第110节

sound of weeping would fill his house for many months to come.

Skull-Face was as good as his word. There was a field near the east

bank of the Hudson marked with a hollow white square, just as the map

had indicated. And they were met on landing by a Jap agent who

identified himself to Cadillac in the prescribed manner. Steve came in

last, and although he tried to make it as smooth as he could, the skid

landing caused agonising jolts of pain to shoot through his wounded

thigh.

Kelso had spotted the feathered end of the arrow sticking out through

the cockpit side during the flight, and had guessed from Steve's

signals what had happened. When his machine slid to a halt, Kelso was

there with a borrowed saw to cut him loose. The others helped lift him

out, then Clearwater and Cadillac removed the arrowhead. The wound

wasn't all that deep, and it hadn't severed any tendons or arteries,

but it still hurt. The Jap agent promised him he would get some

medication and a bandage later.

Hauling himself upright, Steve discovered that if he didn't put his

whole weight on his right leg he was able to hobble around without

support. Haww! Jack me...

Leaves and branches from a number of felled trees around the edge of

the field had been gathered to make several bonfires. It explained how

Kelso had got hold of a saw. The reason for the lumberjacking now

became clear. As soon as they had removed their baggage, the Jap told

them to pile bales of straw and branches around the machines and set

them alight. Anyone who had seen the planes pass over this forested

area could not be certain where, or if, they had landed, and three more

columns of smoke would not arouse anyone's curiosity.

While the others were fetching the bales and branches, Steve gritted

his teeth and hung head first inside the rear cockpits of each plane.

After removing the radio-controlled detonators, he ripped out the

explosive struts and stowed everything away in the tote-bag.

They stood back and watched the Jap torch the three planes. It was

depressing how quickly weeks of painstaking handiwork were consumed.

When all the unburnt pieces around the edge of the fires had been

tossed into the centre of the flames, the Jap herded them aboard a

closed ox-cart for the next stage of their journey.

Instead of crossing the river and boarding ship straight away, they

were obliged to spend the next two nights in a house overlooking the

Hudson. The east bank, which they were now on, belonged to the

Shogun's family, the Toh-Yota. The west bank, and the land beyond, all

the way to what Kelso called the Great Lakes, belonged to the

Yama-Shita. The boats of both families plied the navigable stretch of

the river from Nyo-Yoko in the south to as far north as you could go,

but the canal system that linked the Hudson with Lake Erie was reserved

for vessels owned by the Yama-Shita family.

The Jap, who spoke Basic reasonably well, told Steve he had received

word that Side-Winder's boat was running late because of some

unspecified mechanical failure. 'Buh pleez nab toh wah-ree." Shortly

after their arrival at the house, he had seen it heading downriver, so

- barring any further breakdowns - it should return to All-bani in the

early evening of 'day-ad tab tohmarah'.

The delay proved a blessing in disguise. It allowed the time for

Clearwater to produce four top-notch paint-jobs and for Cadillac to get

used to wearing women's clothes.

Once the wig pieces and combs had been pinned into position, and his

coppery skin had been paled by sweet-smelling powder, he was halfway

there. When he put on the white mask and gloves he looked totally

authentic. And thanks to his uncanny grasp of the Iron Masters'

language and mores, he soon adopted the necessary hauteur.

Since their Jap contact man had not been present during the dress

rehearsals, Steve decided to put the disguise to the test. After

setting up Cadillac in another room, he engaged the Jap in conversation

as he was returning from one of his frequent sorties. A few minutes

later, a shrill Japanese voice emanated from the adjoining room,

demanding some service. When the unsuspecting Jap rushed to the d