alistairmaclean.bearisland-第39部分

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e　to　go　to　hospital；　won't　he？〃
　〃He'll　be　up　and　around　this　afternoon。〃
　〃Really？　Really　and　truly？〃
　If　you're　calling　my　professional　petence　into　question…？'
　〃Oh；　Dr。　Marlowe　Then　what…why　does　he…'
　I　should　imagine　he　wants　you　to　hold　his　hand。　I'm　putting　myself　in　his　shoes；　of　course。〃
　〃Oh；　Dr。　Marlowe！　Will　it…I　mean　in　his　cabin…〃
　〃Do　I　have　to　drag　you　down　there？〃
　〃No。〃　She　smiled。　I　don't　think　that　will　be　necessary。〃　She　hesitated。
　〃Dr。　Marlowe？〃
　〃Yes？〃
　I　think　you're　wonderful。　I　really　do。〃
　〃Hoppit。〃
　She　smiled；　almost　happily　now；　and　hopped　it。　I　wished　I　even　fractionally　shared　her　opinion　of　me；　for　if　I　was　in　a　position　to　do　so　there　would　be　a　good　number　fewer　of　dead　and　sick　and　injured　around。
　But　I　was　glad　of　one　thing；　I　hadn't　had　to　hurt　Mary　Darling　as　I'd　feared　I　might；　there　had　been　no　need　to　ask　her　any　of　the　questions　that　had　half…formed　in　my　mind　even　as　I　had　left　the　Strykers〃　cabin。　If　she　were　even　remotely　capable　of　being　any　of　those　things　that　Judith　Haynes　had；　for　God　knew　what　misbegotten　reasons；　accused　her　of　being；　then　she　had　no　right　to　be　in　the　film　industry　as　a　continuity　girl；　she　was　in　more　than　a　fair　way　to　making　her　fame　and　fortune　as　one　of　the　great　actresses　of　our　time。　Besides；　I　didn't　have　to　ask　any　questions　now；　not　where　she　and　Allen　and　the　Strykers　were　concerned：　it　was　hard　to　say　whether　my　contempt　for　Michael　Stryker　was　greater　than　my　pity。
　I　remained　where　I　was　for　a　few　minutes　watching　some　crew　members　who　had　just　e　on　to　the　foredeck　begin　to　remove　the　no　longer　necessary　lashings　from　the　deck　cargo；　strip　off　tarpaulins　and　set　slings　in　places；　while　another　two　set　about　clearing　away　the　big　fore　derrick　and　testing　the　winch。　Clearly；　Captain　Imrie　had　no　intention　of　wasting　any　time　whatsoever　upon　our　arrival：　he　wanted；　and　understandably；　to　be　gone　with　all　dispatch。　I　went　aft　to　the　saloon。
　Lonnie　was　the　sole　occupant；　alone　but　not　lonely；　not　as　long　as　he　had　that　bottle　of　Hince　happily　clutched　in　his　fist。　He　lowered　his　glass　as　I　sat　down　beside　him。
　〃Ah！　You　have　assuaged　the　sufferings　of　the　walking　wounded？　There　is　a　preoccupied　air　about　you；　my　dear　fellow。〃　He　tapped　the　bottle。　〃For　the　instant　alleviation　of　workaday　cares…〃
　〃That　bottle　belongs　to　the　pantry；　Lonnie。〃
　〃The　fruits　of　nature　belong　to　all　mankind。　A　soupgon？〃
　If　only　to　stop　you　from　drinking　it　all。　I　have　an　apology　to　make　to　you；　Lonnie。　About　our　delectable　leading　lady。　I　don't　think　there's　enough　kindness　around　to　waste　any　in　throwing　it　in　her　direction。〃
　〃Barren　ground；　you　would　say？　Stony　soil？〃
　I　would　say。〃
　〃Redemption　and　salvation　are　not　for　our　fair　Judith？〃
　〃I　don't　know　about　that。　All　I　know　is　that　I　wouldn't　like　to　be　the　one　to　try　and　that　looking　at　her　I　can　only　conclude　that　there's　an　awful　lot　of　unkindness　around。〃
　〃Amen　to　that。〃　Lonnie　swallowed　some　more　brandy。　〃But　we　must　not　forget　the　parables　of　the　lost　sheep　and　the　prodigal　son。　Nothing　and　nobody　is　ever　entirely　lost。〃
　I　daresay。　Luck　to　leading　her　back　to　the　paths　of　the　righteous…you　shouldn't　have　to　fight　off　too　much　petition　for　the　job。　How　is　it；　do　you　think；　that　a　person　like　that　should　be　so　different　from　the　other　two？〃
　〃Mary　dear　and　Mary　darling？　Dear；　dear　girls。　Even　in　my　dotage　I　love　them　dearly。　Such　sweet　children。〃
　〃They　could　do　no　wrong？〃
　〃Never！〃
　〃Ha！　That's　easy　to　say。　But　what　if；　perhaps；　they　were　deeply　under　the　influence　of　alcohol？〃
　〃What？〃　Lonnie　appeared　genuinely　shocked。　〃What　are　you　talking　about？　Inconceivable；　my　dear　boy；　inconceivable！〃
　〃Not　even；　say；　if　they　were　to　have　a　double　gin？〃
　〃What　piffling　nonsense　is　this？　We　are　speaking　of　the　influence　of　alcohol；　not　about　aperitifs　for　swaddling　babes。〃
　〃You　would　see　no　harm　in　either　of　them　asking　for；　say；　just　one　drink？〃
　〃Of　course　not。〃　Lonnie　looked　genuinely　puzzled。　‘You　do　harp　on　so；　my　dear　fellow。〃
