alistairmaclean.nightwithoutend-第37部分

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ake　of　Jackstraw's　head　to　tell　me　that　the　end　of　our　troubles　was　as　far　away　as　ever。
　
　〃No　go；〃　I　radioed　back。　〃Quite　fatal。　The　minute　we　turned　back　the　killers　would　be　bound　to　show　their　hand。　And　even　if　we　don't　turn　they　know　now　that　we've　been　in　contact　with　you　and　will　be　more　desperate　than　ever。　We　must　go　on。　Please　follow　at　your　best　speed。〃　I　paused　for　a　moment；　then　continued。　〃Emphasise　to　Uplavnik　essential　for　our　lives　to　know　why　crashed　plane　so　important。　Tell　them　to　find　out　the　passenger　list；　how　genuine　it　is。　This　is　absolutely　imperative；　Captain　Hillcrest。　Refuse　to　accept　'No'　for　an　answer。　We　must　know。〃
　
　We　talked　for　another　minute；　but　we'd　really　said　all　there　was　to　be　said。　Besides；　even　during　the　brief　periods　that　I'd　pushed　down　my　snow…mask　to　speak　the　cold　had　struck　so　cruelly　at　my　cut　and　bleeding　lips　that　I　could　now　raise　scarcely　more　than　a　mumble；　so　after　arranging　an　8　p。m。　rendezvous　and　making　a　time…check　I　signed　off。
　
　Back　in　the　tractor　cabin　curiosity　had　reached　fever　pitch；　but　at　least　three　minutes　elapsed…three　excruciatingly　unfortable　minutes　while　Jackstraw　and　I　waited　for　the　blood　to　e　surging　back　through　our　frozen　veins…before　anyone　ventured　to　speak。　The　inevitable　question　came　from　the　Senator…a　now　very　much　chastened　Senator　who　had　lost　much　of　his　choler　and　all　of　his　colour；　with　the　heavy　jowls；　hanging　more　loosely　than　ever；　showing　unhealthily　pale　through　the　grey　grizzle　of　beard。　The　very　fact　that　he　spoke　showed；　I　suppose；　that　he　didn't　regard　himself　as　being　heavily　under　suspicion。　He　was　right　enough　in　that。
　
　〃Made　contact　with　your　friends；　Dr　Mason；　eh？　The　field　party；　I　mean。〃　His　voice　was　hesitant；　unsure。
　
　〃Yes；〃　I　nodded。　〃Joss…Mr　London…got　the　set　working　after　almost　thirty　hours'　non…stop　work。　He　raised　Captain　Hillcrest　…he's　in　charge　of　the　field　party…and　managed　to　establish　a　relay　contact　between　us。〃　I'd　never　heard　of　the　phrase　'relay　contact'　in　my　life；　but　it　sounded　scientific　enough。　〃He's　packing　up　immediately；　and　ing　after　us。〃
　
　〃Is　that　good？〃　the　Senator　asked　hopefully。　〃I　mean；　how　long…？〃
　
　〃Only　a　gesture；　I'm　afraid；〃　I　interrupted。　〃He's　at　least　258　miles　away。　His　tractor's　not　a　great　deal　faster　than　ours。〃　It　was；　in　fact；　almost　three　times　as　fast。　〃Five　or　six　days；　at　the　least。〃
　
　Brewster　nodded　heavily　and　said　no　more。　He　looked　disappointed；　but　he　looked　as　if　he　believed　me。　I　wondered　which　of　them　didn't　believe　me；　which　of　them　knew　I　was　lying　because　they　knew　that　they　had　so　thoroughly　destroyed　all　the　spare　condensers　and　valves　that　it　would　have　been　quite　impossible　for　Joss　to　repair　the　RCA。
　
　The　long　bitter　day；　a　day　filled　by　nothing　except　that　dreadful　cold；　an　endless　suffering　and　the　nerve…destroying　thunderous　roar　and　vibration　of　that　big　engine；　crawled　by　like　a　dying　man。　About　two…thirty　in　the　afternoon；　as　the　last　glow　of　the　noon…light　faded　and　the　stars　began　to　stand　clear　in　the　cold　and　brittle　sky；　the　temperature　reached　its　nadir…a　frightening　73　degrees　below　zero。　Then　it　was；　that　strange　things　happened：　flashlights　brought　from　under　a　parka　died　out　inside　a　minute：　rubber　became　hard　as　wood　and　cracked　and　fractured　like　wood：　breath　was　an　opaque　white　cloud　that　shrouded　the　heads　of　every　person　who　ventured　outside　the　tractor　body：　the　ice…cap　froze　to　such　an　unprecedented　degree　of　hardness　that　the　tractor　treads　spun　and　slipped　on　flat　surfaces；　the　crimp　marks　no　more　than　half…seen　hairlines　on　the　ground：　the　dogs；　who　could　with　impunity　stand　up　to　howling　blizzards　that　would　kill　any　man；　whined　and　wailed　in　their　utter　misery　in　that　appalling　cold：　and；　now　and　again；　like　some　far…off　intimation　of　doom　and　the　end　of　the　world；　a　dull　rumbling　sound　would　e　echoing　across　the　ice…cap　and　the　ground　shake　beneath　the　treads　of　the　tractor　as　some　great　areas　of　snow　and　ice　contracted　still　farther　under　the　iron　hand　of　that　glacial　cold。
　
