High Citadel. Desmond Bagley. The Companion Book Club London. 1965. Vgc. by High Citadel. Desmond Bagley. The Companion Book Club London. 1965. Vgc

Author:High Citadel. Desmond Bagley. The Companion Book Club London. 1965. Vgc. [High Citadel. Desmond Bagley. The Companion Book Club London. 1965. Vgc.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B005KT4BAQ
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter VI

O'Hara had lost, his flask.

He thought that perhaps he had left it in the pocket of the leather jacket he had given Forester, but then he remembered going through the pockets first. He looked about the shelter, trying not to draw attention to himself, but still could not find it and decided that it must be up at the camp.

The loss worried him unreasonably. To have a full flask at his side had comforted him; he knew that whenever he wanted a drink then it was there ready to hand, and because it was there he had been able, in some odd way, to resist the temptation. But now he felt an aching longing in the centre of his being for a drink, for the blessed relief of alcohol and the oblivion it would bring.

It made him very short-tempered.

The night had been quiet. Since the abortive attempt to burn the bridge the previous evening, nothing had happened. Now, in the dawn light, he was wondering whether it would be safe to bring down the trebuchet. His resources in manpower were slender and to bring the trebuchet from the camp would leave the bridge virtually defenceless. True, the enemy was quiet, but that was no guarantee of future inactivity. He had no means of telling how long it would take them to obtain more timber and to transport it.

It was the common dilemma of the military man -- trying to guess what the enemy was doing on the other side of the hill and balancing guesses against resources.

He heard the clatter of a stone and turned his head to find Benedetta coming towards him. He waved her back and slid down from his observation post. "Jenny has made coffee," she said. "I will keep watch. Has anything happened?"

He shook his head. "Everything's quiet. They're still there,, of course; if you stick your neck out you'll get your head blown off -- so be careful." He paused; he badly needed to discuss his problems with someone else, not to shrug off responsibility but to clarify the situation in his own mind. He missed Forester.

He told Benedetta what he was thinking and she said immediately. "But, of course, I will come up to the camp."

"I might have known," he said unreasonably. "You won't be separated from your precious uncle."

"It is not like that," she said sharply. "All you men are needed to bring down this machine, but what good can Jenny and I do down here? If we are att acked we can only run; and it does not take two to watch. Four can bring the machine from the camp quicker than three -- even though one of them is a woman. If the enemy attacks in force Jenny will warn us."

He said slowly, "We'll have to take the risk, of course; we've got no choice. And the sooner we move the better."

"Send Jenny down quickly," said Benedetta. "I'll wait for you at the pond."

O'Hara went up to the shelter and was glad of the mug of steaming coffee that was thrust into his hands.