the chain lock.
“That’ll hold for a while.”
“But how long for and what do we bloody do?” Grant asked.
“I don’t know, do I?”
I T WAS TEN minutes later that the radio crackled and Ryan said, “You there, Tully?”
“Yes, there’s still three of us,” Tully lied. “Muller, Grant, and me.”
“Are you going to be sensible?”
“Why should I be? You need me more than I need you, Ryan.” The
Irish Rose
rolled heavily as the wind howled in. “Unless you can handle a ship like this and I don’t think so, especially not in weather like this.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“I don’t know. Only one thing’s certain. You can’t touch us up here if we keep our heads down and we can’t get at you. I’d call that stalemate.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”
“He’s right,” Keogh called across to him. “No way of storming the wheelhouse. They’d have every advantage.”
“And even if we did and by some miracle succeeded in knocking them off, where would be the advantage?” Ryan said. “Could we sail this thing on our own, you and me, Martin? I doubt it.”
“Keep pointing it at Ireland is about the best you could do as long as the engines kept going.”
“With no one to handle them?” Ryan shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
N OTHING HAPPENED FOR some fifteen minutes and then Tully’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Ryan, are you there?”
“What do you want?”
“We’re three miles off the Down coast.”
“Still aiming for Kilalla? You could still land us there, take the other fifty thousand, and go your way and no harm done.”
“I don’t believe you. You’d shoot me like a dog after that’s happened. It’s not on and Kilalla is miles away north of here, anyway.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“I can turn this tub round and put out to sea again any time I want.”
“And we sail on forever like the Flying Dutchman, you up there in the wheelhouse and us down here?” Ryan said. “And where would that get us?”
“Nowhere from your point of view.” Tully went off the air again.
“It’s no good,” Keogh said. “I’ll have to try and rush the ladder and you can give me covering fire.”
“Covering fire? Are you mad or what?” Ryan said. “You wouldn’t stand a chance and you know it.”
C ROUCHED DOWN IN the wheelhouse, Tully said to Grant, “How’s the arm?”
“It hurts like hell, but it was only a crease. I’ll survive.”
“With you in the engine room and me up here we could still sail back to England, couldn’t we?”
“I suppose so. What are you suggesting?”
“I’m going to try him with an offer one last time.”
T ULLY’S VOICE SOUNDED over the radio. “Ryan?”
“What do you want?”
“I could turn out to sea like I said, we could go round in circles till the diesel oil runs out, then we’d just drift until someone called the Coastguard and they came to investigate and then the fat would be in the fire for all of us.”
“True enough,” Ryan said. “So what do you suggest?”
“Why not cut your losses? There’s the big yellow inflatable behind you in the stern with a good outboard motor. We’re only two miles off the coast now as far as I know. You could make it easily now that the wind’s dropping.”
“And leave the gold to you?” Ryan demanded. “So what do we get out of this?”
“Your lives,” Tully said.
“And you trying to pick us off as we get in the inflatable.”
“I can’t even see it from the wheelhouse. The truck’s in front of it. Think about it. I’ll give you five minutes and then I’ll turn this thing around.”
He went off the air and Kathleen said angrily, “We can’t do it, Uncle Michael, not after all we’ve been through.”
“I know, girl, I know.” He turned to Keogh. “What do you think, Martin?”
“I don’t think we have much choice.”
“So it’s live to fight another
“That’ll hold for a while.”
“But how long for and what do we bloody do?” Grant asked.
“I don’t know, do I?”
I T WAS TEN minutes later that the radio crackled and Ryan said, “You there, Tully?”
“Yes, there’s still three of us,” Tully lied. “Muller, Grant, and me.”
“Are you going to be sensible?”
“Why should I be? You need me more than I need you, Ryan.” The
Irish Rose
rolled heavily as the wind howled in. “Unless you can handle a ship like this and I don’t think so, especially not in weather like this.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“I don’t know. Only one thing’s certain. You can’t touch us up here if we keep our heads down and we can’t get at you. I’d call that stalemate.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”
“He’s right,” Keogh called across to him. “No way of storming the wheelhouse. They’d have every advantage.”
“And even if we did and by some miracle succeeded in knocking them off, where would be the advantage?” Ryan said. “Could we sail this thing on our own, you and me, Martin? I doubt it.”
“Keep pointing it at Ireland is about the best you could do as long as the engines kept going.”
“With no one to handle them?” Ryan shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
N OTHING HAPPENED FOR some fifteen minutes and then Tully’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Ryan, are you there?”
“What do you want?”
“We’re three miles off the Down coast.”
“Still aiming for Kilalla? You could still land us there, take the other fifty thousand, and go your way and no harm done.”
“I don’t believe you. You’d shoot me like a dog after that’s happened. It’s not on and Kilalla is miles away north of here, anyway.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“I can turn this tub round and put out to sea again any time I want.”
“And we sail on forever like the Flying Dutchman, you up there in the wheelhouse and us down here?” Ryan said. “And where would that get us?”
“Nowhere from your point of view.” Tully went off the air again.
“It’s no good,” Keogh said. “I’ll have to try and rush the ladder and you can give me covering fire.”
“Covering fire? Are you mad or what?” Ryan said. “You wouldn’t stand a chance and you know it.”
C ROUCHED DOWN IN the wheelhouse, Tully said to Grant, “How’s the arm?”
“It hurts like hell, but it was only a crease. I’ll survive.”
“With you in the engine room and me up here we could still sail back to England, couldn’t we?”
“I suppose so. What are you suggesting?”
“I’m going to try him with an offer one last time.”
T ULLY’S VOICE SOUNDED over the radio. “Ryan?”
“What do you want?”
“I could turn out to sea like I said, we could go round in circles till the diesel oil runs out, then we’d just drift until someone called the Coastguard and they came to investigate and then the fat would be in the fire for all of us.”
“True enough,” Ryan said. “So what do you suggest?”
“Why not cut your losses? There’s the big yellow inflatable behind you in the stern with a good outboard motor. We’re only two miles off the coast now as far as I know. You could make it easily now that the wind’s dropping.”
“And leave the gold to you?” Ryan demanded. “So what do we get out of this?”
“Your lives,” Tully said.
“And you trying to pick us off as we get in the inflatable.”
“I can’t even see it from the wheelhouse. The truck’s in front of it. Think about it. I’ll give you five minutes and then I’ll turn this thing around.”
He went off the air and Kathleen said angrily, “We can’t do it, Uncle Michael, not after all we’ve been through.”
“I know, girl, I know.” He turned to Keogh. “What do you think, Martin?”
“I don’t think we have much choice.”
“So it’s live to fight another
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