alistairmaclean.icestationzebra-第2部分

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　 〃Well；　would　you　look　at　this。〃　Lieutenant　Hansen　made　no　attempt　to　conceal　his　irritation　and　chagrin。　〃Here　we　are；　pussy…footing　around　in　this　God…forsaken　dump；　tape　all　over　our　mouths；　sworn　to　eternal　secrecy　about　mission　and　destinationand　then　what？　I　pick　up　this　damned　limey　newspaper　and　here　are　all　the　top…secret　details　plastered　right　across　the　front　page。〃
　 〃You　are　kidding；　Lieutenant；〃　said　the　man　with　the　red　face　and　the　general　aspect　of　a　polar　bear。　His　voice　seemed　to　e　from　his　boots。
　 〃I　am　not　kidding；　Zabrinski；〃　Hansen　said　coldly；　〃as　you　would　appreciate　if　you　had　ever　learned　to　read。　'Nuclear　submarine　to　the　rescue；'　it　says。　'Dramatic　dash　to　the　North　Pole。'　God　help　us；　the　North　Pole。　And　a　picture　of　the　〃Dolphin〃。　And　of　the　skipper。　Good　God；　there's　even　a　picture　of　me。〃　
　 Rawhings　reached　out　a　hairy　paw　and　twisted　the　paper　to　have　a　better　look　at　the　blurred　and　smudged　representation　of　the　man　before　him。　〃So　there　is。　Not　very　flattering；　is　it；　Lieutenant？　But　a　speaking　likeness；　mind　you；　a　speaking　likeness。　The　photographer　has　caught　the　essentials　perfectly。〃
　 〃You　are　utterly　ignorant　of　the　first　principles　of　photography；〃　Hansen　said　witheringly。　〃Listen　to　this　piece。　'The　following　joint　statement　was　issued　simultaneously　a　few　minutes　before　noon　（G。M。T。）　today　in　both　London　and　Washington：　〃In　view　of　the　critical　condition　of　the　survivors　of　Drift　Ice　Station　Zebra　and　the　failure　either　to　rescue　or　contact　them　by　conventional　means；　the　U。　S。　Navy　has　willingly　agreed　that　the　U。　S。　nuclear　submarine　〃Dolphin〃　be　dispatched　with　all　speed　to　try　to　effect　contact　with　the　survivors。
　 〃'〃The　〃Dolphin〃　returned　to　its　base　in　the　Holy　Loch；　Scotland；　at　dawn　this　morning　after　carrying　out　extensive　exercises　with　the　Nato　naval　forces　in　the　eastern　Atlantic。　It　is　hoped　that　the　〃Dolphin〃　（mander　James　D。　Swanson；　U。S。N。；　manding）　will　sail　at　approximately　seven　p。m。　（G。M。T。）　this　evening。〃
　 〃'The　laconic　understatement　of　this　munique　heralds　the　beginning　of　a　desperate　and　dangerous　rescue　attempt　which　must　be　without　parallel　in　the　history　of　the　sea　or　the　Arctic；　It　is　now　sixty　hours'〃
　 〃Desperate；'　you　said；　Lieutenant？〃　Rawlings　frowned　heavily。　〃'Dangerous；'　you　said？　The　captain　will　be　asking　for　volunteers？〃
　 〃No　need。　I　told　the　captain　that　I'd　already　checked　with　all　eighty…eight　enlisted　men　and　that　they'd　volunteered　to　a　man。〃
　 〃You　never　checked　with　me。〃
　 〃I　must　have　missed　you。　Now；　kindly　shut　up；　your　executive　officer　is　talking。　'It　is　now　sixty　hours　since　the　world　was　electrified　to　learn　of　the　disaster　that　had　struck　Drift　Ice　Station　Zebra；　the　only　British　meteorological　station　in　the　Arctic；　when　an　English…speaking　ham…radio　operator　in　Bod？；　Norway；　picked　up　the　faint　S。O。S。　from　the　top　of　the　world。
　 〃A　further　message；　picked　up　less　than　twenty…four　hours　ago　by　the　British　trawler　〃Morning　Star〃　in　the　Barents　Sea；　makes　it　clear　that　the　position　of　the　survivors　of　the　fuel…oil　fire　that　destroyed　most　of　Drift　Ice　Station　Zebra　in　the　early　hours　of　Tuesday　morning　is　desperate　in　the　extreme。　With　their　oil…fuel　reserves　pletely　destroyed　and　their　food　stores　all　but　wiped　out；　it　is　feared　that　those　still　living　cannot　long　be　expected　to　survive　in　the　twenty…below　temperaturesfifty　degrees　of　frostat　present　being　experienced　in　that　area。
