“Well, it can’t be helped,” Johns answered. “Doubtless it will swing back round in due course.”
“Mr Johns!” called a voice from the rear. “Mr Johns, could I have a word?!”
Johns turned to see Medleycott coming up the slope. Beyond him were Cook and Sargent, who had paused briefly to adjust their packs.
“Certainly, Medleycott. What is it?”
“I was wondering…” Medleycott waited a few moments to allow Chase to move slightly ahead. “Has anyone mentioned the tents?”
“No, they haven’t,” replied Johns. “Good gracious! Are you telling me we’ve left them behind?”
“No, no,” said Medleycott. “We’ve brought all four. I made sure and loaded them myself.”
“What’s the matter then?”
“It’s just that I wondered if there were any plans. About who’s going to be put with who.”
“You mean the allocation of places?”
“Yes.”
“It’s been taken care of. As far as I recall, there are three to a tent apart from myself and Scagg. He’s organised it all.”
“Oh.”
“So I’m afraid you’ll need to speak with him if you wish to know who you’re sharing with.”
“And it’s set in granite, is it?”
“I really don’t know, Medleycott, but this isn’t the time or place to discuss such matters. What exactly are those two fiddling about with back there?”
“I think they’re tightening their straps.”
“Well, let’s hope they make an effort to catch up soon. We’ve only been on the move for half an hour and already the party’s becoming strung out. The last thing I want is for everyone to divide into separate little groups all going at different speeds. That would be terribly harmful to the expedition, so please let’s try and keep together, can we?”
“Yes, of course, Mr Johns. Sorry for the delay.”
“And I’m sure you’ll be perfectly all right, whichever tent you’re in.”
“Thank you.”
Without a further word, Medleycott put his head down and pressed forward. After another minute he had latched on to the main group, where there was little talking to be heard. Each of the men walked in silence, leaning into the wind and settling to an even pace as the untrodden land opened up before them. Only Summerfield journeyed alone. Having already moved clear of the mules, he could now be seen as a remote figure, leading the way towards a chain of distant blue hills.
“Impatient as ever,” commented Chase, when Medleycott drew alongside him. “If he keeps going at that rate we’ll lose sight of him altogether.”
“He knows where he’s going, does he?” Medleycott enquired.
“I’ve given him a rough bearing, yes, though to tell you the truth he can hardly go wrong. It’s steady as she goes until we can see the best way through those hills. Or over them.”
“What do you think is on the other side?”
“Who knows? More of the same, I’d hazard.”
“A desolate region bereft of life.”
“That’s very well put,” said Chase.
“I’ve spotted one or two dwarf plants along the way, and the occasional tuft of grass, but little else. Nothing to suggest some verdant belt lying just around the corner.”
“No.”
The conversation was difficult to sustain, held as it was in the face of the wind, and perpetually muffled by their woolly helmets. Nonetheless, Medleycott persisted.
“I don’t suppose,” he asked, “if you’ve heard who’s going in which tent?”
“No, I haven’t,” replied Chase. “Why, was there someone with whom you especially wished to share?”
“No, there wasn’t.”
“So it’s someone you’d rather not share with?”
“It’s neither.”
“Then it barely matters, does it? As long as you get some shelter, that’s all that counts.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” said Medleycott. “I was just interested really.”
“Now I wonder what’s stopped him in his tracks?”
By this time Summerfield was almost a mile ahead of them, but they could see that he had come to an abrupt halt.
“Maybe he’s resting,” suggested Medleycott.
“Possibly,” Chase answered, pausing to gaze into the distance. “But, knowing Summerfield, he’d be more likely to press on until he reached a definite point. He wouldn’t just stop halfway.”
They watched as Summerfield turned and made his way back towards them. Then he halted again, seemingly unable to make up his mind. For a few seconds more he continued to hesitate, before finally turning again and carrying on in the original direction. His speed of movement, though, appeared somewhat slower than it had been before.
“Perhaps he’s giving the rest of us a chance to catch up,” said Plover, who had now joined Chase and Medleycott. Chase glanced at him but said nothing in reply, then the three of them resumed their headlong march. Only after another twenty minutes did they discover the cause of Summerfield’s apparent indecision. Until now the ground they’d been travelling on had consisted of hard bare earth, rough in places but generally firm underfoot. All of a sudden, however, it began to change, the earth quickly vanishing under an immense sweep of pebbles that stretched ahead as far as they could see. The leading mules had already got on to the new surface, and were clearly finding it a hindrance to their progress. Meanwhile, Summerfield continued pushing forward, the margin now reduced to about half a mile. With careful tread, the others followed.
“‘Some of the seeds fell on stony ground’,” remarked Plover, before being pulled up by Scagg.
“Wait a moment everybody!” he called. “I want to speak to Mr Johns before we go any further.”
The whole party took the opportunity to rest while Scagg went back to meet Johns.
“What is it, Scagg?” he asked.
“Scree,” Scagg replied. “Mile upon mile of it, rising all the way to those hills, from what I can make out.”
“Is there any way round it?”
“Unfortunately not. It’s covering our path completely.”
Johns peered beyond his second-in-command, his eyes studying the vast stretch of wilderness.
“Who’s that man up ahead?” he enquired at length.
“Summerfield,” Scagg answered. “He’s been blazing the trail.”
“Well, he seems to be making reasonable headway,” Johns announced. “So I propose we carry on. After all, we can hardly allow every obstacle we meet to turn us aside.”
“Very well, Mr Johns. I just thought I’d better consult with you before we ventured too far.”
“Yes, that’s all right, Scagg. Tell the men to take a short break, then we’ll get moving again before we lose our momentum. And I must have a quiet word with Summerfield when I get the chance. His enthusiasm is laudable, but I think we need to rein him in a little at this early stage. Otherwise heaven knows what he might lead us into.”
Summerfield did, in fact, appear to have noticed that the main party had come to a halt. He could be seen in the distance, standing at the start of a gentle slope, his pack resting on the ground while he awaited his companions. The mules, likewise, were motionless. They stood patiently in a long line, one behind the other.
§
When the journey restarted, a change was immediately noticeable. Not only was the going much slower than it had been before, but now each man’s step was accompanied by the harsh crunch of stones beneath his feet.