Alistair Maclean - The guns of Navaronne

«Panayis's doin', not mine. I just tagged along. Besides, we did run into a couple of Panayis's pals — he hunted them up, rather. Musta given him the tip-off about somethin'. He was hoppin' with excitement just afterwards, tried to tell me all about it.» Miller shrugged his shoulders sadly. «We weren't operatin' on the same wave-length, boss.»

Mallory nodded across the cave. Louki and Panayis were close together, Louki doing all the listening, while Panayis talked rapidly in a low voice, gesticulating with both hands.

«He's still pretty worked up about something,» Mallory said thoughtfully. He raised his voice. «What's the matter, Louki?»

«Matter enough, Major.» Louki tugged ferociously at the end of his moustache. «We will have to be leaving soon — Panayis wants to go right away. He has heard that the German garrison is going to make a house-tohouse check in our village during the night — about four o'clock, Panayis was told.»

«Not a routine check, I take it?» Mallory asked.

«This has not happened for many months. They must think that you have slipped their patrols and are hiding in the village.» Louki chuckled. «If you ask me, I don't think they know what to think. It is nothing to you, of course. You will not be there — and even if you were they would not find you: and it will make it all the safer for you to come to Margaritha afterwards. But Panayis and I — we must not be found out of our beds. Things would go hard with us.»

«Of course, of course. We must take no risks. But there is plenty of time. You will go down in an hour. But first, the fortress.» He dug into his breast pocket, brought out the map Eugene Vlachos had drawn for him, turned to Panayis and slipped easily into the island Greek. «Come, Panayis. I hear you know the fortress as Louki here knows his own vegetable patch. I already know much, but I want you to tell me everything about it — the layout, guns, magazines, power rooms, barracks, sentries, guard routine, exits, alarm systems, even where the shadows are deep and the others less deep — just everything. No matter how tiny and insignificant the dotails may seem to you, nevertheless you must tell me. If a door opens outwards instead of inwards, you must tell me: that could savea thousand lives.»

«And how does the Major mean to get inside?» Louki asked.

«I don't know yet. I cannot decide until I have seen the fortress.» Mallory was aware of Andrea looking sharply at him, then looking away. They had made their plans on the M.T.B. for entering the fortress. But it was the keystone upon which everything depended, and Mallory felt that this knowledge should be confined to the fewest number possible.

For almost half an hour Mallory and the three Greeks huddled over the chart in the light of the flames, Mallory checking on what he had been told, meticulously pencilling in all the fresh information that Panayis had to give him — and Panayis had a very great deal to tell. It seemed almost impossible that a man could have assimilated so much in two brief visits to the fortress-- and clandestine visits in the darkness, at that. He had an incredible eye and capacity for detail; and it was a burning hatred of the Germans, Mallory felt certain, that bad imprinted these details on an all but photographic memory. Mallory could feel his hopes rising with every second that passed.

Casey Brown was awake again. Tired though he was, the babble of voices had cut through an uneasy sleep. He crossed over to where Andy Stevens, half-awake now, lay propped against the wall, talking rationally at times, incoherently at others. There was nothing for him to do there, Brown saw: Miller, cleaning, dusting and rebandaging the wounds had had all the help he needed — and very efficient help at that — from Andrea. He moved over to the mouth of the cave, listened blankly to the four men talking in Greek, moved out past the screen for a breath of the cold, clean night air. With seven people inside the cave and the fire burning continuously, the lack of almost all ventilation had made it uncomfortably warm.

He was back in the cave in thirty seconds, drawing the screen tightly shut behind him.

«Quiet, everybody!» he whispered softly. He gestured behind him. «There's something moving out there, down the slope a bit. I heard it twice, sir.»

Panayis swore softly, twisted to his feet like a wild cat. A foot-long, two-edged throwing knife gleamed evilly in his hand and he had vanished through the canvas screen before anyone could speak. Andrea made to follow him, but Mallory stretched out his hand.

«Stay where you are, Andrea. Our friend Panayis is just that little bit too precipitate,» he said softly. «There may be nothing — or it might be some diversionary move… . Oh, damn!» Stevens had just started babbling to himself in a loud voice. «He would start talking now. Can't you do something …»

But Andrea was already bent over the sick boy, holding his hand in his own, smoothing the hot forehead and hair with his free hand and talking to him soothingly, softly, conthuously. At first he paid no attention, kept on talking in a rambling, inconsequential fashion about nothing in particular; gradually, however, the hypnotic effect of the stroking hand, the gentle caressing murmur took effect, and the babbling died away to a barely audible muttering, ceased altogether. Suddenly his eyes opened and he was awake and quite rationaL

«What is it, Andrea? Why are you--?»

«Shh!» Mallory held up his hand. «I can hear someone—»

«It's Panayis, sir.» Brown had his eye at a crack in the curtain. «Just moving up the gully.»

Seconds later, Panayis was inside the cave, squatting down by the fire. He looked thoroughly disgusted.

«There is no one there,» he reported. «Some goats I saw, down the bill, but that was all.» Mallory translated to the others.

«Didn't sound like goats to me,» Brown said doggedly. «Different kind of sound altogether.»

«I will take a look,» Andrea volunteered. «Just to make sure. But I do not think the dark one would make a mistake.» Before Mallory could say anything he was gone, as quickly and silently as Panayis. He was back in three minutes, shaking his head. «Panayis is right. There is no one. I did not even see the goats.»

«And that's what it must have been, Casey,» Mallory said. «Still, I don't like it. Snow almost stopped, wind dropping and the valley probably swarming with German patrols — I think it's time you two were away. For God's sake, be careful. If anyone tries to stop you, shoot to kill. They'll blame it On us anyway.»

«Shoot to kill!» Louki laughed dryly. «Unnecessary advice, Major, when the dark one is with us. He never shoots any other way.»

«Right, away you go. Damned sorry you've got yourselves mixed up in all this — but now that you are, a thousand thanks for all you've done. See you at halfpast six.»

«Half-past six,» Louki echoed. «The olive grove on the bank of the stream, south of the village. We will be waiting there.»

Two minutes later they were lost to sight and sound and all was still inside the cave again, except for the faint crackling of the embers of the dying fire. Brown had moved out on guard, and Stevens had already fallen into a restless, pain-filled sleep. Miller bent over him for a moment or two, then moved softly across the cave to Mallory. His right hand held a crumpled heap of blood-stained bandages. He held them out towards Mallory.

«Take a sniff at that, boss,» he asked quietly. «Easy does it.»

Mallory bent forward, drew away sharply, his nose wrinkled in immediate disgust.

«Good lord, Dusty! That's vile!» He paused, paused in sure, sick certainty. He knew the answer before he spoke. «What on earth is it?»

«Gangrene.» Miller sat down heavily by his side, threw the bandages into the fire. All at once he sounded tired, defeated. «Gas gangrene. Spreadin' like a forest fire — and he would have died anyway. I'm just wastin' my time.»