12.In a few seconds the Marines had all cleared the compound gate, their machine guns against their chests but held ready to quickly assume a firing position. Fortunately, they encountered no one here at the upper end of the wadi.
All were hurrying noisily now, the loud crunching sound of a track team jogging on a cinder track. Still, they encountered no one as they quickly descended. McKenna thought, Man, we’re living right. Maybe there was no one close outside the compound to hear that shot.
The team hustled down the steep wadi in a controlled manner, the ground more slippery and noisy underfoot than during the climb up, all ignoring the continually dropping temperature, huffing and puffing geysers of breath from the vigorous effort and stress of the mission. Now the team was able to m
