That was a taboo1 subject with them. It was for the simple reason there wasn't anything else to discuss. All the plans and preparations had been made. Special high speed cameras, that could be operated from the control stick, had been fitted in the planes. The cameras had been tested and found to be in perfect working order. Each pilot had taken his plane aloft and tested it until he was thoroughly2 satisfied with every beat of the engine, and every single response to a touch on the controls. Everything that could be done, had been done. There was nothing to do now but wait for the engines to be warmed up ... and then get on with the job.
"Say, Barker," Dave suddenly broke a minute's silence. "Meant to speak to you about this, but we've all been pretty busy. I mean.... Well, darn it, you're still senior officer, and I'm perfectly3 willing for you to take over command of this show. Fact is, I think it would be a sensible idea. I...."
"Oh, no you don't, Yank!" Barker cried and laughed. "Decent and mighty4 sporting of you, old bean. And I like you a lot for saying it. But I've been in command of special shows before. Not at all to my liking5. Hate responsibility, you know. I'm always getting things messed up something terrible."
"Yeah, I can guess!" Dave snorted. "He's won the Distinguished6 Flying Cross, and bar! And he says he'd mess things up? Nix on that line, friend. But I really am serious about your...."
"Don't be!" Barker said firmly. "I refuse, flatly. No, my lad. I'm going to tag along obeying orders on this show. And love it, I fancy."
"Then you won't...?" Dave started again and hesitated.
"No!" Barker repeated. "Absolutely not. If it's a success then you get perhaps the Victoria Cross, my lad. If it's not, then you get Squadron Leader Markham on your neck. I don't! See what I mean, old thing?"
Dave grinned and looked at his commanding officer who was shaking with laughter.
"Don't mind Barker, Dawson," the O.C. said. "He's an awful one for juggling7 the truth. Frankly8, I've never so much as spoken a harsh word to him since he's been in the squadron."
"But, what you've thought, sir!" Barker said and laughed. "Just the same, Dawson, this is your show. And in my opinion you certainly deserve to have command."
"Well, I still don't know about that," Dave said with a shrug10. "But.... Hold everything! That's a ship coming down to land, isn't it?"
All eyes were turned on the star studded sky overhead whence had come the sudden sound of airplane engines. An instant later the sound died down to a purr. And a brief moment after that the darkness was cut by the twin beams of the incoming plane's landing lights.
"Can't see for those darn lights," Dave grunted11. "But she sounds to me like a Blenheim."
"It is!" Freddy Farmer echoed. "I can see her, now. I say! That's the same bus Group Captain Ball, and Colonel Trevor, came down in from London. I wonder if they're coming back."
"I wonder, too!" Squadron Leader Markham echoed. And Dave thought he caught just a faint trace of hopefulness in the O.C.'s voice. "Maybe they've decided14 to wash-out the patrol. Maybe something else has popped up."
As Dave watched the shadowy blur15 slide down toward the surface of the field, then level off and settle gently, a conglomeration16 of mixed emotions surged through him. One instant he experienced the familiar eerie17 tingling18 at the back of his neck that was always an advance warning of danger just ahead. Then in the next instant a sense of disappointment would flood through him. As though that plane was bringing word that the flight over occupied France had been called off. Then again he was filled with the strange excited feeling of more mystery being added to what already existed. A jumble19 of emotions and crazy thoughts that plagued him as he waited for the pilot of the Air Ministry20 Blenheim to taxi up to the line.
When the plane stopped, and the door was popped open, only one man jumped down onto the ground. That man was Colonel Trevor, and he hurried over to the group with a look of marked relief quite visible on his face in the pale glow shed by the two or three flare21 lights set about on the tarmac.
"Thank heavens, you haven't taken off yet!" the Intelligence officer cried. "Didn't want to waste time trying to get you on the phone. Raid on in London, anyway, and the phone service isn't so good at such times. No, not a hot raid. Just a few Jerry ships up there. And our lads are handling them very nicely. Anyway, I dashed out to Croydon in the blasted black-out and commandeered Ball's plane. I've got a bit more information for you, Dawson. By the way, do you know that terrain22 between Boulogne and Lille?"
"Fairly well, sir," the Yank R.A.F. ace12 replied. "I've done quite a bit of flying over that section, now and again. Why, sir?"
