Escape: The Love Story From Whirlwind by Clavell James

Author:Clavell, James [Clavell, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Adventure, thriller
ISBN: 9780340654163
Amazon: 0340654163
Goodreads: 42934
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 1995-10-05T07:00:00+00:00

TUESDAY

February 20

TABRIZ: 5:12 A.M. In the small hut on the edge of the Khan’s estate, Ross was suddenly awake. He lay motionless, keeping his breathing regular but all of his senses concentrated. Seemingly nothing untoward, just the usual insects and closeness of the room. Through the window he could see that the night was dark, the sky mostly overcast. Across the room on the other pallet, Gueng slept curled up, breathing normally. Because of the cold, both men had gone to bed with their clothes on. Noiselessly Ross went to the window and searched the darkness. Still nothing. Then, close to his ear, Gueng whispered, “What is it, sahib?”

“I don’t know. Probably nothing.”

Gueng nudged him and pointed. There was no guard in the seat outside on the veranda.

“Perhaps he’s just gone to take a leak.” There had always been at least one guard. By day or night. Last night there had been two so Ross had made a mock dummy in his bed and left Gueng to divert them and had slipped out of the back window and gone to see Erikki and Azadeh alone. Coming back he had almost stumbled into a patrol but they had been sleepy and unattentive so he had passed them by.

“Take a look out the back window,” Ross whispered.

Again they watched and waited. Dawn in about an hour, Ross thought.

“Sahib, perhaps it was just a spirit of the mountain,” Gueng said softly. In the Land Atop the World it was a superstition that by night, spirits visited the beds of sleeping men and women and children, for good purposes or ill, and that dreams were the stories they whispered.

The little man kept his eyes and ears feeling out the darkness. “I think perhaps we’d better pay attention to the spirits.” He went back to his bed and pulled on his boots, put the talisman he had kept under his pillow back into his uniform pocket, then put on the tribesman robes and turban. Nimbly he checked his grenades and carbine and settled the rough backpack that contained ammunition, grenades, water, and a little food. No need to check his kookri, that was never out of reach, always oiled and cleaned nightly—and sharpened nightly—just before sleep.

Now Ross was equally ready. But ready for what? he asked himself. It’s hardly five minutes since you awoke and here you are, kookri loose in the scabbard, safety catch off and for what? If Abdollah meant you harm, he would’ve already taken away your weapons—or tried to take them.

Yesterday afternoon they had heard the 206 take off and shortly afterward Abdollah Khan had visited them. “Ah, Captain, sorry for the delay but the hue and cry is worse than ever. Our Soviet friends have put a very large price on your heads,” he had said jovially. “Enough even to tempt me, perhaps.”

“Let’s hope not, sir. How long will we have to wait?”

“A few days, no more. It seems the Soviets want you very much. I’ve had another deputation from them asking me to help capture you, the first was before you arrived.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.