nodded to his fireman soldier standing byâ'Rafferty and I are going to be pretty bushed. Colonel.'
'I understand.' He looked at the dangling chain and the plate on the ground. 'And how about the safety factor, Banlon?'
Banlon spent quite some time rubbing the white bristles on his wizened face, then said: 'I can't see it, Colonel. Any problem, that is. Four things. This has been a million to one chance â I've never heard of it before â and it's one to a million that it will happen again. I've got a lot less weight to pull so the strain on the couplings is going to be that much less. This is the steepest gradient on the line and once we're over the top it's going to be that much easier.'
'You said four things. That's three.'
'Sorry, sir.' Banlon rubbed his eyes. 'Tired, that's all. What I'm going to do now is to get a spike and hammer and test the woodwork around each coupling plate. Only sure way to test for rot, Colonel.'
'Thank you, Banlon.' He transferred his attention to the returning Henry who wore upon his face the expression of a man whom fate can touch no more. 'Ready?'
'No.'
'What do you mean â no?'
'I mean the set's gone.'
'What!'
'It's not in the supply wagon, that's for sure.'
'Impossible.'
Henry stared silently into the middle distance.
'Are you sure?' It wasn't so much disbelief in Claremont's tone as a groping lack of understanding, the wearied bafflement of a man to whom too many incomprehensible things have happened too quickly.
Henry assumed an air of injured patience which sat well upon his lugubrious countenance. 'I do not wish to seem impertinent to the Colonel but I suggest the Colonel goes see for himself.'
Claremont manfully quelled what was clearly an incipient attack of apoplexy. 'All of you! Search the train!'
'Two things. Colonel,' Deakin said. He looked around and ticked numbers off his fingers. 'First is, of the ten people you're talking to, Rafferty is the only one you can order about. None of the rest of us is under your command, directly or indirectly, which makes it a bit awkward for martinet colonels accustomed to instant obedience. Second thing is, I don't think you need bother searching.'
Claremont did some even more manful quelling, then finally and silently gave Deakin a coldly interrogative look.
Deakin said: 'When we were refuelling this morning I saw someone take a case about the size of a transmitter from the supply wagon and walk back along the track with it. The snow was pretty thick and the visibility â well, we all remember what that was like. I just couldn't see who it was.'
'Yes? Assuming it was Ferguson, why should he do a thing like that?'
'How should I know? Ferguson or no Ferguson, I didn't speak to this person. Why should I do your thinking for you?'
'You become increasingly impertinent, Deakin.'
'I don't see there's a great deal you can do about that.' Deakin shrugged. 'Maybe he wanted to repair it.'
'And why take it away to do that?'
Deakin showed an uncharacteristic flash of irritation. 'How the hell shouldâ' He broke off. 'Is the supply wagon heated?'
'No.'
'And it's way below freezing. If he wanted to carry out some repairs or maintenance he'd take it to a heated place â one of the troop wagons. And they're both at the bottom of that ravine now â including the transmitter. There's your answer.'
Claremont had himself well under control. He said thoughtfully: 'And you're pretty glib with your answers, Deakin.'
'Oh my God! Go and search your damned train, then.'
'No. You're probably right, if only because there would appear to be no other explanations.' He took a step closer to Deakin. 'Something's familiar about your face.' Deakin looked at him briefly then looked away in silence. 'Were you ever in the army, Deakin?'
'No.'
'Union or Confederate, I mean?'
'Neither.'
'Neither?'
'I've told you, I'm not a man of violence.'
'Then where were you in the War between the States?'
Deakin paused as if
'I understand.' He looked at the dangling chain and the plate on the ground. 'And how about the safety factor, Banlon?'
Banlon spent quite some time rubbing the white bristles on his wizened face, then said: 'I can't see it, Colonel. Any problem, that is. Four things. This has been a million to one chance â I've never heard of it before â and it's one to a million that it will happen again. I've got a lot less weight to pull so the strain on the couplings is going to be that much less. This is the steepest gradient on the line and once we're over the top it's going to be that much easier.'
'You said four things. That's three.'
'Sorry, sir.' Banlon rubbed his eyes. 'Tired, that's all. What I'm going to do now is to get a spike and hammer and test the woodwork around each coupling plate. Only sure way to test for rot, Colonel.'
'Thank you, Banlon.' He transferred his attention to the returning Henry who wore upon his face the expression of a man whom fate can touch no more. 'Ready?'
'No.'
'What do you mean â no?'
'I mean the set's gone.'
'What!'
'It's not in the supply wagon, that's for sure.'
'Impossible.'
Henry stared silently into the middle distance.
'Are you sure?' It wasn't so much disbelief in Claremont's tone as a groping lack of understanding, the wearied bafflement of a man to whom too many incomprehensible things have happened too quickly.
Henry assumed an air of injured patience which sat well upon his lugubrious countenance. 'I do not wish to seem impertinent to the Colonel but I suggest the Colonel goes see for himself.'
Claremont manfully quelled what was clearly an incipient attack of apoplexy. 'All of you! Search the train!'
'Two things. Colonel,' Deakin said. He looked around and ticked numbers off his fingers. 'First is, of the ten people you're talking to, Rafferty is the only one you can order about. None of the rest of us is under your command, directly or indirectly, which makes it a bit awkward for martinet colonels accustomed to instant obedience. Second thing is, I don't think you need bother searching.'
Claremont did some even more manful quelling, then finally and silently gave Deakin a coldly interrogative look.
Deakin said: 'When we were refuelling this morning I saw someone take a case about the size of a transmitter from the supply wagon and walk back along the track with it. The snow was pretty thick and the visibility â well, we all remember what that was like. I just couldn't see who it was.'
'Yes? Assuming it was Ferguson, why should he do a thing like that?'
'How should I know? Ferguson or no Ferguson, I didn't speak to this person. Why should I do your thinking for you?'
'You become increasingly impertinent, Deakin.'
'I don't see there's a great deal you can do about that.' Deakin shrugged. 'Maybe he wanted to repair it.'
'And why take it away to do that?'
Deakin showed an uncharacteristic flash of irritation. 'How the hell shouldâ' He broke off. 'Is the supply wagon heated?'
'No.'
'And it's way below freezing. If he wanted to carry out some repairs or maintenance he'd take it to a heated place â one of the troop wagons. And they're both at the bottom of that ravine now â including the transmitter. There's your answer.'
Claremont had himself well under control. He said thoughtfully: 'And you're pretty glib with your answers, Deakin.'
'Oh my God! Go and search your damned train, then.'
'No. You're probably right, if only because there would appear to be no other explanations.' He took a step closer to Deakin. 'Something's familiar about your face.' Deakin looked at him briefly then looked away in silence. 'Were you ever in the army, Deakin?'
'No.'
'Union or Confederate, I mean?'
'Neither.'
'Neither?'
'I've told you, I'm not a man of violence.'
'Then where were you in the War between the States?'
Deakin paused as if
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