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.I'm assuming that if he is aiming to snatch Instrood back for theChinese, then he has access to inside information, as usual.Which means heknows when and how we're bringing Instrood into the country, and he may evenknow where we're taking him.""All this is more or less speculative for the present," Simon pointed out."But if your analysis is correct, what's to stop you changing the venue forputting the matches under Comrade Instrood's toes, preferably at the lastminute?"David Pelton's glittering dark eyes darted over the faces of the other three."We've given it careful thought." He looked at Nobbins, who nodded."And ourconclusion is that if Rockham has got this commission from the Chinese, thenthe time has come when we can't afford to leave his activities unchecked anylonger.The Squad will have to be wiped out.If that's the league they've gotinto, they're too dangerous to be left alone any longer.""I see," said the Saint slowly; and he meant more by that than either Peltonor Nobbins or Ruth Barnaby realised."So if Rockham's a big enough fish to bedangerous, he'll swim straight into the net.Or you hope he will.""Exactly." Pelton smiled faintly again, the merest quiver of the lips."IfRockham makes a bid to get James Anthony Instrood away from us, he's going torun into much more than he bargained for.His forces will be divided oneparty on the raid, and the rest back at base.And we'll have the advantage ofsurprise as well as a man in the enemy camp.""You mean in the firing line," said the Saint.Pelton shrugged."If you're in charge of the raiding party, so much the better so long as youremember to dodge the bullets when the crucial moment comes.But we'll berelying on your help beforehand we'll need to know what sort of attack heintends to mount, so that we can prepare to meet it at minimum risk to our ownforces.""The probabilities look right," Simon said as he stood up."But it's stillguesswork at this stage.I'll pass on whatever I find out tomorrow." Hepaused, looking speculatively at Pelton."By the way, just so that I cansettle a bet with myself are you a chess player, by any chance?"Pelton looked mildly surprised and said: "As a matter of fact, yes.I enjoy agame occasionally.Why do you ask?""Just tell me what your favourite opening is," Simon said: "the one you liketo use yourself, when you're playing as White, let's say."Page 78 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"King's Gambit," Pelton said."Or one of the other pawn gambits.""Thanks," said the Saint with the ghost of a smile."I just won a bet withmyself."On the short drive back, Ruth asked him about that parting remark."I don't know the game," she said."What did you mean about openings, andgambits ?""It would take too long to explain now," he told her."Let's just say Idiscovered something your boss has in common with Rockham."His occasional excursions to the wall and over had become almost routine bynow, and in a few minutes he was back in his room, his denims, shirt, andpullover were neatly folded over the chair, and the black plimsolls neatlyaligned under it, with absolutely no sign of any hurry in the manner of theirarrangement.And in a few minutes more he really was peacefully asleep again,as if he had done nothing else since going to bed the night before.In those few minutes, however, he had administered himself a sober warning:not to push his luck with these nocturnal excursions too far.Until then,Lembick and Cawber had had no reason to be suspicious of him and hence tosubject him to special surveillance.Now, even without suspicion, they hadmotives to look for or even to manufacture some evidence that would discredithim.And it could hardly be long before even their slower wits visualized hisroom as a tempting site for some nefarious operation.He was roused in the morning by a weird sound that droned mystifyingly overthe blurred threshold of his consciousness.At first it seemed like thedespairing death-cry of a stricken poltergeist.or was it a wailing bansheecome to mourn in anticipation of an imminent human demise.or was theresome still more unearthly explanation that would occur to him once he wasproperly awake ? It was a plaintive penetrating sound that rose and fell inear-torturing cadences, a plangent ululation such as never came from the mouthof man nor beast.The Saint rolled out of bed and looked out of the window.It was Lembick, playing the bagpipes.Nor was this torture inflicted on his fellows for his own private pleasure; afact that became clear when Rockham briefed him that morning for the nextday's mission.Rockham gave away no more than he had to.What he did give away included thename Instrood, and the location: Braizedown Hall."It's a straightforward enough plan," he said."I'm briefing you separately asyou'll be