alistairmaclean.seawitch-第8章

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nd…picked　crew　was　informed　that　they　were　on　a　training　cruise　designed　to　test　the　seagoing　readiness　of　Castro's　tiny　fleet。　Not　a　man　aboard　believed　a　word　of　this。
　Meanwhile　Cronkite　had　not　been　idle。　Unlike　the　others；　he　had　no　need　to　break　into　any　place　to　obtain　explosives。　He　had　merely　to　use　his　own　key。　As　the　world's　top　expert　in　capping　blazing　gushers　he　had　access　to　an　unlimited　number　and　great　variety　of　explosives。　He　made　a　selection　of　those　and　had　them　trucked　down　to　Galveston　from　Houston；　where　he　lived；　apart　from　the　fact　that　Houston　was　the　oil…rig　center　of　the　South；　the　nature　of　Cronkite's　business　made　it　essential　for　him　to　live　within　easy　reach　of　an　airport　with　international　connections。
　As　the　truck　was　on　its　way；　another　seismological　vessel；　a　converted　coast　guard　cutter；　was　also　closing　in　on　Galveston。　Without　explaining　his　reasons　for　needing　the　vessel；　Cronkite　had　obtained　it　through　the　good　offices　of　Durant；　who　had　represented　the　Galveston…area　panies　at　the　meeting　of　the　ten　at　Lake　Tahoe。　The　cutter；　which　went　by　the　name　of　Tiburon；　was　normally　based　at　Freeport；　and　Cronkite　could　quite　easily　have　taken　the　shipment　there；　but　this　would　not　have　suited　his　purpose。　The　tanker　Crusader　was　unloading　at　Galveston；　and　the　Crusader　was　one　of　the　three　tankers　that　plied　regularly　between　the　Seawitch　and　the　Gulf　ports。
　The　Tiburon　and　Cronkite　arrived　almost　simultaneously　sometime　after　midnight。　Mul…hooney；　the　Tiburorfs　skipper；　eased　his　ship　into　a　berth　conveniently　close　to　the　Crusader。　Mulhooney　was　not　the　regular　captain　of　the　Tiburon。　That　gentleman　had　been　so　overe　by　the　sight　of　two　thousand　dollars　in　cash　that　he　had　fallen　ill；　and　would　remain　so　for　a　few　days。　Cronkite　had　remended　his　friend　Mulhooney。　Cronkite　didn't　immediately　go　aboard　the　Tiburon。　Instead　he　chatted　with　a　night…duty　dock　inspector；　who　watched　with　an　idle　eye　as　what　were　obviously　explosives　were　transferred　to　the　Tiburon。　The　two　men　had　known　each　other　for　years。　Apart　from　observing　that　someone　out　in　the　Gulf　must　have　been　careless　with　matches　again；　the　port　official　had　no　further　pertinent　ment　to　make。　In　response　to　idle　questioning；　Cronkite　learned　that　the　Crusader　had　finished　off…loading　its　cargo　and　would　be　sailing　in　approximately　one　hour。
　He　boarded　the　Tiburon；　greeted　Mulhooney　and　went　straight　to　the　crew's　mess。　Seated　among　the　others　at　this　early　hour　were　three　divers　already　fully　clad　in　wetsuits。　He　gave　brief　instructions　and　the　three　men　went　on　deck。　Under　cover　of　the　superstructure　and　on　the　side　of　the　ship　remote　from　the　dock　the　three　men　donned　scuba　gear；　went　down　a　rope　ladder　and　slid　quietly　into　the　water。　Six　objects　…　radio…detonated　magnetic　mines　equipped　with　metallic　clamps　…　were　lowered　to　them。　They　were　so　constructed　as　to　have　a　very　slight　negative　buoyancy；　which　made　them　easy　to　tow　under　water。
　In　the　predawn　darkness　the　hulls　of　the　vessels　cast　so　heavy　a　shadow　from　the　powerful　shorelights　that　the　men　could　have　swum　unobserved　on　the　surface。　But　Cronkite　was　not　much　given　to　taking　chances。　The　mines　were　attached　along　the　stern　half　of　the　Crusader's　hull；　thirty　feet　apart　and　at　a　depth　of　about　ten　feet。　Five　minutes　after　their　departure　the　scuba　divers　were　back。　After　a　further　five　minutes　the　Tiburon　put　out　to　sea。
　Despite　his　near…legendary　reputation　for　ruth…lessness；　Cronkite　had　not　lost　touch　with　humanity：　to　say　that　he　was　possessed　of　an　innate　kindliness　would　have　been　a　distortion　of　the　truth；　for　he　was　above　all　an　unpromising　and　single…minded　realist；　but　one　with　no　innate　killer　instinct。　Nonetheless；　there　were　two　things　that　would　at　that　moment　have　given　him　considerable　satisfaction。
