He stopped firing and walked forward until he was standing over Selim, and then the tent flap was thrown back and Ruth emerged and came into his arms.
Kane got to his feet and stood on top of the dune looking at them and a gust of wind drove sand particles against his face. He ploughed down the hill into the hollow, followed by Jamal.
Cunningham held his wife close and she started to tremble as reaction set in. ‘It’s all right,’ he said. ‘He can’t hurt you any more.’
Selim was dead, fingers clawing into the sand, and Kane looked down at him without pity. The other man was groaning horribly and Jamal knelt beside him and raised his head. As Kane went forward, the man seemed to choke and blood poured from his mouth. His head lolled back and Jamal lowered him to the ground.
‘Is he dead?’ Kane said.
The Somali nodded and pointed silently at the truck. Along the side facing them, was a neat line of bullet holes. They had emptied the jerrycan of water that was bracketed to the side of the vehicle, and when Kane examined the engine, he found it damaged beyond repair.
He moved back to Cunningham and his wife. ‘That final burst of yours caught the truck as well. I’m afraid we’ll still have to rely on the camels to get us out of here. How do you feel?’
Cunningham looked pale, but he managed a smile. ‘A lot better now that Ruth’s safe.’
The wind was increasing, driving the sand across the hollow, and whining round the truck. Kane slung his sub-machine gun over his shoulder, and said quickly, щщ…щщ….щ..щЇщщ…..щ…..щщ….щщ.щ..щщщ 5HEBA щщщщщщщщщщ”.щщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщщ®щщщщщщщщщщ®щ
‘Looks as if we’re in for some bad weather. You two get into the tent and Jamal and I will get the camels.’
He spoke briefly to the Somali in Arabic and they hurriedly retraced their steps and climbed up the side of the dune. As they moved over the top, the wind lifted in sudden fury, carrying a curtain of sand with it that blotted out everything.
He pulled a fold of his head-cloth about his face and went down the other side of the dune. Already their tracks were obliterated, and within a few moments, they were alone, enveloped in a thick cloud of swirling sand.
It was impossible to see anything. He paused, eyes vainly trying to pierce the gloom, then turned and cannoned into Jamal. He and the Somali linked arms and struggled back up the side of the dune. It was impossible to remain standing on top and they slid down the other side and stumbled blindly into the camp.
Sand was already piled around the base of the tent, and when Kane ducked in through the flap, Ruth Cunningham turned, fear in her eyes. ‘How long will it last?’ she demanded.
He pulled off his headcloth and tried to sound unconcerned. ‘An hour or two. Perhaps a little longer. They always blow themselves out in the end. There’s nothing to worry about.’
Jamal carefully laced up the entrance and sat against it, arms folded. Cunningham had an arm round his wife’s shoulder and held her close. ‘How do you feel?’ Kane asked her.
When she spoke, her voice sounded unnatural and strained, like a spring too tightly wound up. ‘I never expected to see either of you again. After the fighting last night, Skiros told us you’d been buried under a fall of rock.’
‘You’d better bring us up to date,’ Kane said. ‘What’s been happening today and why did the party split up?’
She pushed back a tendril of hair with one hand. ‘It was pretty horrible. We left the gorge this morning in the two trucks. Skiros, Muller and Marie in the front one; Selim, his man and myself in the other.’
‘Why were you with Selim?’ her husband asked.
She flushed. ‘Skiros came to some agreement with him. He needed Selim’s help when we reached Dahrein. I don’t know what it was about, but I was the price Selim demanded.’
There was a short silence. As Cunningham slipped an arm round her shoulders, Kane went on, ‘But why the split?’