The Blue Ice

'Then where will he go? If he goes down to Finse — ' She stopped there. And again I wondered how much Farnell meant to her now. She looked cold and remote and delicately lovely in her navy blue ski suit and red socks and scarf. Red woollen gloves lay on the floor at her feet. She was the sort of girl that never let up once she had decided on something. 'Are you still in love with Farnell?' I asked suddenly, and my voice sounded harsh in the immense silence of that hut.

She looked at me. 'You shouldn't have asked that,' she said softly. 'Not now.'

'I suppose not,' I said dully. I hadn't the strength to argue or even press the point. And it wasn't until later that I realised that she had avoided a direct answer.

After that we didn't talk. I sat huddled against the fire. I felt I wanted to press the warmth right into my stomach. Gradually my shivering ceased. I took my boots off and changed into a clean pair of socks. The warmth on my face made me drowsy. Inside, the hut was silent as though waiting for the tick of a clock. Outside, the wind howled, rattling at the windows and shaking the massive timber of the walls. The blanketed sound of the snow was audible even above the wind. My eyes began to close. I felt myself dropping off to sleep.

Then suddenly Jill said, 'What's that?'

I started awake. 'What?' I asked.

'I thought I heard somebody.'

I listened. I could hear nothing but the wind and the snow. 'It's nothing,' I said drowsily. 'What did you think it was?'

'I thought I heard a voice.' She got to her feet and went towards the windows.

'Nobody will be coming here,' I said. 'Lovaas and his mate are out there somewhere in the snow. They'll never find this place. And Farnell's probably miles away by now.'

'I expect you're right,' she said. But she crossed over to the other window. Then she stopped. 'There. Did you hear it?'

I sat up, wide awake now. The sound was unmistakable — the clatter of wood against wood. There it was again and a voice speaking.

Next moment the outer door was flung open. Boots stamped in the narrow passage. A man's voice, deep and solid, spoke in Norwegian. Then the inner door opened and a draught of bitter cold air blew into the hut. With it came a flurry of snow. The outer door was closed.

Jill, her face alight with excitement, started across the floor. Then she stopped as though frozen. A man had entered. He wore a fur cap with earflaps. His face and body were thick with a,white covering of snow. But the girth of the man, enhanced by the amount of clothing he was wearing, was unmistakable. It was Lovaas. He wiped the snow from his face. His skin was almost blue with cold. 'So,' he said. 'It is Miss Somers and' — he glanced across at me — 'and Mr Gansert. Kom inn, Halvorsen,' he said over his shoulder. He came over to the stove. 'Move please, Mr Gansert. We need some warmth.' His voice was thick and tired. His feet stumbled. 'Your friend, Farnell, nearly finished us. It was only luck that we found the hut.'

His mate, a tall, hatchet-faced man, came in and closed the door after him. I moved towards Jill, whilst they gathered round the fire. The snow steamed on their clothing as they huddled close to the red top of the stove. 'What happened to my man, Gaarder, eh?' Lovaas asked me.

'Who is Gaarder?' I asked.

'One of my men. I leave him to look after you. What happens? And where is your companion? It was Sunde, wasn't.it?'

'Yes,' I said. 'Sunde was with me. But he turned his ankle. I had to come on without him.'

'And I suppose Gaarder turns his ankle also?' His heavy brows were drawn together. His eyes, red-rimmed and narrowed, watched me closely. 'What happens, Mr Gansert?' And when I didn't reply, he suddenly shouted — 'Answer, man! What happens to him?'

'How should I know?' I answered. 'Perhaps he's lost his way.'

I saw anger welling up into violence inside him. But he was tired. He only sighed and pressed his great belly closer to the cast-iron casing of the stove. 'We will talk about that later,' he said.

There was a momentary silence. I could see the blood flowing back into his face. It was no longer blue. His features began to take on a ruddy glow. The man was incredibly tough. He had done the same trek as I had and had been skiing steadily in the biting snowstorm all the time I had been here, huddled against the fire. Yet already he was recovering. I remember how Sunde's little legs had covered the ground. And this man was accustomed to the cold. He had been on an antarctic whaling expeditions. I glanced across at Jill. He'd work on her. He was a dangerous man and he was playing for high stakes. He was going outside the law. And he would go further outside it to achieve his end. Only by discovering what Farnell knew would he be safe. I moved slowly towards my rucksack.

'Stay where you are please, Mr Gansert.' Lovaas's voice was sharp. 'Halvorsen. Ga gjennom tingene deres. Se om der er noen skyterpen.'