alistairmaclean.nightwithoutend-第36部分

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　I　had　reason　to　suspect　Corazzini。　As　a　tractor　specialist；　he　knew　precious　little　about　tractors…although　I　had　to　be　fair　and　admit　that　Citroen　and　Global　tractors　were　a　quarter　of　a　century　different　in　time　and　a　world　different　in　design。　But　he　had　been　the　only　person　I　had　found　on　his　feet　when　I　had　opened　the　door　of　the　passenger　cabin　in　the　plane。　It　was　he　who；　back　in　the　IGY　cabin；　had　questioned　me　so　closely　about　Hillcrest's　movements。　It　was　he；　I　had　learnt；　who　had　helped　Jackstraw　and　Zagero　bring　up　the　petrol　from　the　tunnel　and　so　had　the　opportunity　to　spike　the　stuff　left　behind。　Finally；　I　believed　he　could　be　utterly　ruthless。　But　there　was　one　great　point　in　his　favour：　that　still…bandaged　hand；　token　of　his　desperate　attempt　to　save　the　falling　radio。
　
　I　had　far　greater　reason　to　suspect　Zagero；　and；　by　implication　of　friendship；　Solly　Levin。　Zagero　had　inquired　of　Margaret　Ross　when　dinner　was：　a　damning　point。　Solly　Levin　had　been　nearest　the　radio；　and　in　the　right　position　for　doing　the　damage　when　it　had　been　destroyed：　another　damning　point。　Zagero　had　been　one　of　those　working　with　the　petrol。　And；　most　damning　of　all；　Zagero　bore　no　more　resemblance　to　a　boxer　than　Levin　did　to　any　boxing　manager　who　had　ever　lived　outside　the　pages　of　Damon　Runyon。　And；　as　a　further　negative　mark　against　Zagero；　I　had　Margaret　Ross's　word　that　Corazzini　had　never　left　his　seat　in　the　plane。　That　didn't；　of　course；　necessarily　exclude　Corazzini；　he　could　well　have　had　an　acplice。　But　who　could　that　acplice　be？
　
　It　was　not　until　then　that　the　chilling；　frightening　thought　struck　me　that；　because　two　guns　had　been　used　in　the　plane；　I　had　assumed　all　along　that　there　were　only　two　criminals。　There　wasn't　a　shadow　of　evidence　to　suggest　why　there　should　not　be　more　than　two：　why　not　three？　Why　not　Corazzini；　Zagero　and　Levin　all　in　the　conspiracy　together？　I　thought　over　the　implications　of　this　for　some　minutes；　and　at　the　end　I　felt　more　helpless　than　ever；　more　weirdly　certain　of　ultimate　tragedy　to　e。　Forcibly；　almost；　I　had　to　remind　myself　that　all　three　were　not　necessarily　working　together；　but　it　was　a　possibility　that　had　to　be　faced。
　
　About　three　o'clock　in　the　morning；　still　following　the　flag　trail　that　stretched　out　interminably　before　us　in　the　long　rake　of　the　headlights；　we　felt　the　tractor　slow　down　and　Jackstraw；　who　was　driving　at　the　time；　change　gear　as　we　entered　on　the　first　gentle　slope　of　the　long　foothills　that　led　to　the　winding　pass　that　cut　the　Vindeby　Nunataks　almost　exactly　in　half。　We　could　have　gone　round　the　Nunataks；　but　that　would　have　wasted　an　entire　day；　perhaps　two；　and　with　the　ten…mile　route　through　the　hills　clearly　marked；　it　was　pointless　to　make　a　detour。
　
