Even as he said these words, an old wreck of a biplane, coughing and belching smoke, came careening in and landed ungracefully on the lake near to the Casa. It came right up to the dock, disgorging soldiers as it did so. They came smartly into formation at a run, surrounded the Casa, and forced their way inside. Then, with Ricardo as their guide, they went directly to the barn, took a number of horses, posted a guard, and twenty-five of them, not counting Ricardo, were off at a gallop towards Port Haven.
'We have lost sight of the aeroplane,' Savalas' man told him. 'Our men will arrive to take out the guns just as darkness falls.'
Savalas took out his watch, opened and glanced at it, then put it back in his pocket. 'Slow to four knots,' he said to the captain. 'Open fire when we come within five miles. Be sure to target their defences.'
The captain gave him a sharp look, as though he were mad.
'My men will be at those defenses, attempting to disable them.'
'They are expendable, and I want to be sure,' Savalas said with a dismissive gesture. 'You must know that twenty-five men cannot take on an entire armed port. The best use they can be put to is diversion . . . they will add to the confusion.'
The captain, his eyes becoming steely, his gaze carefully directed ahead, stood silent a long moment, his jaw muscles bunching.
'Just give the order, sir,' he said at last in a terse voice.
'A wise choice,' Savalas told him, watching the island as though nothing else existed. 'The order is given.'
Just as Roman heard the order to evacuate, he turned his gaze to the sea and the approaching warship, and tensed at the plumes of white that suddenly obscured parts of it.
'Get everyone right out of the town altogether!' Roman shouted to the port authority soldiers. 'Including yourselves.'
'But-'
'Don't argue!'
They ducked reflexively at the sound of artillery shells screaming overhead and slamming into the hillside above.
'Go! While they're still finding their range! Get everyone out of port, in both directions. We'll take them from the high ground beyond the port once they've landed. That way they won't be able to bring the ship's guns to bear. Now go!'
'Which way should we go?' Santiago asked him.
'Back the way we came, with an armed escort of twelve soldiers,' Roman replied. 'We have to warn everyone what we're up against here. Then, bringing every able-bodied person with a gun, man, woman or child, we return and we fight.'