Even fifty yards away, they could hear excited voices responding to the discovery of the boat.

“This is not good,” Jack said. “They know we’re here.”

A sudden and sustained burst of heavy gunfire shattered the tranquillity of the night.

“What on earth are they shooting at?” Laurie asked.

“I’m afraid they’re destroying our boat,” Jack said. “I suppose that’s bad news for my deposit.”

“This is no time for humor,” Laurie complained.

An explosion rocked the night air, and a fireball briefly illuminated the soldiers. “That must have been the gas tank,” Kevin said. “So much for our transportation.”

A few minutes later, the searchlight went out. Then the first vehicle made a U-turn and disappeared back up the track leading to Cogo.

“Does anybody have an idea what’s happening?” Jack asked.

“My guess is Siegfried and Cameron are going back to town,” Melanie said. “Knowing we’re on the island, they probably feel pretty confident.”

The headlights on the second vehicle suddenly went out, thrusting the entire area into darkness. Even the moonlight was meager since the moon had sunk low in the western sky.

“I preferred it when we had some idea where they were and what they were doing,” Warren said.

“How big is this island?” Jack asked.

“About six miles long and two wide,” Kevin said. “But…”

“They’re making a fire,” Warren said, interrupting Kevin.

A dot of golden light illuminated part of the bridge mechanism, then flared up into a campfire. The ghostly figures of the soldiers could be seen moving in the periphery of the light.

“Isn’t that nice,” Jack said. “Looks like they’re making themselves at home.”

“What are we going to do?” Laurie questioned despairingly.

“We don’t have a lot of choice with them sitting at the base of the bridge,” Warren said. “I count six of them.”

“Let’s hope they’re not planning on coming over here,” Jack said.

“They won’t come until dawn,” Kevin said. “There’s no way they’d come over here in the dark. Besides, there’s no need. They don’t expect us to be going anywhere.”

“What about swimming across that channel?” Jack said. “It’s only about thirty or forty feet wide and there’s no current to speak of.”

“I’m not a good swimmer,” Warren said nervously. “I told you that.”

“This whole area is also infested with crocodiles,” Kevin said.

“Oh, God!” Laurie said. “Now he tells us.”

“But, listen! We don’t have to swim,” Kevin said. “At least, I don’t think so. The boat that Melanie, Candace, and I used to get here is most likely where we left it, and it’s big enough for all of us.”

“Fantastic!” Jack said. “Where is it?”

“I’m afraid it’s going to require a little hike,” Kevin said. “It’s a little more than a mile, but at least there’s a freshly cleared trail.”

“Sounds like a walk in the park,” Jack said.

“What time is it?” Kevin asked.

“Three-twenty,” Warren said.

“Then we only have approximately an hour and a half before daylight,” Kevin said. “We’d better start now.”