River Of Death

'Forgive, forgive,' Maria said. 'I don't suppose anyone is going to forgive me.'

There was a brief silence, then Hamilton said, mildly enough: 'I have apologised.'

'Apologies and forgiveness are not the same thing and you're clearly of the opinion that my I association - that's the nicest way I can put it - was 'unforgivable. It all depends upon who is doing the judging and casting the first stones. All four of my grandparents died in Auschwitz and the chances are high that it was Von Manteuffel or Spaatz who sent them there. Or both. I suppose the world is tired of hearing about it, but six million Jews did die in the concentration camps. Was I so wrong? I knew if I stayed with Smith long enough he'd lead me to Von Manteuffel and he was the one we really wanted. I knew of only one way of staying with him. So I — we — found Von Manteuffel. Was I so wrong?'

'Tel Aviv?' Hamilton made no attempt to conceal his distaste. 'Another of those barbaric Eichmann show trials?'

'Yes.'

'Von Manteuffel will never leave the Lost City.'

'This Dr Huston,' Serrano said carefully. 'He meant so much? And his daughter?'

'Yes.'

'You were here at the time they — ah — died?'

'Murdered. No. I was in Vienna. But a friend of mine — Jim Clinton — was here. He buried them. He even gave them a tombstone and inscription - burnt on wood with a red-hot poker. Von Manteuffel killed him also - some time later.'

'Vienna?' Maria said. 'Wiesenthal? The Institute?'

Serrano said: 'What's this, young lady?'

'You should watch those slips of the tongue, Mr Serrano, such as calling me a young lady. The Institute is a Jewish central organisation for hunting down war criminals. Based in Austria, not Israel. Mr Hamilton, why can they never let the left hand know what the right is doing?'

'Same old need-to-know principle, I suppose. All that I really know is that I'd a double reason for hunting Von Manteuffel down. I got close to him twice in the Argentine, twice in Chile, once in Bolivia, twice in the Kolonie 555. An elusive character, always on the run, always surrounded by his Nazi thugs. But I've caught up with him.'

'Or the other way around,' Serrano said.

Hamilton remained silent.

'Your friends are buried here?'

'Yes.'

'I'm hungry and I'm thirsty,' Navarro said plaintively. It was half an hour before dawn.

'I am deeply moved by your sufferings,' Hamilton said. 'What's a damned sight more important is that you're alive. I didn't want to depress anyone any more than we already were by saying what was in my mind, but I didn't really think we'd see the night out.'

Ramon said: 'And how could that have been?'

'Quite simple, really. Lots of ways. With a small cannon, a rocket launcher, any kind of anti-aircraft gun or a mortar. They could have directed two or.three very nasty pounds of high explosive straight through this open doorway. Maybe the shrapnel would not have got us all, but the concussion in this confined space would have finished us off. Or they could have crawled over the grain store roof from the back and lobbed in a few grenades or a stick or so of blasting powder. The effect would have been the same. Maybe they didn't have any of those materials to hand, which I don't for a moment believe - Von Manteuffel lugs around with him enough weaponry and artillery for an armoured battalion. Maybe the idea just didn't occur to them, which I don't believe either. I think that Von Manteuffel believes, as he has reason to, that we are dangerous in the dark and is waiting for daylight before moving in for the kill.'

Serrano said unhappily: 'It will be daylight quite soon.'

'It will, won't it?' In the first faint glimmering of light Maria, Serrano and Silver stared at Hamilton without comprehension as he extracted the camera from his haversack, opened it, released the flap to display the transceiver, extended an aerial and spoke into the microphone.

'Night-watch,' Hamilton said. 'Night-watch.'

The speaker crackled and the reply was immediate.

'We have you, Night-watch.'

'Now.'

'Now it is. How many vultures?'

'Thirty. Forty. A guess.' Repeat after me: Stay under cover. Napalm.'

'Stay under cover. Napalm.' Hamilton switched off. 'Useful, no? Very thoughtful is Colonel Diaz.'

'Napalm!' Ramon said.

'You heard the man.'

'But napalm!'

'Very tough, those airborne commandos. But, no, they don't use it directly. They've no intention of dropping the stuff on us. They ring the area. Not a new technique but very intimidating.'

Hamilton made another switch on the camera and a faint bleeping sound could be heard.

'Homing signal,' Ramon explained to no-one in particular. 'How else do you think they'd ever locate this place?'

'You've got everything organised, haven't you?' Maria sounded slightly bitter. 'Never thought to tell us, did you?'

'Why should I?' Hamilton said indifferently. 'Nobody ever tells me anything.'

'How long will they take to get here?'

'Twenty minutes. No more.'

'And dawn is in about the same time?'

'About.'