[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
from where he crouched and stood behind the man.
"If you start to turn around," he said, "I will kill you."
Nineteen
Joe Mack held his knife against Peshkov's kidney. "You follow me," he said in
Russian. "I do not like it."
"No, no! I go to my own place. I go to sleep!"
"Go, then. But if ever I find you following me or lurking around where I am, I
shall hunt you down and kill you."
Peshkov was recovering his nerve, which had been frightened out of him. "Or
maybe I kill you!" he blustered.
Joe Mack stepped back, the knife still ready. "Good! Now we understand each
other. Go, but do not turn around. The sight of your face might make me change
my mind."
He went, hurrying and stumbling. Once, when some distance off, he turned and
shouted something, words lost in the wind.
Watching him go, Joe Mack knew it was soon to be time for him to leave. One
enemy was all he needed, and an enemy who brought trouble to him would bring
it to this small community, and they had befriended him.
Page 99
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Weeks had passed and he had lost count of the days. How long until spring? How
long until it would be warm enough to travel? He had no desire to die in the
snow, and men froze quickly, almost instantly if somehow they broke through
the ice of a stream or became wet.
He went through the trees to his hideout, pausing to listen, to learn if he
was followed. It was bitterly cold, and his face was covered to the eyes. He
built a small fire when he was safe in his cave, for only a small fire was
needed. He would not be warm, only safe from the cold.
Where was Zamatev now, and what was he doing? Cold weather might slow a search
but would not stop it, and the Russian colonel was ruthless and relentless.
Wherever he was he would be thinking, planning, conniving.
And Alekhin? Where was he?
There had been a woman in Aldan. Women in Russia worked as did men and might
be found filling any role. This one must have been someone with rank, perhaps
a second to Zamatev himself. Of her he must be especially careful, for women
sometimes had flashes of intuition or at least an approach different from that
of a man. Her mind, working in another channel, might come up with answers
Zamatev and his male cohorts might not consider.
The worst of it was that there might be something he would not consider. As he
lay curled in his bear robe he thought of that. Perhaps he should discuss it
with Natalya. She might foresee something he was ignoring.
What he must do was simple enough. He must escape from Siberia and return to
America.
Their problem was equally simple: to prevent his escape and recapture him. His
logical route was toward China, but that way was barred, he was sure, by the
careful border watch. Sooner or later they would guess he was going east, and
the further he went, the narrower the country through which he must travel and
the more confined their search for him.
Even now they would be sitting together, putting their thoughts together with
one object only: to capture him.
He awakened rested, and his hunting led him to a fine young moose in good
condition. He killed it with one arrow and skinned it rapidly, for fear it
would freeze solid before he finished. Yet he managed to save the hide and the
best cuts of meat, and he was not fifty yards away before wolves were tearing
at the carcass. He took the meat to Baronas to distribute, keeping only enough
for himself.
"Good!" Baronas was pleased. "This will quiet some of the talk."
"Talk?"
"Some of them are growing nervous. Botev is back, and Lermontov has come in
from Yakutsk. There are special details there, with helicopters, just waiting
for the weather to break. Our people are frightened,"
He got up. "I will take the meat to them. They will be so busy eating, they
cannot talk."
When he was gone, Joe Mack looked over at Natalya. She was sewing on the shirt
she was making, a very handsome shirt. "I will have to go," he said.
Page 100
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
She nodded. "I know." She looked up at him, and their eyes met. "It has been
good, having you here."
"Yes, good for me, too."
There was a long silence then, and he fed sticks to the hungry fire.
"When you get back to America, will you think of me?"
"How could I forget you?" he said, and was startled at the words. Now why had
he saidthat ?
"It is very far. Everyone will be against you."
"How could it be otherwise? If our people and your people could sit down
together and talk about their families, their farms, and their jobs, I think
there would be no trouble.
"It is our governments that are continually fencing for position, each trying
to gain some advantage. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
from where he crouched and stood behind the man.
