Hammond Innes - Campbell's Kingdom

There followed three columns of signatures spreading over on to the back — names that were of Polish, French, Italian and Chinese origin as well as English. I looked up at the nurse. ‘What day is it?’ I asked her.

‘Friday.’

And the Kingdom had been flooded on Tuesday. ‘I’ve been out a long time,’ I murmured.

‘Not as long as you will be if you don’t get some food inside you,’ she said as she went out.

As I ate my breakfast I read through the papers.

They were full of the disaster. But there was the story of the well we had brought in, too — interviews with Garry and Johnnie, and in one of them a long feature article headed — ‘There’s Oil in the Rocky Mountains.’ The writer was Steve Strachan and in it he acknowledged the quotation as belonging to Stuart Campbell and made it clear that the old man was now completely vindicated. I put the paper down and lay back, suddenly completely happy.

The doctor came in then. He gave my broken bones only a cursory examination and then started to go over me thoroughly, listening to my breathing, taking my blood pressure, feeling my pulse, listening to my heart beats, and all the time asking me questions. ‘What’s the trouble, Doc?’ I asked him.

‘Oh, just a routine check-up.’

But I knew this wasn’t routine for a man with a broken leg and a few broken ribs. And when they wheeled in the X-ray apparatus I knew he was on to the real trouble. ‘You’re wasting your time,’ I said, and I told him what Maclean-Harvey’s verdict had been.

He shrugged his shoulders and I bit my lip as they shifted me to get the screen and X-ray tube in position. ‘How did you know I’d got cancer?’ I asked him.

‘Jean Lucas told me,’ he answered.

‘Jean!’ I tried to turn, but a hand gripped my shoulder, steadying me. All I could see was the nurse’s white uniform. I stared at a bone button, wondering how Jean knew.

They were some time taking the photographs and when they had finished they made me comfortable and trundled the equipment out. The doctor was not in the room, but he returned a few minutes later. ‘All right, Mr Wetheral? I hope they didn’t cause you too much pain moving you.’

‘No,’ I said. ‘It just seemed pointless, that’s all.’

He nodded and drew up a chair beside me. ‘Does it occur to you that for a man who was given two to six months to live way back in the spring you’ve been remarkably active lately?’

There seemed no point in conserving energy,’ I murmured.

‘No, no, of course not.’ He hesitated and then said quietly, ‘There have been cures, you know.’

‘Have there?’ I looked at him, seeing his broad, rather serious features through a blur of pain as I shifted my position. ‘I thought cancer was incurable.’

‘Aye.’ He nodded. ‘It’s incurable as far as the medical profession is concerned. But there are such things as spontaneous cures. We don’t know the cause of them. I wish we did. Some change in the chemistry of the patient, maybe — or a psychological readjustment. Anyway, once in a while it happens.’ He leaned forward, his large grey eyes peering down at me from behind the thick-lensed glasses. ‘Listen, Wetheral. I don’t want to raise any false hopes. We’ll know soon enough when they’ve developed those X-ray plates. There’s just a chance, that’s all.’ There was a glint of excitement in his eyes now. It showed in his manner, in the way he spoke. ‘I can’t believe a case as desperate as yours must have been when Dr Maclean-Harvey gave you that verdict could have gone on for five months, living the way you have been, unless the condition had improved. There’s no internal haemorrhage and no trace now of secondary anaemia. You’ve been eating well and instead of getting weaker, you’ve got stronger.’ He suddenly sat back, taking his glasses off and polishing them. ‘I shouldn’t really have spoken to you about it. I should have waited till I had the X-ray results. But-’ He hesitated and got to his feet. ‘It’s a most interesting case, you see. I didn’t want you to feel that I was just taking the opportunity to examine a cancer growth.’ He smiled suddenly. ‘You must be about as obstinate a man as your grandfather, I guess. Anyway, I’ll be back as soon as I’ve got a picture of what’s going on inside you.’

He left me then and for a while I lay there, thinking over what he had said. I felt suddenly restless. The mood of excitement I had seen reflected in the doctor’s eyes had communicated itself to me. For the first time in months there was no immediate problem ahead of me and I was free to consider the future. Almost unconsciously I reached for the papers and began reading Steve’s article again. I was still reading it when the nurse showed Jean in. She was followed by Johnnie and Garry.

‘We just looked in to say goodbye,’ Johnnie said. ‘Garry’s off to Edmonton to see about a new rig and I’m going up to the Kingdom.’ He came and stood over me, his eyes narrowed as though he were looking straight into the sun, a lazy smile on his lined face.

‘You look pretty damn comfortable lying there, Bruce.’

‘What are you going up to the Kingdom for?’ I asked him.

‘Well, that’s what I came to see you about, I guess.’ He rubbed his chin awkwardly. ‘You see, the boys who were working on the power station have got together and put up some dough. A few of them are coming up to the Kingdom with me and my two Americans to clear up Campbell’s place and make it snug for the winter. The rest-’ He hesitated. ‘Well, it’s like this, Bruce, they came to me and asked what they could do about it. They’re a decent bunch and they felt sort of bad about you lying here in hospital and all of them fit and well. I didn’t know quite what to say, but I hinted you were figuring on settling down around this neighbourhood so they’ve decided to buckle to and build you a house down by the ford at the entrance to Thunder Valley. You know, the place we camped.’

‘But I couldn’t possibly allow them to do that,’ I said. ‘They’ve got their living to-’

‘Now, listen, Bruce,’ he cut in. ‘They feel bad about this. It’s their way of showing they’re grateful to you. You just got to accept it. It’s a sort of-’ He glanced at Jean, and then said, ‘Well, anyway, they want to do it and nothing’ll stop them, I guess.’ He moved awkwardly to the door. ‘I must be going now. You coming, Garry?’

The big drilling contractor nodded. ‘I just wanted to say I’m glad you’re okay.’ He gripped my left hand.

‘And I’m proud to be associated with you.’ He coughed in embarrassment and added quickly, ‘I’ll go down to Calgary and see Winnick. Things will begin to hum now. I’ll tell him you’ll be in to see him as soon as you can. I’ll see you then and find out whether you want to sell out to one of the big companies or whether you plan to develop the area yourself.’

He turned quickly and went out, leaving me alone with Jean. She hadn’t moved all the time they had been talking. I glanced at her face. It was very pale and she seemed nervous. ‘You look much better,’ she murmured, her eyes sliding away from mine. ‘Dr Graham’s very pleased with you.’

‘What’s Boy doing?’ I asked, shying away from the direct question that was on my mind.

‘He stayed on up in the Kingdom.’ She hesitated. ‘I think he’ll settle in this area now. He’s always loved it here.’

An awkward silence fell between us. She moved towards the window. ‘Did Dr Graham say anything to you?’ She had turned to face me.

I closed my eyes. She looked so cool and fresh and — radiant. ‘How did you know I had cancer of the stomach?’ I asked.

‘I don’t believe you have.’ Her voice was sharp as though mere words could kill the parasitical growth. ‘Nobody could do the things you’ve done-’