“We tried six times to call him, but evidently he had turned off the receiver,” the ambassador said. “He’d probably worried about the life of his battery.”
“We may have to send a man up there to contact them and get the radio signals worked out,” Murdock said. He turned to the CIA man. “Now, Stroh, give us the rest of the dope on this strange little country and what the CIA and State has to say about it.”
“State hardly knows it exists. The African desk has a thin file on this place, but nobody there has been here or knows much about it that isn’t in the file. Basically stolen elections, bad people probably robbing the treasury and the country blind. Foreign intervention is their answer to every criticism. It’s a small cancer on the world order. Nobody knows much about it or cares.”
“Except our Vice President by the sound of him,” Gardner said.
Sadler rubbed his chin. “Looks like our first job is to get upstream and make contact with this rebel. It might be a simple matter of promising him some covert guns and ammo for his little rebellion here. He’d probably shout hosanna for two hundred M-16’s and five thousand rounds of ammo.”
“Could be that simple, but Mojombo Washington could get that for any American he captured,” Stroh said. “The Agency feels that he has much bigger demands that will be coming. That should be the second thing we do, wait to see what those demands are.”
Stroh stood. “I’m so damn tired I can’t even see straight, let alone think in a straight line. Let’s pick this up tomorrow right after breakfast. I hear the food here is great. I’m hitting the old feather bed.”
“Dream on those feathers,” Jaybird said.
“Hopefully.”
“We’re in no shape to do anything tonight,” Murdock said. “Let’s get some sleep and grab it by the balls first thing in the morning. Then maybe we can work up a mission for tomorrow night. No sense in going up that river and getting our skulls blown apart by friendly fire.”
Breakfast was served from 0600 to 0900, and all the SEALs ate until they exploded. Six of them gathered around a conference table on the first floor and welcomed the ambassador. The general tone of the meeting was that they should get upriver and try to make contact. At the least they could talk to the villagers they found.
“Have to be a night mission,” Murdock said. “I talk to Colonel Dara at 1000. He might help us without knowing it. We’ll need a boat that can swim upstream. Dara might be our supply.”
“We kept the SATCOM on all night, but the Vice President didn’t transmit on the White House frequency,” the ambassador said. “We’re hoping he’ll call this morning. If he does, we’ll break in and let him know we can talk with him here and maybe help him.”
Murdock checked his watch and headed for the Government Building, where the general said his G-2 would be. A young girl at a reception desk on the second floor took him to Colonel Dara’s office. The man who held out his hand to Murdock looked like a soldier. He was five-ten, slender, with a firm grip and what looked to be a hard body toned by many workouts. His face was longish and he had a close-cropped haircut. He took off reading glasses as they met.
“Yes, the American SEAL. I know a lot about you people and your exploits. I’d like to get some Special Forces established here, but I’m having enough trouble holding together what Army we have left. It’s my responsibility, General Assaba keeps telling me.”
“Good to meet you, Colonel. We are an action-oriented force. Right now it looks like a trip up the Amunbo River would be the best move.”
“We tried that. Got shot to pieces.”
“I heard about that. I’d want to go up at night as quietly as possible. Then we could stop along the way at the villages and settlements and talk to them about the rebels. Someone might tell us where his stronghold is.”
“We’re pretty sure we know where it is. The trouble is, it’s so far upstream and so well defended that we don’t seem to be able to attack him with any success.”
“I understand he’s made some guerrilla raids lately.”
“Yes, caught us by surprise both times. Night attacks. We haven’t been on a wartime footing. Maybe it’s time we go to that.”
“Does he have any popular support?”
“Not much that we know of. Almost none here in the city. He’s looked on as an educated outlaw by most people.”
“Is he a real threat to your government here?”
“Not really. But we are concerned with the worldwide publicity that he’s getting by kidnapping your Vice President. This is unforgivable. Because of that alone, we are obligated to put on a drive to eliminate him and, we hope, release the Vice President.”
“Do you have any definite plans?”
“We hope your government will lend us five thousand Marines and helicopters so we can move in with them and wipe out the rebels, killing every man they have.”
Murdock grinned. “We both know that isn’t going to happen. Are there any roads up along the river?”
“The only jeep road goes up about ten miles. From there it’s a horse trail that some two-wheeled carts can get by on to bring produce and crops into the city. There’s quite a bit of boat traffic on the river. It’s the best highway into the interior.”
“Colonel, I need to do some recon. Could you supply me with a boat and crew to take a trip up the river tonight after dark? It would be a no-firefight-type situation. We’d go slow and easy and talk to as many of the local people we find as possible. This Mojombo might have set up a camp much closer to the city now that he feels he’s getting stronger and has the Vice President as a hostage.”
Colonel Dara frowned, then stood and paced his office for a minute. At last he sat down again and nodded. He made a phone call using the Wolof language. When the call ended he smiled.
“Yes, Commander Murdock. We’ll have a boat and crew at your disposal at Dock Six, this afternoon at 1800. How many men will you take with you?”
“Alpha Squad will make the probe. Eight of us altogether. I’ll try to bring your boat and crew back without taking a single enemy round.”
“I’d appreciate it. Is there anything else? Weapons, ammunition?”
“We tend to travel with all our supplies so we can land and operate quickly. But thanks for the offer. I’ll be back to make a full report on what I find upstream.”
That afternoon Murdock sent his men and ten workers from the embassy into the city to interview the public and to take a poll about their feelings toward the government and Mojombo Washington.
They all came back early. When they tallied up their results they discovered that ninety percent had heard about the capture of the United States Vice President. Eighty percent had a favorable image of Mojombo Washington, calling him a patriot who was trying to help the common man. Only ten percent thought of him as a criminal and a kidnapper. The ambassador was surprised, and pleased.
Alpha Squad had an early supper at the embassy cafeteria, and then checked their equipment and weapons for the mission.
“Remember, we want this to be a silent operation,” Murdock told them as they rode in the old school bus toward the river and Dock Six. The dock was made of wood and only forty feet long. The thirty-foot patrol boat was probably the largest craft ever to tie up there. The boat was adequate. It had a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a pedestal on the short bow ahead of the cabin. Murdock could see where bullet holes had been patched in the sides of the boat and the cabin. He stashed his men on board and then went to the small cabin to talk to the captain, a full commander in the Sierra Bijimi Navy.
Murdock saluted him and the man returned the salute.