overhead, but out of sight, and headed on downstream. Twenty minutes
later they heard it again, coming back in the opposite direction, and
shortly after that it flew downstream again, still above the cloud.
'What the hell is Nogo playing at?' Mek called across to Nicholas.
'Sounds as though he is patrolling the river, but he can't get under the
cloud.'
'My guess is that he is ferrying men downstream to cut us off. Now he
knows we are using boats, he also knows that we can only head in one
direction. Nogo isn't one to worry about international borders. He may
even have realized by now that we are heading for Roseires. It's the
nearest unmanned airstrip along the river. He could be waiting for us
when we try to land., Mek steered his Avon closer and passed a line
across, tying the two boats together so that they could talk in normal
tones.
'I don't like it, Nicholas. We are going to walk right into them again.
What do you suggest?'
Nicholas pondered for a long minute. 'Don't you recognize this part of
the river? Don't you know precisely where we are yet?'
Mek shook his head. 'I always keep well away from the river when we
cross the border, but I will recognize the old sugar'mill at Roseires
when we get there. It's about three miles upstream from the airstrip.'
'DesertedT Nicholas asked.
'Yes. Abandoned ever since the war began twenty years ago.'
'With this cloud cover, it will be dark in an hour,' Nicholas said. 'The
river is slower now and not so dangerous. We can take a chance and keep
on going after dark.
Perhaps Nogo won't expect that. We might be able to give him the slip in
the dark.'
'Is that the best you can do?' Mek chuckled. 'As a plan it sounds to me
a bit like closing your eyes and hoping for the best.'
'Well, if somebody could tell me where the hell we are, and what time
Jannie will arrive tomorrow, I might be able to come up with something a
bit more specific.' Nicholas grinned back at him. 'Until that happens, I
am flying by the seat of my pants.'
All of them were tense with strung-out nerves as they paddled on into
the premature dusk beneath the thick blanket of cloud and rain. Even in
the gathering darkness the crew kept their weapons cocked and locked,
trained on either bank of the river, ready to return fire instantly.
'We must have crossed the border an hour ago,' Mek called to Nicholas.
'The old sugar mill can't be far ahead.'
'In the dark, how will you find it?'
'There is the remains of an old stone jetty on the bank, from which the
riverboats taking the sugar down to Khartoum used to load.'
Night came down upon them abruptly, and Nicholas felt a sense of relief
as the river banks receded into the murk and the darkness hid them from
hostile eyes ashore.
As soon as it was fully dark they lashed the boats -together to prevent
them becoming separated and then let the river carry them on silently,
keeping so close in to the right hand bank that they ran aground more
than once, and some of the men had to slip over the side and push them
