'We've got to try,' said Rick urgently. 'The river's rising fast. If we can't fly out, we'll have to abandon the plane for high ground.'
'Leave the plane?' said Con in dismay.
'Either that or drown,' said Rick grimly.
'Okay,' said Joe, 'I'll give it a shot.' He walked to the pilot's seat and dumped the gear upon it on the floor. Some of it slid down into the water. When Con started to fetch it, he said, 'Leave it. It won't matter, whatever happens.'
Con and Rick stuffed the clothes remaining on the other seats into duffel bags before sitting down. Joe flipped a switch, and the seats grasped their sides and shifted position to compensate for the tilt of the aircraft.
'Here goes nothing,' said Joe, as he pushed a button.
The river beneath the wings boiled, and muddy water splashed against the underside of the plane. Rick felt a vi- bration and, for a glorious instant, he thought they were breaking free. The vibration stopped as Joe turned off the engines.
'Can't you try again?' asked Con is a disheartened voice.
'I'm sure I felt something,' said Rick.
'What the hell,' said Joe in a dead voice. He pushed the button and the river boiled again. He left the engines on until all hope was extinguished. They were stuck.
Joe turned off the plane, and the seats relaxed their grip. Rick rose with a sigh. 'I'll make the first trip,' he said. 'I'll take a load of stuff and an extra flashlight to high ground and leave a flashlight there as a beacon.'
'I'll go, Rick,' said Joe.
'No,' replied Rick, 'you're the pilot.'
'A pilot without a plane,' said Joe.
'It'll still be here when the rain stops,' said Rick.
'Of course,' said Joe for Con's benefit. 'This old girl's been through fire, what's a little water.'
'It seems to me that I'm the one who should go,' said Con.
Rick and Joe both shouted 'no' simultaneously with such vehemence that she did not argue.
'Look, Con,' said Rick, 'I just made the trip. It'll be safest for me.' Once they resolved to leave the plane, they worked hastily to do so. Each packed their clothes in their duffel bag. Then they distributed the remaining supplies among the three duf-fel bags and a fourth bag to make four equal loads. Rick grabbed a bag, opened the door, and departed on the first trip. Water poured in the opening, but Con and Joe did not close it. They left it open to watch Rick's progress. The water was up to Rick's thighs, and he moved slowly.
Gradually, his light became a misty apparition in the driving rain. It moved unsteadily as it diminished in the distance. The wandering light stopped, then separated into two—one light that stayed put and another that slowly approached Joe and Con. The anxious time until Rick returned was measured by the rise of the water level within the plane. It had reached Con's calves by the time Rick stood before the opening. Out-side, the water was waist- deep.
'Toss me another bag,' he said, 'then sling your bags over your backs so we can hold hands. The current's getting strong.'
They formed a human chain with Joe at the lead carrying the flashlight, Rick in the middle, and Con at the rear. As Con entered the river, she felt it tug at her legs, and she gripped Rick's hand tightly. The pelting rain was no longer refreshing, and her breath smoked in the chill, dank air. The slippery mud sucked at her feet.
About halfway to safety, Con called out. 'Hold up a min-ute, my sneaker's come off in the mud.' Aware of what a disaster losing a shoe would be, Con released Rick's hand to search for it. Leaning over to grope for her shoe, Con ex-posed her torso to the force of the current. It pushed her over. She struggled to regain her footing as the river forced her off the crest of the ridge. The river bottom was farther down each time her feet sought it. As more of her body submerged, the current had more to push. It took only a few seconds before she was completely in the river's power.
'Con!' screamed Rick, as he fought to get loose from Joe's grip.
'Use your head!' yelled Joe as he straggled to keep Rick from diving into the current. As he fought Rick, he found Con with his light. 'We've got to guide her to the shore. Two people in the river will only make things worse.'
