Read Online East of Desolation by Jack Higgins - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jack Higgins
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understand.”
“It’s simple. I fly an Otter amphibian, but I also have wheels which means I can put down on land or water, but not on snow.”
“But what about this lake that’s marked here,” Stratton said. “Lake Sule. It can’t be more than fifteen miles away from the wreck. Couldn’t you put down there?”
“It’s usually ice-free for about two weeks during September,” I said. “Never any earlier than that within my experience.”
“But you could take a look couldn’t you? Tomorrowperhaps?” Vogel said. “I’ll pay well. You’d have no worries on that score.”
“I’d be taking your money to no purpose. I can tell you that now and in any case I’ve already contracted to make three charter flights tomorrow.”
“Whatever you’re getting paid, I’ll double.”
I shook my head. “No you won’t. I’ll still be here trying to make a living after you’ve gone and I wouldn’t last long if I treated people like that.”
“What about getting there by land?” Stratton said. “I see there’s a road from Frederiksborg to Sandvig according to this map.”
“A hundred-mile cart track through the mountain. You could get to Sandvig by Land-Rover all right in five or six hours depending on weather conditions, but getting to Sandvig isn’t the problem. I could fly you there inside an hour. It’s what lies beyond that’s the trouble. The glacier and the mountains and then the ice-cap. A hundred miles on foot over some of the worst country in the world. At a guess I’d say it took that Oxford expedition the best part of a fortnight.” I shook my head. “The ideal solution would be a helicopter, but the nearest one of those to my knowledge is at the American base at Thule and that’s a thousand miles up the coast from here.”
There was another of those heavy silences and Vogel looked across at Stratton glumly. “It doesn’t look too good, does it?”
Up until then I’d rather enjoyed myself pointing out the difficulties and making the whole thing look impossible, but there had to come a time when I offered the only obvious solution.
“Of course it’s just possible that someone could put down a ski plane up there.”
Vogel was all attention. “Is there one available?”
I nodded. “A friend of mine runs an Aermacchi. An Icelander called Arnie Fassberg. You’re in luck. He usually takes his skis off for the summer, but this year he’s left them on because he has a regular charter contract with a mining company on the edge of the ice-cap at Malamusk.”
“And you think he could land in the vicinity of the wreck?” Stratton said.
“He might with luck. It would really depend on whether he could find a snowfield.”
“But not otherwise?”
I shook my head. “It’s a nightmare world up there, a moonscape carved out of ice by the wind, cracked and fissured in a thousand places.”
“This friend of yours, Fassberg I think you said his name was? He is here in Frederiksborg?” Vogel asked.
“He’s based at the airstrip here. You could phone him through from the desk and leave a message for him. He’ll get it first thing in the morning.”
“Doesn’t he live here at the hotel?”
“No, he has his own place on the edge of town.”
“Perhaps we could see him tonight? I would like to get things settled as soon as possible.”
I shook my head. “Tonight, he’s otherwise engaged, Mr. Vogel, believe me.”
“Which means a woman if I know Arnie,” Desforge put in.
Vogel looked at me enquiringly and I nodded.“ Something like that. He takes that side of life very seriously.” I turned to Sarah Kelso. “You’ve already met, by the way, just before dinner outside your room.”
Her eyes widened. “The handsome young man with the white hair? How interesting.” Vogel frowned in puzzlement, but she didn’t bother to explain. “If you don’t mind I think I’ll go to bed now. I’m very tired.”
“But of course, my dear.” His voice was instantly filled with
“It’s simple. I fly an Otter amphibian, but I also have wheels which means I can put down on land or water, but not on snow.”
“But what about this lake that’s marked here,” Stratton said. “Lake Sule. It can’t be more than fifteen miles away from the wreck. Couldn’t you put down there?”
“It’s usually ice-free for about two weeks during September,” I said. “Never any earlier than that within my experience.”
“But you could take a look couldn’t you? Tomorrowperhaps?” Vogel said. “I’ll pay well. You’d have no worries on that score.”
“I’d be taking your money to no purpose. I can tell you that now and in any case I’ve already contracted to make three charter flights tomorrow.”
“Whatever you’re getting paid, I’ll double.”
I shook my head. “No you won’t. I’ll still be here trying to make a living after you’ve gone and I wouldn’t last long if I treated people like that.”
“What about getting there by land?” Stratton said. “I see there’s a road from Frederiksborg to Sandvig according to this map.”
“A hundred-mile cart track through the mountain. You could get to Sandvig by Land-Rover all right in five or six hours depending on weather conditions, but getting to Sandvig isn’t the problem. I could fly you there inside an hour. It’s what lies beyond that’s the trouble. The glacier and the mountains and then the ice-cap. A hundred miles on foot over some of the worst country in the world. At a guess I’d say it took that Oxford expedition the best part of a fortnight.” I shook my head. “The ideal solution would be a helicopter, but the nearest one of those to my knowledge is at the American base at Thule and that’s a thousand miles up the coast from here.”
There was another of those heavy silences and Vogel looked across at Stratton glumly. “It doesn’t look too good, does it?”
Up until then I’d rather enjoyed myself pointing out the difficulties and making the whole thing look impossible, but there had to come a time when I offered the only obvious solution.
“Of course it’s just possible that someone could put down a ski plane up there.”
Vogel was all attention. “Is there one available?”
I nodded. “A friend of mine runs an Aermacchi. An Icelander called Arnie Fassberg. You’re in luck. He usually takes his skis off for the summer, but this year he’s left them on because he has a regular charter contract with a mining company on the edge of the ice-cap at Malamusk.”
“And you think he could land in the vicinity of the wreck?” Stratton said.
“He might with luck. It would really depend on whether he could find a snowfield.”
“But not otherwise?”
I shook my head. “It’s a nightmare world up there, a moonscape carved out of ice by the wind, cracked and fissured in a thousand places.”
“This friend of yours, Fassberg I think you said his name was? He is here in Frederiksborg?” Vogel asked.
“He’s based at the airstrip here. You could phone him through from the desk and leave a message for him. He’ll get it first thing in the morning.”
“Doesn’t he live here at the hotel?”
“No, he has his own place on the edge of town.”
“Perhaps we could see him tonight? I would like to get things settled as soon as possible.”
I shook my head. “Tonight, he’s otherwise engaged, Mr. Vogel, believe me.”
“Which means a woman if I know Arnie,” Desforge put in.
Vogel looked at me enquiringly and I nodded.“ Something like that. He takes that side of life very seriously.” I turned to Sarah Kelso. “You’ve already met, by the way, just before dinner outside your room.”
Her eyes widened. “The handsome young man with the white hair? How interesting.” Vogel frowned in puzzlement, but she didn’t bother to explain. “If you don’t mind I think I’ll go to bed now. I’m very tired.”
“But of course, my dear.” His voice was instantly filled with
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