There was also a larger fighting patrol, forty strong, moving freely in the area they were about to cross, between the hillside and the tall fields. But they were well to the left and, given luck, he and Ansell should bypass them altogether.

Of course, the chopper was still in the sky behind them, and the net of infantry was drawing closer, but there was nothing he could do about that. The essence of a successful valley crossing was to be seen by no one, uniformed or otherwise. Once committed to a fire fight, they would not survive; the potential build-up of Goon manpower was too great.

Given a choice, he would have crossed by night. But there was no choice.

‘Kid, when we hit that valley, nothing stops us. Nothing! We shoot, we kill, but we must get across! We stop when we’re dead, not before. Okay?’

‘Right.’

‘We’ll worry about replenishing stores from the other side. Once we’re on the valley floor, we walk upright. Till then, we take our chances. One more thing. Local militia. If you see a bloke who looks like a farmer out for a day’s sport – we’re the sport.’

‘No uniform?’

‘Goon clobber, just like ours. And maybe an old elephant gun. Watch those things, they serve you up diced for lunch.’

‘Well, one of us would have a decent meal.’

‘Let’s get what we can hidden under our coats.’

MacConnachie loosened the sling of the gun and draped it round his neck so that the weapon hung down through the full opening of the coat, making a bulge under the material. He then seized the whole arrangement and gave it a thorough shaking – like a monk with a cold crucifix against his skin – until it had fallen into natural folds and a comfortable disposition. Ansell did the same with the canteen. There was nothing they could do about the suitcase. Picking it up, MacConnachie grinned.

‘If anyone asks, I’ll say we’re commercial travellers.’

‘In ladies’ underwear?’

‘Let’s go.’

For the next hour they fell into a routine which, by virtue of its sheer professionalism, carried them safely through a most delicate manoeuvre. MacConnachie would select their next hide and indicate it to Ansell. Then, while MacConnachie examined every inch of visible terrain for movement, Ansell would calculate the helicopter’s flight. As soon as MacConnachie said the ground was clear, they both waited for Ansell’s word of command, which Ansell based on the estimated visibility from the helicopter at a given moment. When he shouted ‘Now!’ they fled from each cover to the next without stopping.

To this they had added a safety factor. They always crouched back to back, MacConnachie between Ansell and the next target feature. Thus, if anything obtruded into MacConnachie’s field of vision between his all clear and Ansell’s ‘Now!’ he was able to hold Ansell back to the very last moment.

This mechanism never had to be engaged. The combination of Ansell’s perception and MacConnachie’s instinct proved sufficient.