The major about-turned and barked an order at his men in a jumbled mix of English, French and the local patois. Lanky, Pockmark and a young guy with a toothbrush moustache dashed across to the Hilux. Mavinda hastened after them, shouting a string of orders at his men before he jumped into the front of the pickup truck. Ten more guys snatched up their AK-47s, utility belts and other bits of kit and sprinted across to the Unimog. Eight of them climbed into the benched seating area at the back. The other two guys sat in the cab upfront. The rest of the soldiers stayed back in the tent, smoking and watching porn.

Bowman and Mallet hurried over to the Land Cruiser parked to the side of the tented area. Bowman slid behind the wheel, found the keys in the cupholder. He gunned the engine and led the convoy across the tarmac stand to the Skyvan. He pulled up beside the aircraft and left the engine running while Mallet filled in the others on the situation. The disturbances elsewhere in the country, the possibility of running into the Machete Boys. As he talked, several soldiers dropped down from the Unimog. They ran over to the Skyvan and started lugging the heaviest equipment over to the back of the truck. The soldiers worked fast, roared on by Mavinda. They loaded the 7.62 mm ammo boxes first, then the mortar base plate and cannon, the sight box. The five boxes of mortar shells. Mallet and the others dumped the remaining pieces of kit in the back of the Land Cruiser. They would carry their rifles with them in the vehicle for easy access. No one knew what would be waiting for them on the way to the capital.

After they had transferred the last items from the Skyvan, Mallet gave a signal to Mavinda in the front pickup. The major bellowed an order at his men, they scrambled back into the Unimog, and then the convoy started down the road towards the airport entrance. The Hilux in the vanguard position, the team in the Land Cruiser in the middle of the column, the rest of the platoon in the Unimog at their six.

Bowman stuck close to the Hilux as it motored towards a crude army checkpoint situated at the main entrance to the airport. A long column of vehicles jammed the opposite lane in front of the checkpoint. As they raced past, Bowman saw three soldiers yanking an elderly man from behind the wheel of his knackered car. A woman pleaded with one of the soldiers, screaming, while his two muckers mercilessly beat the old-timer with their wooden sticks.

‘Looks like half the bloody country is trying to get out,’ Loader said.

Casey glanced anxiously at the long line of vehicles. ‘Maybe the situation is worse than we think.’

‘Something has got these people worked up,’ Bowman said.