going with him. I’ll be back in two seconds. Don’t go anywhere,’ he said to Stratton, hurrying to the door and leaving the cabin.
Stratton lifted one of the cloth claymore bags out of the box and checked the contents. Apart from the mine itself it contained the hand dynamo, cabling and a complete booby-trap system including trip-wire, plus pressure and release switches.
He had hoped that agreeing to do the task might settle his mind but it had not.
Hurrying to Sebastian’s cabin, Victor saw Louisa walking nearby and went towards her.
She looked up as he approached.
‘You look lost,’ he said.
‘No. Not lost.’ She sat on the edge of the long table, picking at the wood.
‘You’re waiting to say goodbye to Stratton.’
Her smile was genuine if a little sad. ‘I know, the perceptive Frenchman in you.’
‘Do you think you could prepare a horse for him? We will be leaving in a little while.’
Louisa nodded and got to her feet lethargically.
‘He’s not leaving . . . well, not to go home, at least. He’s going to do the ambush.’
She stopped in her tracks to look at him.
‘We’re going to get Chemora,’ Victor said, looking pleased. ‘I don’t know what it is about that man, but when he says he’s going to do something, well, you know what I mean? No, you probably don’t. It’s an instinct thing.’
Louisa took a moment to absorb the information. ‘Who else?’
‘Me. David. Bernard. I must go,’Victor said, heading for Sebastian’s cabin. ‘We’ll be gone a few days, I expect. But we’re going to get Chemora. I know we are.’
Louisa’s mind whirled as she watched him walk away. She headed up the path that led to the stables.
In Sebastian’s cabin Steel sat at the table, wearing a pair of glasses and reading a document while sipping a cup of coffee.
‘Can I have those satellite photos and maps?’ Victor asked, confidently.
Steel looked at him over the rim of his glasses. ‘Why?’
‘Because we’re going to do the job, of course.’
‘Who’s “we”?’
‘What would you say if I told you that I and some of the men were going to give it a try?’
‘I’d say forget it,’ Steel said, getting back to his papers.
‘And what would you say if I told you that Stratton was coming along too?’
Steel looked back at him. ‘I’d ask if you were telling the truth.’
‘I am.’
Steel smiled thinly, put down his coffee, dug the maps and photographs from his bag and slid them across the table. ‘Have fun,’ he said casually as he went back to his reading.
Victor picked up the maps and photographs and left the cabin. When the door had closed behind him Steel put down his document, removed his glasses and began to think of his next move in earnest.
Stratton climbed onto his horse. David winced as he lowered himself into his saddle and adjusted it.
‘You okay?’ Stratton asked.
‘Yes. And you?’
‘I’m fine.’ The dull throb in Stratton’s back was constant but manageable. Otherwise, apart from a sore throat and feeling like he’d smoked a hundred cigarettes the night before, he felt okay.
Bernard led three burros from around the back of the stable, their backs loaded with supplies.
Victor cut a piece of plastic-coated wire from a drum and offered it to Stratton. ‘Is this good enough?’ he asked. ‘I hope so because I have a thousand metres of the stuff.’
Stratton nodded. ‘It’ll do. What about batteries?’
Victor showed him two six-volt motorbike batteries. ‘I checked that they’re fully charged.’ He pulled an AK47 off his shoulder and held it up to Stratton. ‘Your new rifle . . . Okay, so it’s not new but it’s the best I have.’
The soldier took the weapon and checked it over. Victor handed him a magazine pouch which he slung over his shoulder and the weapon across his back.
‘You look like a proper rebel now,’ Victor said.
‘Which ensures I’ll be hung as one if I’m caught.’
‘True enough,’ Victor said, grinning as he climbed onto his horse and looked around. ‘I was expecting Louisa to see us off.’
Sebastian walked around the corner of the stable towards the corral where the white horse walked up to him. ‘Good luck,’ he said to them as he reached out to pet the animal.
‘Thank you, Sebastian,’ Victor said. Then, to the others, ‘Shall we?’
The group moved off, the three burros bringing up the rear. Victor urged his horse into a trot and the others followed.
They slowed to a walk as they entered the jungle. A few metres in they came to a defensive embankment, essentially a shallow trench reinforced on the outer side with logs and sandbags. It was the camp perimeter and a handful of rebels sat around, acting as sentries. The group crossed a removable gangway and headed down a steep slope on the other side.
They emerged from the trees a short distance later onto a track. It was wide enough for a couple of horses to walk abreast and Victor moved alongside Stratton. ‘When I was a kid my favourite story was d’Artagnan’s adventures with the Three Musketeers. Finally, I feel like I’m living the part.’
The Englishman gave him a sideways glance. Victor did look quite proud, it was true.
They had not gone far when Victor and Stratton slowed to a stop. Behind them David and Bernard looked ahead to see why and also stopped. All of them were surprised.
Louisa sat on her horse dressed in the same camouflage clothing and jungle boots as the men, with a pair of plump saddlebags across the animal’s loin. She stared coolly back at them.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Victor asked, moving forward.
‘What does it look like?’ she replied.
‘It looks as if you are planning on a long ride somewhere. But I can’t imagine where to.’
‘Shall we dispense with the childish badinage? I’m coming with you.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Victor said firmly.
‘I spent the last few hours going over the pros and cons of why I should and should not go. I also went through every argument I could expect you to make to dissuade me. Nothing I could think of was convincing enough to suggest I should not come and so I’m here.’
‘You are a stubborn woman, Louisa, but this is one debate you are not going to win.’
‘You’re going to hear me out whether you like it or not,’ she said, her jaw tightening. ‘And if you insist on riding on without hearing me I will simply follow you.’
Victor did not doubt her. ‘Okay. Say your piece. But you’re just wasting our valuable time.’
‘I have as much right as you to be on this mission. I was born in this country, my father began this revolution. I can’t continue to witness this struggle from within the camp. I don’t want to be a fighter but I have to understand what it’s like. You said you would be long gone by the time the government soldiers reacted to the ambush. So why can’t I come? I’m a better rider than any of you if we have to move fast.’
‘I think Victor is concerned about the unseen dangers,’ Stratton cut in. ‘No matter how simple an operation looks on paper there are always things that can go wrong.’
‘The only reason you’re stopping me is because I’m a woman.’
‘No,’ Victor corrected her. ‘You’re Sebastian’s daughter. What do you think he would say if he was here right now?’
‘You think I would say anything different to him?’
Victor sighed irritably. ‘Why do you really want to come? This doesn’t make sense, Louisa, and you’ve always been a sensible woman.’
