alistairmaclean.bearisland-第31节

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ted　weal　on　my　neck。　〃Jesus！　That　is　something。
　What　happened　to　you？〃
　I　fell。〃
　〃The　Marlowes　of　this　world　don't　fall。　They're　pushed。　Where　did　you　fall？〃　I　didn't　much　care　for　the　all　but　imperceptible　accent　on　the　word　〃fall。〃
　〃Upper　deck。　Port　side。　I　struck　my　neck　on　the　storm　sill　of　the　saloon　door。〃
　〃Did　you　now？　I　would　say　that　this　was　caused　by　what　the　criminologists　call　a　solid　object。　A　very　solid　object　about　half…an…inch　wide　and　sharp…edged。　The　saloon　door　sill　is　three　inches　wide　and　made　of　sorborubber。　All　the　storm　doors　on　the　Morning　Rose　are…it's　to　make　them　totally　windproof　and　waterproof。　Or　perhaps　you　hadn't　noticed？　The　way　you　perhaps　haven't　noticed　that　John　Halliday；　the　unit's　still　photographer；　is　missing？〃
　〃How　do　you　know？〃　He'd　shaken　me　this　time；　not　just　a　little；　or　my　face　would　have　shown　it；　but　so　much　that　I　knew　my　features　stayed　rigidly　fixed　in　the　same　expression。
　〃You　don't　deny　it？〃
　I　don't　know。　How　do　you？〃
　I　went　down　to　see　the　props　man；　this　elderly　lad　they　call　Sandy。　I'd　heard　he　was　sick　and…〃
　〃Why　did　you　go？〃
　〃If　it　matters；　because　he's　not　the　sort　of　person　that　people　visit　very　much。　He　doesn't　seem　liked。　Seems　a　bit　hard　to　be　sick　and　unpopular　at　the　same　time。〃　I　nodded；　this　would　be　in　character　with　Smithy。　I　asked　him　where　his　roommate　Halliday　was　as　I　hadn't　seen　him　at　breakfast。　Sandy　said　he'd　gone　for　breakfast。　I　didn't　say　anything　to　Sandy　but　this　made　me　a　bit　curious　so　I　had　a　look　in　the　recreation　room。　He　wasn't　there　either；　so　I　got　curiouser　and　curiouser　until　I'd　searched　the　Morning　Rose　twice　from　end　to　end。　I　think　I　covered　every　nook　and　cranny　in　the　vessel　where　even　a　stray　seagull　could　be　hiding　and　you　can　take　my　word　for　it；　Halliday's　not　in　the　Morning　Rose。〃
　〃Reported　this　to　the　captain？〃
　〃Well；　well；　what　an　awful　lot　of　reaction。　No；　I　haven't　reported　it　to　the　captain。〃
　〃Why　not？〃
　〃Same　reason　as　you　haven't。　If　I　know　my　Captain　Imrie；　he'd　at　once　declare　that　there　was　no　clause　in　that　agreement　you　signed　that　was　binding　on　this　particular　case；　that　saying　that　foul　play　wasn't　involved　in　this　case　also　would　be　altogether　too　much　of　a　good　thing　and　turn　the　Morning　Rose　straight　for　Hammerfest！〃　Smithy　looked　at　me　deadpan　over　the　rim　of　his　glass。　〃I'm　rather　curious　to　see　what　does　happen　when　we　get　to　Bear　Island。〃
　〃It　might　be　interesting。〃
　Very　nonmittal。　It　might；　says　he　thoughtfully；　be　equally　interesting　to　provoke　some　kind　of　reaction　in　Dr。　Marlowe。　just　once。　Just　for　the　record…my　own　private　record。　I　wonder　if　I　could　do　it。　Do　you　remember　I　said　on　the　bridge　in　the　very　early　hours　of　this　morning　that　we　might　just　possibly　have　to　call　for　help　and　that　if　we　had　to　we　had　a　transmitter　here　that　could　reach　almost　anywhere　in　the　Northern　Hemisphere。　Not；　perhaps；　my　exact　words；　but　the　gist　is　accurate！'