　〃Yes；　I　do　rather。　I　just　wondered　why　once；　after　a　long　day　on　the　set；　when　Mary　Stuart　had　asked　you　for　just　that　one　drink　you　flew　pletely　off　the　handle。〃
　In　curiously　slow…motion　fashion　Lonnie　put　bottle　and　glass　on　the　table　and　rose　unsteadily　to　his　feel？。　He　looked　old　and　tired　and　terribly　vulnerable。
　〃Ever　since　you　came　in…now　I　can　see　it。〃　He　spoke　in　a　kind　of　sad　whisper。　Ever　since　you　came　in　you've　been　leading　up　to　this　one　question。〃
　He　shook　his　head　and　his　eyes　were　not　seeing　me。　I　thought　you　were　my　friend；〃　he　said　quietly　and　walked　uncertainly　from　the　saloon。
　
　8
　
　The　northwest　corner　of　the　Sor…Hamna　Bight；　where　the　Morning　Rose　had　finally　e　to　rest；　was　just　under　three　miles　due　northeast；　as　the　crow　flies；　from　the　most　southerly　tip　of　Bear　Island。　The　Sor…Hamna　itself；　U…shaped　and　open　to　the　south；　was　just　over　a　thousand　yards　in　width　on　its　cast…west　axis　and　close　on　a　mile　in　length　from　north　to　south。　The　eastern　arm　of　the　harbour　was　discontinuous；　beginning　with　a　small　peninsula　perhaps　three　hundred　yards　in　length；　followed　by　a　two…hundred…yard　gap　of　water　interspersed　with　small　islands　of　various　sizes　then　by　the　much　larger　island　of　Makebl；　very　narrow　from　east　to　west；　stretching　almost　half　a　mile　to　its　most　southerly　point　of　Kapp　Roalkvarn。　The　land　to　the　north　and　cast　was　low…lying；　that　to　the　west；　or　true　island　side；　rising　fairly　steeply　from　a　shallow　escarpment　but　nowhere　higher　than　a　small　hill　about　four　hundred　feel？　high　about　halfway　down　the　side　of　the　bight。　Here　were　none　of　the　towering　precipices　of　the　Hambergfiell　or　Bird　Fell　ranges　to　the　south：　but；　on　the　other　hand；　here　the　entire　land　was　covered　in　snow；　deep　on　the　northfacing　slopes　and　their　valleys　where　the　pale　low　summer　sun　and　the　scouring　winds　had　passed　them　by。
　The　Sor…Hamna　was　not　only　the　best；　it　was　virtually　the　only　reasonable　anchorage　in　Bear　Island。　When　the　wind　blew　from　the　west　it　offered　perfect　protection　for　vessels　sheltering　there；　and　for　a　northerly　wind　it　was　only　slightly　less　good。　From　an　easterly　wind；　dependent　upon　its　strength　and　precise　direction　it　afforded　a　reasonable　amount　of　cover…the　gap　between　Kapp　Heer　and　Makehl　was　the　deciding　factor　here　and；　when　the　wind　stood　in　this　quarter　and　if　the　worst　came　to　the　worst；　a　vessel　could　always　up　anchor　and　shelter　under　the　lee　of　Makehl　Island：　but　when　the　wind　blew　from　the　south　a　vessel　was　wide　open　to　everything　the　Barents　Sea　cared　to　throw　at　it。
　And　this　was　why　the　degree　of　unloading　activity　aboard　the　Morning　Rose　was　increasing　from　the　merely　hectic　to　the　nearly　panic…stricken。　Even　as　we　had　approached　the　Sor…Hamna　the　wind；　which　had　been　slowly　veering　the　past　thirty…six　hours；　now　began　rapidly　to　increase　its　speed　of　movement　round　the　pass　at　disconcerting　speed　so　that　by　the　time　we　had　made　fast　it　was　blowing　directly　from　the　east。　It　was　now　a　few　degrees　south　of　east；　and　strengthening；　and　the　Morning　Rose　was　beginning　to　feel　its　effects：　it　only　had　to　increase　another　few　knots　or　veer　another　few　degrees　and　the　trawler's　position　would　bee　untenable。
　At　anchor；　the　Morning　Rose　could　fortably　have　ridden　out　the　threatened　blow　but　the　trouble　was　that　the　Morning　Rose　was　not　at　anchor。　She　was　tied　up　alongside　a　crumbling　limestone　jetty…neither　iron　nor　wooden　structures　would　have　lasted　for　any　time　in　those　stormy　and　bitter　waters…that　had　first　been　constructed　by　Lerner　and　the　Deutsche　Seefischerei…Verein　about　the　turn　of　the　century　and　then　improved　upon…if　that　were　the　term…by　the　International　eophysical　Year　expedition　that　had　summered　there。　The　jetty；　which　would　have　been　condemned　out　of　hand　and　forbidden　for　public　use　almost　anywhere　else　in　the　Northern　Hemisphere；　had　originally　been　T…shaped；　but　the　left　arm　of　the　T　was　now　all　but　gone　while　the　central　section　leading　to　the　shore　was　badly　eaten　away　on　its　southward　side。　It　was　against　this　dangerously　dilapidated　structure　that　the　Morning　Rose　was　beginning　to　pound　with　increasing　force　as　the　southeasterl