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arking the grave as surely as a cross。 A few minutes later； the rain came。
Miraculously； none of the voyagers from the Nordic Princess perished in the Atlantic Ocean。 Many had snatched life jackets before leaping overboard； others proved petent if not graceful swimmers。 Some of the tourists were too drunk to panic and simply lolled in the waves； like polyester manatees； until help arrived。 Others； including the Gilberts； were saved by strong tidal currents that dragged them to a shallow sandbar where they waited in waist…deep water； their hair matted to pink skulls； each of them still wearing a plastic nametag that said； 〃Hi！ I'm ___〃 Luckily a Coast Guard cutter had arrived swiftly and deployed inflatable Zodiac speedboats to round up the passengers。 By midnight； all 312 missing persons had been retrieved。 The rescue had unfolded so quickly that all thirteen victims of poisonous snakebites made it to the hospital with time to spare and only transient hallucinations。 A survey of other casualties included one possible heart attack； seven broken bones； four man…of…war stings； and a dozen litigable whiplashes。
Although the thrust of the rescue efforts concentrated around the cruise ship； a small contingent of Coast Guardsmen launched a separate search for the mystery helicopter one mile away。 A slashing rain and forty…mile…per…hour gusts made the task dangerous and nearly impossible。 As the night wore on； the waves grew to nine feet and the searchers reluctantly gave up。
The next morning； in a misty sprinkle； a sturdy shrimp trawler out of Virginia Key came upon a fresh oil slick a few miles off Miami Beach。 Floating in the blue…black ooze was a tangle of debris： two seat cushions and a nest of electronic wiring from the helicopter； an album sleeve from an old Pat Boone record； a bloodied white…and…aqua football jersey； an Australian bush hat with a red emblem on the crown； and two dozen empty plastic shopping bags from Saks Fifth Avenue。 Judging by the location of the slick； the helicopter had gone down in 450 feet of water。 When the skies cleared； the Coast Guard sent two choppers of its own； but no more wreckage was found。 A forensics expert from the Navy later reported to the Fuego One Task Force that no one could have survived the crash； and that there was virtually no chance of recovering any bodies。 The water； he said； was full of lemon sharks。
Terrorist Believed Dead After Aerial Assault on Cruise Ship。
Skip Wiley had been right。 The wild saga of the Nordic Princess appeared in sixty…point type across the front page of the Miami Sun the next morning。 Cab Mulcahy had been left with no choice； for Wiley had shrewdly selected the day of the week with the most anemic petition for news space…the President was giving a speech on abortion； a bus filled with pilgrims crashed in India； and a trained chimpanzee named Jake upchucked in the space shuttle。 The sensational story of Las Noches got big play all over the country； and wound up on the front pages of the Washington Post； the Atlanta Journal and Constitution； the Los Angeles Times； the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Inquirer。 The version that appeared in the Miami Sun was the most detailed by far； though it made no mention of Wiley's role； Mulcahy was still trying to reach Al Garcia to tell him。
Only one other newspaper devoted as much space to the Nordic Princess story as did the Sun； and that was the Tulsa Express。 （Old Mack Dane had outdone himself； dictating thirty…eight breathtaking inches of copy to the national desk over a Coast Guardsman's marine…band radio。） As for the broadcast media； NEC had capitalized on its extra Orange Bowl manpower and diverted camera crews to the Port of Miami； Coast Guard headquarters； and Flagler Memorial Hospital。 Heroes； victims； witnesses； and distant relatives flocked to the bright television lights； hoping to be interviewed by Jane Pauley or someone equally glamorous。 By Sunday noon； much of the United States had heard or seen the story about killer snakes from the sky and the gang of South Florida crazies known as the Nights of December。
The chairman of the Orange Bowl mittee didn't know whether to laugh or blow his brains out。 In the space of forty…eight hours at the apogee of the tourist season； homicidal lunatics had detonated a newspaper reporter and launched an aerial attack against a domestic ocean liner。 That was the bad news。 The good news was： the bastards were dead。 The parade was saved。
At 8：30 A。M。 on Sunday； December 30； a press conference was staged at the office of the Greater Miami Chamber of merce； in the hallowed room with the table shaped like a giant navel orange。 Sitting around the table's upper hemisphere were the chairman of the Orange Bowl mittee （at the stem）； then Sergeant Al Garcia； Sparky Harper's successor at the Chamber of merce； the mayors of Miami and Dade County； the police chiefs of Miami and Dade County； and an officer from the Coast Guard； who wished he were someplace else。 The lower half of the table was occupied by reporters and cameramen； including a crew from the CBS Morning News。
The Orange Bowl chairman stood up and spoke nervously into a microphone at a portable podium。 He read from a prepared statement：
〃Ladies and gentlemen； thank you for ing on such short notice。 At approximately 9：16 last night； the cruise ship SS Nordic Princess was accosted by an unmarked； unidentified helicopter off the coast of Miami Beach； Florida。 At the time of the attack； the cruise ship was under lease to the Greater Miami Chamber of merce as part of the Orange Bowl Jamboree festivities。 As a result of hostile actions undertaken by occupants of the helicopter； more than three hundred persons were forced to abandon the ocean liner in an emergency Mayday。 I am happy to report that all those passengers； including myself and several others in this room； were safely rescued。 All of us wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to mander Bob Smythe and the United States Coast Guard for their quick and decisive action。〃
mander Bob Smythe smiled wanly as a half…dozen motor…drive Nikons went off in his face。 He couldn't wait for his transfer to Charleston to e through。
〃Shortly after the incident involving the Nordic Princess'' the Orange Bowl man continued reading； 〃the suspect helicopter flew away from the cruise ship in an easterly direction。 At approximately 9：21 P。M。； the aircraft experienced engine trouble and apparently went down at sea。 No radio contact was ever made with the helicopter； so the nature of its distress may never be known。〃
The Orange Bowl chairman paused for a drink of water。 He was unhappy with the tone of the press release； which had been posed hastily by a high…priced public…relations man。 The PR man was a former Washington magazine editor who was reputed to be the model of glibness in crisis situations； but the Orange Bowl chairman was unimpressed。 The press release sounded stiff and tedious； like it had e out of the Pentagon。 The Orange Bowl chairman didn't know much about good writing； but he knew 〃Tropical Tranquillity〃 when he saw it…and this wasn't it。 He wondered why it was so hard to find a good cheap hack。
〃At approximately 6：07 this morni