　Two　hours　later；　as　the　incline　perceptibly　steepened；　the　tractor　treads　began　to　slip　and　spin　on　the　frozen　snow；　but　by　off…loading　almost　all　the　petrol　and　gear　we　carried　on　the　tractor　sled　and　stowing　it　inside　the　tractor　cabin；　we　managed　to　build　up　enough　weight　to　gain　a　purchase　on　the　surface。　Even　so；　progress　was　slow　and　difficult。　We　could　only　make　ground　by　following　a　zigzag　pattern；　and　it　took　us　well　over　an　hour　to　cover　the　last　mile　before　the　entrance　to　the　pass。　Here　we　halted；　soon　after　seven　o'clock　in　the　morning。　The　pass　was　lined　on　one　side　by　a　deep　crevasse　in　the　ice　that　ran　its　entire　length；　and　although　not　particularly　treacherous　the　trail　was　difficult　and　dangerous　enough　to　make　me　determined　to　wait　for　the　two　or　three　brief　hours'　light　at　the　middle　of　the　day。
　
　While　breakfast　was　being　prepared；　I　looked　at　Mahler　and　Marie　LeGarde。　The　steady　rise　in　temperature…it　was　now　less　than　…SOT…had　done　nothing　to　help　either　of　them。　Marie　LeGarde　looked　as　if　she　hadn't　eaten　in　weeks；　her　face；　pock…marked　with　sores　and　frostbite　blisters；　was　appallingly　thin　and　wasted；　and　the　once　sparkling　eyes　lack…lustre；　pouched　and　filled　and　rimmed　with　blood。　She　hadn't　spoken　a　word　in　ten　hours；　just　sat　there；　in　her　increasingly　rare　moments　of　waking；　shivering　and　staring　ahead　with　sightless　eyes。　Theodore　Mahler　looked　in　better　case　than　she；　but　I　knew　when　his　defences　went　down　they　would　do　so　in　a　matter　of　hours。　Despite　all　that　we　…or；　rather；　Margaret　Ross…had　done　for　him；　the　insidious　talons　of　frostbite　had　already　sunk　deep　into　his　feet；　he　had　developed　a　very　heavy　cold…rare　indeed　in　the　Arctic；　the　seeds　of　it　must　have　been　sown　before　he　had　left　New　York…and　he　had　neither　the　energy　nor　reserves　to　fight　either　that　or　the　boils　that　were　beginning　to　plague　him。　His　breathing　was　difficult；　the　sweet　ethereal　odour　of　acetone　very　strong。　He　seemed　wide　awake　and　rational　enough；　superficially　a　much　better　going　concern　than　Marie　LeGarde；　but　I　knew　that　the　collapse；　the　preliminary　to　the　true　diabetic　a；　might　e　at　any　time。
　
　At　eight　o'clock　Jackstraw　and　I　moved　out　on　to　the　hillside；　and　again　made　contact　with　Hillcrest。　My　heart　sank　when　I　heard　the　grim　news　that　they'd　hardly　progressed　a　couple　of　miles　in　the　previous　twelve　hours。　In　that　bitter　cold；　it　seemed　…and　where　they　were　temperatures　were　all　of　thirty　degrees　lower　than　they　were　with　us…heating　up　an　eight　gallon　drum　of　petrol；　even　using　stoves；　blow…lamps　and　every　means　at　their　disposal；　to　the　point　of　boiling　was　a　heartbreakingly　slow　job；　and　the　Sno…Cat　gobbled　up　in　a　minute　all　the　pure　fuel　they　could　distil　in　thirty　times　that。　Beyond　that；　there　was　no　news：　Uplavnik；　which　they　had　contacted　less　than　an　hour　previously；　had　still　nothing　fresh　to　report。　Without　a　word；　Jackstraw　and　I　packed　up　the　equipment　and　made　our　way　back　to　the　cabin　of　the　tractor。　Jackstraw's　almost　invariable　Eskimo　cheerfulness　was　at　the　lowest　ebb　I　had　ever　seen；　he　seldom　spoke　now　and　even　more　rarely　smiled。　As　for　me；　I　felt　our　last　hope　was　gone。
　
