his mouth. He stared at Baird, then made an effort to lift the gun that lay across his knees.
Baird shot him through the head before he could get the gun up.
As the guard slumped over, Baird ran over to the controls, throttled back the engine, put it in reverse, then opened the throttle slowly. The launch pulled out of the soft mud into deeper water. Baird half closed the throttle, and brought the launch alongside the bank.
Every movement he had to make was by sheer effort of will. His head was expanding and contracting, and it was as much as he could do to stand upright. He drove himself ruthlessly. Here was a chance of escape. If he could get Hater on board, most of his troubles would be over.
He slid overboard into the warm, muddy water, climbed up the bank and hunted around for Hater. He found him still lying motionless where he had left him. He made sure he was still alive, then began to drag him through the bush to the bank.
It took him a long time to get Hater on board. He was so exhausted by the time he had rolled Hater on to the deck that he flopped down in the shallow water, holding his head between his hands, only half conscious.
He sat there for some minutes. Conscious he was wasting time, he finally made an effort and stood up. He got back on the bank and began to search for the suitcase and the Winchester. He found them with difficulty, and as he picked them up he heard Rico calling.
He stood looking in the direction of the shouts, surprised that Rico was still alive. Leaving the case and the gun, he staggered into the bush in search of Rico.
By now the moon had swung up into the sky. Baird came upon Rico lying on his back, his white, sweating face agonised with pain.
‘I thought you’d forgotten me,’ Rico gasped, and began to sob with relief. ‘I thought you were going to leave me here to die.’
‘Get up, you rat!’ Baird snarled. ‘What do you think you’re doing, lying there?’
Rico groaned.
‘It’s my leg, it’s broken. It’s bleeding. Help me, Baird.’
Baird stood over him. He could scarcely keep his feet.
‘You asked for it,’ he said, his breath coming in great laboured gasps. ‘Why didn’t you keep down?’
‘Help me,’ Rico said, reaching out a shaking hand. ‘Don’t leave me here to die.’
Why not leave him here? Baird asked himself. All along Rico had been useless. Now with a broken leg he’d be worse than useless. Baird had already exhausted himself get ing Hater on board. The thought of having to go through that all over again with Rico decided him.
‘Take it easy,’ he said. ‘I’l be back. I’ve got to find Hater.’
Rico knew at once he was lying.
‘You can’t leave me like this!’ he cried, half sitting up. ‘I’m bleeding! Baird! You can’t do it!’
‘Aw, shut up!’ Baird said, and staggered back to where he had left the gun and the suitcase.
Rico shouted after him, but Baird didn’t look back. Sure now Baird was going to leave him, Rico started to crawl after him, dragging his broken leg behind him. His body was torn with pain, but somehow he managed to keep moving, digging his fingers into the soft ground to pull himself forward.
‘Baird!’ he shouted. ‘Wait for me!’
Baird looked over his shoulder. He saw Rico crawling after him, and he was tempted to put him out of his misery, but he decided not to risk a shot. The guards might still be near at hand looking for him for all he knew.
He slid down the bank into the water, hoisted the Winchester, then the suitcase on board and heaved himself over the gunwale.
Rico made a desperate effort to increase his speed. He was half out of his mind with pain and fear, and he began to scream at Baird.
‘Come back! Come back!’
Baird dragged himself to the bridge, eased open the throttle and the launch began to edge away from the bank.
Rico pulled out his gun.
‘Come back, Baird!’ he yelled. ‘I’l kil you if you don’t come back!’
Baird spun the wheel and the launch headed out to midstream. Already he was fifty yards or so from the bank. He wasn’t even listening to Rico’s frantic cries.
Rico pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He tried to thumb back the safety-catch, but the gun slipped out of his hands and fell with a splash into the river. He made a frantic effort to save it, overbalanced and toppled over into the shallow water.
His broken leg twisted under him, and for a moment he lost consciousness, engulfed by pain. The water, closing over his head, brought him round, and he struggled to the bank, where he lay half in and half out of the water.
With sick horror, he watched the dim shape of the launch gathering speed and disappearing down the river into the darkness.
He dropped back, sobbing wildly. He could feel blood coming from his wound. In the bright light of the moon he saw the water around him was turning red.
Even then he wouldn’t believe he was going to die. The police would find him, he told himself frantically.
