the border. I don't expect any trouble. There
is very little enemy activity this sector at the moment. Lots of
fighting in the south, but we are quiet here. That is why I chose this
rendezvous.'
'How far to the Ethiopian border?'Nicholas wanted to know.
'Five hours' march,' Mek told him. 'We will slip through one of our
pipelines after the moon has set. The rest of my men are waiting in the
entrance to the Abbay gorge. We should rendezvous with them before dawn