　We　started　up　the　tractor　again　at　eleven　o'clock　and　headed　straight　into　the　pass；　myself　at　the　wheel。　I　was　the　only　person　left　in　either　the　driving　partment　or　the　cabin　behind：　Mahler　and　Marie　LeGarde；　vanished　under　a　great　mound　of　clothing；　rode　on　the　dog…sled　while　the　others　walked。　The　tractor　was　wide；　the　trail　narrow　and　sometimes　sloping　outwards　and　downwards；　and　with　a　sideslip　into　the　gaping　crevasse　that　bordered　our　path　nobody　inside　the　cabin　would　have　had　any　chance　of　escape。
　
　The　first　part　was　easy。　The　trail；　sometimes　not　more　than　eight　or　nine　feet　broad；　more　often　than　not　opened　out　into　a　shelf　wide　enough；　almost；　to　be　called　the　flat　floor　of　a　valley；　and　we　made　rapid　progress。　At　noon…I'd　warned　Hillcrest　that　we　would　be　traversing　the　Vindeby　Nunataks　then　and　would　have　to　miss　our　regular　radio　schedule…we　were　more　than　half…way　through　and　had　just　entered　the　narrowest　and　most　forbidding　defile　in　the　entire　crossing　when　Corazzini　came　running　up　alongside　the　tractor　and　waved　me　down　to　a　stop。　I　suppose　he　must　have　been　shouting　but　I'd　heard　nothing　above　the　steady　roar　of　the　engine：　and；　of　course；　I'd　seen　nothing；　because　they　had　all　been　behind　me　and　the　width　of　the　tractor　cabin　made　my　driving　mirror　useless。
　
　Trouble；　Doc；〃　he　said　swiftly；　just　as　the　engine　died。　〃Someone's　gone　over　the　edge。　e　on。　Quick！〃
　
　〃Who？〃　I　jumped　out　of　the　seat；　forgetting　all　about　the　gun　I　habitually　carried　in　the　door　partment　as　an　insurance　against　surprise　attack　when　I　was　driving。　〃How　did　it　happen？〃
　
　〃The　German　girl。〃　We　were　running　side　by　side　round　a　corner　in　the　track　towards　the　little　knot　of　people　forty　yards　back；　clustering　round　a　spot　on　the　edge　of　the　crevasse。　〃Slipped；　fell；　I　dunno。　Your　friend's　gone　over　after　her。〃
　
　〃Gone　after　her！〃　I　knew　that　crevasse　was　virtually　bottomless。　〃Good　God！〃
　
　I　pushed　Brewster　and　Levin　to　one　side；　peered　gingerly　over　the　edge　into　the　blue…green　depths　below；　then　drew　in　my　breath　sharply。　To　the　right；　as　I　looked；　the　gleaming　walls　of　the　crevasse；　their　top　ten　feet　glittering　with　a　beaded　crystalline　substance　like　icing　sugar；　and　here　not　more　than　seven　or　eight　feet　apart；　stretched　down　into　the　illimitable　darkness；　curving　away　from　one　another　to　form　an　immense　cavern　the　size　of　which　I　couldn't　even　begin　to　guess　at。　To　the　left；　more　directly　below；　at　a　depth　of　perhaps　twenty　feet；　the　two　walls　were　joined　by　a　snow　and　ice　bridge；　maybe　fifteen　feet　long；　one　of　the　many　that　dotted　the　crevasse　through　its　entire　length。　Jackstraw　was　standing　on　this　pressed　closely　into　one　edge；　holding　an　obviously　dazed　Helene　in　the　crook　of　his　right　arm。
　
　It　wasn't　hard　to　work　out　Jackstraw's　presence　there。　Normally；　he　was　far　too　careful　a　man　to　venture　near　a　crevasse　without　a　rope；　and　certainly　far　too　experienced　to　trust　himself　to　the　treachery　of　a　snow…bridge。　But；　when　Helene　had　stumbled　over　the　edge；　she　must　have　fallen　heavily…almost　certainly　in　an　effort　to　protect　her　broken　collar…bone…and　when　she　had　risen　to　her　feet　had　been　so　dazed　that　Jackstraw；　to　prevent　her　staggering　over　the　edge　of　the　snow…bridge　to　her　death；　had　taken　the　near…suicidal　ga