alistairmaclean.icestationzebra-第20章

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　 〃You　are　putting　the　lives　of　your　men　in　danger；　mander　Swanson。　You　know　what　your　orders　said。〃
　 〃Yes。　I　also　know　that　in　Arctic　travels；　as　in　mountaineering　and　exploring；　a　party　always　has　double　the　chances　of　the　individual。　I　also　know　that　if　it　became　known　that　we　had　permitted　a　civilian　doctor　to　set　off　on　his　own　for　Drift　Station　Zebra　while　we　were　all　too　scared　to　stir　from　our　nice　warm　sub；　the　name　of　the　U。　S。　Navy　would　bee　pretty　muddy。〃
　 〃What　do　your　men　think　of　your　making　them　risk　their　lives　to　save　the　good　name　of　the　submarine　service？〃
　 〃You　heard　the　captain；〃　Rawlings　said。　〃We're　volunteers。　Look　at　Zabrinski　there：　anyone　can　see　that　he's　a　man　cast　in　a　heroic　mold。〃
　 〃Have　you　thought　of　what　happens；〃　I　said；　〃if　the　ice　closes　in　when　we're　away　and　the　captain　has　to　take　the　ship　down？〃
　 〃Don't　even　mention　it；〃　Zabrinski　urged。　〃I'm　not　all　that　heroic。〃
　 I　gave　up。　I'd　no　option　but　to　give　up。　Besides；　like　Zabrinski；　I　wasn't　all　that　heroic　and　I　suddenly　realized　that　I　would　be　very　glad　indeed　to　have　those　three　men　along　with　me。
　
　
　5
　
　 Lieutenant　Hansen　was　the　first　man　to　give　up。　Or　perhaps　〃give　up〃　is　wrong：　the　meaning　of　the　words　was　quite　unknown　and　the　thought　totally　alien　to　Hansen。　It　would　be　more　accurate　to　say　that　he　was　the　first　of　us　to　show　any　glimmerings　of　mon　sense。　He　caught　my　arm；　brought　his　head　close　to　mine；　pulled　down　his　snow　mask；　and　shouted；　〃No　farther；　Doc。　We　must　stop。〃
　 〃The　next　ridge；〃　I　yelled　back。　I　didn't　know　whether　he'd　heard　me　or　not；　as　soon　as　he'd　spoken　he'd　pulled　his　mask　back　up　into　position　again　to　protect　the　momentarily　exposed　skin　against　the　horizontally　driving　ice　storm；　but　he　seemed　to　understand　for　he　eased　his　grip　on　the　rope　around　my　waist　and　let　me　move　ahead　again。　For　the　past　two　and　a　half　hours　Hansen；　Rawlings　and　I　had　each　taken　our　turn　at　being　the　lead　man　on　the　end　of　the　rope；　while　the　other　three　held　on　to　it　some　ten　yards　behind；　the　idea　being　not　that　the　lead　man　should　guide　the　others　but　that　the　others　should　save　the　life　of　the　lead　man；　should　the　need　arise。　And　the　need　had　already　arisen；　just　once。　Hansen；　slipping　and　scrambling　on　all　fours　across　a　fractured；　and　upward…sloping　raft　of　ice；　had　reached　gropingly　forward　with　his　arms　into　the　blindness　of　the　night　and　the　storm　and　found　nothing　there。　He　had　fallen　eight　vertical　feet　before　the　rope　had　brought　him　up　with　a　vicious　jerk　that　had　been　almost　as　painful　for　Rawlings　and　myself；　who　had　taken　the　brunt　of　the　shock；　as　it　had　been　for　Hansen。　For　nearly　two　minutes　he'd　dangled　above　the　wind…torn　black　water　of　a　freshly　opened　lead　before　we'd　managed　to　drag　him　back　to　safety。　It　had　been　a　close　thing；　far　too　close　a　thing；　for　in　far　sub…zero　temperatures　with　a　gale…force　wind　blowing；　even　a　few　seconds'　submersion　in　water　makes　the　certainty　of　death　absolute；　the　process　of　dissolution　as　swift　as　it　is　irreversible。　In　those　conditions　the　clothes　of　a　man　pulled　from　the　water　bee　a　frozen　and　impenetrable　suit　of　armor　inside　seconds；　an　armor　that　can　neither　be　removed　nor　chipped　away。　Petrified　inside　this　ice　shroud；　a　man　just　simply　and　quickly　freezes　to　deathin　the　unlikely　event；　that　is；　of　his　heart's　having　withstood　the　thermal　shock　of　the　body's　surface　being　exposed　to　an　almost　instantaneous　hundred…degree　drop　in　temperature。
　 So　now　I　stepped　forward　very　cautiously；　very　warily　indeed；　feeling　the　ice　ahead　of　me　with　a　probe　we'd　devised　after　Hansen's　near…accidenta　chopped…off　five…foot　length　of　rope　which　we'd　dipped　into　the　water　of　the　lead　and　then　exposed　to　the　air　until　it　had　bee　as　rigid　as　a　bar　of　steel。　At　times　I　walked；　at　times　I　stumbled；　at　times；　when　a　brief　lull　in　the　gale…force　wind；　as　sudden　as　it　was　unexpected；　would　catch　me　off　balance；　I'd　just　fall　forward　and　continue　on　hands　and　knees；　for　it　was　quite　as　easy　that　way。　It　was　during　one　of　those　periods　when　I　was　shuffling　blindly　forward　on　all　fours　that　I　realized　that　the　wind　had；　for　the　time　being；　lost　nearly　all　of　its　violence　and　that　I　was　no　longer　being　bombarded　by　that　horizontally　driving　hail　of　flying　ice　spicules。　Moments　later　my　probe　made　contact　with　some　solid　obstacle　in　my　path：　the　vertical　wall　of　a　rafted　ice　ridge。　I　crawled　thankfully　into　its　shelter；　raised　my　goggles；　and　pulled　out　and　switched　on　my　flashlight　as　the　others　came　blindly　up　to　where　I　lay。
