of traveling upriver and into the lands ruled by Prester John.
*****
Gregor Shotsky snapped to alert when he heard the sound of distant gunfire echoing through the jungle. …A lot of gunfire. The silence that followed was even more ominous.
Had the Nazis found them? He looked over to where Degiorno lay sleeping near the fire. The Italian was so worn out from their escape that he slept through the noise, drowning it out with his snores.
The plane was their lifeline; he had to protect it at all costs. Gregor moved towards the Grumman, jumping from the bank onto the float closest to the bank. Ripples spread out across the river from the float.
He remembered seeing an equipment locker in the pilot’s well; maybe there would be something there that would prove useful. Clambering up into the cockpit, he began searching. Tucked in with various tools and implements, he found a Very pistol, a type of flare gun, and four flares. It was better than nothing. He loaded one flare into the pistol and stuffed the rest into his pockets, and then scrambled back out of the cockpit. Jumping back to shore, he concealed himself in the shadows and waited, his fist tight around the flare gun’s pistol grip.
For several anxious minutes he waited, aiming the Very pistol in at a place on the opposite bank, as the sound of an approaching engine grew steadily louder, until at last, the riverboat came into view.
A spotlight played across the black surface of the river, searching for obstacles that could stave in the bottom of the boat, but Shotsky’s gaze was drawn to the two people standing at the front of the boat, backlit in its glare.
Gregor breathed a sigh of relief. It was Hannigan and the girl! He lifted the flare gun and fired.
*****
Mike Hannigan laughed as he saw the streak of light from shore followed by the red starburst of the flare. Shotsky was on top of things all right. He turned and waved at Morgan, pointing towards the shore.
The captain stayed with his vessel, while Hannigan and the others climbed into the skiff. Hannigan set the oars and began rowing, quickly bringing them into the marshy shallows.
A familiar voice called from the darkness. “Hardluck, so glad you could join us at last.”
Hannigan flashed him a grin back. “Me too, Gregor. Good work, finding that flare gun.”
The Russian shrugged his shoulders. “I do what I can.”
“We got pirates on our tail. I think we ran them off for tonight, but they might be back.”
“What do we do?”
Hannigan glanced at Bridget and McKenzie. “We can defend the boat if the pirates return, but I think Bridget should take the plane on to the Mission.”
“Amen,” McKenzie added unexpectedly.
Hannigan was expecting Bridget to object, but instead she said only: “I can’t take off and land in the dark.”
He sighed in defeat. It was going to be a long night. He glanced at McKenzie, remembering the evident remorse the man had exhibited following the firefight with the pirates. “Here’s how we’ll play this. Gregor and I will row out to the boat and keep watch with Captain Morgan. Padre, you stay here with Bridget and Degiorno.”
McKenzie nodded and Bridget, despite the protest in her eyes, held her tongue. Hannigan turned his eyes to the Priest. “First things first, Padre. You know a lot more about what’s going
*****
Gregor Shotsky snapped to alert when he heard the sound of distant gunfire echoing through the jungle. …A lot of gunfire. The silence that followed was even more ominous.
Had the Nazis found them? He looked over to where Degiorno lay sleeping near the fire. The Italian was so worn out from their escape that he slept through the noise, drowning it out with his snores.
The plane was their lifeline; he had to protect it at all costs. Gregor moved towards the Grumman, jumping from the bank onto the float closest to the bank. Ripples spread out across the river from the float.
He remembered seeing an equipment locker in the pilot’s well; maybe there would be something there that would prove useful. Clambering up into the cockpit, he began searching. Tucked in with various tools and implements, he found a Very pistol, a type of flare gun, and four flares. It was better than nothing. He loaded one flare into the pistol and stuffed the rest into his pockets, and then scrambled back out of the cockpit. Jumping back to shore, he concealed himself in the shadows and waited, his fist tight around the flare gun’s pistol grip.
For several anxious minutes he waited, aiming the Very pistol in at a place on the opposite bank, as the sound of an approaching engine grew steadily louder, until at last, the riverboat came into view.
A spotlight played across the black surface of the river, searching for obstacles that could stave in the bottom of the boat, but Shotsky’s gaze was drawn to the two people standing at the front of the boat, backlit in its glare.
Gregor breathed a sigh of relief. It was Hannigan and the girl! He lifted the flare gun and fired.
*****
Mike Hannigan laughed as he saw the streak of light from shore followed by the red starburst of the flare. Shotsky was on top of things all right. He turned and waved at Morgan, pointing towards the shore.
The captain stayed with his vessel, while Hannigan and the others climbed into the skiff. Hannigan set the oars and began rowing, quickly bringing them into the marshy shallows.
A familiar voice called from the darkness. “Hardluck, so glad you could join us at last.”
Hannigan flashed him a grin back. “Me too, Gregor. Good work, finding that flare gun.”
The Russian shrugged his shoulders. “I do what I can.”
“We got pirates on our tail. I think we ran them off for tonight, but they might be back.”
“What do we do?”
Hannigan glanced at Bridget and McKenzie. “We can defend the boat if the pirates return, but I think Bridget should take the plane on to the Mission.”
“Amen,” McKenzie added unexpectedly.
Hannigan was expecting Bridget to object, but instead she said only: “I can’t take off and land in the dark.”
He sighed in defeat. It was going to be a long night. He glanced at McKenzie, remembering the evident remorse the man had exhibited following the firefight with the pirates. “Here’s how we’ll play this. Gregor and I will row out to the boat and keep watch with Captain Morgan. Padre, you stay here with Bridget and Degiorno.”
McKenzie nodded and Bridget, despite the protest in her eyes, held her tongue. Hannigan turned his eyes to the Priest. “First things first, Padre. You know a lot more about what’s going
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