'They don't seem to be following us,' said Tanner. 'Where are the others?'
'Sheltering in a seter, but we wanted to be below the snowline, so I've been waiting, keeping watch, to guide you there.' He patted Tanner's back. 'It's good to see you safe.'
He led them through a finger of dense pine until they emerged into open snow once more, then reached the crest of the next valley. When they came into a small clearing a vast view stood before them.
'The Gudbrandsdalen once again,' said Nielssen.
Guns were booming dully, shells still exploding, and away to the right beneath them, a thick pall of smoke hid the valley and the Lagen river. Above, they heard the faint drone of aircraft.
'Heavy fighting, Sarge,' said Hepworth.
'That's not just from shells and bombs, Hep. Look.' He took a few steps forward and away to the east. Through the smoke he could see a hazy orange glow. 'That's a sodding great fire. They've set the forest alight.' His heartbeat had quickened again and the blood drained from his face. Christ, he thought. That's all we bloody well need. He turned to Nielssen. 'How much further, sir? We need to hurry.'
'Not far, Sergeant.'
Tanner turned to his men. 'Come on, boys. Keep going. I know it's been bloody hard, but we're nearly there.'
The seter stood beneath the crest of the valley, hidden by trees but with a view of the village of Sjoa and the curve of the river. Stretching away to the west from the Gudbrandsdal valley was a smaller, lesser valley.
'You're alive!' said Anna, smiling as Tanner entered the hut.
'Just about,' he said. 'And you? Are you all right?'
'Yes - I'm fine, thank you.' Tanner saw her shoot a glance at Chevannes.
'What happened?' said the Frenchman.
'We destroyed two of their trucks and killed a number of them, I'm not sure how many. They don't seem to have followed us. One of our men is slightly wounded.'
'Your Bren?'
'Lost,' admitted Tanner. 'But I found this Spandau.' He tapped the German machine-gun. 'And a couple of magazines. Look, sir, we need to hurry.'
'The battle is still raging, Sergeant.'
'Yes, sir, but not for much longer, I fancy. We need to keep going.'
Chevannes gave orders for them to move.
'There's a bridge across the river Sjoa about a kilometre west of the village,' said Anna. 'We can cross there and then get over Lagen at the village itself.'
'Very well,' said Chevannes.
They stumbled down the steep valley sides. Tanner disliked walking down mountains more than he did climbing them, and now his knees felt particularly weak, as though his legs might buckle at any moment. They headed diagonally across the valley, in a north-westerly direction, until they reached a rough track. As they tramped across the undulating slopes, the valley ahead was lost from view then reappeared, but although Tanner paused repeatedly to peer through his binoculars, the sounds of battle had now all but died away. The shellfire was nothing more than desultory, the small-arms had almost petered out, while enemy bombers continued to drone overhead, appearing through the thick pall that had now risen high into the sky. Bitter disappointment swept over him, yet part of his brain refused to accept what his eyes and ears were telling him. 'Come on!' he urged his men. 'Keep going!'
By seven o'clock they were standing above the bridge over the Sjoa and now all could see that the bombers were dropping their loads further north. For a moment, no one spoke. Tanner scanned the valley. Clearly the main Allied effort had fallen back, although from the edge of the mass of smoke, on the far side of the valley, it appeared that some British troops were still fighting. His spirits rose momentarily, but then he spotted enemy forces blocking the road south of Sjoa. They had evidently outflanked them over the mountain and come in behind, cutting off any further Allied retreat. He lowered his binoculars and breathed deeply. No, he thought. This is too much. He wanted to crumple to the ground, fling away his weapons, to scream with anger. Instead he stood silent, numbed by the knowledge that again they had missed their chance of freedom by a sliver.
'We've missed them.' It was Sandvold, and Tanner turned to him. Defeat and despair clouded his face. 'They're bombing them as they retreat.'
Tanner glared at Chevannes, who continued to stare through his binoculars. You stupid bastard, he thought. He blamed Chevannes for this - Chevannes and Larsen. Thwarted for want of a few hours. Time that should have been theirs.