　The　first　of　those　was　that　he　would　have　preferred　to　have　the　Crusader　at　sea　before　pressing　the　sheathed　button　before　him　on　the　bridge。　He　had　no　wish　that　innocent　lives　should　be　lost　in　Galveston；　but　it　was　a　chance　that　he　had　to　take。　Limpet　mines；　as　the　Italian　divers　had　proved　at　Alexandria　in　World　War　…and　this　to　the　great　distress　of　the　Royal　Navy…　could　be　devastating^　effective　against　moored　vessels。　But　what　might　happen　to　high…buoyancy　limpets　when　a　ship　got　under　way　and　worked　up　to　maximum　speed　was　impossible　to　forecast；　as　there　was　no　known　case　of　a　vessel　under　way　having　been　destroyed　by　limpet　mines。　It　was　at　least　possible　that　water　pressure　on　a　ship　under　way　might　well　overe　the　tenuous　magnetic　hold　of　the　limpets　and　tear　them　free。
　The　second　temptation　was　to　board　the　helicopter　on　the　Tiburorfs　after　helipad…many　such　vessels　carried　helicopters　for　the　purpose　of　having　them　drop　patterned　explosives　on　the　seabed　to　register　on　the　seismological　puter…and　have　a　close　look　at　what　would　be　the　ensuing　havoc；　a　temptation　he　immediately　regarded　as　pure　self…indulgence。
　
　He　put　both　thoughts　from　his　mind。　Eight　miles　out　from　Galveston　he　unscrewed　the　covered　switch　and　leaned　firmly　on　the　button　beneath。　The　immediate　results　were　wholly　unspectacular；　and　Cronkite　feared　that　they　might　be　out　of　radio　range。　But　in　the　port　area　in　Galveston　the　results　were　highly　spectacular。　Six　shattering　explosions　occurred　almost　simultaneously；　and　within　twenty　seconds　the　Crusader；　her　stern　section　torn　in　half；　developed　a　marked　list　to　starboard　as　thousands　of　tons　of　water　poured　through　the　ruptured　side。　Another　twenty　seconds　later　the　distant　rumble　of　the　explosions　reached　the　ears　of　listeners　on　the　Tiburon。　Cronkite　and　Mulhooney；　alone　on　the　bridge…the　ship　was　on　automatic　pilot…　looked　at　each　other　with　grim　satisfaction。　Mulhooney；　an　Irishman　with　a　true　Irishman's　sense　of　occasion；　produced　an　opened　bottle　of　champagne　and　poured　two　brimming　glassfuls。　Cronkite；　who　normally　detested　the　stuff；　consumed　his　drink　with　considerable　relish　and　set　his　glass　down。　It　was　then　that　the　Crusader　caught　fire。
　Its　gasoline　tanks；　true；　were　empty；　but　its　engine　diesel　fuel　tanks　were　almost　pletely　topped　up。　In　normal　circumstances　ignited　diesel　does　not　explode　but　burns　with　a　ferocious　intensity。　Within　seconds　the　smoke…veined　flames　had　risen　to　a　height　of　two　hundred　feet；　the　height　increasing　with　each　moment　until　the　whole　city　was　bathed　in　a　crimson　glow；　a　phenomenon　which　the　citizens　of　Galveston　had　never　seen　before　and　would　almost　certainly　never　see　again。　Even　aboard　the　Tiburon　the　spectacle　had　an　awe…inspiring　and　unearthly　quality　about　it。　Then；　as　suddenly　as　it　had　begun；　the　fire　stopped　as　the　Crusader　turned　pletely　over　on　its　side；　the　harbor　waters　quenching　the　flames　into　hissing　extinction。　Some　patches　of　floating　oil　still　flickered　feebly　across　the　harbor；　but　that　was　all　that　there　was　to　it。
　Clearly　Lord　Worth　was　going　to　require　a　new　tanker；　a　requirement　that　presented　quite　a　problem。　In　this　area　of　a　gross　oversupply　of　tankers；　any　one　of　scores　of　laid…up　supertankers　could　be　had　just　through　exercising　enough　strength　to　lift　a　telephone。　But　50；000…ton　tankers；　though　not　a　dying　breed；　were　a　dwindling　breed；　principally　because　the　main　shipyards　throughout　the　world　had　stopped　producing　them。　〃Had〃　is　the　operative　word。　Keels　of　that　size　and　even　smaller　were　now　being　hastily　laid　down；　but　would　not　be　in　full　operation　for　a　year　or　two　to　e。　The　reason　was　perfectly　simple。　Supertankers　on　the　Arabian　Gulf…Europe　run　had　to　make　the　long　and　prohibitively　expensive　circuit　around　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope　because　the　newly　reopened　Suez　Canal　could　not　acmodate　their　immense　draft；　a　problem　that　presented　no　difficulties　to　smaller　tankers。　It　was　said；　and　probably　with　more　than　a　grain　of　truth；　that　the　notoriously　wily　Greek　shipowners　had　established　a　corner　on　this　particular　market。　The　dawn　was　in　the　sky。
