alistairmaclean.icestationzebra-第41章

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spheric　pressure。　All　the　oxygen　in　the　world　was　going　to　be　of　little　avail　as　long　as　the　level　of　carbon　dioxide　given　off　by　our　anguished　breathing　mounted　steadily　with　the　passing　of　each　minute。　Normally；　the　air　in　the　Dolphin　was　cleaned　and　circulated　throughout　the　ship　every　two　minutes；　but　the　giant　200…ton　air　conditioner　responsible　for　this　was　a　glutton　for　the　electric　power　that　drove　it；　and　the　electricians'　estimate　was　that　the　reserve　of　power　in　the　standby　battery；　which　alone　could　reactivate　the　nuclear　power　plant；　was　already　dangerously　low。　So　the　concentration　of　carbon　dioxide　increased　steadily　toward　lethal　levels；　and　there　was　nothing　we　could　do　about　it。
　 Increasing；　too；　in　what　passed　now　for　air；　were　the　Freon　fumes　from　the　refrigerating　machinery　and　the　hydrogen　fumes　from　the　batteries。　Worse　still；　the　smoke　was　now　so　thick　that　visibility；　even　in　the　for'ard　parts　of　the　ship；　was　down　to　a　few　feet；　but　that　smoke　had　to　remain　also；　there　was　no　power　to　operate　the　electrostatic　precipitators；　and　even　when　those　had　been　briefly　tried；　they　had　proved　totally　inadequate　to　cope　with　the　concentration　of　billions　of　carbon　particles　held　in　suspension　in　the　air。　Each　time　the　door　to　the　engine　room　was　openedand　that　was　progressively　oftener　as　the　strength　of　the　fire　fighters　ebbed　fresh　clouds　of　that　evil　acrid　smoke　rolled　through　the　submarine。　The　fire　in　the　engine　room　had　stopped　burning　over　two　hours　previously；　but　now　what　remained　of　the　redly　smoldering　insulation　around　the　starboard　high…pressure　turbine　gave　off　far　more　smoke　and　fumes　than　flames　ever　could　have。
　 But　the　greatest　enemy　of　all　lay　in　the　mounting　count　of　carbon　monoxide；　that　deadly；　insidious；　colorless；　tasteless；　odorless　gas　with　its　murderous　affinity　for　the　red　blood　cells500　times　that　of　oxygen。　On　board　the　Dolphin　the　normal　permissible　tolerance　of　carbon　monoxide　in　the　air　was　thirty　parts　in　a　million。　Now　the　reading　was　somewhere　between　400　and　500　parts　in　a　million。　When　it　reached　a　thousand　parts；　none　of　us　would　have　more　than　minutes　to　live。
　 And　then　there　was　the　cold。　As　mander　Swanson　had　grimly　prophesied；　the　〃Dolphin〃；　with　the　steam　pipes　cooled　down　and　all　heaters　switched　off；　had　chilled　down　to　the　sub…freezing　temperature　of　the　sea　outside；　and　was　ice　cold。　In　terms　of　absolute　cold；　it　was　nothinga　mere　two　degrees　below　zero　on　the　centigrade　scale。　But　in　terms　of　cold　as　it　reacted　on　the　human　body；　it　was　very　cold　indeed。　Most　of　the　crew　were　without　warm　clothing　of　any　kind。　In　normal　operating　conditions　the　temperature　inside　the　〃Dolphin〃　was　maintained　at　a　steady　22°C。　regardless　of　the　temperature　outside。　The　men　were　forbidden　to　move　around；　but　even　if　they　were　allowed　to；　they　now　lacked　the　energy　to　counteract　the　effects　of　the　cold；　and　what　little　energy　was　left　in　their　rapidly　weakening　bodies　was　so　wholly　occupied　in　forcing　their　laboring　chest　muscles　to　gulp　in　more　and　ever　more　of　that　foul　and　steadily　worsening　air　that　they　had　none　at　all　left　to　generate　sufficient　animal　heat　to　ward　off　that　dank　and　bitter　cold。　You　could　actually　hear　men　shivering；　could　listen　to　their　violently　shaking　limbs　knocking　and　rat…tat…tatting　helplessly　against　bulkheads　and　deck；　could　hear　the　chattering　of　their　teeth；　the　sound　of　some　of　them；　far　gone　in　weakness；　whimpering　softly　with　the　cold：　but　always　the　dominant　sound　was　that　harsh；　strangled　moaning；　a　rasping　and　frightening　sound；　as　men　sought　to　suck　air　down　into　starving　lungs。