'What can you see?' said Anna, anxiety in her voice.
'Have a look,' said Tanner, passing her his glasses.
'Germans,' she said quietly.
'Bastard bloody hell!' McAllister kicked the ground.
Kershaw began to sob.
Tanner looked at the disappointment on their faces, the bloodless cheeks and dark rings round their eyes; the sheer exhaustion. He wondered whether he himself had the strength to keep going. He could feel the dirt and dried blood on his face, and his uniform filthy and torn. 'A couple of hours earlier and we'd have been safe,' he growled. 'A couple of sodding hours! Jesus Christ!' He was uncertain that he could control his anger any longer. His desire to thrust his fist into Chevannes' face was almost overwhelming.
'I did what I thought was best for all of us,' said Chevannes. 'Lieutenant Larsen agreed with me. So did Professor Sandvold.'
'For pity's sake, man,' snarled Tanner, 'you're in charge. It's your decision, not theirs, and it's your fault we've missed the chance yet again to rejoin the Allies.' For a moment no one said anything. Tanner walked away a few yards. He took another deep breath. Calm down, he told himself. This is not helping. They were too late. That was all there was to it. He had to think clearly and rationally. 'We must work out a new plan,' he said. 'What do you suggest, sir?'
'The map,' said Chevannes, icily. 'We must look at it.'
A rough track followed the southern side of the Sjoa valley as it ran north-west. There were no villages of note, but scattered farmsteads all the way to Heidel, some ten miles on. A couple of miles south of the village there was a bridge where they could cross. If they kept going now, Tanner suggested, they could cross when it was dark, then try to find a farm to rest for a few hours before heading into the next ridge of mountains. 'Jerry won't be coming down here tonight. He's just been fighting a two-day battle, and if the jokers that were after us earlier haven't followed us across the mountain, they're not going to get us now. We should be able to make good progress.' Beyond the next range lay the Otta valley and the town of Vagamo. 'Look,' he said, pointing to the map, 'there's a road leading north. It bypasses
o
Dombas and joins the Andalsnes road further north - here. What's that? Forty or fifty miles? And it means we keep well away from the main German axis of advance but we still run parallel to it.'
'What if the enemy is already past Dombas by then?' asked Larsen.
Tanner shrugged. 'Do you have a better idea, sir? Perhaps we'll find some more transport. Maybe in Vagamo.'
'Good,' said Chevannes. 'This is what we'll do. First, we rest for a short while, eat what food we have left and drink something. Then we head for the bridge.'
Tanner's men gazed at Chevannes with contempt, then delved into their packs and squatted on the ground. A cool spring breeze blew across the valley, bringing with it the smell of woodsmoke, which blended with the strong scent of pine. Even though it was hardly cold, Tanner saw that Bell and Kershaw were shivering. 'Listen, boys,' he said, to all his men, 'this is a blow, I know, but we've got to put it out of our minds. It's in the past. We need to look forward now. Come on, I know we can do it.' Tanner watched the resigned nods, the faces blank with exhaustion and renewed despair.
He wandered away from them, and leant against a tree, then let his back slide down the trunk until he was squatting on the damp, needle-strewn ground at its base. Taking off his helmet, he ran his hands through his hair and took several deep breaths. Christ, his words had seemed fatuous. 'Chin up, lads, it's not all bad!' Jesus. Hardly inspiring. He wo
ndered how long they would be content to follow him. What reserves of strength were left in the tank? A man's will to survive was only so strong. At some point it would break - sooner rather than later, if there were any more soul-destroying setbacks.
The crack of a twig made him turn.
'I'm sorry to disturb you, Sergeant,' said Sandvold, 'but I wondered whether I might talk to you a moment.'
Tanner began to get to his feet.
'Please,' said the Professor. 'You rest where you are.'
'What is it?' asked Tanner.
Sandvold kneaded his hands together. He now wore a full beard, grey at the chin. It made him seem older, more venerable. 'I want to apologize,' he said.
'For what?'
