alistairmaclean.icestationzebra-第33部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


uld　have　got　to　the　surface　under　your　own　steam；　but；　even　so；　your　top　brass　would　have　insisted　that　you　go　into　dock　for　a　day　or　two　to　check　that　everything　was　okay。〃
　 〃Why　should　anyone　want　to　delay　us？〃　Swanson　asked。　I　thought　he　had　an　unnecessarily　speculative　look　in　his　eyes；　but　it　was　hard　to　be　sure；　mander　Swanson's　face　showed　exactly　what　mander　Swanson　wanted　it　to　show　and　no　more。
　 〃My　God；　do　you　think　I　know　the　answer　to　that　one？〃　I　said　irritably。
　 〃No。　No；　I　don't　think　so。〃　He　could　have　been　more　emphatic　about　it。　〃Tell　me；　Dr。　Carpenter；　do　you　suspect　some　member　of　the　〃Dolphin's〃　crew　to　be　responsible？〃
　 〃Do　you　really　need　an　answer　to…that　one？〃
　 〃I　suppose　not；〃　he　sighed。　〃Going　to　the　bottom　of　the　Arctic　Ocean　is　not　a　very　attractive　way　of　mitting　suicide；　and　if　any　member　of　the　crew　had　jinxed　things；　he'd　damn　soon　have　unjinxed　them　as　soon　as　he　realized　that　we　weren't　going　to　carry　out　trim　checks　in　shallow　water。　Which　leaves　only　the　civilian　dockyard　workers　in　Scotlandand　every　one　of　them　had　been　checked　and　rechecked　and　given　a　top…grade　security　clearance。〃
　 〃Which　means　nothing。　There　are　plushy　Moscow　hotels　and　British　and　American　prisons　full　of　people　who　had　top…grade　security　clearances。　。　。　。　What　are　you　going　to　do　now；　mander？　About　the　〃Dolphin〃；　I　mean？〃
　 〃I've　been　thinking　about　it。　In　the　normal　course　of　events　the　thing　to　do　would　be　to　close　the　bow　cap　of　number　4　and　pump　out　the　torpedo　room；　then　go　in　and　close　the　rear　door　of　number　4。　But　the　bow…cap　door　won't　close。　Within　a　second　of　John's　telling　us　that　number　4　was　open　to　the　sea；　the　diving　officer　hit　the　hydraulic　button　the　one　that　closes　it　by　remote　control。　You　saw　for　yourself　that　nothing　happened。　It　must　be　jammed。〃
　 〃You　bet　your　life　it's　jammed；〃　I　said　grimly。　〃A　sledge　hammer　might　do　some　good；　but　pressing　buttons　won't。〃
　 〃I　could　go　back　to　that　lead　we've　just　left；　surface　again；　and　send　a　diver　under　the　ice　to　investigate　and　see　what　he　can　do；　but　I'm　not　going　to　ask　any　man　to　risk　his　life　doing　that。　I　could　retreat　to　the　open　sea；　surface；　and　fix　it　there；　but　not　only　would　it　be　a　damned　slow　and　unfortable　trip　with　the　〃Dolphin〃　canted　at　this　angle；　it　might　take　us　days　before　we　got　back　here　again。　And　some　of　the　Drift　Station　Zebra　men　are　pretty　far　gone。　It　might　he　too　late。〃
　 〃Well；　then；〃　I　said。　〃You　have　the　man　at　hand；　mander。　I　told　you　when　I　first　met　you　that　environmental　health　studies　were　my　specialty；　especially　in　the　field　of　pressure　extremes　when　escaping　from　submarines。　I've　done　an　awful　lot　of　simulated　sub　escapes；　mander。　I　do　know　a　fair　amount　about　pressures；　how　to　cope　with　them　and　how　I　react　to　them　myself。〃
　 〃How　do　you　react　to　them；　Dr。　Carpenter？〃
　 〃A　high　tolerance。　They　don't　worry　me　much。〃
　 〃What　do　you　have　in　mind？〃
　 〃You　know　damn　well　what　I　have　in　mind；〃　I　said　impatiently。　〃Drill　a　hole　in　the　door　of　the　after　collision　bulkhead；　screw　in　a　high…pressure　hose；　open　the　door；　shove　someone　in　the　narrow　space　between　the　two　collision　bulkheads；　and　turn　up　the　hose　until　the　pressure　between　the　collision　bulltheads　equals　that　in　the　torpedo　room。　You　have　the　clips　eased　off　the　for'ard　collision　door。　When　the　pressures　are　equalized；　it　opens　at　a　touch；　you　walk　inside；　close　number　4　rear　door；　and　walk　away　again。　That's　what　you　had　in　mind；　wasn't　it？〃
　 〃More　or　less；〃　he　admitted。　〃Except　that　〃you〃　are　no　part　of　it。　Every　man　on　this？　ship　has　made　simulated　escapes。　They　all　know　the　effects　of　pressure。　And　most　of　them　are　a　great　deal　younger　than　you。〃
　 〃Suit　yourself；〃　I　said。　〃But　age　has　little　to　do　with　the　ability　to　stand　stresses。　You　didn't　pick　a　teen…ager　as　the　first　American　to　orbit　the　earth；　did　you？　As　for　simulated　escapes；　making　a　free　ascent　up　a　hundred…foot　tank　is　a　different　matter　altogether　from　going　inside　an　iron　box；　waiting　for　the　slow　build…up　of　pressure；　working　under　that　pressure；　then　waiting　for　the　slow　process　of　depression。　I've　seen　young　men；　big；　tough；　very；　very　fit　young　men　break　up　pletely　under　those　circumstances　and　almost　go　crazy　trying　to　get　out。　The　bination　of　physiological　and　psychological　factors　involved　is　pretty　fierce。〃
