But there was silence and his heart began to race and frustration was the bellows of his rage.
?What?? said the pilot, now beside him.
?They?ve found him; someone called in Mayday,? he said. ?Come in, Mayday, where are you, who signaled??
The officer had his headset on in the control cabin.
?Rooivalk One to Oryx, we heard it, too.?
?Who was it?? asked Mazibuko.
?Sounded like Kotze, over.?
?Who the fuck is Kotze??
?The pilot of the other Oryx.?
?Come!? yelled Tiger Mazibuko, but his pilot had the engines running already. ?I want all the Rooivalks, too,? he said into the mouthpiece. ?Do you know where Kotze and them are??
?NegatI've, Oryx, over.?
?Fuck,? said Mazibuko, struggling with the map in the dark cabin.
?Show me,? said the copilot. ?Then I?ll give the coordinates.?
?Here.? He jabbed the map with his index finger. ?Right here.?
They tore over the landscape and the pilot shouted, ?Where?? and he shouted back above the racket, ?Botswana,? and the captain shook his head.
?I can?t cross the border.?
?You can. If we keep low, the radar won?t pick us up.?
?What??
The pain in his hip was enormous, throbbing; his trousers were soaked in blood. He had to have a look. But there were more urgent things.
?I want a headset,? he said, and gestured.
The copilot got it, hands trembling and eyes on the HK in Mpayipheli?s hands. He got earphones and passed them over, plugging the wire in somewhere. Hissing, voices, the Rooivalks were talking to each other.
?Tell them about the wounded man,? said Thobela Mpayipheli in the microphone to the copilot, ?and nothing else. Understand??
The man nodded.
Thobela searched the instrument panel for the compass. He knew Lobatse was north, almost directly north. ?Where?s your compass??
?Here,? said the pilot.
?You lie.?
Their eyes met, the pilot assessing him, glancing down at his wounds and his trembling hands, like a predator eyeing its prey. Mpayipheli listened while the copilot called in the news about the wounded soldier. ?Oryx Two to Oryx One, we have a casualty, repeat, we have a casualty, we need help immediately.?
?Where are you, Oryx Two?? Mpayipheli recognized the voice. It was the one from this morning, the crazy guy.
?That?s enough,? he said to the copilot, who nodded enthusiastically.
?Listen carefully,? he said to the pilot. ?I need only one pilot. You saw what happened to the soldier. Do you want me to shoot your partner, too??
The man shook his head. No.
?I want to see the compass. And I want to see the ground, all the time, understand??
?Yes.?
?Show me.?
The pilot touched the top of the instrument. 270, it read.
?Do you think I am a stupid
Voices talked on the radio, Mazibuko?s incessantly calling, ?Oryx Two, come in. Oryx One to Oryx Two, come in.? The pilot said nothing.
?You have ten seconds to turn north.?
A moment of hesitation, then the pilot turned the helicopter, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, the instrument swung under its cover, white letters on a black background, 330,340, 350,355.
?Keep it there.?
He must take care of his wounds. Stop the bleeding. He must drink something, the thirst made his mouth like chalk, he had to stay awake, he must stay ready.
?How long to Lobatse??
?Hour, hour and a quarter.?
