alistairmaclean.nightwithoutend-第29部分

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vibration　of　the　big　engine；　I　think　I　would　almost　have　enjoyed　it。
　
　With　the　wide　tractor　body　blocking　off　the　view　behind；　it　was　impossible　for　me　to　see　what　was　happening　there：　but　every　ten　minutes　or　so　Jackstraw　would　jump　off　and　stand　by　the　side　of　the　trail。　Behind　the　tractor　body　and　its　shivering　occupants　…because　of　the　tractor　fuel　tank　beneath　and　the　spare　fuel　drums　astern　the　stove　was　never　lit　while　we　were　in　motion…came　the　sledge　with　all　our　stores：　120　gallons　of　fuel；　provisions；　bedding　and　sleeping…bags；　tents；　ropes；　axes；　shovels；　trail　flags；　cooking　utensils；　seal　meat　for　the　dogs；　four　wooden　bridging　battens；　canvas　sheets；　blow…lamps；　lantern；　medical　equipment；　radiosonde　balloons；　magnesium　flares　and　a　score　of　minor　items。　I　had　hesitated　over　including　the　radio　sondes；　especially　the　relatively　heavy　hydrogen　cylinders　for　these：　but　they　were　ready　crated　with　tents；　ropes；　axes　and　shovels　and…this　was　the　deciding　factor…had　saved　lives　on　at　least　one　occasion　when　a　trail　party；　lost　on　the　plateau　with　defective　passes；　had　saved　themselves　by　releasing　several　balloons　in　the　brief　daylight　hours　thereby　enabling　base　to　see　them　and　send　accurate　radio　bearings。
　
　Behind　the　heavy　transport　sled　was　towed　the　empty　dog…sled；　with　the　dogs　on　loose　traces　running　astern　of　it；　all　except　Balto　who　always　ran　free；　coursing　tirelessly　backwards　and　forwards　all　night　long；　one　moment　far　ahead　of　us；　the　next　ranging　out　to　one　side；　the　next　dropping　astern；　like　some　destroyer　circling　a　straggling　convoy　by　night。　When　the　last　of　the　dogs　had　passed　by　him；　Jackstraw　would　run　forward　to　overtake　the　tractor　and　jump　in　alongside　me　once　more。　He　was　as　tireless；　as　immune　to　fatigue；　as　Balto　himself。
　
　The　first　twenty　miles　were　easy。　On　the　way　up　from　the　coast；　over　four　months　previously；　we　had　planted　big　marker　flags　at　intervals　of　half　a　mile。　On　a　night　such　as　this；　with　the　moonlight　flooding　the　ice…cap；　these　trail　flags；　a　bright　luminous　orange　in　colour　and　mounted　on　aluminium　poles　stuck　in　snow　beacons；　were　visible　at　a　great　distance；　with　never　less　than　two　and　sometimes　three　in　sight　at　the　same　time；　the　long　glistening　frost　feathers　stretching　out　from　the　poles　sometimes　twice　the　length　of　the　flags　themselves。　We　counted　twenty…eight　of　these　flags　altogether…about　a　dozen　were　missing…then；　after　a　sudden　dip　in　the　land；　pletely　lost　them：　whether　they　had　blown　away　or　just　drifted　under　it　was　impossible　to　say。
　
　〃Well；　there　it　is；　Jackstraw；〃　I　said　resignedly。　〃This　is　where　one　of　us　starts　getting　cold。　Really　cold。〃
　
　〃We've　been　cold　before；　Dr　Mason。　Me　first。〃　He　slid　the　magnetic　pass　off　its　brackets；　started　to　unreel　a　cable　from　a　spool　under　the　dashboard；　then　jumped　out；　still　unwinding　the　cable；　while　I　followed　to　help。　Despite　the　fact　that　the　magnetic　north　pole　is　nowhere　near　the　north　pole…at　that　time　it　was　almost　a　thousand　miles　south　of　it　and　lay　more　to　the　west　than　north　of　us…a　magnetic　pass；　when　proper　variation　allowances　are　made；　is　still　useful　in　high　latitudes：　but　because　of　the　counter…acting　magnetic　effects　of　a　large　mass　of　metal；　it　was　quite　useless　when　mounted　on　the　tractor　itself。　Our　plan；　therefore；　was　that　someone　should　He　with　the　pass　on　the　dog…sled；　fifty　feet　behind　the　tractor；　and；　by　means　of　a　switch　which　operated　red　and　green　lights　in　the　tractor　dashboard；　guide　the　driver　to　left　or　right。　It　wasn't　our　original　idea；　it　wasn't　even　a　recent　idea：　it　had　been　used　in　the　Antarctic　a　quarter　century　previously　but；　as　far　as　I　knew；　had　not　been　improved　upon　yet。
　
　With　Jackstraw　established　on　the　sledge；　I　walked　back　to　the　tractor　and　pushed　aside　the　canvas　screen　at　the　back　of　the　wooden　body。　What　with　the　faces　of　the　passengers；　drawn　and　pinched　and　weirdly　pale　in　the　light　of　the　tiny　overhead　bulb；　the　constant　shivering；　the　chattering　of　teeth　and　the　frozen　breath　drifting　upwards　to　condense　and　freeze　on　the　wooden　roof；　it　was　a　picture　of　utter　and　abject　misery：　but　I　was　in　no　mood　to　be　moved　at　that　moment。