　At　that　precise　moment　there　were　scenes　of　considerable　activity　around　and　aboard　the　Seawitch。　The　Panamanian…registered　tanker　Torbetto　was　just　finishing　off…loading　the　contents　of　the　SeawitcWs　massive　floating　conical　oil　tank。　As　they　were　doing　so；　two　helicopters　appeared　over　the　northeastern　horizon。　Both　were　very　large　Sikorsky　machines　which　had　been　bought　by　the　thrifty　Lord　Worth　for　the　traditional　song；　not　because　they　were　obsolete　but　because　they　were　two　of　the　scores　that　had　bee　redundant　since　the　end　of　the　Vietnam　War；　and　the　armed　forces　had　been　only　too　anxious　to　get　rid　of　them：　civilian　demand　for　ex…gunships　is　not　high。
　The　first　of　those　to　land　on　the　helipad　debarked　twenty…two　men；　led　by　Lord　Worth　and　Giuseppe　Palermo。　The　other　twenty；　who　from　their　appearance　were　not　much　given　to　caring　for　widows　and　orphans；　all　carried　with　them　the　impeccable　credentials　of　oil　experts　of　one　type　or　another。　That　they　were　experts　was　beyond　question；　what　was　equally　beyond　question　was　that　none　of　them　would　have　recognized　a　barrel　of　oil　if　he　had　fallen　into　it。　They　were　experts　in　diving；　underwater　demolition；　the　handling　of　high　explosives；　and　the　accurate　firing　of　a　variety　of　unpleasant　weapons。
　The　second　helicopter　arrived　immediately　after　the　first　had　taken　off。　Except　for　the　pilot　and　copilot；　it　carried　no　other　human　cargo。　What　it　did　carry　was　the　immense　and　varied　quantity　of　highly　offensive　weapons　from　the　Florida　arsenal；　the　loss　of　which　had　not　yet　been　reported　in　the　newspapers。
　The　oil…rig　crew　watched　the　arrival　of　gunmen　and　weapons　with　an　oddly　dispassionate　curiosity。　They　were　men　to　whom　the　unusual　was　familiar；　the　odd；　the　incongruous；　the　inexplicable；　part　and　parcel　of　their　daily　lives。　Oil…rig　crews　are　a　race　apart；　and　Lord　Worth's　men　formed　a　very　special　subdivision　of　that　race。
　Lord　Worth　called　them　all　together；　told　of　the　threat　to　the　Seawitch　and　the　defensive　measures　he　was　undertaking；　measures　which　were　thoroughly　approved　of　by　the　crew；　who　had　as　much　regard　for　their　own　skins　as　had　the　rest　of　mankind。　Lord　Worth　finished　by　saying　that　he　knew　he　had　no　need　to　swear　them　to　secrecy。
　In　this　the　noble　Lord　was　perfectly　correct。　Though　they　were　all　experienced；　hardly　a　man　aboard　had　not　at　one　time　or　another　had　a　close　and　painful　acquaintanceship　with　the　law。　There　were　ex…convicts　among　them。　There　were　escaped　convicts　among　them。　There　were　those　whom　the　law　was　very　anxious　to　interview。　And　there　were　parolees　who　had　broken　their　parole。　There　could　be　no　safer　hideouts　for　those　men　than　the　Seawitch　and　Lord　Worth's　privately　owned　motel　where　they　put　up　during　then*　off…duty　spells。　No　law　officer　in　his　sane　mind　was　going　to　question　the　towering　respectability　and　integrity　of　one　of　the　most　powerful　oil　barons　in　the　world；　and　by　inevitable　implication　this　attitude　of　mind　extended　to　those　in　his　employ。
　In　other　words；　Lord　Worth；　through　the　invaluable　intermediacy　of　mander　Larsen；　picked　his　men　with　extreme　care。
　Acmodation　for　the　newly　arrived　men　and　storage　for　the　weaponry　presented　no　problem。　Like　many　jack…ups；　drill　ships　and　sub…mersibles；　the　Seawitch　had　two　plete　sets　of　acmodation　and　messes…one　for　Westerners；　the