eyes rounded. ‘Many battle? Tell me which.’
For a moment he evaluated whether any information he divulged might present a contamination risk. In this case he decided it could not be significant. The pilot appeared to be mildly intoxicated and, it seemed, for the moment the normalprotocols of zero tolerance on contamination had been suspended. Suspended until Maddy finally decided what their role was going to be.
‘The guerrilla resistance in Washington State against the German invasion of America. The siege of Nottingham, AD 1194. And the defence of Emperor Caligula’s imperial palace, Rome, AD 54.’
The pilot’s eyes narrowed for a moment as he took that in. Then without warning he exploded with a high-pitched
hyuk-yuk-yuk
belly-laugh. ‘Puppysho’! You playin’ wid me!’ He leaned over and slapped a bony hand on the meaty bulge of Bob’s shoulder. ‘I like you, big man! You got funny in you.’
Adam and Billy turned to look at the riverboat pilot rocking backwards and forwards, hooting with laughter.
‘
Him
, your big friend.’ Billy nodded at Bob. ‘He is mercenary? Hired gun?’
As far as Adam understood the set-up of Maddy’s team, that seemed to be a close enough approximation of Bob’s role. ‘Yes, I s’pose in a way that’s what he is. Like their bodyguard.’
‘This is good. There is much … how-say –’ Billy clucked his tongue as he trawled his simple English for the right word – ‘much
hazard
along the Coco. The jungle, very dangerous place.’
‘I came here two years ago with some others,’ Adam replied. ‘The Contra war in Nicaragua had recently finished. It didn’t seem so bad then.’
‘Things become much worse now. Many Contra rebels now become bandits. Murder. Steal. Not good.’ Billy reached into his knapsack and pulled out a battered old AK47 with a broken and taped-up wooden stock. ‘Maybe need this.’
‘Jesus. You serious?’
Billy nodded. ‘Also, some Indian tribe … Bad experience with rebels, with
gringos
. They not friendly no more.’
That hadn’t been Adam’s experience. The remote riverside villages they’d visited with Professor Brian had welcomed them with open arms.
‘Rebels do many raid, kill Indians. This make Indian no longer trust all
gringos
. We must be careful on river.’ Billy nodded towards Bob again. ‘Your big mercenary? What guns does he bring?’
‘Guns? None. No weapons. Well, none that I’m aware of.’
‘No gun?!’ Billy’s face creased with disbelief. ‘No gun? Hired gun have no gun?’
‘I don’t know if he uses one.’ He glanced across the deck at Bob’s broad frame. ‘Mind you, I’ve got a feeling he’s probably good with his hands.’
Billy followed his gaze. He appraised the support unit for a moment. ‘We meet Indian … they be much scared of him. He so big.’
‘He is something of a brute, isn’t he?’
‘But, we meet rebels?’ Billy sucked in his teeth, making a soft whistling sound. ‘Not scare so easy.’ He patted the rust-flecked barrel of his AK. ‘We need guns.’
For the first time since agreeing to come along, Adam felt a cold tickle of uncertainty.
Chapter 15
1994, Río Coco
The next day, it was Liam’s keen eyes that picked it out first. A curious thing. Nestling in the drooping branches of an guanacaste tree that was overhanging the river on their right – the Nicaraguan side.
It was almost completely hidden among the dense foliage.
‘What is that?’ he shouted over his shoulder. He had been sitting up front, his – now usual – perch on the prow: bare feet and legs dangling over the side, enjoying the cooling up-spray of water as the launch chugged relentlessly down the chocolate-brown Río Coco, mid-channel.
Billy joined him up front and squinted at where he was pointing, finally picking out the mottled green-brown wreckage dangling amid the branches of the tree.
‘Is helicopter.’
‘Helicopter, did you say?’ Liam had never seen one of those
For a moment he evaluated whether any information he divulged might present a contamination risk. In this case he decided it could not be significant. The pilot appeared to be mildly intoxicated and, it seemed, for the moment the normalprotocols of zero tolerance on contamination had been suspended. Suspended until Maddy finally decided what their role was going to be.
‘The guerrilla resistance in Washington State against the German invasion of America. The siege of Nottingham, AD 1194. And the defence of Emperor Caligula’s imperial palace, Rome, AD 54.’
The pilot’s eyes narrowed for a moment as he took that in. Then without warning he exploded with a high-pitched
hyuk-yuk-yuk
belly-laugh. ‘Puppysho’! You playin’ wid me!’ He leaned over and slapped a bony hand on the meaty bulge of Bob’s shoulder. ‘I like you, big man! You got funny in you.’
Adam and Billy turned to look at the riverboat pilot rocking backwards and forwards, hooting with laughter.
‘
Him
, your big friend.’ Billy nodded at Bob. ‘He is mercenary? Hired gun?’
As far as Adam understood the set-up of Maddy’s team, that seemed to be a close enough approximation of Bob’s role. ‘Yes, I s’pose in a way that’s what he is. Like their bodyguard.’
‘This is good. There is much … how-say –’ Billy clucked his tongue as he trawled his simple English for the right word – ‘much
hazard
along the Coco. The jungle, very dangerous place.’
‘I came here two years ago with some others,’ Adam replied. ‘The Contra war in Nicaragua had recently finished. It didn’t seem so bad then.’
‘Things become much worse now. Many Contra rebels now become bandits. Murder. Steal. Not good.’ Billy reached into his knapsack and pulled out a battered old AK47 with a broken and taped-up wooden stock. ‘Maybe need this.’
‘Jesus. You serious?’
Billy nodded. ‘Also, some Indian tribe … Bad experience with rebels, with
gringos
. They not friendly no more.’
That hadn’t been Adam’s experience. The remote riverside villages they’d visited with Professor Brian had welcomed them with open arms.
‘Rebels do many raid, kill Indians. This make Indian no longer trust all
gringos
. We must be careful on river.’ Billy nodded towards Bob again. ‘Your big mercenary? What guns does he bring?’
‘Guns? None. No weapons. Well, none that I’m aware of.’
‘No gun?!’ Billy’s face creased with disbelief. ‘No gun? Hired gun have no gun?’
‘I don’t know if he uses one.’ He glanced across the deck at Bob’s broad frame. ‘Mind you, I’ve got a feeling he’s probably good with his hands.’
Billy followed his gaze. He appraised the support unit for a moment. ‘We meet Indian … they be much scared of him. He so big.’
‘He is something of a brute, isn’t he?’
‘But, we meet rebels?’ Billy sucked in his teeth, making a soft whistling sound. ‘Not scare so easy.’ He patted the rust-flecked barrel of his AK. ‘We need guns.’
For the first time since agreeing to come along, Adam felt a cold tickle of uncertainty.
Chapter 15
1994, Río Coco
The next day, it was Liam’s keen eyes that picked it out first. A curious thing. Nestling in the drooping branches of an guanacaste tree that was overhanging the river on their right – the Nicaraguan side.
It was almost completely hidden among the dense foliage.
‘What is that?’ he shouted over his shoulder. He had been sitting up front, his – now usual – perch on the prow: bare feet and legs dangling over the side, enjoying the cooling up-spray of water as the launch chugged relentlessly down the chocolate-brown Río Coco, mid-channel.
Billy joined him up front and squinted at where he was pointing, finally picking out the mottled green-brown wreckage dangling amid the branches of the tree.
‘Is helicopter.’
‘Helicopter, did you say?’ Liam had never seen one of those
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