"If you start to turn around," he said, "I will kill you."
Nineteen
Joe Mack held his knife against Peshkov's kidney. "You follow me," he said in
Russian. "I do not like it."
"No, no! I go to my own place. I go to sleep!"
"Go, then. But if ever I find you following me or lurking around where I am, I
shall hunt you down and kill you."
Peshkov was recovering his nerve, which had been frightened out of him. "Or
maybe I kill you!" he blustered.
Joe Mack stepped back, the knife still ready. "Good! Now we understand each
other. Go, but do not turn around. The sight of your face might make me change
my mind."
He went, hurrying and stumbling. Once, when some distance off, he turned and
shouted something, words lost in the wind.
Watching him go, Joe Mack knew it was soon to be time for him to leave. One
enemy was all he needed, and an enemy who brought trouble to him would bring
it to this small community, and they had befriended him.
Page 99
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Weeks had passed and he had lost count of the days. How long until spring? How
long until it would be warm enough to travel? He had no desire to die in the
snow, and men froze quickly, almost instantly if somehow they broke through
the ice of a stream or became wet.
He went through the trees to his hideout, pausing to listen, to learn if he
was followed. It was bitterly cold, and his face was covered to the eyes. He
built a small fire when he was safe in his cave, for only a small fire was
needed. He would not be warm, only safe from the cold.
Where was Zamatev now, and what was he doing? Cold weather might slow a search
but would not stop it, and the Russian colonel was ruthless and relentless.
Wherever he was he would be thinking, planning, conniving.
And Alekhin? Where was he?
There had been a woman in Aldan. Women in Russia worked as did men and might
be found filling any role. This one must have been someone with rank, perhaps
a second to Zamatev himself. Of her he must be especially careful, for women
sometimes had flashes of intuition or at least an approach different from that
of a man. Her mind, working in another channel, might come up with answers
Zamatev and his male cohorts might not consider.
The worst of it was that there might be something he would not consider. As he
lay curled in his bear robe he thought of that. Perhaps he should discuss it
with Natalya. She might foresee something he was ignoring.
What he must do was simple enough. He must escape from Siberia and return to
America.
Their problem was equally simple: to prevent his escape and recapture him. His
logical route was toward China, but that way was barred, he was sure, by the
careful border watch. Sooner or later they would guess he was going east, and
the further he went, the narrower the country through which he must travel and
the more confined their search for him.
Even now they would be sitting together, putting their thoughts together with
one object only: to capture him.
He awakened rested, and his hunting led him to a fine young moose in good
condition. He killed it with one arrow and skinned it rapidly, for fear it
would freeze solid before he finished. Yet he managed to save the hide and the
best cuts of meat, and he was not fifty yards away before wolves were tearing
at the carcass. He took the meat to Baronas to distribute, keeping only enough
for himself.
"Good!" Baronas was pleased. "This will quiet some of the talk."
"Talk?"
"Some of them are growing nervous. Botev is back, and Lermontov has come in
from Yakutsk. There are special details there, with helicopters, just waiting
for the weather to break. Our people are frightened,"
He got up. "I will take the meat to them. They will be so busy eating, they
cannot talk."
When he was gone, Joe Mack looked over at Natalya. She was sewing on the shirt
she was making, a very handsome shirt. "I will have to go," he said.
Page 100
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
She nodded. "I know." She looked up at him, and their eyes met. "It has been
good, having you here."
"Yes, good for me, too."
There was a long silence then, and he fed sticks to the hungry fire.
"When you get back to America, will you think of me?"
"How could I forget you?" he said, and was startled at the words. Now why had
he saidthat ?
"It is very far. Everyone will be against you."
"How could it be otherwise? If our people and your people could sit down
together and talk about their families, their farms, and their jobs, I think
there would be no trouble.
"It is our governments that are continually fencing for position, each trying
to gain some advantage. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]