of people are they?’ she asked as if it were not possible to reach such depths of inhumanity.
‘The kind that aren’t going to see another dawn,’ Stratton said grimly.
Louisa looked into his face. His expression as he stared at the officers was as cold as ice, the resolve in his eyes absolute. It was frightening and she let go of him. ‘You can’t set off those explosives now,’ she said. ‘What about those people?’
Stratton turned to see Victor coming up the rise at a crouching run. Kebowa and Mohesiwa remained below, looking at Stratton as if awaiting their next order.
Victor dropped onto his back beside Stratton, panting heavily from the effort. ‘Did you see those bastards?’ he growled, inspecting the cuts and grazes on his hands. The knees of his trousers were torn and spotted with blood.
Stratton focused on the bridge. David and Bernard had fixed the mine and were sliding along the top spar back the way they had come. Another check of the convoy showed that the punctured wheel had been replaced and the nuts were being tightened.
‘I asked you about those people,’ Louisa said to Stratton, her voice firm.
Victor had not thought of that. ‘Perhaps it would be more humane than what awaits them,’ he said.
‘You can’t be serious,’ she hissed.
Stratton removed one of the batteries from the bag and placed it beside a stick that had been stuck into the ground and that had the end of the command wire that led from the bridge wrapped around it. ‘I want you to stay here,’ he said to Louisa.
‘What about those people?’ she demanded again.
‘You agreed to do what I said without question. Nothing’s changed. Don’t move from this spot. Look for me at all times. When I wave my arms at you, you’ll touch both wires to the terminals and blow up that bridge. Do you understand me?’
Louisa stared at Stratton, her jaw clenched tightly.
‘Trust me,’ he said, looking deeply into her eyes. ‘Victor,’ he said, breaking off and heading down the rise.
Louisa watched him go and stared at the wire and the battery.
Victor stared at her and could only imagine what was going through her mind.
‘Victor!’ Stratton called out impatiently.
‘Dear God,’ he said, squeezing Louisa’s arm for re - assurance before scurrying down the rise after Stratton.
By the time the Frenchman had caught up with him Stratton had slung half a dozen rockets on his back. ‘Pick up the rest,’ he said as he headed back the way they came. Victor clumsily hitched them over his shoulder. The Indians had followed him and moved to help. ‘No,’ Victor said. He didn’t know Stratton’s intentions but rockets and Indians certainly did not mix. ‘You stay here and wait for me,’ he said before hurrying off.
Stratton crouched at the bottom of the rise to observe the convoy.
Victor squatted behind him. ‘What is the plan this time?’
‘I haven’t worked it out yet.’
‘What are the rockets for?’
‘With some situations you start with how you see the end and work back. You confident enough to fire one of these?’
‘I had a terrible feeling you were going to ask me that. I’ve seen a bad example. Maybe if you show me a good one.’
Stratton removed one of the tubes from his back and held it by either end in front of Victor so that it was parallel with the ground. ‘Hold it like this and pull,’ he said. He pulled the ends and the tube smoothly telescoped open until it locked. The action caused the rear sight to pop up out of its housing. ‘This is the safety catch,’ he said, pulling a sprung lever. He put the tube on his shoulder beside his cheek. ‘Just like a rifle, you look through this, line up the front sight on the target, and squeeze down on this,’ he said, indicating a rubber button. ‘There’s hardly any kick.’
‘And keep the back away from my arse,’ Victor added as his nerves began to tingle once again.
‘After the first one you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.’
‘What am I shooting at?’
‘Nothing until I tell you,’ Stratton said, looking hard at the lead truck.
A soldier pulled the jack from beneath the truck and two of the peasants replaced the tools in the locker on its side while the others were herded back to their vehicle. The driver gunned the truck’s engine and a dense cloud of black smoke belched from its exhaust, enveloping the officers who were by now back in their jeep. Unable to