ii6 



CHALLENGER 



On this occasion they were left at one of the marks to 

 observe in the early afternoon. It had been arranged that another 

 survey party returning to the ship by boat would collect them 

 before dark, but something went wrong with the planning and 

 as night came on the two men could see no sign of a boat on 

 the broad river. 



They climbed up to the cross spars and looked longingly at the 

 distant twinkle of light which marked the ship at anchor some 

 five miles downstream , The fall of night had made the crocodiles 

 very active and several were in the water directly beneath the 



Trianpulation mark in the Gambia River 



mark. One lashed with his tail against one of the main spars and 

 the whole structure shook terrifyingly. It grew bitterly cold, and 

 to keep themselves warm, clad as they were in their tropical rig, 

 they cut calico from the guys to wrap around themselves, and 

 with rope from the mark they lashed themselves to the spars 

 lest they should fall as sleep overtook them. 



Hours later, it seemed, they saw a finger of light searching 

 the mangroves along the river bank. It was the rescue boat using 

 her Aldis signal lamp to search for the lost surveyors. 



It was a happy moment for Paisley and his assistant when the 

 light at last picked out the dazzling white of the mark against 