　〃The　gist　is　accurate。〃　Even　to　myself　the　repetition　of　the　words　sounded　mechanical　and　I　had　to　make　a　conscious　effort　not　to　shiver　as　an　ice…shod　centipede　started　up　a　fandango　between　my　shoulder　blades。
　〃Well；　we　can　call　for　help　till　we're　blue　in　the　face；　this　transmitter　here　can　no　longer　reach　as　far　as　the　galley。〃　For　once；　almost　unbelievably；　Smithy's　face　was　registering　an　emotion　other　than　amusement。　His　face　tight　with　anger；　he　produced　a　screwdriver　from　his　pocket　and　turned　to　the　big　steel…blue　receiver…transmitter　on　the　inner　bulkhead。
　〃Do　you　always　carry　a　screwdriver　about　with　you？〃　The　sheer　banality　of　the　question　made　it　apposite　in　the　circumstances。
　〃Only　when　I　call　up　the　radio　station　at　Tunheim　in　northeast　Bear　Island　and　get　no　reply。　And　that's　no　ordinary　radio　station；　it's　an　official　Norwegian　Government　base。〃　Smithy　set　to　work　on　the　faceplate　screws。　〃I've　already　had　this　damned　thing　off　about　an　hour　ago。　You'll　see　in　a　jiffy　why　I　put　it　back　on　again。〃
　While　I　was　waiting　for　this　jiffy　to　pass　I　recalled　our　conversation　on　the　bridge　in　the　very　early　hours　of　the　morning；　the　time　he'd　referred　to　the　radio　and　the　relative　closeness…and；　by　inference；　the　availability　…of　the　NATO　Atlantic　forces。　It　had　been　immediately　afterwards　that　I'd　looked　through　the　starboard　screen　door　and　seen　the　sharp　fresh　footprints　in　the　snow；　footprints；　I'd　been　immediately　certain；　that　had　been　made　by　an　eavesdropper；　a　preposterous　idea　I'd　almost　as　quickly　put　out　of　my　mind　when　I'd　appreciated　that　there　had　been　only　one　set　of　footprints　there；　those　which　I'd　made　myself。　For　some　now　inexplicable　reason　it　had　never　occurred　to　me　that　any　person　clever　enough　to　have　been　responsible　for　the　series　of　undetected　crimes　that　had　taken　place　aboard　the　Morning　Rose　would　have　been　far　too　clever　to　have　overlooked　the　blinding　obviousness　of　the　advantage　that　lay　in　using　footsteps　already　there。　The　footsteps　had；　indeed；　been　newly　made；　our　ubiquitous　friend　had　been　abroad　again。
　Smithy　removed　the　last　of　the　screws　and；　not　without　some　effort；　removed　the　face…plate。　I　looked　at　the　revealed　interior　for　about　ten　seconds　then　said：　I　see　now　why　you　put　the　face…plate　back　on。　The　only　thing　that　puzzles　me　is　that　that　cabinet　looks　a　bit　small　for　a　man　to　get　inside　it　with　a　fourteen…pound　sledgehammer。〃
　〃Looks　just　like　it；　doesn't　it？〃　The　tangled　mess　of　wreckage　inside　was；　literally；　indescribable；　the　vandal　who　had　been　at　work　had　seen　to　it　that；　irrespective　of　how　vast　a　range　of　spares　were　carried；　the　receiver…transmitter　could　never　be　made　operable　again。　〃You've　seen　enough？〃
　I　think　so　He　started　to　replace　the　cover　and　I　said：　‘You've　radios　in　the　lifeboats？〃
　〃Yes。　Hand…cranked。　They'll　reach　farther　than　the　galley　but　a　megaphone　would　be　about　as　good。〃
　〃You'll　have　to　report　this　to　the　captain；　of　course。〃
　〃Of　course。〃
　〃Then　it's　heigh…ho　for　Hammerfest？〃
　〃Twenty…four　hours　from　now　and　he　can　heigh…ho　for　Tahiti　as　far　as　I'm　concerned。〃　Smithy　tightened　the　last　screw。　〃That's　when　I'm　going　to　tell　him。　Twenty…four　hours　from　now。　Maybe　twenty…six。〃
