Jack Higgins - Iron Tiger

by Iron Tiger [lit]

  He went to the door and opened it, the sergeant hurrying at his shoulder. 'But this is madness.'

  Drummond ignored him, went down the steps pulling on his mittens and crossed to the mules. As he unhitched them, the medical sergeant ran past him, mounted the steps to the command post and went inside.

  Drummond took his time, lopped the reins of two of the mules to the pommel of the saddle of the third, mounted, and rode away.

  He passed between the field guns, men standing up to stare at him, and then Major Kara and Lieutenant Singh emerged from the command post, the medical sergeant at their backs, and hurried after him.

  As Drummond passed the last gun emplacement, they caught up with hup. and Major Naru reached for the bridle of the mule he was riding.

  'I can't let you do this, Mr. Drummond..

  "Then you'd better start shooting,' Drummond said calmly. 'It's the only way you're going to stop me..

  He jerked the bridle from the major's grasp, dug his heels into the mule's flanks and moved forward. When he reached the crest of the small hill and looked back into the hollow, Major Naru was still standing there in front of the gun, but Lieutenant Singh was running back towards the command post

  The clouds had dropped down towards the jagged peaks, heavy with snow, and as the mules moved out of the valley and started up the mountain, the first few flakes started to fall.

  Drummond no longer felt tired, but there was a strange singing inside his head, perhaps the brandy talking, and he was alone in a great white silence, following the double track in the snow that he and Hamid had made on their way down.

  He pushed the mules as much as he could,, moving up into the white stillness towards the peaks as the snow continued to fall. It was just under an hour after leaving the camp that he came out of a ravine on to the final slope and moved up towards the plateau.

  From the rim of the plateau, sheltered by a group of jagged rocks, Sergeant Ng watched his progress from the moment he emerged from the ravine. As Drummond drew closer, he turned and hurried down to Colonel Cheung who stood beside the horses outside the hut in the hollow below.

  Cheung looked tired and the skin of his face stretched tightly over his cheekbones, was raw with frostbite. 'One man coming with three mules,' Sergeant Ng said.

  Take the horses inside,' Cheung told him and he moved up out of the hollow to the rim of the plateau.

  He watched Drummond for a full minute and there was no excitement in his heart. He had failed, utterly and completely, and in Pekin he would have to face the consequences of that failure, but at least he would have something of value to take back with him.

  He ran down into the hollow and went inside the hut The horses had crowded to the far end and were quietly feeding on the hay. Father Kerrigan was sitting up on the other side of the fire. Janet standing beside him and Ng waited by the door.

  'It's Drummond,' Cheung said. Til stay down here. You wait for him in the rocks on the edge of the hollow. Let him ride past you before you make your move.'

  'Do you want him alive?' Ng asked calmly.

  .At all costs.'

  Ng went out, closing the door behind him and Cheung drew his revolver. He smiled gently across the fire at Janet and Father Kerrigan.

  'It would be unwise for either of you to attempt to make the slightest noise, do I make myself clear?'

  Drummond came over the edge of the plateau and reined in. It was a peaceful scene, the hut standing below in the hollow, smoke rising into the gently falling snow. He had unslung the Garrand as a precaution while still in the ravine and now it rested across the saddle in front of him.

  He dug his heels into his mule's flanks and started into the hollow. He was perhaps half way down the slope, when there was a commotion inside the hut, the door was flung open and Janet ran outside.

  'Behind you, Jack!' she called. 'Behind you!'

  Drummond released the two lead mules and jerked savagely on the bridle of his own mount, pulling it round as Sergent Ng emerged from the rocks at the top of the hollow, sub-machine gun in his hands.

  He fired a warning burst into the air and Drummond's mule reared, throwing him over its hindquarters as he reached for the Garrand.

  He came to his knees in deep snow, the Garrand still in his hands, the three mules milling around him. Sergeant Ng crouched, trying to get a clear view, and Drummond fired twice in rapid succession, the bullets somersaulting the Chinese back over the rocks.

