With Earl unable to sabotage their efforts, the planes now ceased to fly over the island. A week went by without sighting or hearing any sign of a rescue attempt.“This is asinine,” Kelly said. “Why would they stop looking for us?”“And why, even if they didn’t see any evidence of us, didn’t they at least spot the wreckage?” Blair queried despondently.“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Zach admitted. “I think I’ll take a hike up the mountain tomorrow and have another look around.”Unencumbered, and fully recovered from his initial injuries, Zach made it up and down again in good time. He arrived in camp a full hour before dark. “Bad news, folks. I climbed as far as that knoll where we stopped the first day, and from what I could see, it’s doubtful that anyone flying over would recognize the charred remains as that of a 747. The blackened debris blends in too well with the lava rock.”“What about the part that didn’t burn?” Gavin asked. “The tail section was fairly intact.”Zach shook his head.