　 〃I　think；〃　Swanson　said　slowly；　〃that　I'd　sooner　have　youwhat　do　the　English　say；　'batting　on　a　sticky　wicket'？than　almost　any　man　I　know。　But　there's　a　point　you've　overlooked。　What　would　the　mander　of　Atlantic　Submarines　say　to　me　if　he　knew　I'd　let　a　civilian　go　instead　of　one　of　my　own　men？〃
　 〃If　you　〃don't〃　let　me　go；　I　know　what　he'll　say。　He'll　say；　'We　must　reduce　mander　Swanson　to　lieutenant；　j。g。；　because　he　had　on　board　the　〃Dolphin〃　an　acknowledged　expert　in　this　specialty　and　refused；　out　of　stiff…necked　pride；　to　use　him；　thereby　endangering　the　lives　of　his　crew　and　the　safety　of　his　ship。'
　 Swanson　smiled；　a　pretty　bleak　smile；　but　with　the　desperately　narrow　escape　we　had　just　had；　the　predicament　we　were　still　in；　and　the　fact　that　his　torpedo　officer　was　lying　dead　not　so　many　feet　away；　I　hardly　expected　him　to　break　into　gales　of　laughter。　He　looked　at　Hansen。　〃What　do　you　say；　John？〃
　 〃I've　seen　more　inpetent　characters　than　Dr。　Carpenter；〃　Hansen　said。　〃Also；　he　gets　about　as　nervous　and　panicstricken　as　a　bag　of　Portland　cement。〃
　 〃He　has　qualifications　you　don't　expect　to　find　in　the　average　medical　man；〃　Swanson　agreed。　〃I　shall　be　glad　to　accept　your　offer。　One　of　my　men　will　go　with　you。　That　way　the　dictates　of　mon　sense　and　honor　are　both　satisfied。〃
　 It　wasn't　all　that　pleasant；　not　by　a　long　shot；　but　it　wasn't　all　that　terribly　bad；　either。　It　went　off　exactly　as　it　could　have　been　predicted　it　would　go　off。　Swanson　cautiously　eased　the　〃Dolphin〃　up　until　her　stern　was　just　a　few　feet　beneath　the　ice；　this　reduced　the　pressure　in　the　torpedo　room　to　a　minimum；　but　even　at　that　the　bows　were　still　about　a　hundred　feet　down。
　 A　hole　was　drilled　in　the　after　collision　bulkhead　door　and　an　armored　high…pressure　hose　screwed　into　position。　Dressed　in　porous　rubber　suits　and　equipped　with　an　aqualung　apiece；　a　young　torpedoman　by　the　name　of　Murphy　and　I　went　inside　and　stood　in　the　gap　between　the　two　collision　bulkheads。　High…powered　air　hissed　into　the　confined　space。　Slowly　the　pressure　rose：　twenty；　thirty；　forty；　fifty　pounds　to　the　square　inch。　I　could　feel　the　pressure　on　lungs　and　ears；　the　pain　behind　the　ears；　the　slight　wooziness　that　es　from　the　poisonous　effect　of　breathing　pure　oxygen　under　such　pressure。　But　I　was　used　to　it；　I　knew　it　wasn't　going　to　kill　me。　I　wondered　if　young　Murphy　knew　that。　This　was　the　stage　where　the　bined　physical　and　mental　effects　became　too　much　for　most　people；　but　if　Murphy　was　scared　or　panicky　or　suffering　from　bodily　distress；　he　hid　it　well。　Swanson　would　have　picked　his　best　man；　and　to　be　the　best　man　in　a　pany　like　that；　Murphy　had　to　be　something　very　special。
　 We　eased　off　the　clips　on　the　for'ard　collision　bulkhead　door；　knocked　them　off　cautiously　as　the　pressures　equalized。　The　water　in　the　torpedo　room　was　about　two　feet　above　the　level　of　the　sill；　and　as　the　door　came　ajar；　the　water　boiled　whitely　through　into　the　collision　space　while　pressed　air　hissed　out　from　behind　us　to　equalize　the　lowering　pressure　of　the　air　in　the　torpedo　room。　For　about　ten　seconds　we　had　to　hang　on　grimly　to　hold　the　door　and　maintain　our　balance　while　water　and　air　fought　and　jostled　in　a　seething　maelstrom　to　find　their　own　natural　levels。　The　door　opened　wide。　The　Water　level　now　extended　from　about　thirty　inches　up　on　the　collision　bulkhead　to　the　for'ard　deckhead　of　the　torpedo　room。　We　crossed　the　sill；　switched　on　our　waterproof　flashlights；　and　ducked　under。
　 The　temperature　of　that　water　was　about　28°F。4°　below　freezing。　Those　porous　rubber　suits　were　specially　designed　to　cope　with　icy　waters；　but；　even　so；　I　gasped　with　the　shock　of　itas　well　as　one　can　gasp　when　breathing　pure　oxygen　under　heavy　pressure。　But　we　didn't　linger；　for　the　longer　we　remained　there；　the　longer　we　would　have　to　spend　depressing　afterward。　We　half　walked；　half