'Christ, this is bloody suicide,' he muttered. The four planes were upon them now. Tanner looked through the side of the cab to see two lines of bullets kicking up the ground to their left. The bullets of the second aircraft raked the ground in front of them, while those of the third were way too wide. But those of the fourth cut a swathe across the road from right to left, clattering and pinging into the bonnet of the truck. Anna ducked, Tanner swerved, then righted the truck, but the
Opel was spluttering, steam hissing from the radiator.
Ahead, the four aircraft hurtled onwards down the valley until they became dots, then disappeared from view.
'Will they come back, Jack?' asked Anna.
Her hands were shaking, Tanner noticed, as she moved a strand of hair from her face. 'Doubt it,' he said. 'They would have started turning back towards us by now. They've probably gone on to attack Andalsnes.'
With the engine coughing, he rolled the truck off the road and brought it to a standstill. 'Bollocks!' he said, smacking the steering-wheel.
He jumped out of the cab and ran to the other.
'We are all right,' Nielssen called out. 'They missed us entirely.'
'That's something,' said Tanner. 'Our truck's had it.'
'Get into this one quickly,' said Nielssen.
Tanner ordered McAllister and Chambers to take the spare wheel from the ruined Opel, while he and Derigaux lifted out Chevannes.
Within ten minutes they were on their way again, Tanner and Anna now beside Nielssen in the cab. 'How much further is it?' Tanner asked Anna. To their left, the river had developed into a narrow lake.
'About sixty kilometres,' said Anna.
'We can't stop,' said Nielssen. 'We've got to risk it.'
'Those bastards'll be back, though.' Tanner sighed heavily, tapped his fingers on his knees, then sighed again, this time even louder. 'Jesus,' he said. 'This is going to be close. Damned close.' They passed a small column of shattered and burnt-out vehicles left beside the road. Several blackened corpses lay spreadeagled to either side.
'As if we needed reminding,' said Nielssen.
A few more miles slipped by, then a few more. Tanner struggled to sit still. He wished he was driving; at least it would have given him something to do. The valley no longer seemed beautiful; rather, Tanner saw it as little more than a death-trap - a single road and a railway line, with only intermittent cover. At any moment more enemy aircraft would be upon them. So long as they had the truck they could outrun any pursuit on the ground, but if they lost this vehicle as well. . . 'This is torture,' he said at last. 'Absolute bloody torture.'
They passed a settlement called Brude. 'How far now?' he asked Anna.
'About forty kilometres, I think.'
'Aircraft!' yelled Sykes from the back. 'Bloody hell, and there're lots of them!'
Tanner groaned, and leant out of the window. They were only specks on the horizon, but he could see two distinct formations, one higher than the other. The valley had narrowed again, and with it the stretch of pasture off the road. A hundred yards ahead the road curved and beside it the forest reached the road's edge.
'Can we make the curve of the road?' A thought, but said aloud. Leaning out of the window, he saw the lower formation swooping downwards towards them.
'Now!' he said. They were close enough to the bend. 'Sir, get the truck to the side of the road, and let's get out! Out, everyone, quick, and into the trees!' He leapt from the cab, hurried round to the back and, with Sykes, grabbed Chevannes' legs, hoisted him on to his shoulder and sprinted to the trees. He had barely stepped away from the road when the first line of bullets spat a line behind him. Laying Chevannes roughly on the ground, he crouched behind a tree, aircraft roaring overhead, seemingly only just above the canopy. Bullets hurtled through the branches and along the road. A line pinged across the truck. A moment later there was a loud boom and the vehicle was engulfed in flames, the canvas cover and wooden rear crackling loudly.
It was over in moments, the six aircraft thundering onwards. A miracle: no one had been hurt, although as Tanner lifted Chevannes to his feet, the Frenchman groaned with pain.
Twenty miles, thought Tanner, give or take. They could walk it, but would the enemy catch up before they reached safety? He rubbed his eyes, rubbed his cheeks, wished he had a cigarette.
They made another stretcher, this time for Chevannes, and on they went. For a while no one spoke and all that could be heard was the tramp of boots. They had come so far.. . Tanner cursed.
'Come on, boys,' he said at length. 'Let's lift our heads. We're nearly there. We can bloody do this. Just a few hours' hard march, that's all, and we've done that plenty of times.'
'Sarge!' said Sykes, suddenly. 'Look!'
They followed his outstretched finger and there, a few hundred yards ahead, they saw the unmistakable sign of a roadblock. Hastily, Tanner brought his binoculars to his eyes.
British troops.
'They're ours, lads!' he said. 'They're bloody well ours!' And he began to run towards them.
The roadblock was manned by a small detachment of Royal Navy Marines, whose commander stepped forward as Tanner stood gasping, his hands on his knees.
Immediately he straightened and saluted. 'Sergeant Tanner, sir, of the King's Own Yorkshire Rangers, and Lieutenant Nielssen of His Majesty the King's Guard.'
'Lieutenant Lindsay,' the Marines officer replied. 'Where in God's name have you come from?'
At Lieutenant Lindsay's command post - a roughly built sangar made from stones and branches among the pines - Tanner gave a brief account of their journey from the Balberkamp, and stressed the importance of getting the professor away as quickly as possible.
Lieutenant Lindsay, a thin-faced Scotsman of about thirty, stroked his moustache thoughtfully as he listened, then said, 'We have a dilemma, though, Sergeant. Although the port is only eighteen miles up the track, it would be suicide to attempt the journey now. You know what it's like - you've suffered two close calls yourself. A mile behind us, though, there's a small village and a four- hundred-and-eighty-yard tunnel. To be honest, that tunnel's the main reason we're here. Most of our forces are already at Andalsnes, but what's left are in the tunnel. We're the last outpost here. We've been ordered to cover them should Jerry push on through.'
'How many are up there, sir?' Tanner asked. 'Rather more than one company of Green Howards, plus various other loose strands, so to speak,' Lindsay told him. 'The aim is to hold off the enemy here, then slip away tonight. The chaps in the tunnel are going by train - it's in there, ready and waiting to go - and we've got seven trucks hidden here. There are ships coming for us tonight - assuming they haven't been sunk.' He paused. 'I'm sorry, it's pretty grim, I'm afraid.'
Tanner took off his helmet and turned to Nielssen. 'What do you think, sir?'
'We should wait until this evening. If we are caught out in the open we could be in big trouble.'
Tanner nodded, then walked a few steps away.
'Sarge?' It was Sykes. 'What are you thinking?'
'I'm thinking a handful of Marines won't stop a concerted effort by the Germans.'
'We've still got a few explosives. Could always put them to good use.'
'You're right.' He turned back to Nielssen and Lindsay. 'Sir,' he said to Nielssen, 'why don't you go with the professor, Chevannes and Derigaux, and take cover in the tunnel?' Then, to Lieutenant Lindsay, he said, 'If we can help here, sir, we'll stay with you. We've got some explosive left we could use.'
Lieutenant Lindsay smiled. 'Yes, I'm sure you could, Sergeant. I'm afraid demolitions aren't really my line.'
'And if you don't mind me asking, sir, what ammo have you got left? We're almost out.'