Part 71 (2/2)

Basil said: Wraprock Ookpik belayme strong.

HOLD BLEYN I COME.

The others said: HOLD BLEYN HOLD.

Ookpik said: Belayrockfast. Gogogo.

Basil said: Climbing climbing. HOLD BLEYN.

Bleyn said: I regret most deeply. I cannot hold.

Ookpik said: Gotem Basil gotem? Fast? HOLDHOLDHOLD Bleyn fell.

Basil screamed: Holdholdhold!

He fell.

The three bodies hurtled down the ice, gathering momentum, then arrested with a cras.h.i.+ng jar as they came to the end of Basil's firmly clipped rope. The don lifted his bruised head and grinned up at Ookpik. ”They both seem to be unconscious,” he called, ”but I've got them quite securely.”

”And I've got your rope fast to the winch cable,” said Mr.

Betsy in triumph. ”Ready to haul whenever you are, darling.”

Basil said: Oh G.o.d now you f.u.c.king idiot!

”Tsk tsk,” Betsy chided, switching the mechanism on.

After they had rested and recovered a little, they began the descent. It was cautious at first, with the two Tanu lashed to sledges. But then they found a broad avalanche runnel that had already dumped, and Basil said: ”All aboard for the short cut!”

He showed the others what to do, each man according to his expertise, and sent them skidding and otter-sliding and tobogganing down more than a thousand metres of slope, whooping and screeching. And when they were safe he came down himself in a rooster-tailing glissade, schussbooming on the soles of his boots and broadcasting a great mind-roar of joy into the aether that reached not only Elizabeth and their colleagues on the other side of the mountain, but even the King in faraway Goriah.

And Aiken said: Well done.

After a long interval, Basil said (this time via Elizabeth's relay): Thank you sir.

Aiken said: I understand that Bleyn and Aronn had to be carried down.

Basil said: They are recovering inside one of the reactivated aircraft High King. Its environmental system is providing sealevel oxygen concentration. They should be fully restored within a day or two.

Aiken said: Good good. So you lit up a flyer without much trouble?

Basil said: Several are easily accessible. Their powerplants must be recharged with distilled water of course and there will be labour involved in freeing some of them from the snowdrifts.

No serious problems are foreseen.

Aiken said: Kaleidoscopic! It's all right then ...

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