'I should have backed you up at the farm. If I had we might have persuaded Lieutenant Chevannes. Then we would have reached the Allies before it was too late. I—' He cleared his throat. 'It was weak of me, but I thought I should not get involved in military decisions.'
'What's done is done, Professor,' said Tanner, 'but we've still got a long way to go. There will be other difficult decisions to make. But if you're prepared to trust me, you could back me up. If we work together, we'll have a better chance of succeeding.'
Sandvold nodded thoughtfully. 'All right, Sergeant,' he said. 'I will do my best.'
Soon after, Chevannes gave the order to move off. Tanner tried again to rouse his men. 'We'll still make it, boys,' he told them, slapping their backs as they got to their feet. 'We will. Don't lose heart.'
'It's easy to say that, Sarge,' said McAllister, 'but I felt knackered before and I'm even more done in now.'
'Listen, Mac,' said Tanner, grasping his shoulder, 'you either give up now, and at best spend the rest of the war in prison, or you keep going. I know what I'm going to do and it would be terrific if you'd keep me company. We're not high on a mountain now, we're on a decent track. We'll be at the bridge by nightfall and once we've got across we can have a rest. It's not far. You can do it.'
They were strung out in a patrol line. Of the enemy there was still no sign. The track passed through dense forest that ran almost all the way to the river's edge, giving them good cover.
'Don't worry, Sarge,' said Sykes, drawing alongside him. 'They're good lads. They'll be all right.'
'You think so?'
'Course. We were a bit low back then, but you adjust. We've got a bit of grub inside us now. That helps.'
'Perhaps.'
"Ere, Sarge,' said Sykes, after they had walked on in silence for a short while, 'I've been wanting to ask all afternoon. How the hell did you get away from those Jerries? I saw that officer pointing his pistol straight at your bloody head and the next minute I heard a shot. I thought you was a goner.'
Tanner smiled. 'He made a mistake. I brought my arm up quickly and simply knocked the gun to the side of my head. By the time he'd pressed the trigger the shot was already wide.'
Sykes whistled. 'Blimey.'
'He couldn't react quicker than the speed of my arm. No one can because the eyes don't pick up the movement fast enough - not at that distance. If he'd been standing a few feet away and pointing that pistol, I really would have been in trouble. So, anyway, before he knew what was happening, I'd given him a right hook to remember me by. The men around him weren't quick enough either, so I grabbed the machine-gun and fired before they could do anything. You've got to remember they weren't expecting it. They'd relaxed, rifles on their shoulders, and were enjoying watching their commander get his own back. But I was lucky after that. Got a bullet through my trouser. Another inch and, well—'
'Did you kill him? The officer, that is?'
'Zellner? I don't think so. Broke his nose. Possibly his jaw.' He grinned. 'Any explosives left after your little diversion? I haven't even looked in my pack yet.'
'Not much. A carton of Nobel's and a few sticks of Polar. It seemed the right thing to do at the time.'
'Damn right, Stan. It's thanks to you those bastards aren't at our backs now. You did well.'
'But we don't know when we might need some more.'
'We'll cross that path if and when.' They were silent for a moment, then Tanner said, 'You don't have any beadies left, do you? I could murder a smoke.'
'I'll roll you one.'
Sykes pulled out the tobacco and papers he had taken from the captured Germans a few days before. 'Sarge?' he said eventually, passing the cigarette to Tanner. He eyed him furtively as he did so.
'What?' said Tanner, pausing to light his cigarette.
'It's probably nothing, and I don't want you to take this the wrong way—'
'What, Stan?'
'It's just that, well - nah, it's nothing.'
'Spit it out.'
'Well, I'd just like to know how those Stukas knew it was us. And how did those trucks know where we'd be?'
'They've had aerial reconnaissance buzzing over nearly non-stop in case you hadn't noticed.'
'Yes, but not first thing this morning. We didn't see anything before them Stukas turned up, did we?'
'What are you saying?'
Sykes made sure no one was listening, then said, in a hushed voice, 'I'm hoping we haven't got a spy among us.'
'A spy?' Tanner gaped at him. 'Are you joking, Stan? Who?'