　 With　the　exception　of　Hansen　and　myselfboth　of　whom　were　virtually　one…handedand　the　sick　patients；　every　man　in　the　〃Dolphin〃　had　taken　his　turn　that　night　in　descending　into　the　machinery　space　and　fighting　that　red　demon　that　threatened　to　slay　us　all。　The　number　in　each　fire…fighting　group　had　been　increased　from　four　to　eight　and　the　time　spent　down　there　shortened　to　three　or　four　minutes；　so　that　efforts　could　be　concentrated　and　more　energy　expended　in　a　given　length　of　time；　but　because　of　the　increasingly　Stygian　darkness　in　the　machinery　space；　the　ever…thickening　coils　of　oily　black　smoke；　and　the　wickedly　cramped　and　confined　space　in　which　the　men　had　to　work；　progress　had　been　frustratingly；　maddeningly　slow：　and　entered　into　it　now；　of　course；　was　the　factor　of　that　dreadful　weakness　that　now　assailed　us　all；　so　that　men　with　the　strength　only　of　little　children　were　tugging　and　tearing　at　the　'smoldering　insulation　in　desperate　near…futility　and　seemingly　making　no　progress　at　all。
　 I'd　been　down　again　in　the　machinery　space；　just　once；　at　5：30　a。m。　to　attend　to　Jolly；　who　had　himself　slipped；　fallen；　and　laid　himself　out　while　helping　an　injured　crewman　up　the　ladder；　and　I　knew　I　would　never　forget　what　I　had　seen　there：　dark　and　spectral　figures　in　a　dark　and　spectral　and　swirling　world；　lurching　and　staggering　around　like　zombies　in　some　half…forgotten　nightmare；　swaying　and　stumbling　and　falling　to　the　deck　or　down　into　the　bilges　now　deep…covered　in　great　snow　drifts　of　carbon…dioxide　foam　and　huge；　smoking；　blackened　chunks　of　torn…off　sheathing。　Men　on　the　rack；　men　in　the　last　stages　of　exhaustion；　One　little　spark　of　fire；　one　little　spark　of　an　element　as　old　as　time　itself；　and　all　the　brilliant　technological　progress　of　the　twentieth　century　was　set　at　nothing；　the　frontiers　of　man's　striving　translated　in　a　moment　from　the　nuclear　age　to　the　dark　unknown　of　pre…history。
　 Every　dark　hour　brings　forth　its　man；　and　there　was　no　doubt　in　the　minds　of　the　crew　of　the　〃Dolphin〃　that　that　dark　night　had　produced　its　own　hero：　Dr。　Jolly。　He　had　made　a　swift　recovery　from　the　effects　of　his　first　disastrous　entry　into　the　engine　room　that　night；　appearing　back　in　the　control　center　only　seconds　after　I　had　finished　setting　Ringman's　broken　leg。　He　had　taken　the　news　of　Bolton's　death　pretty　badly；　but　never；　either　by　word　or　direct　look；　did　he　indicate　to　either　Swanson　or　myself　that　the　fault　lay　with　us　for　insisting　against　his　better　judgment　on　bringing　on　board　the　ship　a　man　whose　life　had　been　hanging　in　the　balance　even　under　the　best　of　conditions。　I　think　Swanson　was　pretty　grateful　for　that　and　might　even　have　got　around　to　apologizing　to　Jolly　had　not　a　fire　fighter　e　through　from　the　engine　room　and　told　us　that　one　of　his　team　had　slipped　and　either　twisted　or　broken　an　anklethe　second　of　many　minor　accidents　and　injuries　that　were　to　happen　down　in　the　machinery　space　that　night。　Jolly　had　reached　for　the　nearest　closed…circuit　breathing　apparatus　before　we　could　try　to　stop　him　and　was　gone　in　a　minute。
　 We　eventually　lost　count　of　the　number　of　trips　he　made　down　there　that　night。　Fifteen　at　least；　perhaps　many　more；　by　the　time　six　o'clock　had　e　around；　my　mind　was　beginning　to　get　pretty　fuzzy　around　the　edges。　He　certainly　had　no　lack　of　customers　for　his　medical　skill。　Paradoxically　enough；　the　two　main　types　of　injury　that　night　were　diametrically　opposite　in'　nature：　burning　and　freezing；　burning　from　the　red…hot　sheathingand；　earlier；　the　steam　pipes　and　freezing　from　a　carelessly　directed　jet　of　carbon　dioxide　against　exposed　areas　of　face　or　hands。　Jolly　never　failed　to　answer　a　call；　not　even　after　the　time　he'd　given　his　own　head　a　pretty　nasty　crack。　He　would　plain　bitterly　to　the　captain；　old　boy；　for　rescuing　him　from　the　relative　safety　and　fort　of　Drift　Ice　Station　Zebra；　crack　some　dry　joke；　pull　on　his　mask；　and　leave。　A　dozen　speeches　to　Congress　or　Parliament　couldn't　have　done　what　Jolly　did　that　night　in　cementing　Anglo…American　friendship。
