out into deeper water.
The stone piers of the jetty at Roseires sprang out at them
unexpectedly, and Nicholas's leading Avon slammed into them before he
could steer clear. However, the crew were ready and they jumped over the
side into chest-deep water and dragged the boat to the bank. Immediately
Mek leaped ashore and, with twenty of his men, spread out into the
overgrown canefields along the bank to secure the area and prevent a
surprise attack by Nogo's men.
There was confusion and more noise than Nicholas felt was safe as the
rest of the flotilla beached, and they began to bring the wounded ashore
and unload the cargo of ammunition cases. Nicholas piggybacked Royan to
the bank and then waded back to fetch Tessay. She was much stronger by
now. The enforced rest during the voyage down river had given her a
chance to recover, and she stood up unaided in the Avon and climbed on
to Nicholas's shoulders to be brought ashore.
Once on dry ground he let her slide down on to her own feet and asked
her quietly, 'How are you feeling?'
'I will be all right now, thank you, Nicholas,' He supported her for a
moment while she recovered her balance and said quickly, 'I did not have
a chance to ask earlier. What about Royan's message that she asked you
to telephone from Debra Maryam? Did you get it through for her?
'Yes, of course,' Tessay replied guilelessly. 'I told Royan that I had
given her message to Moussad at the Egyptian Embassy. Didn't she tell
you?'
Nicholas winced as though he had taken a low punch, but he smiled and
kept his tone casual. 'It must have slipped her mind. Not important,
anyway. But thanks nevertheless, Tessay.'
PM-Om At that moment Mek came striding out of the darkness and spoke in
a harsh whisper. 'This sounds like a camel market. Nogo will hear us
from five miles away.' Quickly 3. he took command and started to
organize the shore party Once the last of the ammunition crates were
unloaded, they dragged the boats into the canefields and unscrewed the
valves that deflated the pontoons. Then they piled cane trash over them.
Still working in the dark they distributed the cargo of ammunition
crates amongst Mck's men. Sapper took a case under each arm. Nicholas
slung the radio over one shoulder and his emergency pack over the other,
and balanced on his head the case that contained Pharaoh's golden
death-mask and the Taita ushabti.
Mek sent his scouts forward to sweep the route out to the airstrip and
make certain that they did not run into an ambush. Then he took the
point and the rest of them strung out in Indian file along the rough,
overgrown track behind him. Before they had covered a mile the clouds
suddenly opened overhead, and the crescent moon and the stars showed
through and gave them enough light to make out the chimneystack of the
ruined mill against the night sky.
But even with this moonlight their progress was slow and broken ses, by
long pau for the stretcher-bearers carrying the wounded had difficulty
keeping up. By the time they reached the airstrip it was after three in
the morning and the moon had set. They stacked the ammunition cases in
