©³©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©×©¥©·<br >©§ L ©§ ©§<br >©§ THE PANJANG INCIDENT 11 ©§ ©§<br >©§ Charles Ryan ©§ ©§<br >©§ed him to turn the Panjang north at a point two around. "Go to emergency frequency. See if you can ©§ ©§<br >©§ed miles from the Australian coast. He would skirt raise the military channel out of Manila." ©§ ©§<br >©§ Renfro darted away. ©§ ©§<br >©§reat Barrier Reef to the Tamarand Estuary near the ©§ ©§<br >©§the desolate York Peninsula of Northern Queensland. The copter was a mile out now. Gotchok lifted his ©§ ©§<br >©§tchok shook his head. It was going to be a tricky glasses. He could make out the men aboard. Four--no， ©§ ©§<br >©§ess， a series of tight maneuvers in shoal grounds to five， dressed in battle fatigues. One sat in the open ©§ ©§<br >©§ blister， his legs dangling. ©§ ©§<br >©§et landing deep in the estuary. ©§ ©§<br >©§ buzzer over his bunk rang. "Captain， Bridge." The captain s heart turned to ice. Resting on the man s ©§ ©§<br >©§tapped the intercom button. "Go." thigh was an assault pistol， and just above his head poked ©§ ©§<br >©§le re getting a blip on radar， sir. Bearing zero-three- the muzzle of a machine gun. He tore the glasses away ©§ ©§<br >©§Looks like a low-flying aircraft." and plunged his head through the doorway. "Alert the ©§ ©§<br >©§m coming up." crew，" he yelled. "And break out the gun closet." ©§ ©§<br >©§nfro， the redheaded third mate standing bridge watch， Renfro， halfway across the bridge， turned， stunned. ©§ ©§<br >©§ ~ "move." ©§ ©§<br >©§peering through the wheelhouse with binoculars. ©§ ©§<br >©§hok paused at the radar screen， then stepped onto "But， Captain--" Renfro stammered. "The closet key." ©§ ©§<br >©§~ort wing. Renfro followed him out with a second Gotchok reached into his shirt and tore a chain from ©§ ©§<br >©§ around his neck. He tossed it and the key it held to the ©§ ©§<br >©§~f glasses， third mate. As he swung back， the copter was on them. It ©§ ©§<br >©§e captain scanned the horizon slowly. There was a rose like a huge dragonfly coming up off the ocean， the ©§ ©§<br >©§y salt haze and the sun made flashing diamonds on sound of the blades whomping and crackling in the air. ©§ ©§<br >©§rater. It flashed overhead， so close the downwash of the ©§ ©§<br >©§"here he is，" Renfro called out. "Three points off the blades whipped Gotchok s clothing. He gripped the rail- ©§ ©§<br >©§beam. It s a chopper." ing， his body pounding with adrenaline. He shot a glance ©§ ©§<br >©§~tchok swung his glasses back and forth until he through the wing door. The helmsman was ducking be- ©§ ©§<br >©§~d up a small black dot skimming just over the sur- hind the wheel column， staring wild-eyed at him. Renfro ©§ ©§<br >©§ "What in hell s he doing out here? Tell radio to appeared in the after door carrying a shotgun and pistol. ©§ ©§<br >©§~him on aircraft frequency." ~， The copter reappeared， bursting into view thirty feet ©§ ©§<br >©§kye， sir，" Renfro ducked into the bridge， above the bridge， the roar of its engine coming with a ©§ ©§<br >©§~e copter grew steadily larger in Gotchok s binoculars， sudden clap of sound. ©§ ©§<br >©§enfro returned. "We re getting a helluva burst of A hot rage took Gotchok and he began shaking his fist ©§ ©§<br >©§c， sir. Just started. Radio says nothing s coming in." at the aircraft. "This is my ship!" he screamed. "Stand ©§ ©§<br >©§t two minutes the aircraft was visible to the naked off， you sons of bitches， stand off!" ©§ ©§<br >©§ It was coming fast; a camouflaged fuselage， the sun The copter s machine gun opened up. Bullets went ©§ ©§<br >©§aing on the rotor blades. It was so close to the water zinging off the railing. The bridge windows shattered in a ©§ ©§<br >©§downwash dimpled the surface， shower of blowing glass. The helmsman was stitched ©§ ©§<br >©§It s a Cobra gunship，" Renfro said. "I seen them in across the back with a string of bullets and fell violently ©§ ©§<br >©§n." to the deck. ©§ ©§<br >©§;otchok lowered the glasses and squinted at the ap- For one stop-action moment Gotchok stared up at the ©§ ©§<br >©§ faces of the men in the helicopter. He saw the tip of a ©§ ©§<br >©§aching craft. He felt a sliver of foreboding and swung ©§ ©§<br >©»©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©ß©¥©¿<br ><br >