Tieggs did not flinch. He kept grinning and mumbling as Carter carefully cut deeply around the arrow. Within a few seconds he had cut the arrowhead out of Tieggs's thigh, the blood welling up slowly.
He poured some more disinfectant into the wound and bandaged it firmly. He did the same for the wound on Tieggs's shoulder.
It had taken less than ten minutes. Tieggs was sweating profusely.
"Don't feel so good, old man…" he slurred. It was the loss of blood and the effects of the morphine.
Carter bundled up the first aid things back in the bag, threw it and the M-16 over his shoulder, and carefully picked up Tieggs. On the path, Carter turned south around the volcano toward the beach. It was several miles away, and Tieggs was heavy. The spunky helicopter pilot had passed out, but he came to when they stopped by the spring and Carter splashed some cool water on his face.
He winced when he tried to move, and his eyes fluttered. "Christ," he swore out loud, his voice ragged but a lot stronger.
He had passed out less than an hour ago, but already his color was a lot better.
"How do you feel?" Carter asked.
"Feel? Like a goddamned Mack truck ran over me." He pushed himself up with his good arm. Carter helped him, then gave him the canteen. Tieggs drank the cool spring water, letting a lot of it spill down his chest.
When he was finished he looked from his leg up to Carter. "You do pretty good work for a cop."
"I only did it because I needed another favor."
"It figures." Tieggs said. He glanced toward the trail. "What about the shore party from the sub? Did any of them make it?"
Carter shook his head. "I found four of them on the other side of the island. They were dead. The Chinese killed them."
Tieggs looked back. "There was an explosion. Everyone bugged out. It's the last I remember. Was it you?"
"The Chinese base here is destroyed."
"Where's our sub?"
"Out there someplace, chasing down one of theirs."
"It was based here, on this island, all this time?"
"Yes."
Tieggs whistled. "And you think Governor Rondine is involved somehow."
"He 's involved up to his ears. Our sub will take care of theirs, but we have to get to Rondine."
Tieggs grinned, although he was obviously in a great deal of pain. "And you'd prefer that I fly the chopper."
"Are you up to it? You know your way around those things a hell of a lot better than I do."
Tieggs shrugged with his good shoulder as best he could. "Who the hell knows until we try it."
Carter refilled the canteen, then hefted the first aid kit and the M-16, and picked up Tieggs, who protested.
"I want you to save your strength for flying. I'll do the walking for the both of us."
They passed the spot where Fenster's helicopter had been shot down. As far as Carter knew there were no missile emplacements on the island. His helicopter had probably been brought down by a bazooka or some other hand-held weapon carried by one of the Chinese patrols.
Gradually the land began to drop away from the volcano's southeast side, and the jungle became much thicker and almost impossible to break through until they came across the trail he and Gabrielle had walked up.
A half hour later they could hear the surf. Ten minutes after that they came to the beach. The helicopter Tieggs had taken from Governor Rondine's compound was parked several hundred yards farther west on the beach. But there were men standing around it.
Carter had just stepped out of the jungle, when he spotted the helicopter and then the men. He ducked back into the undergrowth and laid Tieggs down.
"Chinese?" Tieggs asked.
"I think so," Carter said. He gave Tieggs his Luger. "There're only a couple of rounds left. But it's better than nothing. I'll be back."
"Don't get yourself killed," Tieggs said, but Carter had already gone back into the jungle.
He worked his way parallel to the beach, taking great care to make absolutely no noise, although the crash of the surf coming up on the beach was loud enough to drown out practically any sound.
It took Carter nearly fifteen minutes to work his way through the thick undergrowth to a spot opposite the helicopter. It did not look as if the machine had been damaged. There were five Chinese Communist soldiers dressed in World War II Japanese Army uniforms. One of them sat with his back against the landing gear, one stood by the water's edge on the far side of the machine, and the other three stood together on the side closest to Carter.
Carter made sure the safety was off and that a round was in the M-16's firing chamber. He flipped the selector switch to single shot, then settled down on his right heel, his left elbow supported by his left knee, the weapon's sling wrapped around his shoulder and wrist.
There could be no mistakes, he told himself as he brought the soldier by the water's edge into his sights. He brought the barrel down and to the right, quickly lining up with the man leaning against the landing gear. Then he flipped the selector switch to full automatic as he brought the weapon up and around to take in the three men standing.
The first two shots would come dangerously close to the helicopter. Depending upon which way the nearest three jumped, they would either be clear of the machine, or they would be right in line with it.
There was no other option. It was either this way or he would lose Governor Rondine and Gabrielle.
He pushed the selector switch back to single fire and once again lined up with the man at the water's edge.
He had just started to squeeze, when the soldier spun around, bringing up his rifle.
Something was happening down the beach in the direction Carter had left Tieggs.
One of the soldiers nearest Carter shouted something, and the soldier leaning against the chopper's landing gear started to get up.
Carter squeezed off one shot that hit the soldier by the beach in the spine, doubling him over before he went down.
He aimed at the soldier by the landing gear, fired one shot that hit him in the leg and brought him down, then he fired two more shots, one hitting the man in the shoulder, the other taking off the right side of his head.
It all happened in barely a few seconds, and Carter flipped the selector switch over to full automatic as he brought the weapon around.
The other three soldiers had turned in the direction of the shots, and Carter opened fire, sweeping right across them, the M-16's slugs ripping a bloody dotted line across their chests.
Fourteen
"I figured you might need a little diversionary tactic," Tieggs said as Carter helped him strap into the left-hand seat of the helicopter.
Carter looked at him. Tieggs was a good man. Among the best Carter had run into in his career. "They had rifles. You had a handgun."
"They would never have hit me. The Chinese are all bad shots anyway."
Carter shook his head. "Dumb bastard," he said, laughing. He slammed the door and hurried around to the right side. He climbed up and strapped in as Tieggs painfully flipped the master switch, cracked the throttle, and hit the starter.
The engine turned over, caught, and the rotors began swinging. Slowly at first, but gathering speed. Tieggs took the controls in his left hand, his feet on the pedals, and he glanced at Carter.
"Is your life insurance up-to-date? Here goes nothing," Tieggs said, and they lifted raggedly off the sand, the wind carrying them dangerously close to the treetops along the beach before he got them straightened out with a cry of pain.
Carter gritted his teeth but said nothing. Tieggs was a damned good man.
They swung out over the water, then headed north directly toward Hiva Faui, Tieggs cranking the power full.