Clark was seriously weakened by five days hiding from the enemy with little to eat. On the night of 9 April, Norris, Kiệt and the commandos retrieved him from the river and got him to friendly territory. The next night they set out to find Hambleton. During their search that night two of the commandos refused to press the mission further, saying they "refused to follow an American just to rescue an American." As dawn approached, Norris was going to proceed alone when Kiệt volunteered to stay with him. They took an abandoned sampan and cautiously searched the river shore for two more hours without success. They reluctantly returned to their forward operating base to rest and hope they would be more successful the next night. Forward air controller Harold Icke on Bilk 11 fixed Hambleton's position during the day so Norris and Kiệt could find him that night.