alistairmaclean.nightwithoutend-第13部分

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heltered　world　for　her　to　know　how　to　deal　with　them。
　
　〃Well；　that　leaves　just　the　two　of　you；〃　I　said　hastily。　The　large　Dixie　colonel　with　the　florid　face　and　white　hair　was　sitting　next　to　the　thin　wispy…haired　little　Jew。　They　made　an　incongruous　pair。
　
　〃Theodore　Mahler；〃　the　little　Jew　said　quietly。　I　waited；　but　he　added　nothing。　A　municative　character。
　
　〃Brewster；〃　the　other　announced。　He　made　a　significant　pause。　〃Senator　Hoffman　Brewster。　Glad　to　help　in　any　way　I　can；　Dr　Mason。〃
　
　〃Thank　you；　Senator。　At　least　I　know　who　you　are。〃　Indeed；　thanks　to　his　magnificent　flair　for　self…publicity；　half　the　Western　world　knew　who　this　outspoken；　bitterly…but　fairly…anti…munist；　near　isolationist　senator　from　the　south…west　was。　〃On　a　European　tour？〃
　
　〃You　might　say　that。〃　He　had　the　politician's　gift　for　investing　even　the　most　insignificant　words　with　a　statesmanlike　consideration。　〃As　Chairman　of　one　of　our　Appropriation　mittees；　I　…well；　let's　call　it　a　fact…finding　tour。〃
　
　〃Wife　and　secretaries　gone　ahead　by　humble　passenger　steamer；　I　take　it；〃　Zagero　said　mildly。　He　shook　his　head。　〃That　was　a　fearful　stink　your　Congressional　investigation　boys　raised　recently　about　the　expenses　of　US　senators　abroad。〃
　
　〃That　was　quite　unnecessary；　young　man；〃　Brewster　said　coldly。　〃And　insulting。〃
　
　〃I　believe　it　was；〃　Zagero　apologised。　〃Not　really　intended　as　such。　Sorry；　Senator。〃　He　meant　it。
　
　What　a　bunch；　I　thought　despairingly；　what　a　crowd　to　be　stuck　with　in　the　middle　of　the　Greenland　ice…plateau。　A　business　executive；　a　musical　edy　star；　a　minister　of　religion；　a　boxer　with　an　uninhibited　if　cultured　tongue；　his　zany　manager；　a　London　society　playgirl　and　her　young　German　maid；　a　Senator；　a　taciturn　Jew　and　a　near…hysterical　hostess…or　one　apparently　so。　And　a　gravely　injured　pilot　who　might　live　or　die。　But　willy…nilly　I　was　stuck　with　them；　stuck　with　the　responsibility　of　doing　my　damnedest　to　get　these　people　to　safety；　and　the　prospect　appalled　me。　How　on　earth　was　I　even　to　start　to　go　about　it；　go　about　it　with　people　with　no　arctic　clothing　to　ward　off　the　razor…edged　winds　and　inhuman　cold；　people　lacking　in　all　knowledge　and　experience　of　arctic　travel；　even　lacking；　with　two　or　three　exceptions；　the　endurance　and　sheer　muscular　strength　to　cope　with　the　savagery　of　the　Greenland　ice…cap？　I　couldn't　even　begin　to　guess。
　
　But　whatever　else　they　were　lacking　in　at　that　moment；　it　wasn't　volubility：　the　life…giving　warmth　of　the　brandy　had　had　the　unfortunate　side　effect　of　loosening　their　tongues。　Unfortunate；　that　is；　from　my　point　of　view：　they　had　a　hundred　and　one　questions　to　ask；　and　they　seemed　to　think　that　I　should　have　the　answer　to　all　of　them。
　
　More　accurately；　they　had　only　half　a　dozen　questions　to　ask；　with　a　hundred　and　one　variations　of　these。　How　was　it　possible　for　a　pilot　to　veer　so　many　hundreds　of　miles　off　course？　Could　the　passes　have　gone　wrong？　Could　the　pilot　have　had　a　brain…storm？　But　then　surely　both　co…pilot　and　second　pilot　would　have　known　something　was　wrong？　Could　the　radio　have　been　damaged？　It　had　been　a　bitterly　cold　afternoon　even　when　they　had　left　Gander；　was　it　possible　that　some　of　the　naps　and　controls　had　iced　up；　forcing　them　off　course？　But　if　this　were　the　case；　why　hadn't　someone　e　to　warn　them　of　the　possibility　of　the　crash？
　
　I　answered　all　of　their　questions　as　best　I　could　but　these　answers　were　all　to　the　same　effect；　that　I　didn't　really　know　anything　more　about　it　than　they　did。
　
　〃But　you　said　some　time　ago　that　you　did；　perhaps；　know　one　thing　more　than　we　did。〃　It　was　Corazzini　who　put　the　question；　and　he　was　looking　at　me　shrewdly。　〃What　was　that；　Dr　Mason？〃
　
　〃What？　Ah；　yes；　I　remember　now。〃　I　hadn't　forgotten；　but　the　way　things　were　shaping　up　in　my　mind　I'd　had　second　thoughts　about　mentioning　it；　and　had　time　to　think　up　a　plausible　alternative。　〃I　need　hardly　tell　you　that　it's　nothing　that　I　actually　know；　Mr　Corazzini…how　could　I；　/　wasn't　in　the　plane…just　a　reasonably　informed　guess　in　the　absence　of　all　other　solutions。　It's　based　on　the　scientific　observations　made　here　and　in　other　IGY　stations　in　Greenland；　some　of　them　over　the　past　eighteen　months。