The Intelligence officer didn't answer at once. He fished a hand into the pocket of his tunic23 and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. Smoothing it out he held it to the light so that all could see. A map had been roughly drawn24 in pencil on the paper.
"A map of a three square mile spot of ground exactly seven miles west of Lille," Colonel Trevor said, and started pointing things out with his finger. "See this? A hill range. Here is the Lille River that flows into the Somme farther south. See this sharp bend in the river? Well, the ground there is thickly wooded, and to the east ... the southeast, rather ... is quite an expanse of swamp ground. Now, just a shade east of the edge of that swamp land is a tiny French village. You can't even find it on a map, but its name is Fleurville. Somewhere in that area, Dawson, is the secret weapon that Hitler plans to use against us. The weapon, I am sure, that destroyed those Lockheed Hudson bombers25 last Tuesday night."
Dave didn't say anything as the Intelligence officer stopped speaking. He stared hard at the pencil drawn map in an effort to stamp every little detail on his mind. Squadron Leader Markham, however, was not so interested in the map as he was in what Colonel Trevor had said.
"Why do you say that, Colonel?" he asked. "And where did you get this map?"
"I traced that map from one you could only see under a microscope," the other said. "From a map originally drawn almost pin head size by my brother."
Dave jerked his head up, eyes wide.
"Your brother, sir?" he gasped26. "But your brother's dead! You mean another communication came through just the same? That he'd sent it on its way before he was captured?"
"No," Colonel Trevor said quietly. "My brother brought it with him. Remember my not wanting anybody to touch the body? Remember my saying something about an autopsy27? Well, naturally, I did not plan for any autopsy to be made on my brother. The cause of his death was clear enough. However, in Intelligence every agent has a special way of hiding secret messages in the event he is captured. Some use false fingernails with the message printed underneath28 too small for the human eye to read. Others conceal29 the message under a false patch of hair glued to their scalp. And so on. There are a hundred and one different ways of hiding information you've gathered. However, each man's method is a secret between himself and the Chief of Intelligence. Therefore I didn't allow your medico to touch my brother. I wanted to communicate with my Chief first."
Colonel Trevor paused for a moment, squared his jaw30 a bit, and then continued.
"My brother did bring back information," he said. "His method of hiding messages on his person was by means of a hollowed out false tooth that not more than one dentist in a hundred would detect. In that hollow tooth was a postage stamp size original of this map, and some instructions."
"Dope on the secret Nazi31 weapon, sir?" Dave asked eagerly as the Intelligence officer paused again.
"Some," was the quiet reply, "but not nearly enough. To be perfectly truthful32, my brother still didn't get complete details. He only learned that somewhere in this area covered by the map the Nazis33 have installed this new weapon, and...."
Colonel Trevor cut himself off short and nodded at Dave.
"Your hunch34 was a good one, Dawson," he said. "According to my brother's report, the Nazis have installed the weapon there for the purpose of experiments and tests. As I said, he did not know what the weapon is. He was only able to find out that it is to be used primarily against aircraft."
"Not against troops?" Freddy Farmer spoke9 up. "Then how do they expect to beat off an invasion attempt. They...! That's rather silly of me, isn't it?"
"What, Farmer?" Squadron Leader Markham asked with a puzzled frown.
"The question, sir," the English youth replied and blushed faintly. "I suddenly realized that the answer is obvious. This war has proved that the side that has control of the air is the side that comes out on top. So, if the Nazis are able to maintain control of the air over Occupied Europe, all the invasion troops in the world wouldn't of much use to us."
"Right, Freddy!" Dave said with a grin. "Go to the head of the class, my boy. Did you learn anything else, Colonel?"
"Sorry, but that's all, Dawson," the Intelligence officer replied. "But it should help you a little. At least you won't have to waste time buzzing around over the entire area. Concentrate on the spots covered by this map. Here, better take my copy along with you. Well.... Well, good luck, chaps. And God speed back home again."
Colonel Trevor didn't thrust out his hand, or stiffen35 to attention and salute36 the three R.A.F. aces37. He did nothing but look at them each in turn. That was plenty. His eyes said far more than his lips could have said. Expressed far more than any firm hand shake or slap on the back.
"Thanks, sir," Dave said for the three of them. "You can depend on us to bring back the pictures ... or else."
"Never mind the, or else, Dawson," Squadron Leader Markham grunted. "Just make sure all three of you come back! And, Dawson?"