playing the part of Officer in Command.But don't run away with theidea that you're in command of the mission," he added."Because I'll be theremyself, right beside you.As your Corporal.""That's nice and trusting of you," said the Saint.Rockham turned those pale eyes on him."A good mercenary commander never separates himself for long from his troops,"he replied."Now Braizedown Hall is under constant guard.A platoon of men,day and night.We could always try storming the place with superior numbers,but there's a neater way.We take the place of the guard."Simon raised an eyebrow."How?""The Paras are due to hand over tomorrow to another regiment.The LowlandLight Infantry.And we've enough of their uniforms to make up a plausible-looking platoon.Lembick has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Scotsregiments.I've put him in charge of the drill."The Saint thought about it.It was a bold and yet simple idea, the sort hewould have expected from Rockham.He looked appraisingly at this man with thebig square head, the determined jaw, the powerful hands; and he wondered whatsort of conventional military strategist he would have made, if he had notchosen the path of lawless violence."What about the real platoon?" he asked."We divert them send them on a circular tour around the country," saidRockham, smiling."And then we roll up in their place.And within twentyPage 79 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlminutes after that, we roll out again with the valuable Mr Instrood."All that day, the selected group of twenty-five men were drilled by Lembick intheir tartan trews and battle-blouses.Tam o'Shanters, those peculiarlyScottish woollen berets worn aslant, completed the uniform of that uniqueregiment a regiment so elite and exclusive that even a person knowledgeablein military affairs of the time might be forgiven for never having heard ofthe Lowland Light Infantry.Simon himself received special detailed briefing from Lembick on his role asCaptain and more than once he drew thankfully on his hasty studies to supplythe general knowledge that was assumed of him.When he woke himself that night for his rendezvous with Ruth Barnaby, it waswith a simultaneous reprise of the cautionary thought with which he had fallenasleep after his last sortie.He made his way to the toilet as usual, butbefore switching on the light took a long look out of the window [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.I'm assuming that if he is aiming to snatch Instrood back for theChinese, then he has access to inside information, as usual.Which means heknows when and how we're bringing Instrood into the country, and he may evenknow where we're taking him.""All this is more or less speculative for the present," Simon pointed out."But if your analysis is correct, what's to stop you changing the venue forputting the matches under Comrade Instrood's toes, preferably at the lastminute?"David Pelton's glittering dark eyes darted over the faces of the other three."We've given it careful thought." He looked at Nobbins, who nodded."And ourconclusion is that if Rockham has got this commission from the Chinese, thenthe time has come when we can't afford to leave his activities unchecked anylonger.The Squad will have to be wiped out.If that's the league they've gotinto, they're too dangerous to be left alone any longer.""I see," said the Saint slowly; and he meant more by that than either Peltonor Nobbins or Ruth Barnaby realised."So if Rockham's a big enough fish to bedangerous, he'll swim straight into the net.Or you hope he will.""Exactly." Pelton smiled faintly again, the merest quiver of the lips."IfRockham makes a bid to get James Anthony Instrood away from us, he's going torun into much more than he bargained for.His forces will be divided oneparty on the raid, and the rest back at base.And we'll have the advantage ofsurprise as well as a man in the enemy camp.""You mean in the firing line," said the Saint.Pelton shrugged."If you're in charge of the raiding party, so much the better so long as youremember to dodge the bullets when the crucial moment comes.But we'll berelying on your help beforehand we'll need to know what sort of attack heintends to mount, so that we can prepare to meet it at minimum risk to our ownforces.""The probabilities look right," Simon said as he stood up."But it's stillguesswork at this stage.I'll pass on whatever I find out tomorrow." Hepaused, looking speculatively at Pelton."By the way, just so that I cansettle a bet with myself are you a chess player, by any chance?"Pelton looked mildly surprised and said: "As a matter of fact, yes.I enjoy agame occasionally.Why do you ask?""Just tell me what your favourite opening is," Simon said: "the one you liketo use yourself, when you're playing as White, let's say."Page 78 