Bleck came staggering over with another rock and fixed the other wheel.
Kitson got into the cab of the truck and started the engine.
Leaning out of the window, he said, ‘You and Gypo get ready to block the wheels if I stall. I may have to jump her all the way up. The tires won’t bite on this.’
‘Get on with it!’ Bleck snarled, furious with himself for bogging the truck down.
Kitson got the engine running fast, then he released the handbrake, letting the truck settle back on the rocks.
‘Here we go!’ he shouted and gently let in the clutch.
The truck moved forward, skidded with its rear wheels spinning, throwing dirt and stones back at Bleck and Gypo. Half blinded, they turned their backs, shielding their faces.
Kitson tried to hold the truck straight, gunning the engine, but the strain was too much, the engine stalled and he had just time to slam on his brakes, having gained a couple of yards.
Even with the brakes on, the truck began to slide back and Kitson yelled to Bleck to block the wheels. He lost a yard before Bleck and Gypo got rocks against the wheels.
The next time he tried, the other two stood clear and he gained a good four yards before the engine stalled, and Bleck and Gypo rushed up and dumped rocks under the wheels before the truck lost ground.
This went on for a good half hour. Kitson jumping the truck forward while Bleck and Gypo blocked the wheels. Finally, they were within fifty yards of the Buick, but all three men were so exhausted by their efforts, Bleck called a halt.
‘Let the sonofabitch cool off,’ he said, leaning against the side of the truck and panting.
Kitson got out of the truck.
‘Not far to go now,’ he said as Ginny came running down to join them. ‘Once off this, she’ll be okay.’
‘You’re doing fine,’ Ginny said to him.
He grinned happily at her.
‘The tough driver,’ Bleck sneered. ‘The boy wonder, with a way with cars.’
Ginny looked at him.
‘That’s something you can’t claim, is it?’ she said.
Bleck sneered at her.
‘Okay, stick up for him,’ he said. ‘You’re the only one.’
He walked away to the edge of the road, where he sat on a rock and lit a cigarette.
There was a long wait, then when Kitson had decided the engine was cool enough, he called to Bleck and got into the truck. Ten minutes later the truck was standing beside the Buick.
‘I can tow her now,’ Kitson said. ‘Better get her under cover again.’
He drove the truck into the caravan and Bleck and Gypo got in.
Shutting the back of the caravan, Kitson went to the Buick and slid under the steering wheel.
Ginny said, ‘You were fine. If it hadn’t been for you, we’d never have made it.’
She leaned forward and her lips brushed his cheek.
II
The sun coming through the chink in the entrance to the tent woke Bleck. He opened his eyes and stared up at the sloping canvas roof, and it took him several puzzled moments to remember where he was.
He closed his eyes, frowning, feeling the stiffness in his bones from lying all night on the hard ground. Well, at least, they had found a good hiding place, he thought. If they had any luck they could remain up here safely until Gypo opened the truck.
There was a lake with running water, a fair-sized wood that gave them complete cover from the aircraft that patrolled overhead, and they were a good five hundred yards off the road.
No one would believe it possible that the truck could have been driven up that washed-out road. No one was likely to look for them here. Now everything depended on Gypo. If he couldn’t beat the lock, then he must use the flame.
It maddened Bleck to think that he had had the truck in his possession for four days and still the money was out of his reach. He opened his eyes and squinted at his watch. The time was five minutes after six. Then, raising his head, he looked across at Ginny who was curled up, her head on a rolled-up coat, a blanket over her, still sleeping.
Kitson lay between the girl and Bleck, and he was sleeping. There wasn’t much room in the tent, but they all had to sleep in there as it was too cold at night to sleep out in the open. Bleck looked over to see if Gypo was sleeping. Immediately he stiffened and sat up, for Gypo wasn’t in the tent.
For a moment, Bleck felt alarmed, then he relaxed a little, thinking Gypo was probably outside, getting the breakfast ready. But he had to be sure and he threw off the blanket and gave Kitson a hard nudge with his foot, waking him.
‘Come on!’ he said as Kitson lifted his head to blink at him. ‘Gypo’s up already. We’ve got work to do.’
Kitson yawned, then as he was nearest to the exit, he crawled out, blinking in the sunshine.
As Bleck joined him, Ginny sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching.
‘Where’s Gypo?’ Kitson asked, looking around the small clearing in the wood.
Bleck looked over at the caravan, well hidden under the trees.
He looked across at the small lake.
There was no sign of Gypo.
Cupping his hands to his mouth, Bleck bawled, ‘Gypo!’ at the top of his voice. There came no answering call and the two men looked at each other.
‘The creep’s run out on us!’ Bleck said furiously. ‘I should have watched him. He’s gone.’
Ginny came out of the tent.
‘What is it?’
‘Gypo’s gone!’ Kitson said.
‘He can’t have gone far,’ Ginny said. ‘He was in the tent twenty minutes ago. He was sleeping.’
‘We’ve got to get him back!’ Bleck said violently. ‘Without him, we’re sunk! He must be crazy! It’s more than twenty miles to the highway and he’ll have to walk every yard of it!’
Kitson ran to the road and Bleck went with him.
They paused at the edge of the grass verge and looked down the long, steep incline to the narrow zigzag white road, cut into the face of the mountain that twisted and turned down into a haze of mist, covering the valley.
Kitson suddenly grabbed Bleck’s arm, pointing.
‘There he goes!’
Bleck screwed up his eyes. He could just make out a tiny figure moving along the road, a mile and a half below.
‘We can catch him!’ Bleck said. ‘I’ll make him sorry he was born when I get my hands on him! We’ll take the car!’
‘No,’ Kitson said. ‘The road’s too narrow. We’d never turn it to come back. We’ll go down the hill side. That way we can do two miles to his half.’
He got off the road and started down the steep slope, sliding, jumping when he could, but sliding most of the way.
Bleck hesitated. It looked dangerous to him. He started after Kitson, but at a slower pace.
Kitson reached the road, crossed it, lowered himself over the grass verge and started down the slope again. It was now steeper and he had to go more slowly. Once he nearly pitched forward and he only saved himself by throwing himself backwards and then sliding down to land with a flurry of dislodged stones onto the road again.
Recovering, he paused to look down.
He could now see Gypo clearly.
Gypo was jogging along downhill, covering the ground at quite a pace.
Bleck joined Kitson.
‘There he goes!’ Kitson said.
Snarling, Bleck pulled his gun.
‘What do you think you’re going to do?’ Kitson said, grabbing Bleck’s wrist. ‘He’s the only one who can open the truck, isn’t he?’
Bleck’s face was streaming with sweat and he was gasping for breath. Savagely, he wrenched his wrist free and shoved the gun back into its holster. Then he started down the next slope.