Stafford, lurking behind a screen of leaves, followed the direction of his gaze but saw nothing until Hardin nudged him. 'Look! Nair and Gunnarsson are on the run over there.'

Gunnarsson and Nair were sprinting desperately, angling down the slope away from the jetty with Gunnarsson in the lead, and Patterson and a black came in sight in full chase. Then Brice and Hendriks appeared. Brice threw up his arm and he and Hendriks changed direction, running down to the shore on the other side of the jetty. They all vanished from sight.

'Now!' said Stafford, and broke cover to run towards the jetty a hundred yards away, and was conscious of Hardin and Hunt behind him. The guard heard the crunch of their feet and turned in some alarm. He froze for a moment when he saw them and was about to turn back to shout for help when something seemed to tangle his feet and he toppled overboard with a splash.

Stafford ran up and jumped into the boat. He leaned over the side. 'Come on, Sergeant,' he said and took Curtis's arm to help him aboard. Hardin had seized an oar and was pushing the boat away from the jetty and from Hunt's boat there came a splutter as the engine balked. Stafford left Curtis gasping on the floor boards and was just in time to grab the painter of the third boat. He fastened it to a cleat and then had time to look around. gt;

Hunt was rewinding the starter cord on his outboard engine and Stafford said harshly, 'Get that bloody thing started.' He was thinking of Nair. Hardin had pushed off vigorously with the oar and the boats were now drifting about ten yards offshore where the guard was standing dripping wet and already raising an outcry. Stafford looked along the shore line and saw Brice and Hendriks turn to look back.

Hunt's engine caught with a stuttering roar, then settled down to an even purr. Stafford shouted, 'Further out and then go south – after Nair.' The note of the engine deepened and the small convoy increased in speed. He bent down to Curtis, 'You all right, Sergeant?'

'Yes, sir. Nothing wrong with me.'

Hardin was staring at the shore. 'Brice looks mad enough to bust a gut.'

Brice and Hendriks had stopped and were motionless, looking at the boats which were now a hundred yards away and moving parallel with the coast. Brice said something to Hendriks and they began to run again. Stafford said, 'Where are Nair and Gunnarsson?'

'Should be on the other side of that point there, if they haven't been caught.'

Stafford raised his voice and shouted to Hunt in the lead boat. 'Open that thing up! Get a bloody move on!'

Curtis had got up and was in the stern, already starting the engine of their own boat. Hardin hauled on the painter of the other boat to bring it alongside, then he jumped in. One by one the other engines started and Stafford cast off the boats so they could operate independently. He said to Curtis, 'Cut in close to the point. I'll watch for rocks.' He signalled to the others that he was taking the lead.

'Hey!' shouted Hardin, and pointed ashore, and Stafford saw that Patterson was in sight but had fallen. He tried to get up but collapsed when he put weight on his leg. Curtis grunted. 'Broke his ankle with a bit of luck, sir.'

Nair thought his lungs would burst. He risked a glance backwards and saw the black about twenty yards behind – and no one else. Ahead Gunnarsson was running steadily but slowing. Nair got enough breath to shout, 'Gunnarsson! Help!' and stopped to face his pursuer.

Luke Maiyani was taken by surprise. The prey was supposed to run, not stand and fight against odds. By the time he had come to this conclusion he was within five yards of Nair so he also came to a halt and looked back expecting to see Patterson but there was no one in sight. It was this small hesitation that cost him a broken jaw because Nair picked up a rock in his fist and when Maiyani turned to look at him again Nair swung with all the force he could. There was a crunch and Maiyani dropped in his tracks.

Nair turned and found that Gunnarsson was still running along the shore. He stood there with his chest heaving and became aware of shouting from offshore. He looked out at the lake and saw three boats coming in with Stafford in the bows of the leading boat waving vigorously. Behind, Hardin was pointing with urgency and he turned his head and saw Brice and Hendriks just rounding the point.

Without further hesitation he ran for the water and the approaching boats. He was splashing through the shallows when Hendriks pulled out a gun with a long barrel and took careful aim. There was no report but Nair staggered and fell. He rolled over in die water until it was deep enough to support him and started to swim, striking out with his arms and using one leg.

Gunnarsson's attention, too, had been attracted by the shouting. He stopped to look out into the lake and Hunt yelled, 'Swim for it!' Gunnarsson hesitated, then made up his mind as he became aware of Brice and Hendriks advancing upon him. Hunt steered closer to the shore and waved encouragingly then stopped in mid-wave.

'Oh, Christ!' he said.

As Gunnarsson ran towards the water there was a movement from behind him and a vast grey shape burst out of the trees. Hunt shouted, 'Sideways! Run to the side, Gunnarsson!' but he was ignored. The bull hippopotamus behind Gunnarsson was advancing at a steady yard-eating trot, running much faster than the man. It caught him just as he reached the water's edge. Hunt saw the mouth open in a cavernous gape edged with white tusks which closed in a quick snap. Then the hippo was in the lake and there was no sign of Gunnarsson except for a swirl of bloodied water.

Hunt wrenched the tiller over and opened the throttle, speeding to get between the hippopotamus and Nair who was swimming weakly. He heard no gunfire and did not know what it was that whined past him like an angry hornet to hit the outboard motor. The rapid beat of the engine faltered and then it stopped and the boat lost momentum.

Stafford's boat passed him. Stafford was standing in the bows holding an oar, and shouted, 'Get down – you're being shot at!'

'Watch for the hippo!' Hunt replied and twisted around to look for it but could not see it. But he saw a peculiar wave on the surface of the water and knew the hippopotamus was running on the bottom of the shallow lake. The displacement wave rippled towards Nair but was intercepted by Stafford's boat which lurched violently, almost throwing Stafford off his feet.

Hardin was coming in fast on the other side towards Nair as the hippo surfaced next to Stafford's boat. He raised the oar and struck at its head and as the tough, flexible wood shivered violently in his hands he knew he had got in a good blow. For a moment the hippopotamus looked at him with an unwinking eye then breathed mightily and submerged.

Curtis swung over the tiller and Stafford looked for Nair and was relieved to see Hardin helping him into the boat. A miniature fountain rose quite close to him and Stafford said to Curtis, 'For God's sake, let's get out of here.' He waved to Hardin, pointing out into the lake, as Curtis headed towards the boat in which Hunt drifted.

He slowed as they came alongside and Hunt jumped for it. Even as he jumped Curtis was opening the throttle again and swinging to head out into the lake away from shore. Stafford looked back just in time to see the boat Hunt had abandoned rise bow first and then capsize as the hippopotamus attacked it. There was a splashing and a frothing of water and then the boat had gone leaving only a few shattered timbers floating on the water.

The shore of Crescent Island receded and when they were a good half mile away Stafford said, 'Let's join Hardin and see if Nair is all right.' He looked at Hunt and said quietly, 'That was a bloody bad two minutes.'

Curtis throttled back as he came alongside Hardin and the two boats drifted placidly. Nair had slit his trousers and was examining his leg. Hardin said, 'Nair reckons he was hit in the leg, but I didn't hear any shooting.'