第88节

from the clan M'Call

would be travelling on the left flank-boat - the one coloured

predominantly black and silver. The captured renegades were to be

divided between the boat carrying, amongst others, the M'Call

contingent and the other flank-boat which was painted black and gold.

Yama-Shita's red and gold vessel, the most ornate of the three, carried

no human cargo.

Steve's plan was to swim out under cover of darkness, board the black

and silver wheel-boat and hide his knife and quarterstaff in the safest

place he could find. He had absolutely no idea how long the journey

would take or what would happen on their arrival at the other end.

That bridge would have to be crossed when he came to it. Burning with

impatience, he reconnoitred a circuitous route down to the shore,

marked it with stones, and willed the hours to pass quickly.

Throughout the afternoon, groups of white-stripes brought sets of heavy

iron chains down from the two flank-boats and carried them up to the

lines where red-stripes waited to shackle the captured renegades.

Each breaker had his wrists manacled together by a chain running

through a loop in an iron belt fastened around his waist. The chains

allowed the arms to be raised head high but only one at a time. A

heavy anklet was clamped around one leg but they were otherwise left

free. Even so, escape was impossible. Anyone trying to run away would

quickly become exhausted and if they were foolish enough to jump

overboard while at sea they would sink like a stone.

When Mo-Town had drawn her dark cloak across the sky, Steve strapped

the sheathed knife to his left forearm, shouldered the quarterstaff and

headed westwards away from the lines without telling Mr Snow, or anyone

else, what he intended to do. Picking his way along the stone markers,

he reached the shore some three quarters of a mile north of the trading

post. He undressed quickly, placed his folded garments under a pile of

stones and slipped into the water. His pioneering swim across the lake

had given him more confidence but had not entirely dispelled his fears

of encountering some dreadful slimy creature.

The three wheel-boats, now moored out in the bay, stood out clearly

against the surrounding blackness. The arched galleries running along

the front, sides and rear of the upper decks were hung with lanterns in

which pots of oil burned with a yellow flame. Other, bigger lanterns

lit the fore and aft decks and the ships' external illumination was

completed by a row of lanterns that hung out over the water on booms

fixed to the wooden parapet running around the roof of the

superstructure.

Steve had seen these on previous nights but had failed to appreciate

that their purpose went beyond mere decoration. Now, as he approached

the boat with slow, silent strokes, he saw they illuminated a wide

strip of water around each boat making it virtually impossible for a

swimmer to reach the hull without being seen by the patrolling

sentries.

The only solution was to dive under the water and remain submerged

until he reached the side. The thought made Steve uneasy. Even though

he had swum halfway across the lake in pursuit of Lundkwist and

successfully covered an equal distance now, he could not bring himself

to plunge below the dark surface for fear of what he might encounter.

There had to be another way.

Withdrawing to a safe distance from the pool of light, Steve ran his

eye along the ship. There was a patch of darkness under the square-cut

bow but there was a guard stationed on the deck immediately above and

there seemed to be no way to climb aboard except up the heavy anchor

chain. The stern looked more promising, the huge wooden planks that

formed the blades of the paddle broke up the light cast by the aft deck

lanterns. If he were to slip through the rear blades he could climb

round the inside of the wheel onto the deck. The smoke he had seen

coming from the funnels had given him a clue to the boat's motive

power. The pistons - huge beams of wood reinforced with metal straps