'You will be very welcome!' Nicholas promised him fervently.
He hung up the microphone and beamed at the two women, 'Jannie is on his
way, and he will-'
He broke off and his smile shrivelled to an expression of dismay. From
the direction of the river came the unmistakable rattle of AK-47 rapid
fire, followed a few seconds later by the crump of an exploding grenade.
'Oh, dammit to hell!' he groaned. 'I thought it was too good to last.
Nogo has arrived.'
He picked up the mike again and spoke into it expressionlessly. 'Big
Dolly! The uglies have arrived on the scene. It's going to have to be a
hot extraction.'
'Hang on to your crown, Pharaoh!' jannie's voice floated back. 'I am on
my way.'
During the next half-hour the sounds of the fighting along the river
intensified until the rattle of small-arms fire was almost continuous,
and gradually it crept closer to the far end of the airstrip. It was
clear that Mek's men, spread , out thinly along the river end of the
strip, were falling back before the thrust of Nogo's men. And every
twenty minutes or so there was'the sound of the returning helicopter, as
it ferried another stick of men to increase the pressure on Mek's scanty
defence.
Nicholas and Sapper were the only ablebodied men left in the acacia
grove, for all the others had gone out to defend the perimeter. The two
of them moved the ammunition crates to the edge of the trees, where they
could be loaded in haste once the Hercules landed.
Nicholas sorted out the cargo, reading the contents of each crate from
the notations on the lids in Royan's handwriting. The crate containing
the death -mask and the Taita ushabd would be the first to go aboard,
followed by the three crowns- the blue war crown, the Nemes crown and
the red and white crown of the united kingdoms of upper and lower Egypt.
The value of those three crates probably exceeded that of all the rest
of the treasure combined.
Once the cargo had been taken care of, Nicholas went down the row of
wounded men and spoke to each of them in turn. First, he thanked them
for their help and sacrifice, red to take them out on the Hercules to
and then offed where they could receive proper medical attention. He
mised each of them that, if they accepted the offer, he pro would see to
it . -lat once they had recovered from their wounds they could return to
Ethiopia.
Seven of them - those who were less seriously wounded and were able to
walk - refused to leave Mek Nimmur.
Their loyalty was a touching demonstration of the high regard in which
Mek was held by his men. The others reluctantly agreed to be evacuated,
but only after Tessay had intervened and added her assurances to
Nicholas's.
Then he and Sapper carried them to the point at the edge of the grove
where jannie would halt Big Dolly for the pick'up.
'What about you?' Nicholas asked Tessay. 'Are you coming out with us?
You are still in pretty bad shape.'
Tessay laughed. 'While I can still stand on my two feet, I will never