'I don't know, do I?'
'And, more to the point, how? Don't you think we'd have noticed by now? I mean, how on earth would anyone be contacting the enemy? We've been together pretty much all the time.'
'Yes, but not all the time. There've been times when we've been kipping, when we've wandered off to - you know . . . and so on. We don't know what those Norwegians are carrying in their rucksacks. Perhaps they've got a radio or something.'
'But wireless sets are pretty big. And how could they use it without anyone else seeing?'
'I don't know. All I'm saying is that this whole thing seems fishy to me. I keep thinking about how those Jerries keep dogging our every move and that makes me think someone's tipping them the wink. That's all.'
Tanner was quiet.
'Look, Sarge,' Sykes added, 'I don't claim to know much about this sort of thing but you have to admit it's a bit strange. I mean, you yourself thought those Jerries were waiting for us in Tretten. For that matter, how did that mountain patrol know to come after us back on the other side of the valley?'
'That could have been because of air reconnaissance. At Tretten, they might simply have worked it out. I don't know. You don't think maybe we're becoming overly suspicious?'
'I don't know. I still think those Stukas arriving was odd. No buzzing around beforehand. They came straight over. Knew exactly who we was and where ... Sarge?'
'I'm thinking, Stan, if any one of us could have had the time to make some kind of signal.'
Sykes shrugged.
Tanner said, 'I suppose someone could. Unlikely, but possible.'
'So?'
'We keep this to ourselves and watch everyone - the Norwegians at any rate.' They walked on in silence, Tanner deep in thought. It seemed so fantastical, yet there was no denying that the enemy did seem to have been second-guessing their movements. A result of logical thought processes and aerial reconnaissance, or a more sinister source of intelligence? My God. It hardly bore thinking about.
The sun had disappeared, casting the valley in deep shadow. A shiver ran down Tanner's back, whether from the cold or the suspicion that the corporal might be right, he couldn't say.
Chapter 17
They reached the bridge safely. A sliver of moon appeared, but the valley was dark and still. Although an occasional light twinkled from the farms and houses round about, not a soul stirred. Once again, Tanner was struck by how far away the war seemed, yet only a dozen or so miles to the south-east a two-day battle had been fought. He could still smell the whiff of woodsmoke on the night breeze, but he knew that was as likely to be from a home fire as the blazing forest near Kvam.
They crossed the bridge, Tanner cringing at the sound of the studded boots
on the wooden struts. They were bunched up now, walking together so they didn't lose one another. 'Keep together, boys,' Tanner told his men, and to Sykes he added, 'Don't take your eyes off those Norwegians. No matter how dark, keep within arm's reach.'
They walked in silence along the soft verge that ran close to the northern bank of the Sjoa river to deaden the sound of their footsteps. Even so, Tanner sensed they were dragging their feet; he was too. Every step seemed harder. His shoulders ached, his knees hurt, his calves burnt. In the faint creamy night light, he could see that Sandvold was almost falling asleep as he stumbled on.
'Sir,' he said to Chevannes, 'we should stop soon.'
Chevannes snorted. 'And this from the man who never thinks we should rest at all.'
'I need to rest,' muttered Sandvold. 'I cannot go much further.'
Chevannes lit a match and squinted at Anna's map. 'We're near Heidel, I think.'
'Yes,' agreed Anna. 'It's not much, a few houses and farms, that's all.'
'Very well,' said Chevannes, 'we will look for somewhere to rest for a few hours. A hut, a farmhouse, a barn. We can try to find food in the morning.'
For once Tanner found himself agreeing with the Frenchman and only a short distance further on a farmhouse loomed, set back from the road. It was dark, with no light showing, but in the drive and the yard there were signs of vehicle tracks.
'Larsen, go and have a look round,' said Chevannes, as they clustered at the open gate. Larsen, with Nielssen accompanying him, walked forward cautiously. Tanner glanced round his men, dark shadows all, leaning against the gate, most so tired they could barely stand.
When the Norwegians returned, the news was good. 'It's empty,' said Larsen. 'Someone's been here recently, though.'
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