‘A splinter group,’ Mavinda said. ‘They’re aligned with the KUF. But they’re more like a gang than professional soldiers. They wear gris-gris charms to protect them from bullets. Most of them are more interested in drinking and taking drugs than overthrowing the government.’

‘If you think that’s scary, you should see Glasgow on a Saturday night,’ Mallet said.

Mavinda looked steadily at him. ‘The Machete Boys are no joke. They got their name because they offer their victims a choice: T-shirt or shorts. If you tell them shorts, they hack off one of your legs with their machetes. If you ask for a T-shirt, they cut off your arm.’

‘Are we likely to run into these nutters?’ asked Bowman.

‘It’s possible. They’ve been causing us trouble lately, ambushing the roads, kidnapping civilians, executing our troops. If there’s trouble in Marafeni, they’ll be involved.’

‘Don’t worry, Major,’ Mallet said. ‘If we get into a contact, me and the guys will have your backs.’

Mavinda nodded again, but the look in his eyes betrayed his unease. Bowman didn’t blame him. It wasn’t a question of cowardice. The major seemed like a brave guy. But he clearly wasn’t thrilled about getting into a scrap with a load of drug-induced rebels. I know the feeling, Bowman thought.

This could all go badly wrong, and we both know it.

‘You’re better off coming with us than staying here, anyway,’ Mallet added.

‘Why is that?’ asked Mavinda.

‘Sooner or later, General Kakuba’s forces will attack this place. The airport will be one of their primary targets. They’ll hit it with everything they’ve got. You won’t want to be here when they rock up.’

The major stared at him in alarm.

‘We need to get moving,’ Mallet said. ‘Where’s our transport?’

Mavinda cocked his chin at the open side of the tent. A white Toyota Land Cruiser rested on the asphalt, next to a trio of four-door Toyota Hilux pickups and a larger Unimog truck.

‘You will take the Land Cruiser. I’ll lead the way in one of the Hiluxes. The rest of my men will follow in the Unimog.’ The big major stared at them in turn. ‘You will stay close to us, OK? Once we leave, we don’t stop for anything.’

‘We know the drill, pal. Just get us to that palace.’

‘I’m telling you this for your own safety,’ Mavinda replied firmly. ‘Trust me, you don’t want to get captured by the Machete Boys. They will show you no mercy. Especially the woman.’

He nodded at Casey.

‘They try anything, they’ll get slotted,’ Bowman said.

Mallet waved an arm at the Skyvan. ‘We’ve got some hardware on the plane. We’ll need a hand unloading it.’

‘My men will take care of it.’