Hammond Innes - The Strange Land

The noise of the mob died into the whisper of individuals and then into silence. Even the voices immediately below us, searching for a way up to the roof top, became subdued and receded into silence. One by one the men who had invaded the house came out, and Legard sat his horse, watching them — and to them he said nothing. They murmured their greetings, grovelling before the sternness of his face, and then they slunk away.

The last to come out was the man who had been their leader. He stood for a moment facing Legard. Neither spoke and the man’s head dropped and he ran quickly to his mule and left.

We rigged the ladder then and went down. Legard was standing in the door of the house surveying the wreckage as we came down the stairs. He looked at us in silence. He was drooping with tiredness and I saw that it wasn’t only the dust of travel that made his face grey. He looked desperately ill. His eyes glittered as they fastened on us. ‘Imbeciles!’ he cried, his voice savage with anger. ‘You are here two days and you cause trouble.’ He began to cough. ‘My relief has arrived and now I have to come here and deal with this. All because of you, because you are so stupid that you …’ His words were lost in a fit of coughing. He staggered forward to the settee and collapsed into it, clutching at his stomach, his eyes half closed. ‘See to my horse,’ he croaked. ‘Somebody see to that poor devil of a horse.’ He began to cough again.

Bilvidic sent Georges out to look after the animal. ‘What can I do for him?’ Julie whispered.

‘Get him some water,’ I said. I went over to him. ‘Monsieur le Capitaine,’ I said. ‘I’d like to thank you — for us all.’

His eyes stared at me coldly.

‘I’d like to thank you, too,’ Ed said. ‘But why the hell did you have to come alone?’ he added. ‘What happened to the troops?’

‘What troops?’ Legard asked harshly.

Ed turned to Bilvidic. ‘Didn’t the Commandant promise to send troops?’

‘Why should he?’ Legard pushed himself up on to his elbow. ‘What did you want troops for? These men aren’t vicious. They’re like little children. Anyway, there aren’t any troops. We have no troops down here.’

Ed hesitated and then he grinned and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Okay. Whatever you say. But thanks all the same.’

Legard didn’t say anything, but I saw the severe lines of his mouth relax into the ghost of a smile which spread up into his eyes so that they were slightly crinkled at the corners and he looked younger and less ill. Julie brought him the water and he gulped it down. ‘Alors.’ He pushed himself up into a sitting position. ‘Now explain to me everything that has happened. I have already sent for Caid Hassan and for the Khailifa. What happened? Monsieur Latham, suppose you tell me.’

‘Caid Hassan is dead,’ I said.

‘Yes, of course. I had forgotten.’ He closed his eyes, screwing them up as though they were still half-blinded by sun and sand. ‘It is a pity. He was a fine old man.’ He pressed his fingers against the balls of his eyes and then got to his feet with an abrupt, determined movement. ‘Bilvidic. A word with you, please.’ The two Frenchmen went through into the study.

A sudden stillness descended upon the room. It was an uneasy stillness and I glanced across at Jan. He was standing with his back to the fire, his hands behind him, the palms open to the blaze. The muscles of his face were rigid and his head was thrust a little forward. He was frowning and there was a look of concentration on his face — as though he were listening to their conversation. But the curtain had been drawn across the study entrance and all we could hear was the drone of their voices. There was a question I wanted to ask him, but I couldn’t because Ed was there.

Mohammed came in, his sandals slapping the tiles as he crossed the room. He went into the study and announced that the Khailifa and the old Caid’s son had arrived. ‘Tell them to wait for me at the Bureau,’ Legard said and Mohammed went out again. The stillness of the room became unbearable. Ed walked over to the window and stared out towards the mountains. ‘Well, that’s that, I guess.’ He was speaking to himself.

Jan’s head jerked up. ‘How do you mean?’

‘Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? That shaft will never be opened up now.’ He was still gazing towards the mountains, seeing in his mind again the landslide thundering into the mouth of the gorge. ‘All that work for nothing.’

‘You mean you’re giving up?’ There was a note of surprise in Jan’s voice.

Ed turned towards him with a quick, irritable movement of his body. ‘What else can I do? I can’t clear that slide away. There’s too much of it.’

‘We know the position of the shaft. We could tunnel down to it.’

‘How? I’ve no equipment and I’m just about broke.’

‘We could use local labour. As for money, there’s the insurance on your bulldozers.’

‘They weren’t insured. I didn’t think there was any reason to insure them.’

He had turned back to the window. Silence descended again on the room. Jan was standing very still. His hands behind his back were clenched now and I saw that his gaze had shifted back to the entrance to the study. And then the curtains were pulled aside and Legard and Bilvidic came out. ‘I will arrange for the mules to be ready at nine o’clock,’ Legard said, ‘Ca va?’

Bilvidic nodded. Legard picked his blue stiff hat up off the table where he had flung it and slung his cape round his shoulders. As he went towards the door he paused and looked at Jan. ‘At least, monsieur, you seem to have succeeded in carrying out Duprez’s wishes.’ He stared at him for a moment and I realised with a shock that Jan was incapable of meeting the man’s gaze. Then Legard twitched his cloak closer round his body and went out. The door banged to behind him.

The sun had set now and night was closing in. The room was growing dark and I could no longer see Jan’s face clearly. My shoulder hurt and I was feeling drained of energy, wishing we were away from the place. Bilvidic shouted for Mohammed and ordered him to light the lamps. But even in the soft lamp-glow the room had a cold, alien look. The sense of tension was still there.

And then the telephone buzzer sounded. Bilvidic went through into the study to answer it. He was gone a long while and when he came back he paused in the archway between the two rooms. He was looking at Jan. ‘Monsieur Wade. You will please come through into the study. There are some questions I have to ask you. You, too, Latham,’ he added, turning to me.

The, moment I had been dreading had arrived. I pulled myself to my feet. Jan was already following Bilvidic into the study. Karen was staring after him, her body rigid, her face pale and taut with strain. Her small hands were clenched as though she were trying to will with all the strength of her body that everything would be all right.

I went through into the study, conscious that my footsteps sounded very loud on the bare tiles. Bilvidic was already seated at the desk. ‘Asseyez-vous, monsieur.’ He waved me to a chair. ‘That telephone call was from Casablanca. I have orders to phone through a preliminary report on this matter to my headquarters tonight.’ He pulled out his pack of American cigarettes and lit one. ‘Monsieur Wade.’ He was looking across at Jan. ‘From the time you entered French Morocco until I confronted you with Madame Kavan you had assumed the name and identity of Dr Kavan. Why? Explain please.’ He was the policeman again: cold, precise, logical.

I looked at Jan. His hands gripped the arms of his chair and his body was braced. He hesitated momentarily. It seemed an age. Then he shifted his position. ‘Because I had to,’ he said.