　
　〃For　over　a　year　now；　we　have　been　experiencing　a　period　of　intense　sun…spot　activity…that's　one　of　the　main　interests　of　the　IGY　year…the　most　intense　of　this　century。　As　you　may　know；　sun…spots；　or；　rather；　the　emission　of　solar　particles　from　these　sun…spots；　are　directly　responsible　for　the　formation　of　the　aurora　borealis　and　magnetic　storms；　both　of　these　being　related　to　disturbances　in　the　ionosphere。　These　disturbances　can　and；　actually；　almost　invariably　do　interfere　with　radio　transmission　and　reception；　and　when　severe　enough　can　pletely　disrupt　all　normal　radio　munications：　and　they　can　also　produce　temporary　alterations　of　the　earth's　magnetism　which　knock　magnetic　passes　pletely　out　of　kilter。〃　All　of　which　was　true　enough　as　far　as　it　went。　〃It　would；　of　course；　require　extreme　conditions　to　produce　these　effects：　but　we　have　been　experiencing　these　lately；　and　I'm　pretty　sure　that　that's　what　happened　with　your　plane。　Where　astral　navigation…by　the　stars；　that　is…is　impossible；　as　it　was　on　a　night　like　this；　you　are　dependent　on　radio　and　passes　as　your　two　main　navigational　aids：　if　these　are　knocked　out；　what　have　you　left？〃
　
　A　fresh　hubbub　of　talk　arose　at　this；　and　though　it　was　quite　obvious　that　most　of　them　had　only　a　vague　idea　what　I　was　talking　about；　I　could　see　that　this　idea　was　finding　a　fair　degree　of　ready　acceptance；　satisfying　them　and　fitting　the　facts　as　they　knew　them。　I　saw　Joss　gazing　at　me　with　an　expressionless　face；　looked　him　in　the　eye　for　a　couple　of　seconds；　then　turned　away。　As　a　radio　operator；　Joss　knew　even　better　than　I　that；　though　there　was　still　some　sun…spot　activity；　it　had　reached　its　maximum　in　the　previous　year：　and　as　an　ex…aircraft　radio　operator；　he　knew　that　airliners　flew　on　gyropasses；　which　neither　sun…spots　nor　magnetic　storms　could　ever　affect　in　the　slightest。
　
　〃We'll　have　something　to　eat　now。〃　I　cut　through　the　buzz　of　conversation。　〃Any　volunteers　to　give　Jackstraw　a　hand？〃
　
　〃Certainly。〃　Marie　LeGarde；　as　I　might　have　guessed；　was　first　on　her　feet。　〃I'm　by　way　of　being　what　you　might　call　a　mean　cook。　Lead　me　to　it；　Mr　Nielsen。〃
　
　〃Thanks；　Joss；　you　might　give　me　a　hand　to　rig　a　screen。〃　I　nodded　at　the　injured　pilot。　〃We'll　see　what　we　can　do　for　this　boy　here。〃　The　stewardess；　unbidden；　moved　forward　to　help　me　also。　I　was　on　the　point　of　objecting　…1　knew　that　this　wasn't　going　to　be　nice…but　I　didn't　want　trouble　with　her；　not　yet。　I　shrugged　my　shoulders　and　let　her　stay。
　
　Half　an　hour　later；　I　had　done　all　I　could。　It　indeed　hadn't　been　nice；　but　both　the　patient　and　the　stewardess　had　stood　it　far　better　than　I　had　expected。　I　was　fixing　and　binding　on　a　stiff　leather　helmet　to　protect　the　back　of　his　head　and　Joss　was　strapping　him　down；　inside　the　sleeping…bag；　to　the　stretcher；　so　that　he　couldn't　toss　around　and　hurt　himself；　when　the　stewardess　touched　my　arm。
　
　〃What…what　do　you　think　now；　Dr　Mason？〃
　
　〃It's　hard　to　be　sure。　I'm　not　a　specialist　in　brain　or　head　injuries；　and　even　a　specialist　would　hesitate　to　say。　The　damage　may　have　penetrated　deeper　than　we　think。　There　may　be　haemorrhaging…it's　often　delayed　in　these　cases。〃
　
　〃But　if　there's　no　haemorrhaging？〃　she　persisted。　〃If　the　damage　is　no　worse　than　what　you　think；　what　you　see？〃
　
　〃Fifty…fifty。　I　wouldn't　have　said　so　a　couple　of　hours　ago；　but　he　seems　to　have　quite　astonishing　powers　of　resistance　and　recuperation。　Better　than　an　even　chance；　I　would　say…if　he　had　the　warmth；　the　food；　the　skilled　nursing　he　would　have　in　a　first　class　hospital。　As　it　is…well；　let's　leave　it　at　that；　shall　we？〃
　
　〃Yes；〃　she　murmured。　〃Thank　you。〃
　
　I　looked　at　her；　looked　at　the　washed…out　face；　the　faint　blue　circles　forming　under　her　eyes；　and　almost　felt　touched　with　pity。　Almost。　She　was　exhausted；　and　shivering　with　cold。
　
　〃Bed；〃　I　said。　〃You're　dying　for　sleep　and　warmth；　Miss…　I'm　so　sorry；　I　forgot　to　ask　your　na