The helicopter rose up a few feet, then came gently to settle again, waiting. Ansell smiled. Good psychology. Be brave now, but let’s see you in five minutes.

MacConnachie said, ‘That was stupid.’

Silence; then MacConnachie turned to him, scowling.

‘So what do we do? I’m not just standing here.’

‘I don’t know what we can do, quite honestly.’

‘Well, use your bloody brains – that’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?’

‘Is it?’

MacConnachie turned away, muttering bitterly,

‘Might as well… doing.’

‘What?’

MacConnachie swung back and shouted,

‘Might as well be on my own, the good you’re doing!’

‘What do you expect – a bloody miracle?’

‘Yes! Yes! How do we get out of here?’

Again Ansell was filled with the terrible feeling that he had let MacConnachie down, as though he were expected, like some species of god, to intervene only at such times as MacConnachie’s own courage and ingenuity were unavailing. Doubtfully, he said,

‘Could we take over the chopper?’

‘What?’

‘Perhaps we could whistle it down and take it over.’

‘Can you fly the bastard?’

‘No.’

‘Neither can I, so that’s shit that!’

‘For God’s sake…’

‘Be some bloody use, why don’t you? I trusted you! You’re the brains!’

‘I’m sorry I’ve been such a nuisance so far!’

‘Get stuffed!’

To Ansell there was something grotesque and, for the first time, deeply hopeless about this mean little argument in the midst of such danger; it was almost as though, by its very meanness, it ought in some way to diminish the threat that they faced, but it didn’t. MacConnachie turned to him with a look of the utmost disenchantment and reproach.

‘We might as well try to follow the front wall out. Come on.’

As he turned and began to walk towards the forward wall of fire, the one that moved so slowly away from them, MacConnachie looked, as he had sounded, at last defeated. Ansell called after him, ‘I’m sorry, Mac!’

And then he started to follow.

‘There’s nothing I can do.’

They trudged in file, ignoring the helicopter, the situation and one another. At their backs, the flames roared up in a fresh gust of wind, and the heat rolled down over them. The volume of sound was immense, a vast moaning and roaring and crackling, so loud that even the buzz of the helicopter came only intermittently to their ears.