alistairmaclean.icestationzebra-第9章

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cause　of　weather。　Words　〃ice　storm〃　clearly　picked　up。　Apparent　details　of　wind　speed　and　temperature；　but　unable　to　make　out。
　 〃Morning　Star〃　several　times　attempted　contact　Drift　Station　Zebra　immediately　afterward。　No　acknowledgment。
　 〃Morning　Star〃；　at　request　of　British　Admiralty；　has　abandoned　fishing　grounds　and　is　moving　closer　in　to　Barrier　to　act　as　listening　post。　Message　ends。
　
　 I　folded　the　paper　and　handed　it　back　to　Swanson。　He　said　again；　〃Sorry　about　this；　Carpenter。〃
　 〃Critically　injured　or　dead；〃　I　said。　〃In　a　burnt…out　station　on　the　ice　cap　in　winter；　what's　the　difference？〃　My　voice　fell　upon　my　ears　as　the　voice　of　another　man；　a　voice　flat　and　lifeless；　a　voice　empty　of　all　emotion。　〃Johnny　Halliwell　and　three　of　his　men。　Johnny　Halliwell。　Not　the　kind　of　man　you　would　meet　often；　mander。　A　remarkable　man。　Left　school　at　fifteen；　when　his　parents　died；　to　devote　himself　to　the　support　of　a　brother　eight　years　younger　than　himself。　He　saved；　he　scraped；　he　sacrificed；　he　devoted　many　of　the　best　years　of　his　life　to　doing　everything　for　his　younger　brother；　including　putting　him　through　a　six…year　university　course。　Not　till　then　did　he　think　of　himself；　not　till　then　did　he　get　married。　He　leaves　a　lovely　wife　and　three　marvelous　kids。　Two　nieces　and　a　nephew　not　yet　six　months　old。〃
　 〃Two　nieces〃　He　broke　off　and　stared　at　me。　〃Good　God；　your　brother？　〃Your〃　brother？〃　He　didn't；　for　the　moment；　seem　to　find　anything　peculiar　in　the　difference　of　surname。
　 I　nodded　silently。　Young　Lieutenant　Raeburn　approached　us；　an　odd　expression　of　anxiety　on　his　face；　but　Swanson　abruptly　waved　him　away　without　even　glancing　in　his　direction。　He　shook　his　head　slowly　and　was　still　shaking　it　when　I　said　abruptly：　〃He's　tough。　He　may　be　one　of　the　survivors。　He　may　live。　We　must　get　Drift　Station　Zebra's　position。　We　〃must〃　get　it。〃
　 〃Maybe　they　haven't　got　it　themselves；〃　Swanson　said。　I　could　see　that　he　was　grateful　for　something　to　talk　about。　〃It　〃is〃　a　drifting　station；　remember。　The　weather　being　what　it　is；　it　may　have　been　days　since　they　got　their　last　fixes；　and　for　all　we　know；　their　sextants；　chronometers　and　radio　direction　finders　have　been　lost　in　the　fire。〃
　 〃They　must　know　what　their　latest　fix　was；　even　though　it　was　a　week　ago。　They　must　have　a　fairly　accurate　idea　of　the　speed　and　direction　of　their　drift。　They'll　be　able　to　provide　approximate　data。　The　〃Morning　Star〃　must　be　told　to　keep　transmitting　non…stop　with　a　continuous　request　for　their　position。　If　you　surface　now；　can　you　contact　the　〃Morning　Star？〃〃
　 〃I　doubt　it。　The　trawler　must　be　the　best　part　of　a　thousand　miles　north　of　us。　His　receiver　wouldn't　be　big　enough　to　pull　us　inwhich　is　another　way　of　saying　that　our　transmitter　is　too　small。〃
　 〃The　B。B。C。　have　…plenty　of　transmitters　that　are　big　enough。　So　have　the　Admiralty。　Please　ask　one　or　the　other　to　contact　the　〃Morning　Star〃　and　ask　it　to　make　a　continuous　send　for　Zebra's　position。〃
　 〃They　could　do　that　themselves　direct。〃
　 〃Sure　they　could。　But　they　couldn't　hear　the　reply。　The　〃Morning　Star〃　canif　there's　any　reply。　And　she's　getting　closer　to　them　all　the　time。〃
　 〃We'll　surface　now；〃　Swanson　nodded。　He　turned　away　from　the　chart　table　we'd　been　standing　beside　and　headed　for　the　diving　stand。　As　he　passed　the　plotting　table　he　said　to　the　navigator：　〃What　was　it　you　wanted；　Will？〃
　 Lieutenant　Raeburn　turned　his　back　on　me　and　lowered　his　voice；　but　my　hearing　has　always　been　a　little　abnormal。　He　whispered：　〃Did　you　see　his　face；　Captain？　I　thought　he　was　going　to　haul　off　and　sock　you。〃
　 〃I　thought　the　same　thing　myself；〃　Swanson　murmured。　〃For　a　moment。　But　I　think　I　just　happened　to　be　in　his　line　of　vision；　that's　all。〃
　 I　went　forward　to　my　cabin　and　lay　down　in　the　cot。
　
　
　3
　
　 〃There　it　is；　then；〃　said　Swanson。　〃That's　the　Barrier。〃
