Prose

When Ryno and the South African reach the river they find shelter against the flames in the water and they swim through the strong current to the other side.
 
It is four o’clock when they reach the Cassinga-Lubango road.  They watch the road for a short while, before they keep to the bushes next to the road and start walking in the direction of Lubango.

They had walked for about twenty minutes before they perceive the outlines of a Cuca shop, where it is next to Makalani palm trees and the railroad.

Ryno and his companion heads somewhat deeper into the undergrowth, before they sneak to the back of the Cuca shop.   The shop is next to a railway line that runs norht-south before it connects to the main Benguela railroad and the shop is deserted.

”Are we going to get on a goods-train,” the South African wants to know with some hope.  Ryno shakes his head.  “No.   There’s other transport that is waiting here on us.”

There is however no sign of any vehicle and the South African shakes his head sceptically.  “I see nothing.  What are we doing here,” he wants to know from Ryno.  “Come, you will see,” Ryno replies and opens the tinplate door of the small building which they enter with their weapons ready to fire.

”How did you know about the motorbike,” the South African wants to know with incredulity written over his face.  “It was arranged to be here.”

”I think we have earned those beers,” the South African remarks and they linger a while to drink the Cuca-beer that they got from the Cuban in the shade of the shop.

Ryno removes two tubes of black camouflage paint from his backpack and throws one to his companion who catches it.   “Very clever.  Now anybody that watches us from a distance, will be of the impression that we are black,” the South African says while he follows Ryno’s example to paint his face and arms black.

Suddenly they hear the noise of vehicles approaching from the west.   They both quickly enter the Cuca-shop and lock the door with a bolt from the inside.  When the vehicles stop, both South Africans are strained.   It is however the sound of soldiers approaching, that almost drives them to breaking point.  The two South African soldiers stand with their weapons ready to fire.

The enemy are so near that Ryno can literally smell them and the South Africans hear them urinating against one of the hot tinplate walls.

It’s the first time that the other South African notes how much Ryno is sweating and looks worried at him.   It must be the heat he presumes, as he cannot sense any fear from Ryno, where he is waiting on the enemy next to the door with his weapon ready.

”Phew, they almost did enter,” Ryno, remarks when the vehicles start roaring again while they hear the soldiers scuttling away to the vehicles.

”To where are we going,” the South African wants to know when Ryno pushes the motorbike out of the Cuca shop.  “Now we will head into the direction of Lubango,” Ryno answers and removes his webbing and backpack, which he gives to the South African.   “But it’s directly west,” the other man protests while he attaches Ryno’s webbing to that of the Cuban that he was wearing.

”I know.   We are going to drive up to the river.  A light aircraft will pick us up near to it,” Ryno explains before he draws some dust goggles over his eyes.

”Do we have to leave immediately,” the South African wants to know while he swallows the last of his lukewarm Cuca-beer.   “When that lot finds out that there are nobody in the armoured car, they are going to search for us.   If you want to be caught by one of those Hind helicopter gunships on the road, we can keep on lingering here.”

”If you put it like that we do not really have a choice.  Let’s be gone from here,” the South African remarks while he secretly tries to watch the sky east of them.

”We are going to eat a lot of dust,” the South African remarks when Ryno gives another pair of dust goggles to him and kicks the motorbike to life.

”The road is in a extremely bad condition, but for the motorbike its no problem and Ryno is a expert at driving it.   The wind rushing through their hair, the open spaces around them and the last bit of afternoon sun, suddenly gives them both the feeling of freedom, which is really deceptive.

The only sign of life that they find is a herd of tame bucks that grazes next to the road, but of the herdsman there is no sign.

It is late afternoon when the motorbike’s engine starts missing and then gives a last rumble, before it cuts out.   But for the monotonous hum of the beetles, there is silence around them.   They both climb off the motorbike and push it out of the road, before Ryno removes the fuel cap.

”Just like I was thinking.  Its totally empty,” he remarks and pushes the iron horse into the thicket of a jesse bush.  “How far have we still got to go?”

”I estimate about fifteen kilometre to the river,” Ryno replies while he takes his webbing, backpack and rifle from the South African.

”Come, let’s go and remove the tracks at the road,” he commands while he breaks off a twig from a tree.   It is while they eat some bully beef that they had fried in the tins on fuel tablets, that they notice the eagles that had hanged circling high above them suddenly flying away.

In the east there’s a dot hanging in the air.   “Kill the fire!”  Ryno shouts at the other South African while he throws sand over his own fuel tablet to choke it.   The Hind helicopter has got sensitive infrared equipment and he wonders if the motorcycle is going to draw attention where it is hidden under the jesse bush.

They both crawl into some undergrowth and the crying of the aeroplane’s two turbo-shafts, is suddenly deafening.

It is clear that the helicopter is almost crawling along the road while it is searching.   The helicopter is very terrifying with its canon under the shooting tower at the nose and the rockets hanging on the small sub-wings.

”Thank the Lord,” both South Africans sigh when the helicopter flies away along the road, as if they can hardly believe that it did not notice them while they wipe sweat from their faces.

”It is just as well that the motorbike had run out of fuel,” Ryno remarks incredulous as if he cannot believe their good luck.

”Come let’s get going,” Ryno commands as if he does not want to tempt destiny by staying right there.   “But they are flying in the same direction that we are heading.   They must somehow know about the aircraft that is going to pick us up,” the other South African protests.

Ryno shakes his head.  “No.  There’s a small bush-hospital next to the river with a doctor that sometimes help them.”  There is unbelief on the face of the South African and an expression that says that Ryno must be raving mad.

”And now we are heading there,” he remarks while he shakes his head.   “You must be nuts.   They must have a platoon of guards at the hospital?”  “Come along.  We will see,” Ryno answers and smiles when the other soldier follows him.

”Half an hour later they again hear the helicopter coming nearer and they hide in a thicket, while the aircraft disappears in a easterly direction to where Cassinga lies.

At dusk Ryno is very tired and his head is aching so much that it feels as if it wants to burst.   It is however the sweating that lets him realize, that this is like no flue that he has ever experienced.

Just before it gets really dark they notice the river in the distance and the scene of the sun’s flaming ball that is going down in the west over the river and its really awesome.

They are not very far from the bush-hospital and they decide to wait until it is dark and to sneak nearer, before the moon starts shining.

They are so interested in the sight of the sun setting and its reflection on the water, that they do not notice the solitary girl before she stops about twenty paces from them while she is also watching the sunset.

”Come, she will be able to tell us if there’s any soldiers at the hospital,” Ryno whispers while he indicates in the woman’s direction.  “If she screams all our plans will come to naught,” his companion warns.

”She will not scream,” Ryno hisses and their is something in his eyes that gives his comrade a uneasy feeling, but Ryno smiles and all of a sudden his face looks like that of a naughty school boy.