　 Blindly。　With　arms　outstretched　they　pawed　at　the　air　before　them　like　sightless　men；　which　for　the　past　two　and　a　half　hours　was　exactly　what　they　had　been。　For　all　the　service　our　goggles　had　given　us；　we　might　as　well　have　stuck　our　heads　in　gunny　sacks　before　leaving　the　Dolphin。　I　looked　at　Hansen；　the　first　of　the　three　to　e　up。　Goggles；　snow　mask；　hood；　clothingthe　entire　front　part　of　his　body　from　top　to　toe　was　deeply　and　solidly　encrusted　in　a　thick　and　glittering　layer　of　pacted　ice；　except　for　some　narrow　cracks　caused　by　joint　movements　of　legs　and　arms。　As　he　drew　close　to　me；　I　could　hear　him　splintering　and　crackling　a　good　five　feet　away。　Long　ice　feathers　streamed　back　from　his　head；　shoulders；　and　elbows：　as　an　extra…terrestrial　monster　from　one　of　the　chillier　planets；　such　as　Pluto；　he'd　have　been　a　sensation　in　any　horror　movie。　I　suppose　I　looked　much　the　same。
　 We　huddled　close　together　in　the　shelter　of　the　wall。　Only　four　feet　above　our　heads　the　ice　storm　swept　by　in　a　glittering　gray…white　river。　Rawlings；　sitting　on　my　left；　pushed　up　his　goggles；　looked　down　at　his　ice…sheathed　furs；　and　started　to　beat　his　chest　with　his　fist　to　break　up　the　covering。　I　reached　out　a　hand　and　caught　his　arm。
　 〃Leave　it　alone；〃　I　said。
　 〃Leave　it　alone？〃　Rawlings'　voice　was　muffled　by　his　snow　mask；　but　not　so　muffled　that　I　couldn't　hear　the　chattering　of　his　teeth。　〃This　damn　suit　of　armor　weighs　a　ton。　I'm　out　of　training　for　this　kind　of　weight…lifting；　Doc。〃
　 〃Leave　it　alone。　If　it　weren't　for　that　ice；　you'd　have　frozen　to　death　by　this　time：　it's　insulating　you　from　that　wind　and　the　ice　storm。　Let's　see　the　rest　of　your　face。　And　your　hands。〃
　 I　checked　him　and　the　two　others　for　frostbite；　while　Hansen　checked　me。　We　were　still　lucky。　Blue　and　mottled　and　shaking　with　the　cold；　but　no　frostbite。　The　furs　of　the　other　three　might　not　have　been　quite　as　fancy　as　mine；　but　they　were　very　adequate　indeed。　Nuclear　subs　always　got　the　best　of　everything；　and　Arctic　clothing　was　no　exception。　But　although　they　weren't　freezing　to　death；　I　could　see　from　their　faces　and　hear　from　their　breathing　that　they　were　pretty　far　gone　in　exhaustion。　Thrusting　into　the　power　of　that　ice　storm　was　like　wading　upstream　against　the　current　of　a　river　of　molasses；　that　was　energy…sapping　enough；　but　the　fact　that　we　had　to　spend　most　of　our　time　clambering　over；　slipping　on；　sliding　and　falling　across　fractured　ice　or　making　detours　around　impassable　ridges　while　being　weighed　down　with　forty…pound　packs　on　our　backs　and　heaven　only　knew　how　many　additional　pounds　of　ice　coating　our　furs　in　front；　had　turned　our　trudge　across　that　contorted；　treacherous　ice　into　a　dark　and　frozen　nightmare。
　 〃The　point　of　no　return；　I　think；〃　Hansen　said。　His　breathing；　like　Rawlings'；　was　very　quick；　very　shallow；　almost　gasping。　〃We　can't　take　much　more　of　this；　Doc。〃
　 〃You　ought　to　listen　to　Dr。　Benson's　lectures　a　bit　more；〃　I　said　reprovingly。　〃All　this　ice　cream　and　apple　pie　and　lolling　around　in　your　bunks　is　no　training　for　this　sort　of　thing。〃
　 〃Yeah？〃　He　peered　at　me。　〃How　do　〃you〃　feel？〃
　 〃A　mite　tired；〃　I　admitted。　〃Nothing　much　to　speak　of。〃　Nothing　much　to　speak　of！　My　legs　felt　as　if　they　were　falling　off；　that　was　all；　but　the　goad　of　pride　was　always　a　useful　one　to　have　at　hand。　I　slipped　off　my　rucksack　and　brought　out　the　medicinal　alcohol。　〃I　suggest　fifteen　minutes'　break。　Any　more　and　we'll　just　start　stiffening　up　pletely。　Meantime；　a　little　drop　of　what　we　fancy　will　help　keep　the　old　blood　corpuscles　trudging　around。〃
　 〃I　thought　medical　opinion　was　against　alcohol　in　low　temperatures；〃　Hansen