The Guernsey Sailor by L.P. Blower

Author:L.P. Blower
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Published: 2021-06-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Alone in a Strange Land

Was he dreaming? He was woken by what sounded like a steam whistle. Last night he had witnessed the destruction of the viaduct with his own eyes. Surely a train could not have been able to cross there? The Turks could never have repaired it so quickly. Making a quick decision, he decided that he would go and investigate, but first he had to get dressed. It was very early in the morning. Still fairly dark, the dawn light was no more than a splash of pastel shades in the eastern sky.

How he was missing life aboard the submarine, missing his crewmates, and earnestly wishing that he was there right now. Strangely he missed the comforting sounds, followed by the awful smells of Baxter passing wind. He always swore that he was not the phantom farter. Even the ever-pervading stench of diesel that accompanied his every waking thought. A thick dollop of porridge, with a spoonful of jam for breakfast. That last thought made him realise just how hungry he was.

Shaking the sleep from his head, he awoke fully, finding himself naked. The events of the last few hours came flooding back into his mind. Firstly, he felt elated that he and the Jimmy had blown up the viaduct last night? Then he remembered the steam whistle – they had, hadn’t they? He recalled that bits of that falling bridge had nearly killed him. So how could that train…? The whistle noise that he had heard had been unmistakable, and now he could hear the whoosh – whoosh – whoosh of escaping steam from a stationary engine, and judging from the intensity of the noise it was quite close.

After brushing away the pine needles from his body, he dressed quickly. His ankle was painful, but he found that he could walk on it with just a slight limp. The stiff drill material of his overalls remained damp, but he ignored it, to make his way towards the edge of the pines. From cover, he peered out through the branches, up to where the viaduct had once stood, and he was very relieved to see a great big gaping hole. The half of the central column was missing.

The train that he had heard, was standing over on the far western side of the chine. A black monster emitting clouds of steam. It must have just arrived from Scutari with a repair squad, he surmised. He could see that it was loaded with all manner of materials on the flatbed wagons behind the engine. There were a lot of men milling around the area. If it had indeed arrived from Scutari, then logically, it would eventually have to return, as it obviously could not proceed further. If he just could manage to get himself aboard somehow, it may provide him with a ride back towards the port area of the Capital, saving him days of walking. He went back to get the map.

As he walked through the

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