in three of the nearby houses and knocked down two trees in the yards. The explosion took place fifty yards from the compound wall, but the men on the ladders had to hang on to keep from being blown off. A withering storm of hot air rocketed away from the blast, and then a few second later the flow reversed as air rushed back into the partial vacuum that the huge explosion had created.
The sedan had vanished. Only part of the front bumper lay on the street fifty feet from the compound wall. In the street a hole six feet deep and twice that wide had been created.
“Holy shit,” Dengler said from his spot on the wall. “Glad that sucker didn’t get to the gate.”
“Nice shooting men,” Bancroft said. “Keep watch, they could follow it up with another attack.”
Hunter ran out of the safe door and found Bancroft.
“What the hell was that?”
Bancroft pointed out the gate to the hole in the street and the streamers of smoke coming from parts of the up thrust dirt and paving.
“Early Fourth of July. A car bomb that didn’t quite get here.”
“A twenty get it?”
“Right through the windshield.”
“Wonder what they’ll try next?”
Lt. Ronkowski came running up with six of his Marines.
“What the hell?”
Bancroft told him the story.
“Didn’t figure they had that much explosives. Must have stolen it from some army unit. Wonder if they have any RPG’s or mortars? Now would be a good time to use them.”
“You said they weren’t well equipped,” Hunter said.
“Mostly rifles and guts. Tough way to go against a pair of machine guns.”
It was almost noon before the rebels showed up again. This time they came with a line of four cars side by side driving slowly up the street. Behind them Hunter could see fifty to seventy five men crowding close behind their protection.
“Poor man’s tanks,” Nelson Foster said from the wall. We take out the cars first, Cap?”
“At a hundred yards we open fire with twenties contact rounds on the cars. We stop them. Go for the gas tanks. Then we laser over the cars for the ground troops. Once we stop the cars, the easy riders down there may cut out for the safety behind the houses.”
Lt. Ronkowski stationed two of his Marines on the boxes so they could shoot over the wall. That put eight weapons on the wall and the two machine guns.
“Hold your fire,” Hunter said. “They’re about a hundred and fifty yards. Another fifteen seconds or so.”
They waited.
“Fire,” Hunter said and he heard five of the 20mm weapons go off with their familiar bark. He looked past the machine gunners at the cars. One of the middle rigs took a round in the engine and stopped. The others rolled forward a moment before another one caught a 20 mound in the side and the gasoline tank exploded, showering burning gasoline over some of the men crowding behind the rigs. The other two cars made it almost twenty feet more before they caught half a dozen rounds from the twenties and rifle rounds and slewed to a stop.
Twenty black men in civilian clothes, charged past the smoking cars toward the gate firing their weapons as they came. Both machine guns chattered out deadly bursts of twelve rounds and six of the first line went down screaming. More 20 mm rounds hit in front and among the runners and the shrapnel blasted into them killing many and wounding most of the rest.
Four of the original group made it through the screen of hot lead and got within fifty feet of the wall. Both threw grenades before they tasted the wrath of the machine gunners and died on the spot. The grenades came close but missed the gate and exploded harmlessly against the block wall.
The fire fight was all over in twenty seconds.
“Cease fire,” Hunter said. “Let the stupid bastards pick up their dead and wounded.”
Sergeant Philbin came from the embassy and talked with Ronkowski. The Marine went over to Hunter.
“Philbin tells me that the ambassador just got word from the President that two of
The sedan had vanished. Only part of the front bumper lay on the street fifty feet from the compound wall. In the street a hole six feet deep and twice that wide had been created.
“Holy shit,” Dengler said from his spot on the wall. “Glad that sucker didn’t get to the gate.”
“Nice shooting men,” Bancroft said. “Keep watch, they could follow it up with another attack.”
Hunter ran out of the safe door and found Bancroft.
“What the hell was that?”
Bancroft pointed out the gate to the hole in the street and the streamers of smoke coming from parts of the up thrust dirt and paving.
“Early Fourth of July. A car bomb that didn’t quite get here.”
“A twenty get it?”
“Right through the windshield.”
“Wonder what they’ll try next?”
Lt. Ronkowski came running up with six of his Marines.
“What the hell?”
Bancroft told him the story.
“Didn’t figure they had that much explosives. Must have stolen it from some army unit. Wonder if they have any RPG’s or mortars? Now would be a good time to use them.”
“You said they weren’t well equipped,” Hunter said.
“Mostly rifles and guts. Tough way to go against a pair of machine guns.”
It was almost noon before the rebels showed up again. This time they came with a line of four cars side by side driving slowly up the street. Behind them Hunter could see fifty to seventy five men crowding close behind their protection.
“Poor man’s tanks,” Nelson Foster said from the wall. We take out the cars first, Cap?”
“At a hundred yards we open fire with twenties contact rounds on the cars. We stop them. Go for the gas tanks. Then we laser over the cars for the ground troops. Once we stop the cars, the easy riders down there may cut out for the safety behind the houses.”
Lt. Ronkowski stationed two of his Marines on the boxes so they could shoot over the wall. That put eight weapons on the wall and the two machine guns.
“Hold your fire,” Hunter said. “They’re about a hundred and fifty yards. Another fifteen seconds or so.”
They waited.
“Fire,” Hunter said and he heard five of the 20mm weapons go off with their familiar bark. He looked past the machine gunners at the cars. One of the middle rigs took a round in the engine and stopped. The others rolled forward a moment before another one caught a 20 mound in the side and the gasoline tank exploded, showering burning gasoline over some of the men crowding behind the rigs. The other two cars made it almost twenty feet more before they caught half a dozen rounds from the twenties and rifle rounds and slewed to a stop.
Twenty black men in civilian clothes, charged past the smoking cars toward the gate firing their weapons as they came. Both machine guns chattered out deadly bursts of twelve rounds and six of the first line went down screaming. More 20 mm rounds hit in front and among the runners and the shrapnel blasted into them killing many and wounding most of the rest.
Four of the original group made it through the screen of hot lead and got within fifty feet of the wall. Both threw grenades before they tasted the wrath of the machine gunners and died on the spot. The grenades came close but missed the gate and exploded harmlessly against the block wall.
The fire fight was all over in twenty seconds.
“Cease fire,” Hunter said. “Let the stupid bastards pick up their dead and wounded.”
Sergeant Philbin came from the embassy and talked with Ronkowski. The Marine went over to Hunter.
“Philbin tells me that the ambassador just got word from the President that two of