　 The　〃Dolphin〃；　heading　due　north；　her　great　cylindrical　bulk　at　one　moment　pletely　submerged；　the　next　showing　clear　as　she　rolled　heavily　through　the　steep　quartering　seas；　was　making　less　than　three　knots　through　the　water；　the　great　nuclear…powered　engines　providing　just　enough　thrust　to　the　big　twin　eight…foot　propellers　to　provide　steerage　way　and　no　more。　Thirty　feet　below　where　we　stood　on　the　bridge　the　finest　sonar　equipment　in　the　world　was　ceaselessly　probing　the　waters　all　around　us　but　even　so　Swanson　was　taking　no　chances　on　the　effects　of　collision　with　a　drifting　ice　block。　The　noon…day　Arctic　sky　was　so　overcast　that　the　light　was　no　better　than　that　of　late　dusk。　The　bridge　thermometer　showed　the　sea　temperature　to　be　28°F。；　the　air　temperatureI　6°F。　The　gale…force　wind　from　the　northeast　was　snatching　the　tops　off　the　rolling　steel…gray　waves　and　subjecting　the　steep…walled　sides　of　the　great　conning　tower〃sail；〃　the　crew　called　itto　the　ceaseless　battering　of　a　bullet…driven　spray　that　turned　to　solid　ice　even　as　it　struck。　The　cold　was　intense。
　 Shivering　uncontrollably；　wrapped　in　a　heavy　duffel　coat　and　oilskins　and　huddled　against　the　illusory　shelter　of　the　canvas　wind…dodger；　I　followed　the　line　of　Swanson's　pointing　ann；　even　above　the　high；　thin；　shrill　whine　of　the　wind　and　the　drum…fire　of　the　flying　spray　against　the　sail；　I　could　hear　the　violent　chattering　of　his　teeth。　Less　than　two　miles　away　a　long；　thin；　grayish…white　line；　at　that　distance　apparently　smooth　and　regular；　seemed　to　stretch　the　entire　width　of　the　northern　horizon。　Fd　seen　it　before　and　it　wasn't　much　to　look　at　but　it　was　a　sight　a　man　never　got　used　to；　not　because　of　itself　but　because　of　what　it　represented：　the　beginning　of　the　polar　ice　cap　that　covered　the　top　of　the　world；　at　this　time　of　year　a　solid；　pacted　mass　of　ice　that　stretched　clear　from　where　we　lay　right　across　to　Alaska　on　the　other　side　of　the　world。　And　we　had　to　go　under　that　mass。　We　had　to　go　under　it　to　find　men　hundreds　of　miles　away；　men　who　might　be　already　dying；　men　who　might　be　already　dead。　Who　probably　were　dead。　Men；　dying　or　dead；　whom　we　had　to　seek　out　by　guess　and　by　God　in　that　great　wasteland　of　ice　stretching　out　endlessly　before　us；　for　we　did　not　know　where　they　were。
　 The　relayed　radio　message　we　had　received　just　fortynine　hours　ago　had　been　the　last。　Since　then；　there　had　been　only　silence。　The　trawler　〃Morning　Star〃　had　been　sending　almost　continuously　in　the　intervening　two　days；　trying　to　raise　Drift　Station　Zebra；　but　out　of　that　bleak　desert　of　ice　to　the　north　had　e　nothing　but　silence。　No　word；　no　signal；　no　faintest　whisper　of　sound　had　e　out　of　that　desolation。
　 Eighteen　hours　before；　the　Russian　atomic…engined　〃Dvina〃　had　reached　the　Barrier　and　had　started　on　an　all…out　and　desperate　attempt　to　smash　its　way　into　the　heart　of　the　ice　cap。　In　this　early　stage　of　winter　the　ice　was　neither　so　thick　nor　so　pacted　as　it　would　be　at　the　time　of　its　maximum　density；　in　March；　and　the　very　heavily　armored　and　powerfully　engined　〃Dvina〃　was　reputed　to　be　able　to　break　through　ice　up　to　a　thickness　of　eighteen　feet：　given　fair　conditions；　the　〃Dvina〃　was　widely　believed　to　be　capable　of　battering　its　way　to　the　North　Pole。　But　the　conditions　of　the　rafted　ice　had　proved　abnormal　to　a　degree　and　the　attempt　a　hopeless　one。　The　〃Dvina〃　had　managed　to　crash　its　way　over　forty　miles　into　the　ice　cap　before　being　permanently　stopped　by　a　thick　wall　of　rafter　ice　over　twenty　feet　in　height　and　probably　more　than　a　hundred　deep。　The　〃Dvina〃；　according　to　reports；　had　sustained　heavy　damage　to　its　bows　and　was　still　in　the　process　of　extricating　itself；　with　the　greatest　difficulty；　from　the　pack。　A　very　gallant　effort　that　had　achieved　nothing　except　an　improvement　in　East…West　relations　to　an　extent　undreamed　of　for　many　years。
　 Nor　had　the　Russians'　efforts　stopped　there。　Both　they　and　the　Americans　had　made　several　flights　over　the　area　with　front…line　long…range　bombers。　Through　the　deep　overcast　and　driving　ice…　and　snow…filled　winds；　those　planes　had　criss…crossed　the　suspected　area　a　hundred　times　searching　with　their　fantastically　accurate　radar。　But　not　one　single　radar　sighting　had　been　reported。　Various　reasons　had　been　put　forward　to　explain　the　failure；　espe