Kane frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’
The Yemeni grinned. ‘You do not remember me? Two years ago when the Bal Harith were camped near Shabwa? There was some question of a stolen horse. If they had caught me, it would have meant my life. You allowed me to hide in your truck until darkness. The ways of Allah are strange.’
Kane remembered the incident at once. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. ‘Help us to safety and I’ll see you are richly rewarded. At least you owe me that.’
The Yemeni shook his head and stood up. ‘A life for a life. Now I owe you nothing. Rest content. My friends wished to relieve you of your manhood, at least. If you are wise, you will stay quiet until we have gone.’
He joined his two companions who had already mounted their camels, one of them slinging Ruth Cunningham’s unconscious body across his wooden saddle. Kane stood by helplessly as they rode away from the plane and disappeared into a fold of the dunes.
He glanced at his watch. It was just after noon, which meant that he had slept for longer than he had supposed. For a moment he stood there, considering and rejecting possible courses of action. But there was really no solution – just the slightest chance that he might be able to do something with the radio. He climbed into the cabin and set to work.
From the beginning it was hopeless and yet he kept on working, long after it became obvious that the set was damaged beyond repair, hoping to nurse into life a spark which would live long enough to carry a message to the outside world.
Sweat dripped from his body and the heat in the cabin enveloped him so that he had to stop on several occasions for rest and water. It was shortly after three when he finally admitted defeat. He sat back wearily and started to light a cigarette. At that moment, he heard the sound of an engine approaching through the stillness.
He jumped down to the ground and stood there listening, a sudden wild hope inside him. It was close, very close. As he shaded his eyes with one hand and looked up, a truck topped a dune a hundred yards away and came towards him.
Marie was driving, with Jamal sitting beside her. As Kane went towards them, she cut the engine, slid from behind the wheel, and ran to meet him. ‘Are you all right, Gavin?’ she demanded anxiously.
He nodded. ‘I’m fine, but I don’t understand. How did you get here so quickly?’
‘It’s a long story,’ she said. ‘Is Mrs Cunningham in the plane?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not.’
He quickly described what had happened, and when щ щщщщщщщщщ(щщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщI. C LJ t? T) A щщщщщщщщ.щщщщ.щщщщ.щщщщщщщщщ.щЇщщщщщщщщщщщщщ he had finished, Marie looked grave. ‘If we don’t catch them before darkness, there’s no knowing what they might do to her.’
He nodded. ‘If we get moving straight away, we should find them without much difficulty.’
He sat beside Marie in the front seat, Jamal climbed into the back, and within a few moments they were moving, following the clearly defined tracks of the three camels.
The truck was fitted with twelve forward gears and this, coupled with four-wheel drive, made it ideal for crossing the shifting sand dunes.
Kane leaned back in his seat. ‘You’d better fill me in on what happened at Bir el Madani.’
‘I finished my business with Jordan by eleven,’ Marie told him. ‘He sent Jamal and me back to the village in this truck with one of his drivers. When we reached the airstrip, Omar was waiting for us. He said there was a stranger in the village – a coast Arab who had been heard to boast that you would not be returning.’
‘And Omar actually volunteered this information?’ Kane said.
She smiled faintly. ‘You’ll never understand the complexity of the Arab mind, Gavin. To kill your enemy face-to-face is one thing, but a trick such as tampering with the plane,’ – she shrugged – ‘to Omar, such a thing would lack honour.’
J34
Til go along with that,’ Kane said, ‘but how did you find out for certain what had happened?’