`Enough to understand ordinary Russian?'
`Oh yes. Sabinov is a quite well-educated man and a diehard anti-Communist, "but he could easily pass as a Russian if he wanted to.'
`Do you consider him trustworthy?'
`Certainly. As the Ruthenians were a minority and oppressed by the Czechs, he hates their guts and joined up as a volunteer soon after we went into Czechoslovakia.'
`Could you do without him for a while?
'I could if I had to,' Gregory hedged. `Of course, he's had a pretty idle time lately, just polishing my boots and buttons and helping me with my boat. But I'm not at all anxious to part with him.'
`We'd fix it for someone in the hotel to do the polishing for you,' Hauff said quickly, `and surely you could manage your boat on your own?
'Yes, at times I go out without him. But I've had him with me for over a year. He's a good fellow and greatly attached to me. Still, what do you want to borrow him for?'
Hauff's senior, who ranked as a Brigadier, leant forward and said in a low voice, `I will take on from here. My job, Herr Major, is Chief Security Officer at Peenemunde. It's no secret that the Todt Organization has many hundreds of Russian prisoners of war working there… Naturally, as they are kept on a very low diet they are lethargic and ordinarily my men don't have much trouble with them. But recently there have been certain indications that the prisoners in Camp C are plotting a mass break-out.'
The Oberfьhrer took a drink of wine and went on, `What these miserable creatures hope to gain by that, heaven knows. They couldn't possibly get away and we'd shoot them down like rabbits. But I-don't want a number of my men to be taken by surprise and murdered, or to have to eliminate a valuable labour force; so I'm trying to find out who thee ringleaders are; then I'd be able to have them shot and nip this business
in the bud. I've got a few stool-pigeons working with the prisoners, but I'm anxious to put more of them on the job end it's devilish hard to find Germans who speak Russian well enough to pass as Russians. Hauff, here, happened to recall that you had a Ruthenian servant, and since you tell us he is a reliable man I want you to lend him to us for this work.'
Gregory had difficulty in concealing his elation at being presented with such a God-given opportunity to get Kuporovitch right inside the Experimental Station, but he did not wish to appear too eager to co-operate, so he said:
`To agree is obviously my duty, Herr Oberfьhrer, and I do so willingly. But how Sabinov will take this proposal I can't say. Obviously he'll have to live and work among the prisoners and that's a pretty tough assignment. Of course, I could order him to do as you wish. But that wouldn't be much good if he’s unwilling. Even for a short time such a life would amount to severe punishment; so from resentment he would probably keep his mouth shut about anything he did find out, just to spite you.'
`He would be well rewarded,' put in Hauff.
`Ja, ja!' added the Oberfьhrer. `I agree that such a task calls for
sacrifice and fortitude; but he will be well paid for or sit, and if
he is successful I'll see to it that he gets an Iron Cross, 4th Class.' `Very well,' Gregory nodded, `I'll put it to him.' `When could you give me his answer?'
`I'll speak to him after lunch, but I think we ought to give him an hour or two to think it over.'
`That's reasonable. All right, then. I'll return here about six 'clock, and over a drink together you can tell me his reaction.'
For the rest of the meal they talked about the war and Gregory related some of his mythical experiences in Norway. 'then, as soon as the two Nazis had left, he found Kuporovitch and took him into the garden at the back of the hotel. Having told him about Langbahn's proposal, he said:
`This is a marvelous break for us if you're willing to play, Stefan. But there's no getting away from the fact that it would mean hell on earth for you as long as you remain in that camp. 'The ordinary guards won't be told that you are a stool-pigeon, you'll be treated just like the other prisoners. It's certain that you'll be starved and beaten, and if your fellow prisoners rumble you they might quite possibly do you in. So I'll think no worse of you if you regard it as asking too much, and somehow I'll get myself smuggled in on a train.'
'Ventre du Pape! You'll do nothing of the kind,' the Russian replied stoutly. `If you did you would like as not get caught and anyway that wouldn't give you half as good a chance as this. will give me of finding out what's going on there. I'm quite tough enough to take care of myself; and to bitch Hitler's last chance of winning the war I'd willingly spend a year down a coal mine on bread and water.'
`Good for you, Stefan,' Gregory smiled. `I felt sure that would be your answer, but I hate the thought of your having to go through the mill like this while I'm just idling around fishing.'
`Don't give that a thought, dear friend. But this means we shall be separated, and I will not be able to take the wireless in with me. If I do get on to anything really worth while how the devil am I to let you know about it?'
Kuporovitch's question presented a very difficult problem, but after having discussed it for some ten minutes they agreed on a line for Gregory to take when he saw the Oberfьhrer again that evening.
Langbahn arrived soon after six, and when they had ordered drinks Gregory said, 'Sabinov is willing to play, if you'll agree to certain conditions. He says that earlier in the war he spent some time as a guard in a Russian prisoner-of-war cage and that half of them died from starvation. I told him that the labour gangs at Peenemunde wouldn't be as ill-fed as all that, but he insists that he should be allowed out one day a week to eat his head, off.-Rations being what they are, two or three ordinary meals wouldn't be much good; but no doubt if you had a word with the landlady here she'd fix things so that he could stuff himself to the eyebrows. He realizes, too, that he'll be letting himself in for a very tough time, so he wants to set himself up each week by a day of real relaxation. There is nothing he enjoys more than going out with me when I'm fishing, so if you're prepared to let him come back to me on Sundays, and arrange for him to have a real blow-out, he's all yours for the rest of the week.'
For a moment. Langbahn considered these terms, then he
said, `I fully appreciate his point of view and I've nothing against his requests in principle. But it would look very fishy to the other prisoners if one of them were removed from their gang every Sunday, so make them suspicious of him and defeat our object.'
`That is a snag,' Gregory admitted. `But surely there must be scores of gangs and quite a number of deaths that make it necessary to fill them up from time to time with new arrivals. Couldn’t you place him with a different gang each week?'
`I'm afraid that's no good. In six days he wouldn't have been long enough with any set of men to win their confidence.'
Feeling that he now had to take a chance unless Kuporovitch's opportunities of securing information were to be
rendered useless, Gregory said, `The deal is off, then. He really dug his toes in about being given a break now and again.'
`Now and again,' Langbahn repeated. `That's rather different. f he'd be willing to stick it for spells of a fortnight I'd agree: to his terms.'
Gregory nodded. `I might be able to persuade him to do that. 'particularly if I were able to offer him some additional inducement. How about telling him that instead of a day a week he can lave both Sunday and Monday off at the end of each fortnight?'