Slowly, hands still clasped above their heads, the three men stumbled to their feet. Mallory had taken only one step when the whip-lash of the German's voice brought him up short.
Stop! He stabbed the beam of his torch down at the unconscious Stevens, gestured abruptly at Andrea. One side, you! Who is this?
You need not fear from him, Mallory said quietly. He is one of us but he is terribly injured. He is dying.
We will see, the officer said tightly. Move to the back of the cave! He waited until the three men had stepped over Stevens, changed his automatic rifle for a pistol, dropped to his knees and advanced slowly, torch in one hand, gun in the other, well below the line of fire of the two soldiers who advanced unbidden at his heels. There was an inevitability, a cold professionalism about it all that made Mallory's heart sink.
Abruptly the officer reached out his gun-hand, tore the covers off the boy. A shuddering tremor shook the whole body, his head rolied from side to side as he moaned in unconscious agony. The officer bent quickly over him, the hard, clean lines of the face, the fair hair beneath the hood high-lit in the beam of his own torch. A quick look at Stevens's pain-twisted, emaciated features, a glance at the shattered leg, a brief, distasteful wrinkling of the nose as he caught the foul stench of the gangrene, and he had hunched back on his heels, gently replacing the covers over the sick boy.
You speak the truth, he said softly. We are not barbarians. I have no quarrel with a dying man. Leave him there. He rose to his feet, walked slowly backwards. The rest of you outside.
The snow had stopped altogether, Mallory saw, and stars were beginning to twinkle in the clearing sky. The wind, too, had fallen away and was perceptibly warmer. Most of the snow would be gone by midday, Mallory guessed.
Carelessly, incuriously, he looked around him. There was no sign of Casey Brown. Inevitably Mallory's hopes began to rise. Petty Officer Brown's recommendation for this operation had come from the very top. Two rows of ribbons to which he was entitled but never wore bespoke his gallantry, he had a formidable reputation as a guerrilla fighter and he had had an automatic rifle in his hand. If he were somewhere out there . Almost as 'if he had divined his hopes, the German smashed them at a word.
You wonder where your sentry is, perhaps? he asked mockingly. Never fear, Englishman, he is not far from here, asleep at his post. Very sound asleep, I'm afraid.
You've killed him? Mallory's hands clenched until his palms ached.
The other shrugged his shoulder in vast indifference.
I really couldn't say. It was all too easy. One of my men lay in the gully and moaned. A masterly performance really pitiable he almost had me convinced. Like a fool your man came to investigate. I had another man waiting above, the barrel of his rifle in his hand. A very effective club, I assure you .
Slowly Mallory unclenched his fists and stared bleakly down the gully. Of course Casey would fall for that, he was bound to after what had happened earlier in the night. He wasn't going to make a fool of himself again, cry wolf twice in succession: inevitably, he had gone to check first. Suddenly the thought occurred to Mallory that maybe Casey Brown had heard something earlier on, but the thought vanished as soon as it had come. Panayis did not look like the man to make a mistake: and Andrea never made a mistake; Mallory turned back to the officer again.
Well, where do we go from here?
Margaritha, and very shortly. But one thing first. The German, his own height to an inch, stood squarely in front of him, levelled revolver at waist height, switched-off torch dangling loosely from his right hand. Just a little thing, Englishman. Where are the explosives? He almost spat the words out.
Explosives? Mallory furrowed his brow in perplexity. What explosives? be asked blankly, then staggered and fell to the ground as the heavy torch swept round in a vicious half-circle, caught him flush on the side of the face. Dizzily he shook his head and climbed slowly to his feet again.
The explosives. The torch was balanced in the hand again, the voice silky and gentle. I asked you where they were.
I don't know what you are talking about. Mallory spat out a broken tooth, wiped some blood off his smashed lips. Is this the way the Germans treat their prisoners? he asked contemptuously.
Shut up!
Again the torch lashed out. Mallory was waiting for it, rode the blow as best he could: even so the torch caught him heavily high up on the cheekbone, just below the temple, stunning him with its jarring impact. Seconds passed, then he pushed himself slowly off the snow, the whole side of his face afire with agony, his vision blurred and unfocused.
We fight a clean war! The officer was breathing heavily, in barely controlled fury. We fight by the Geneva Conventions. But these are for soldiers, not for murdering spies
We are no spies! Mallory interrupted. He felt as if his head was coming apart.
Then where are your uniforms? the officer demanded. Spies, I say murdering spies who stab in the back and cut men's throats! The voice was trembling with anger. Mallory was at a loss nothing spurious about this indignation.
Cut men's throats? He shook his head in bewilderment. What the heli are you talking about?
My own batman. A harmless messenger, a boy only and he wasn't even armed. We found him only an hour ago. Ach, I waste my time! He broke off as he turned to watch two men coming up the gully. Mallory stood motionless for a moment, cursing the ifi luck that had led the dead man across the path of Panayis it could have been no one else then turned to see what had caught the officer's attention. He focused his aching eyes with difficulty, looked at the bent figure struggling up the slope, urged on by the ungentle prodding of a bayoneted rifle. Mallory let go a long, silent breath of relief. The left side of Brown's face was caked with blood from a gash above the temple, but he was otherwise unharmed.
Right! Sit down in the snow, all of you! He gestured to several of his men. Bind their hands!
You are going to shoot us now, perhaps? Mallory asked quietly. It was suddenly, desperately urgent that he should know: there was nothing they could do but die, but at least they could die on their feet, fighting; but if they weren't to die just yet, almost any later opportunity for resistance would be less suicidal than this.
Not yet, unfortunately. My section commander in Margaritha, Hauptmann Skoda, wishes to see you first maybe it would be better for you if I did shoot you now. Then the Herr Kommandant in Navarone Officer Commanding of the whole island. The German smiled thinly. But only a postponement, Englishman. You will be kicking your heels, before the sun sets. We have a short way with spies in Navarone.
But, sir! Captain! Hands raised in appeal, Andrea took a step forward, brought up short as two rifle muzzles ground into his chest.
Not Captain Lieutenant, the officer corrected him. Oberleutnant Turzig, at your service. What is it you want, fat one? he asked contemptuously.
Spies! You said spies! I am no spy! The words rushed and tumbled over one another, as if he could not get them out fast enough. Before God, I am no spy! I am not one of them. The eyes were wide and staring, the mouth working soundlessly between the gasped-out sentences. I am only a Greek, a poor Greek. They forced me to come along as an interpreter. I swear it, Lieutenant Turzig, I swear it!
You yellow bastard! Miller ground out viciously, then grunted in agony as a rifie butt drove into the small of his back, just above the kidney. He stumbled, fell forward on his hands and knees, realised even as he fell that Andrea was only playing a part, that Mallory had only to speak half a dozen words in Greek to expose Andrea's lie. Miller twisted on his side in the snow, shook his fist weakly and hoped that the contorted pain on his face might be mistaken for fury. You two-faced, double-crossing dago! You gawddamned swine, I'll get you There was a hollow, sickening thud and Miller collapsed in the snow: the heavy ski-boot had caught him just behind the ear.