　
　〃Sorry　for　the　delay；〃　I　said。　〃Just　off　again　now。　But　I　want　one　of　you　for　a　lookout。〃
　
　Both　Zagero　and　Corazzini　volunteered　almost　in　the　same　breath；　but　I　shook　my　head。
　
　〃You　two　get　what　sleep　or　rest　you　can…I'm　liable　to　need　you　very　much　later　on。　Perhaps　you；　Mr　Mahler？〃
　
　He　looked　pale　and　ill；　but　he　nodded　silently；　and　Zagero　said　in　a　quiet　voice：　〃Corazzini　and　myself　too　high　up　on　the　list　of　suspects；　huh？〃
　
　〃I　wouldn't　put　either　of　you　at　the　very　foot；〃　I　said　shortly。　I　waited　till　Mahler　had　climbed　down　then　dropped　the　canvas　and　walked　round　to　the　driver's　seat。
　
　Theodore　Mahler；　strangely　enough；　proved　only　too　anxious　to　talk…and　keep　on　talking。　It　was　so　pletely　out　of　keeping　with　the　idea　I　had　formed　of　his　character　that　I　was　more　than　surprised。　Loneliness；　perhaps；　I　thought；　or　trying　to　forget　the　situation；　or　trying　to　divert　my　thoughts　and　suspicions：　how　wrong　I　was　on　all　three　counts　I　wasn't　to　find　out　until　later。
　
　〃Well；　Mr　Mahler；　it　looks　as　if　the　itinerary　of　your　European　trip　is　going　to　be　upset　a　bit。〃　I　had　almost　to　shout　to　make　my　words　heard　above　the　roar　of　the　tractor。
　
　〃Not　Europe；　Dr　Mason。〃　I　could　hear　the　machine…gun…like　chatter　of　his　teeth。　〃Israel。〃
　
　〃You　live　there？〃
　
　〃Never　been　there　in　my　life。1　There　was　a　pause；　and　when　his　voice　came　again　it　was　all　but　drowned　in　the　sound　of　the　engine。　I　thought　I　caught　the　words　'My　home'。
　
　〃You…you're　going　to　start　a　new　life　there；　Mr　Mahler？〃
　
　Tm　sixty…nine…tomorrow；〃　he　answered　obliquely。　〃A　new　life？　Let's　say；　rather；　that　I'm　going　to　end　an　old　one。〃
　
　〃And　you're　going　to　live　there；　make　your　home　there…after　sixty…nine　years　in　another　country？〃
　
　〃Millions　of　us　Jews　have　done　just　that；　in　the　past　ten　years。　Not　that　I've　lived　in　America　all　my　life。　。　。　。　〃
　
　And　then　he　told　me　his　story…a　story　of　refugee　oppression　that　I'd　heard　a　hundred　times；　with　a　hundred　variations。　He　was　a　Russian　Jew；　he　said；　one　of　the　millions　of　the　largest　Jewry　in　the　world　that　had　been　'frozen'　for　over　a　century　in　the　notorious　Pale　of　Settlement；　and　in　1905　had　been　forced　to　flee　with　his　father…leaving　mother　and　two　brothers　behind…to　escape　the　ruthless　massacres　carried　out　by　the　'Black　Hundreds'　at　the　behest　of　the　last　of　the　Romanoff　Tzars　who　was　seeking　scapegoats　for　his　crushing　defeat　by　the　Japanese。　His　mother；　he　learned　later；　had　just　disappeared；　while　his　two　brothers　had　survived　only　to　die　in　agony　long　years　afterwards；　one　in　the　rising　in　the　Bialystok　ghetto；　the　other　in　the　Treblinka　gas　chambers。　He　himself　had　found　work　in　the　clothing　industry　in　New　York；　studied　in　night　school；　worked　for　an　oil　pany；　married　and　with　the　death　of　his　wife　that　spring　had　set　about　fulfilling　the　agelong　ambition　of　his　race；　the　return　to　their　holy　land。
　
　It　was　a　touching　story；　pathetic　and　deeply　moving；　and　I　didn't　believe　a　word　of　it。
　
　Every　twenty　minutes　I　changed　position　with　Jackstraw　and　so　the　long　hours　of　the　night　dragged　by　as　the　cold　deepened　and　the　stars　and　the　moon　wheeled　across　the　black　vault　of　the　sky。　And　then　came　moonset；　the　blackness　of　the　arctic　night　rushed　across　the　ice…cap；　I　slowed　the　Citroen　gratefully　to　a　stop　and　the　silence；　breathless　and　hushed　and　infinitely　sweet；　came　flooding　in　to　take　the　place　of　the　nightlong　clamour　of　the　deafening　roar　of　the　big　engine；　the　metallic　clanking　of　the　treads。
　
　Over　our　black　sugarless　coffee　and　biscuits　I　told　our　passengers　that　this　would　be　only　a　brief　three…hour　halt；　that　they　should　try　to　get　what　sleep　they　could：　most　of　them；　myself　included；　were　already　red…eyed　and　drooping　from　exhaustion。　Three　hours；　no　more：　not　often　did　Greenland　offer　travel　weather　like　this；　and　the　chance　was　not　to　be　missed。
　
　Beside　me；　as　I　drank　my　coffee；　was　Theodore　Mahler。　He　was　for　some　reason　restless；　ill　at　ease；　jerky　and　nervous；　and　his　ey