　 〃'It　is　not　known　whether　all　the　prefabricated　huts；　in　which　the　expedition　members　lived；　have　been　destroyed。
　 〃'Drift　Ice　Station　Zebra；　which　was　established　only　in　the　late　summer　of　this　year；　is　at　present　in　an　estimated　position　of　85°　40'N。；　21　°30'E。；　which　is　only　about　three　hundred　miles　from　the　North　Pole。　Its　position　cannot　be　known　with　certainty；　because　of　the　clockwise　drift　of　the　polar　ice　pack。　
　 〃'For　the　past　thirty　hours　long…range　supersonic　bombers　of　the　American；　British　and　Russian　air　forces　have　been　scouring　the　polar　ice　pack　searching　for　Station　Zebra。　Because　of　the　uncertainty　about　the　drift　station's　actual　position；　the　plete　absence　of　daylight　in　the　Arctic　at　this　time　of　year　and　the　extremely　bad　weather　conditions；　they　were　unable　to　locate　the　station　and　forced　to　return。'〃
　 〃They　didn't　have　to　locate　it；〃　Rawhings　objected。　〃Not　visually。　With　the　instruments　those　bombers　have　nowadays；　they　could　home…in　on　a　hummingbird　a　hundred　miles　away。　The　radio　operator　at　the　drift　station　had　only　to　keep　on　sending　and　they　could　have　used　that　as　a　beacon。〃
　 〃Maybe　the　radio　operator　is　dead；〃　Hansen　said　heavily；　〃Maybe　his　radio　has　broken　down　on　him。　Maybe　the　fuel　that　was　destroyed　was　essential　f　or　running　the　radio。　All　depends　what　source　of　power　he　used。〃
　 〃Diesel…electric　generator；〃　I　said。　〃He　had　a　standby　battery　of　Nife　cells。　Maybe　he's　conserving　the　batteries；　using　them　only　for　emergencies。　There's　also　a　hand…cranked　generator；　but　its　range　is　pretty　limited。〃
　 〃How　do　you　know　that？〃　Hansen　asked　quietly。　〃About　the　type　of　power　used？〃
　 〃I　must　have　read　it　somewhere。〃
　 〃You　must　have　read　it　somewhere。〃　He　looked　at　me　without　expression；　then　turned　back　to　his　paper。　〃A　report　from　Moscow　states　that　the　atomic…engined　〃Dvina〃；　the　world's　most　powerful　ice…breaker；　sailed　from　Murmansk　some　twenty　hours　ago　and　is　proceeding　at　high　speed　toward　the　Arctic　pack。　Experts　are　not　hopeful　about　the　oute；　for　at　this　late　period　of　the　year　the　ice　pack　has　already　thickened　and　pacted　into　a　solid　mass　which　will　almost　certainly　defy　the　efforts　of　any　vessel；　even　those　of　the　〃Dvina〃；　to　smash　its　way　through。
　 〃'The　use　of　the　submarine　〃Dolphin〃　appears　to　offer　the　only　slender　hope　of　life　for　the　apparently　doomed　survivors　of　Station　Zebra。　The　odds…　against　success　must　be　regarded　as　heavy　in　the　extreme。　Not　only　will　the　〃Dolphin〃　have　to　travel　several　hundred　miles　continuously　submerged　under　the　polar　ice　cap；　but　the　possibilities　of　its　being　able　to　break　through　the　ice　cap　at　any　given　place　or　to　locate　the　survivors　are　very　remote。　But　undoubtedly　if　any　ship　in　the　world　can　do　it；　it　is　the　〃Dolphin〃；　the　pride　of　the　U。S。　Navy's　nuclear　submarine　fleet。'〃
　 Hansen　broke　off　and　read　on　silently　for　a　minute。　Then　he　said：　〃That's　about　all。　A　story　giving　all　the　known　details　of　the　〃Dolphin〃。　That；　and　a　lot　of　ridiculous　rubbish　about　the　enlisted　men　in　the　〃Dolphin's〃　crew　being　the　elite　of　the　cream　of　the　U。　S。　Navy。〃
　 Rawlings　looked　wounded。　Zabrinski；　the　polar　bear　with　the　red　face；　grinned；　fished　out　a　pack　of　cigarettes　and　passed　them　around。　Then　he　became　serious　again　and　said：　〃What　are　those　crazy　guys　doing　up　there　at　the　top　of　the　world；　anyway？〃