　〃Your　outside　limit　for　dropping　anchor　in　Sor…Hamna？〃　
　〃Tying　up。　Yes。〃
　〃You're　a　very　deceitful　man；　Smithy。〃
　〃It's　the　pany　I　keep。　And　the　life　I　lead。〃
　〃You're　not　to　blame　yourself；　Smithy；〃　I　said　kindly。　〃We　live　in　vexed　and　troubled　times。〃
　
　7
　
　When　the　Norwegian　pilers　of　the　report　on　Bear　Island　had　spoken　of　it　as　possessing　perhaps　the　most　inhospitably　bleak　coastline　in　the　world；　they　had　been　speaking　with　the　measured　understatement　of　true　professional　geographers。　As　we　approached　it　in　the　first　light　of　dawn　which　in　those　latitudes；　at　that　time　of　year；　and　under　grey　and　lowering　skies　which　were　not　only　full　of　snow　but　getting　rid　of　it　as　fast　as　they　could；　was　as　near　midforenoon　as　made　no　difference…it　presented　the　most　awesome；　awe…inspiring　and；　in　the　true　sense　of　the　word；　awful　spectacle　of　nature　it　had　ever　been　my　misfortune　to　behold。　A　frightening　desolation；　it　was　a　weird　bination　of　the　wickedly　repellent　and　unwillingly　fascinating；　an　evil　and　dreadful　and　sinister　place；　a　place　full　of　the　terrifying　intimation　of　mortality；　the　culmination　of　all　the　terrors　for　our　long　lost　Nordic　ancestors　for　whom　hell　was　the　land　of　eternal　cold　and　for　whom　this　would　be　the　eternally　frozen　purgatory　to　be　visited　only　in　their　dying　nightmares。
　Bear　Island　was　black。　That　was　the　shocking；　the　almost　frightful　thing　about　it。　Bear　Island　was　black；　black　as　a　widow's　weeds。　Here's　in　the　regions　of　year…long　snow　and　ice；　where；　in　winter；　even　the　waters　of　the　Barents　Sea　ran　a　milky　white；　to　find　this　ebony　mass　towering　fifteen　hundred　vertical　feel？　up　into　the　grey　overcast　evoked　the　same　feeling　of　total　disbelief；　the　same　numbing　impact；　although　here　magnified　a　hundred　fold；　as　does　the　first　glimpse　of　the　black　cliff　of　the　north　face　of　the　Eiger　rearing　up　its　appalling　grandeur　among　the　snows　of　the　Bernese　Oberland：　this　benumbment　of　the　senses　stemmed　from　a　dichotomous　struggle　to　accept　the　evidence　before　the　eyes　for　while　reason　said　that　it　had　to　be　so　that　primeval　part　of　the　mind　that　existed　long　before　man　knew　what　reason　was　just　flatly　refused　to　accept　it。
　We　were　just　southwest　of　the　most　southerly　tip　of　Bear　Island；　steaming　due　cast　through　the　calmest　seas　that　we　had　encountered　since　leaving　Wick；　but　even　that　term　was　only　relative；　it　was　still　necessary　to　hang　on　to　something　if　one　wished　to　maintain　the　perpendicular。　Overall；　the　weather　hadn't　changed　any　for　the　better；　the　parative　moderating　of　the　seas　was　due　entirely　to　the　fact　that　the　wind　blew　now　directly　from　the　north　and　We　were　in　the　lee　of　whatever　little　shelter　was　afforded　by　those　giant　cliffs。　We　were　making　this　particular　approach　to　our　destination　at　Otto's　request　for　he　was　understandably　anxious　to　build　up　a　library　of　background　shots　which；　so　far；　was　pletely　nonexistent；　and　those　bleak　precipices　would　have　made　a　cameraman's　or　director's　dream：　but　Otto's　luck　was　running　true　to　form；　those　driving　gusts　of　sno