alistairmaclean.bearisland-第40章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ted　structure　that　the　Morning　Rose　was　beginning　to　pound　with　increasing　force　as　the　southeasterly　seas　caught　her　under　the　starboard　quarter　and　the　cushioning　effect　of　a　solid　row　of　fenders　consisting　of　blocks　of　softwood　and　motor　truck　tires　was　being　increasingly　nominal。　The　jarring　effect　as　the　trawler　struck　heavily　and　repeatedly　against　the　jetty　was　sufficient　to　make　those　working　on　deck　stagger　and　clutch　onto　the　nearest　support。　It　was　difficult　to　say　what　effect　this　was　having　on　the　Morning　Rose　for　apart　from　the　scratching　and　slight　indentations　of　the　plates　none　was　visible　but　trawlers　are　legendarily　tough　and　it　was　unlikely　that　she　was　ing　to　any　great　harm：　but　what　was　ing　to　harm；　and　very　visibly　so；　was　the　jetty　itself　for　increasingly　large　chunks　of　masonry　were　beginning　to　fall　into　the　Sor…Hamna　with　dismaying　frequency；　and　as　most　of　our　fuel；　provisions；　and　equipment　still　stood　there　the　seemingly　imminent　collapse　of　the　pier　into　the　sea　was　not　a　matter　to　be　viewed　with　anything　like　equanimity。
　When　we'd　first　e　alongside　shortly　before　noon；　the　unloading　had　gone　ahead　very　briskly　and　smoothly　indeed…except　for　the　unloading　of　Miss　Haynes's　snarling　pooches。　Even　before　we'd　tied　up　the　after　derrick　had　the　sixteen…foot　work…boat　in　the　water　and　three　minutes　later　an　only　slightly　smaller　fourteen…footer　with　an　outboard　had　followed　it：　those　boats　were　to　remain　with　us。　Within　ten　minutes　the　specially　strengthened　foreword　derrick　had　lifted　the　weirdly　shaped…laterally　truncated　so　as　to　have　a　flat　bottom…mock…up　of　the　central　section　of　a　submarine　over　the　side　and　lowered　it　gently　into　the　water　where　it　floated　with　what　appeared　to　be　perfect　stability；　no　doubt　because　of　its　four　tons　of　iron　ballast。　It　was　when　the　mock…up　conning　tower　was　swung　into　position　to　be　bolted　on　to　the　central　section　of　the　submarine　that　the　trouble　began。
　It　just　wouldn't　bolt　on。　Goin　and　Heissman　and　Stryker；　the　only　three　who　had　observed　the　original　tests；　said　that　in　practice　it　had　operated　perfectly：　clearly；　it　wasn't　operating　perfectly　now。　The　conning　tower　section；　elliptical　in　shape；　m…as　designed　to　settle　precisely　over　a　four…inch　vertical　flange　in　the　centre　of　the　midsection；　but　settle　it　just　wouldn't　do：　it　turned　out　that　one　of　the　shallow　curves　at　the　foot　of　the　conning　tower　was　at　least　a　quarter…inch　out　of　true；　a　fact　that　was　almost　certainly　due　to　the　pounding　that　we'd　taken　on　the　way　up　from　Wick：　just　one　lashing　not　sufficiently　bar…taut　would　have　permitted　that　microscopic　freedom　of　vertical　movement　that　would　have　allowed　the　tiny　distortion　to　develop。
　The　solution　was　simple…just　to　hammer　the　offending　curve　back　into　shape…and　in　a　dockyard　with　skilled　plate　layers　available　this　would　probably　have　been　no　more　than　a　matter　of　minutes。　But　we'd　neither　technical　facilities　nor　skilled　labour　available　and　the　minutes　had　now　stretched　into　hours。　A　score　of　times　now　the　foreword　derrick　had　offered　up　the　offending　conning　tower　piece　to　the　flange：　a　score　of　times　it　had　had　to　be　lifted　again　and　painstakingly　assaulted　by　hammers。　Several　times　a　perfect　fit　had　been　achieved　where　it　had　been　previously　lacking　only　to　find　that　the　distortion　had　mysteriously　and　mischievously　transferred　itself　a　few　inches　farther　along　the　metal。　Nor；　now；　despite　the　fact　that　the　submarine　section　was　in　the　considerable　lee　afforded　by　both　pier　and　vessel；　were　matters　being　made　any　easier　by　the　little　waves　that　were　beginning　to　creep　around　the　bows　of　the　Morning　Rose　and　rock　it；　gently　at　first　but　with　increasing　force；　to　the　extent　that　the　ultimate　good　fit　was　clearly　going　to　depend　as　much　on　the　luck　of　timing　as　the　persuasion　of　the　hammers。　Captain　Imrie　wasn't　frantic　with　worry　for　the　sound　enough　reason　that　it　wasn't　in　his　nature　to　bee　frantic　about　anything　but　the　depth　of　his　concern　was　evident　enough　from　the　fact　that　he　had　not　only　skipped　lunch　but　hadn't　as　much　as　fortified　himself　with　anything　stronger　than　coffee　since　our　arrival　in　the　Sor…Hamna。　