　 〃Meteorological；　lunkhead；〃　Rawlings　informed　him。　〃Didn't　you　hear　the　lieutenant　say　so？　A　big　word；　mind　you；〃　he　conceded　generously；　〃but　he　made　a　pretty　fair　stab　at　it。　'Weather　station'　to　you；　Zabrinski。〃　
　 〃I　still　say　they're　crazy　guys；〃　Zabrinski　rumbled。　〃Why　do　they　do　it；　Lieutenant？〃
　 〃I　suggest　you　ask　Dr。　Carpenter　about　it；〃　Hansen　said　dryly。　He　stared　through　the　plate…glass　windows　at　the　snow　whirling　grayly　through　the　gathering　darkness；　his　eyes　bleak　and　remote；　as　if　he　were　already　visualizing　the　doomed　men　drifting　to　their　death　in　the　frozen　immensity　of　the　polar　ice　cap。　〃I　think　he　knows　a　great　deal　more　about　it　than　I　do。〃
　 〃I　know　a　little；〃　I　admitted。　〃There's　nothing　mysterious　or　sinister　about　what　I　know。　Meteorologists　now　regard　the　Arctic　and　the　Antarctic　as　the　two　great　weather　factories　of　the　world；　the　areas　primarily　responsible　for　the　weather　that　affects　the　rest　of　the　hemispheres。　We　already　know　a　fair　amount　about　Antarctic　conditions；　but　practically　nothing　about　the　Arctic。　So　we　pick　a　suitable　ice　floe；　fill　it　with　huts　crammed　with　technicians　and　all　sorts　of　instruments；　and　let　them　drift　around　the　top　of　the　world　for　six　months　or　so。　Your　own　people　have　already　set　up　two　or　three　of　those　stations。　The　Russians　have　set　up　at　least　ten；　to　the　best　of　my　knowledge；　most　of　them　in　the　East　Siberian　Sea。〃
　 〃How　do　they　establish　those　camps；　Doc？〃　Rawlings　asked。
　 〃Different　ways。　Your　people　prefer　to　establish　them　in　wintertime；　when　the　pack　freezes　up　enough　for　plane　landings　to　be　made。　Someone　flies　out　from；　usually；　Point　Barrow　in　Alaska　and　searches　around　the　polar　pack　till　they　find　a　suitable　ice　floeeven　when　the　ice　is　pacted　and　frozen　together　into　one　solid　mass　an　expert　can　tell　which　pieces　are　going　to　remain　as　good…sized　floes　when　the　thaw　es　and　the　break…up　begins。　Then　they　fly　out　all　huts；　equipment；　stores　and　men　by　ski　plane　and　gradually　build　the　place　up。
　 〃The　Russians　prefer　to　use　a　ship　in　summertime。　They　generally　use　the　〃Lenin〃；　a　nuclear…engined　ice…breaker。　It　just　batters　its　way　deep　into　the　summer　pack；　dumps　everything　and　everybody　on　the　ice；　and　takes　off　before　the　big　freeze…up　starts。　We　used　the　same　technique　for　Drift　Ice　Station　Zebraour　one　and　only　ice　station。　The　Russians　lent　us　the　〃Lenin〃all　countries　are　only　too　willing　to　concentrate　on　meteorological　research；　since　everyone　benefits　by　itand　took　us　pretty　deep　into　the　ice　pack　north　of　Franz　Josef　Land。　Zebra　has　already　moved　a　good　bit　from　its　original　positionthe　polar　ice　cap；　just　sitting　on　top　of　the　Arctic　Ocean；　can't　quite　manage　to　keep　up　with　the　west…east　spin　of　the　earth；　so　that　it　has　a　slow　westward　movement　in　relation　to　the　earth's　crust。　At　the　present　moment　It's　about　four…　hundred　miles　due　north　of　Spitsbergen。〃
　 〃They're　still　crazy；〃　Zabrinski　said。　He　was　silent　for　a　moment；　then　looked　speculatively　at　me。　〃You　in　the　limey　Navy；　Doc？〃
　 〃You　must　forgive　Zabrinski's　manners；　Dr。　Carpenter；〃　Rawlings　said　coldly。　〃But　he's　been　denied　the　advantages　that　the　rest　of　us　take　for　granted。　I　understand　he　was　born　in　the　Bronx。〃
　 〃No　offense；〃　Zabrinski　said　equably。　〃Royal　Navy；　I　meant。　Are　you；　Doc？〃
　 〃Attached　to　it；　you…　might　say。〃
　 〃Loosely；　no　doubt。〃　Rawlings　nodded。　〃Why　so　keen　on　an　Arctic　holiday；　Doc？　Mighty　cool　up　there；　I　can　tell　you。