　It　was　then；　inevitably；　that　the　tractor　started　to　give　trouble：　it　was　only　a　matter　for　wonder　that　it　hadn't　broken　down　long　before　that。　What　I　feared　above　all　was　the　shearing　of　some　moving　metal　part；　made　brittle　by　that　intense　cold；　that　would　have　been　the　end　of　us：　a　valve…stem；　a　cam…rod；　any　one　part　of　the　delicate　timing　mechanism；　even　so　small　a　thing　as　a　crankshaft　pin：　it　needed　just　one　of　these　to　go；　and　we　would　be　gone　also。
　
　We　were　spared　these　lethal　mishaps；　but　what　we　had　was　almost　as　bad。　Carburettor　ice　was　a　constant　problem。　The　steering　box　froze　up　and　had　to　be　thawed　out　by　blow…torches。　Generator　brushes　stuck　and　broke；　but　fortunately　we　carried　spares　enough　of　these。　But　the　biggest　trouble　was　the　radiator。　Despite　the　fact　that　we　had　it　heavily　lagged；　the　cold　penetrated　the　lagging　as　if　it　were　tissue　paper　and　the　subsequent　metal　contraction　produced　distortion。　Soon　it　began　to　leak；　and　by　three　o'clock　in　the　afternoon　we　were　losing　water　at　dismaying　speed。　I　doled　out　some　of　our　precious　reserves　of　heat　pads　for　Mahler's　feet；　with　the　instructions　that　the　water　from　the　snow…buckets　on　the　stove　was　to　be　kept　solely　for　the　radiator。　But　even　with　blow…torches　assisting　the　heat　of　a　stove；　the　melting　of　super…chilled　snow　is　a　discouragingly　slow　process：　soon　we　were　reduced　to　pouring　half…melted　slush　down　the　radiator　cap；　and　finally　to　cramming　snow　itself　down　in　order　to　keep　going　at　all。　All　this　was　bad　enough：　but　the　frightening　thing　was　that　for　every　pint　of　radiator　liquid　lost　and　every　pint　of　snow…water　used　to　replace　it；　the　anti…freeze　became　that　much　more　diluted；　and　though　we　carried　a　small　reserve　drum　of　ethylene　glycol　its　weight　diminished　perceptibly　with　every　halt　we　made。
　
　We　had；　hours　before　that；　dispensed　with　a　lookout；　and　the　burden　of　all　this　work　fell　on　Jackstraw；　Zagero；　Corazzini　and　myself。　Of　the　four　of　us；　Jackstraw　was　the　only　one　who　escaped　what　I　knew　would　be　permanent　injury　or　disfigurement　in　the　shape　of　scars　and　destroyed　tissue。　Zagero　might　never　before　have　borne　any　of　the　scars　of　his　trade；　but　he　was　going　to　have　what　looked　peculiarly　like　one　now：　we　had　been　too　late　in　getting　a　cold…water　press　to　his　right　ear；　and　these　destroyed　tissues　would　need　plastic　surgery：　two　of　Corazzini's　toes　had　also　been　left　too　long　without　treatment；　and　I　knew　that　he；　too；　would　finish　up　in　a　surgical　ward：　and；　because　I　was　the　one　most　in　contact　with　the　engine；　my　fingertips　were　a　painful　bleeding　mess；　the　nails　already　blackening　and　beginning　to　rot　away。
　
　Nor　were　things　a　great　deal　better　with　those　inside　the　tractor　cabin。　The　first　physiological　effects　of　the　cold　were　beginning　to　assert　themselves；　and　assert　themselves　strongly…the　almost　overpowering　desire　for　sleep；　the　uncaring　indifference　to　all　that　went　on　around　them。　Later　would　e　the　sleeplessness；　the　anaemia；　the　digestive　troubles；　the　nervousness　that　could　lead　to　insanity…if　the　cold　continued　long　enough　these　conditions　would　inevitably　succeed　the　picture　of　huddled；　lifeless　misery　that　presented　itself　to　me　whenever　I　sought　the　shelter　of　the　cabin　and　the　agony　of　returning　circulation　after　my　spell　at　the　wheel。　Many　times　I　saw　the　picture　that　afternoon；　and　always　the　picture　was　the　same。
　
　The　Senator　sat　slumped　in　a　corner；　a　dead　man　but　for　the　fits　of　violent　shuddering　that　overtook　him　at　regularly　recurring　intervals。　Mahler　appeared　to　sleep。　Mrs　Dansby…Gregg　and　Helene　lay　huddled　in　one　another's　arms…an　incredible　sight；　I　thought；　but　then；　next　only　to　death　itself；　the　Arctic　was　the　great　leveller；　an　unparalleled　agent　in　stripping　away　the　pretensions　and　shoddy　veneers　of　everyday　living。　I　was　no　great　believer　in　the　sudden　conversions　of　human　nature；　and　was　pretty　certain　that；　with　Mrs　Dansby…Gregg；　the　return　to　civilisation　would　coincide　with　the　return　to　her　normal　self；　and　that　this　moment　of　mon　humanity　shared　by　herself　and　her　maid　would　be　no　more　than　a　fading　and　unwele　memory：　but　for　all　my　dislike　of　Mrs