  As the mules broke away, trotting down to the hut, he turned and saw Janet on one knee, Cheung holding her by the hair, the barrel of his revolver rammed against her neck.

  Drummond walked forward, the rifle at his hip, and stopped a yard or two away. 'Let her and the old man go, Cheung, take me. I could be of real value, more than you could ever realise.'

  'No bargains, Jack, quickly now.'

  Cheung's voice was as soft as ever, but quite implacable, and as he thumbed back the hammer of his revolver, Drummond threw the Garrand far away into the snow.

  That's better.'

  As Cheung released his hold, Janet came to her feet and ran into Drummond's arms. He held her close for a moment. 'Is Father Kerrigan all right?.

  She nodded. 'What about M and Kerim?'

  'We reached the border safely, but the Indian Army has strict orders about crossing over. I had to come back alone.'

  'How very fortunate for me,' Cheung said and he pulled Janet back against him. "You've caused me a great deal of trouble, Jack. I tried to follow you from Ladong Gompa last night and got caught in the blizzard. We had to turn back. Only Sergeant Ng and I made it. I knew I'd be too late and yet I still came on this morning. That's the kind of man I am.'

  'Father Kerrigan and the girl can't be of any use to you. Let them go. I won't give you any trouble.'

  'They want you in Pekin, Jack,' Cheung said. They know all about the work you've been.doing for Ferguson. When you stand before a military tribunal, these two will stand beside you, I'll see to that personally.'

  Drummond shook his head. 'You'll be facing your own tribunal, Colonel. You lost the young Khan, remember?'

  Something glowed in Cheung's eyes, he pushed the girl away from him and the revolver came up. Drummond tensed himself to spring, knowing already that he was too late.

  Cheung took a deep breath and shook his head. 'Oh, no, Jack, nothing as easy as that, I promise you..

  Somewhere horses plunged and snorted and a hard, familiar voice called, 'Over here, Cheung!'

  Hamid was already sliding from the back of a mule tip on the rim of the hollow, an automatic rifle in his hands. Cheung turned, crouching, and Hamid fired three times so quickly that they sounded like one, the first shot catching Cheung in the shoulder, spinning him round, the second and third driving him hard against the wall.

  Janet turned away quickly, stumbling into Drum-mond's arms as Cheung struggled for life, clawing for the revolver he had dropped, and then blood erupted from his mouth in a bright flow and he'coughed once and lay still.

  Lieutenant Singh came over the skyline on a mule, reaching for the bridle of Hamid's mount, following him down into the hollow. Hamid turned Cheung over , with his toe and looked down at him.

  'The face of the damned.'

  'What happened?' Drummond said. 'I thought the Indian Army was supposed to stay on its own side of the border?'

  'It still is,' Hamid said. 'Young Singh here, woke me just after you left. He thought I might have other ideas, which I did. Being a young man of spirit, he decided to come with me.'

  'And Major Nam?'

  'Most unhappy.'

  'Do I detect the possibility of a court martial in the near future?'

  'A matter of supreme indifference to either of us, but, in any event, unlikely. The newspapers wouldn't like it. Is Father Kerrigan all right?'

  .As right as he ever win be,' the old priest said, appearing in the doorway. 'Nothing that a bottle of Jamiesons' and a decent meal wouldn't cure.'

  "Then I suggest we
take you to where we can obtain both items as quickly as possible. Poor Naru will be most uncomfortable until we cross the border.'

  They brought out the horses and helped Father Kerrigan and Janet into the saddle. The old man looked down at Cheung, crossed himself and muttered a prayer as he moved off between Singh and Hamid, and Janet followed.

  Drummond was the last to leave, and after he'd mounted, he sat on his mule for a moment or two looking down at Cheung, feeling strangely sad.

  But nothing mattered now except that life began again, and as he rode up towards Janet, waiting for him on the edge of the plateau, he was smiling.

  The End