　 About　6：45　a。m。　chief　torpedoman　Patterson　came　into　the　control　center。　I　suppose　he　walked　through　the　doorway；　but　that　was　only　assumption；　from　where　I　sat　on　the　deck　between　Swanson　and　Hansen；　you　couldn't　see　halfway　to　the　door：　but　when　he　came　up　to　Swanson　he　was　crawling　on　his　hands　and　knees；；　head　swaying　from　side　to　side；　whooping　painfully；　his　respiration　rate　at　least　fifty　to　the　minute。　He　was　wearing　no　mask　of　any　kind　and　was　shivering　constantly。
　 〃We　must　do　something；　Captain；〃　he　said　hoarsely。　He　spoke　as　much　when　inhaling　as　when　exhaling；　when　your　breathing　is　sufficiently　distressed；　one　is　as　easy　as　the　other。　〃We've　got　seven　men　passed　out　now　between　the　for'ard　torpedo　room　and　the　crew's　mess。　They're　pretty　sick　men；　Captain。〃
　 〃Thank　you；　chief。〃　Swanson；　also　without　a　mask；　was　in　as　bad　a　way　as　Patterson；　his　chest　heaving；　his　breath　hoarsely　rasping；　tears　and　sweat　rolling　down　the　grayness　of　his　face。　〃We'll　be　as　quick　as　possible。〃
　 〃More　oxygen；〃　I　said。　〃Bleed　more　oxygen　into　the　ship。〃
　 〃Oxygen？　More　oxygen？〃　He　shook　his　head。　〃The　pressure　is　too　high　as　it　is。〃
　 〃Pressure　won't　kill　them。〃　I　was　dimly　aware；　through　my　cold　and　misery　and　burning　chest　and　eyes；　that　my　voice　sounded　just　as　strange　as　did　those　of　Swanson　and　Patterson。　〃Carbon　monoxide　will　kill　them。　Carbon　monoxide　is　what　is　killing　them　now。　It's　the　relative　proportion　of　CO2　to　oxygen　that　matters。　It's　too　high；　it's　far　too　high。　That's　what's　going　to　finish　us　all　off。〃
　 〃More　oxygen；〃　Swanson　ordered。　Even　the　unnecessary　acknowledgment　of　my　words　would　have　cost　too　much。　〃More　oxygen。〃
　 Valves　were　turned　and　oxygen　hissed　into　the　control　room　and；　I　knew；　into　the　crew　spaces。　I　could　feel　my　ears　pop　as　the　pressure　swiftly　built　up　but　that　was　all　I　could　feel。　I　certainly　couldn't　feel　any　improvement　in　my　breathing；　a　feeling　that　was　borne　out　when　Patterson；　noticeably　weaker　this　time；　crawled　back　and　croaked　out　the　bad　news　that　he　now　had　a　dozen　unconscious　men　on　his　hands。
　 I　went　for'ard　with　Patterson　and　a　closed…circuit　oxygen　apparatusone　of　the　few　unexhausted　sets　leftand　clamped　it　for　a　minute　or　so　onto　the　face　of　each　unconscious　man　in　turn；　but　I　knew　it　was　but　a　temporary　palliative。　The　oxygen　revived　them；　but　within　a　few　minutes　of　the　mask　being　removed；　most　of　them　slipped　back　into　unconsciousness　again。　I　made　my　way　back　to　the　control　room；　a　dark　dungeon　of　huddled　men　nearly　all　lying　down；　most　of　them　barely　conscious。　I　was　barely　conscious　myself。　I　wondered　vaguely　if　they　felt　as　I　did；　if　the　fire　from　the　lungs　had　now　spread　to　the　remainder　of　the　body；　if　they　could　see　the　first　slight　changes　in　color　in　their　hands　and　faces；　the　deadly　blush　of　purple；　the　first　unmistakable　signs　of　a　man　beginning　to　die　from　carbon…monoxide　poisoning。　Jolly；　I　noticed；　still　hadn't　returned　from　the　engine　room；　he　was　keeping　himself　permanently　on　hand；　it　seemed；　to　help　those　men　who　were　in　ever…increasingly　greater　danger　of　hurting　themselves　and　their　rades　as　their　weakness　increased；　as　their　level　of　care　and　attention　and　concentration　slid　down　toward　zero。
　 Swanson　was　where　I'd　left　him；　propped　on　the　desk　against　the　plotting　table。　He　smiled　faintly　as　I　sank　down　beside　him　and　Hansen。
　 〃How　are　they；　Doctor？〃　he　whispered。　A　whisper；　but　a　rock…steady　whisper。　The　man's　monolithic　calm　had　never　cracked；　and　I　realized　dimly　that　here　was　a　man　who　could　never　crack：　you　do　find　people　like　that；　once　in　a　million　or　o