His　main　concern　apart　from　the　well…being　of　the　Morning　Rose…he　clearly　didn't　give　a　damn　about　his　passengers…was　to　get　the　foredeck　cleared　of　its　remaining　deck　cargo　because；　as　I'd　heard　Otto　rather　unnecessarily　and　unpleasantly　reminding　him；　it　was　part　of　his　contractual　obligations　to　land　all　passengers　and　cargo　before　departure　for　Hammerfest。　And；　of　course；　what　was　exercising　Captain　Imrie's　mind　so　powerfully　was　that；　with　darkness　ing　on　and　the　weather　blowing　up；　the　foreword　deck　cargo　had　not　yet　been　unloaded　and　would　not　be　until　the　fore　derrick　was　freed　from　its　present　full…time　occupation　of　holding　the　conning　tower　suspended　over　the　midsection。
　The　one　plus　factor　about　Captain　Imrie's　concentration　was　that　it　gave　him　little　time　to　worry　about　Halliday's　disappearance。　More　precisely；　it　gave　him　little　time　to　try　to　do　anything　constructive　about　it；　for　I　knew　it　was　still　very　much　on　his　mind　from　the　fact　that　he　had　taken　time　off　to　tell　me　that　upon　his　arrival　in　Hammerfest　his　first　intention　would　be　to　contact　the　law。　There　were　two　things　I　could　have　said　at　this　stage；　but　didn't。　The　first　was　that　I　failed　to　see　what　earthly　purpose　this　could　serve…it　was　just；　I　suppose；　that　he　felt　that　he　had　to　do　something；　anything；　however　ineffectual　that　might　be：　the　second　was　that　I　felt　quite　certain　that　he　would　never　get　the　length　of　Hammerfest　in　the　first　place　although　just　then　hardly　seemed　the　time　to　tell　him　why　I　thought　so。　He　wasn't　then；　in　the　properly　receptive　mood：　I　had　hopes　that　he　would　be　shortly　after　he　had　left　Bear　Island。
　I　went　down　the　screeching　metal　gangway…its　rusty　iron　wheels；　apparently　permanently　locked　in　position；　rubbed　to　and　fro　with　every　lurch　of　the　Morning　Rose…and　made　my　way　along　the　ancient　jetty。　A　small　tractor　and　a　small　Sno…Cat…they　had　been　the　third　and　fourth　items　to　be　unloaded　from　the　trawler's　afterdeck…were　both　equipped　with　towing　sledges　and　everybody　from　Heissman　downwards　was　helping　to　load　equipment　aboard　those　sledges　for　haulage　up　to　the　huts　that　lay　on　the　slight　escarpment　not　more　than　twenty　yards　from　the　end　of　the　jetty。　Everybody　was　not　only　helping；　they　were　helping　with　a　will：　when　the　temperature　is　fifteen　degrees　below　freezing　the　temptation　to　dawdle　is　not　marked。　I　followed　one　consignment　up　to　the　huts。
　Unlike　the　jetty；　the　huts　were　of　paratively　recent　construction　and　in　good　condition；　relics　from　the　latest　IGY…there　could　have　been　no　possible　economic　justification　in　dismantling　them　and　taking　them　back　to　Norway。　They　were　not　built　of　the　modern　kapok；　asbestos；　and　aluminium　construction　so　favoured　by　modern　expeditions　in　Arctic　regions　as　base　headquarters：　they　were　built…although　admittedly　presectioned　in　the　low…slung　chalet　design　fairly　universally　found　in　the　higher　Alpine　regions　of　Europe。　They　had　about　them　that　four…square　hunch　shouldered　look；　the　appearance　of　lowering　their　heads　against　the　storm；　that　made　it　seem　quite　likely　that　they　would　still　be　there　in　a　hundred　years〃　time。　Provided　they　are　not　exposed　to　prevailing　high　winds　and　the　constant　fluctuation　of　temperature　above　and　below　the　freezing　point；　manmade　structures　can　last　almost　indefinitely　in　the　deep　freeze　of　the　high　Arctic。
　There　were　five　structures　here　altogether；　all　of　them　set　a　considerable　distance　apart…as　far　as　the　shoulder　of　the　hill　beyond　the　escarpment　would　permit。　Little　as　I　knew　of　the　Arctic；　I　knew　enough　to　understand　the　reason　for　this　spacing：　here；　where　exposure　to　cold　is　the　permanent　and　dominating　factor　of　life；　it　is　fire　which　is　the　greatest　enemy；　for　unless　there　are　chemical　fire…fighting　appliances　to　band；　and　there　nearly　always　are　not；　a　fire；　once　it　has　taken　hold；　will　not　stop　until　everything　bustible　has　been　destroyed：　blocks　of　ice　are　scarcely　at　a　premium　when　it　es　to　extinguishing　flames。　Four　small　huts　were　set　at　the　corners　of　a　much　larger　central　block。　According　to　the　rather　splend