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"King's Gambit," Pelton said."Or one of the other pawn gambits.""Thanks," said the Saint with the ghost of a smile."I just won a bet withmyself."On the short drive back, Ruth asked him about that parting remark."I don't know the game," she said."What did you mean about openings, andgambits ?""It would take too long to explain now," he told her."Let's just say Idiscovered something your boss has in common with Rockham."His occasional excursions to the wall and over had become almost routine bynow, and in a few minutes he was back in his room, his denims, shirt, andpullover were neatly folded over the chair, and the black plimsolls neatlyaligned under it, with absolutely no sign of any hurry in the manner of theirarrangement.And in a few minutes more he really was peacefully asleep again,as if he had done nothing else since going to bed the night before.In those few minutes, however, he had administered himself a sober warning:not to push his luck with these nocturnal excursions too far.Until then,Lembick and Cawber had had no reason to be suspicious of him and hence tosubject him to special surveillance.Now, even without suspicion, they hadmotives to look for or even to manufacture some evidence that would discredithim.And it could hardly be long before even their slower wits visualized hisroom as a tempting site for some nefarious operation.He was roused in the morning by a weird sound that droned mystifyingly overthe blurred threshold of his consciousness.At first it seemed like thedespairing death-cry of a stricken poltergeist.or was it a wailing bansheecome to mourn in anticipation of an imminent human demise.or was theresome still more unearthly explanation that would occur to him once he wasproperly awake ? It was a plaintive penetrating sound that rose and fell inear-torturing cadences, a plangent ululation such as never came from the mouthof man nor beast.The Saint rolled out of bed and looked out of the window.It was Lembick, playing the bagpipes.Nor was this torture inflicted on his fellows for his own private pleasure; afact that became clear when Rockham briefed him that morning for the nextday's mission.Rockham gave away no more than he had to.What he did give away included thename Instrood, and the location: Braizedown Hall."It's a straightforward enough plan," he said."I'm briefing you separately asyou'll be playing the part of Officer in Command.But don't run away with theidea that you're in command of the mission," he added."Because I'll be theremyself, right beside you.As your Corporal.""That's nice and trusting of you," said the Saint.Rockham turned those pale eyes on him."A good mercenary commander never separates himself for long from his troops,"he replied."Now Braizedown Hall is under constant guard.A platoon of men,day and night.We could always try storming the place with superior numbers,but there's a neater way.We take the place of the guard."Simon raised an eyebrow."How?""The Paras are due to hand over tomorrow to another regiment.The LowlandLight Infantry.And we've enough of their uniforms to make up a plausible-looking platoon.Lembick has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Scotsregiments.I've put him in charge of the drill."The Saint thought about it.It was a bold and yet simple idea, the sort hewould have expected from Rockham.He looked appraisingly at this man with thebig square head, the determined jaw, the powerful hands; and he wondered whatsort of conventional military strategist he would have made, if he had notchosen the path of lawless violence."What about the real platoon?" he asked."We divert them send them on a circular tour around the country," saidRockham, smiling."And then we roll up in their place.And within twentyPage 79 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlminutes after that, we roll out again with the valuable Mr Instrood."All that day, the selected group of twenty-five men were drilled by Lembick intheir tartan trews and battle-blouses.Tam o'Shanters, those peculiarlyScottish woollen berets worn aslant, completed the uniform of that uniqueregiment a regiment so elite and exclusive that even a person knowledgeablein military affairs of the time might be forgiven for never having heard ofthe Lowland Light Infantry.Simon himself received special detailed briefing from Lembick on his role asCaptain and more than once he drew thankfully on his hasty studies to supplythe general knowledge that was assumed of him.When he woke himself that night for his rendezvous with Ruth Barnaby, it waswith a simultaneous reprise of the cautionary thought with which he had fallenasleep after his last sortie.He made his way to the toilet as usual, butbefore switching on the light took a long look out of the window [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]