"Yes, sir?" Dave murmured.
Squadron Leader Markham didn't speak for a few seconds. He stood staring Dave straight in the eye. Then suddenly he raised a cautioning finger.
"In case things don't turn out as you hope," he said eventually. "In case the patrol looks like a complete wash-out, don't get too many of those hunches38 of yours, will you? There'll always be a tomorrow in this blasted war, you know. Don't try to win it in a few hours, though goodness knows you and Farmer could probably make a fairly good go at it."
"Don't worry, sir," Dave chuckled39 and tightened40 the strap41 on his helmet. "I'll watch my step, and try not to lead with my chin. But if I should get out of line you can count on Barker and Farmer to throw a halter on me."
"Oh, quite!" Flight Lieutenant42 Barker echoed. "I don't fancy to step out of this war for quite some time, if ever. Don't worry, sir, Farmer and I will keep an eye on this wildman from the States."
"And a good grip with both hands, too, sir!" Freddy added. "But, I've handled the balmy blighter before, and I can do it again."
"Shucks!" Dave said in mock disappointment. "Then what's the sense of my going along, if I can't have fun?"
"Personally, I wish there was no sense in any of you going along," Squadron Leader Markham said gravely. "However, war's war, and that's that. I guess it's time for you to be off. The very best, lads! And happy landings ... on this field!"
The trio hesitated a moment, looked at each other, and then as one man turned and walked over to their planes. As Dave climbed into his pit a soothing43 calm flowed through his body. The calm before the storm, perhaps. But for the moment the excitement of the occasion, the tingling, eager anticipation44 of things to come, and the myriad45 little inner fears and doubts, were banished46. It was as though he were climbing into his Mark 5 to take it aloft for a joy hop13, or a bit of gunnery practice on the field's ground target. That soon he would be leading Freddy Farmer and Barker deep into mystery skies over occupied Europe was as something as far removed as the sun.
A sense of peace and contentment were his as he settled himself in the pit, and made a last minute check of everything. But perhaps the war gods were perfectly willing that he should feel that way for a spell. They knew it would not last long. They knew what awaited those three stout47 hearted aces of the R.A.F. They knew what was waiting, and what was going to happen. And they clapped their hands and nudged each other in high glee.
"Well, there'll always be an England," Dave murmured and reached for the throttle48. "So, I'll be seeing you soon!"
Five seconds later three Spitfire Mark 5s thundered out across the field, cleared, and went zooming49 up to lose themselves quickly in the shadowy sky. Back down on the tarmac Squadron Leader Markham stood like a carved statue, his eyes still turned upward toward the half night, half dawn sky. He saw nothing but murky50 shadows, but the drone of three powerful Rolls-Royce engines was still in his ears. He listened until the sound faded away in the distance. Then slowly he clenched51 both fists and turned to look at Colonel Trevor.
"If they don't come back," he said in a strained voice, "I fancy you and Group Captain Ball had better catch the first boat for South Africa!"
"Amen!" the Intelligence officer said softly.
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1
taboo
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| n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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7
juggling
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| n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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10
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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11
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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12
ace
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| n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的 | |
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13
hop
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| n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过 | |
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14
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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conglomeration
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| n.团块，聚集，混合物 | |
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eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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18
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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terrain
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| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
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tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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25
bombers
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| n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟 | |
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26
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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27
autopsy
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| n.尸体解剖；尸检 | |
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28
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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30
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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31
Nazi
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| n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的 | |
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32
truthful
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| adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的 | |
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Nazis
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| n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义 | |
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34
hunch
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| n.预感，直觉 | |
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35
stiffen
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| v.(使)硬，(使)变挺，(使)变僵硬 | |
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36
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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37
aces
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| abbr.adjustable convertible-rate equity security (units) 可调节的股本证券兑换率；aircraft ejection seat 飞机弹射座椅；automatic control evaluation simulator 自动控制评估模拟器n.擅长…的人( ace的名词复数 )；精于…的人；（ 网球 ）（对手接不到发球的）发球得分；爱司球 | |
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38
hunches
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| 预感，直觉( hunch的名词复数 ) | |
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39
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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41
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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42
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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43
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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44
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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45
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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46
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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49
zooming
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| adj.快速上升的v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去分词 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨 | |
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50
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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51
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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