Breakheart Pass

of impact, dropped reluctantly off and tumbled lazily into the unseen depths below.

The eleven survivors of the original trainload from Reese City, most of them shivering violently, were gathered round the rear end of the second horse wagon – now, in effect, the end of the train – examining the coupling, the free end of which had formerly been bolted to the front of the leading troop wagon. Three of the four massive securing bolts were still loosely in place in the plate. Claremont stared unbelievingly at the plate and the bolts.

'But how, how, how could it have happened? Look at the size of those bolts!'

O'Brien said: 'Not that I have any intention of going down into that ravine to investigate – even although all the evidence is smashed to pieces anyway – but what I'd have liked to see was the condition of the timber to which those bolts were attached.'

'But I thought I heard a report–'

'Or,' Deakin suggested, 'a baulk of heavy timber snapping in half.'

'Of course.' Claremont dropped the chain and plate. 'Of course. That's what it must have been. But why should it – Banlon, you're the engineer. In fact, you're the only trainman we have left.'

'Before God, I've no idea. The wood may have rotted – it can happen without showing any signs – and this is the steepest climb in the mountains. But I'm only guessing. What I can't understand is why Devlin did nothing about it.'

Claremont was sombre in both face and voice. 'Some answers we'll never know. What's past is past. First thing is to have another try to contact Reese City or Ogden – we must have replacements for those poor devils at once, God rest their souls. What a way to die! The only way for a cavalryman to die is in the face of the enemy' Claremont wasn't quite as pragmatic as he would have liked to sound and he had to make a conscious effort to return himself to the realities of the present. 'At least, thank God, we didn't lose those medical supplies.'

Deakin was clearly in no mood to commiserate with Claremont. 'Wouldn't have made any difference if you had.'

'Meaning?'

'Medical supplies aren't much good without a doctor to administer them.'

Claremont paused for a few seconds. 'You're a doctor.'

'Not any more I'm not.'

They had a close circle of listeners. Even a trace of interest was beginning to show in Marica's still rather shocked face.

Claremont was becoming heated. 'But, damn it all, Deakin, that's cholera they have up there. Your fellow man–'

'My fellow man's going to hang me. Probably, in spite of Pearce's protestations, from the nearest cottonwood tree. The hell with my fellow man. Besides, as you say, that's cholera they've got up there.'

Claremont showed as much contempt as it is possible for a man to do without actually sneering. 'And that's your real reason?'

'I think it's a very good reason.'

Claremont turned away in disgust and looked around the shivering company. 'Morse I've never learnt. Can anyone–'

'I'm no Ferguson,' O'Brien said. 'But if you give me time–'

'Thank you, Major. Henry, you'll find the set in the front of the supply wagon, under a tarpaulin. Bring it through to the day compartment, will you?' He turned to Banlon, his mouth bitter. 'I suppose the only good point about this ghastly business is that we'll be able to make better time to the Fort. With those wagons gone–'

Banlon said heavily: 'We won't make better time. Devlin was the only other person aboard who could drive this train – and I've got to have sleep some time.'

'My God, I'd quite forgotten. Now?'

'I can make twice the speed in the day that I can by night. I'll try to hang on to nightfall. By that time–' he nodded to his fireman soldier standing by–'Rafferty and I are going to be pretty bushed. Colonel.'

'I understand.' He looked at the dangling chain and the plate on the ground. 'And how about the safety factor, Banlon?'

Banlon spent quite some time rubbing the white bristles on his wizened face, then said: 'I can't see it, Colonel. Any problem, that is. Four things. This has been a million to one chance – I've never heard of it before – and it's one to a million that it will happen again. I've got a lot less weight to pull so the strain on the couplings is going to be that much less. This is the steepest gradient on the line and once we're over the top it's going to be that much easier.'

'You said four things. That's three.'

'Sorry, sir.' Banlon rubbed his eyes. 'Tired, that's all. What I'm going to do now is to get a spike and hammer and test the woodwork around each coupling plate. Only sure way to test for rot, Colonel.'

'Thank you, Banlon.' He transferred his attention to the returning Henry who wore upon his face the expression of a man whom fate can touch no more. 'Ready?'

'No.'

'What do you mean – no?'

'I mean the set's gone.'

'What!'

'It's not in the supply wagon, that's for sure.'

'Impossible.'

Henry stared silently into the middle distance.

'Are you sure?' It wasn't so much disbelief in Claremont's tone as a groping lack of understanding, the wearied bafflement of a man to whom too many incomprehensible things have happened too quickly.

Henry assumed an air of injured patience which sat well upon his lugubrious countenance. 'I do not wish to seem impertinent to the Colonel but I suggest the Colonel goes see for himself.'

Claremont manfully quelled what was clearly an incipient attack of apoplexy. 'All of you! Search the train!'

'Two things. Colonel,' Deakin said. He looked around and ticked numbers off his fingers. 'First is, of the ten people you're talking to, Rafferty is the only one you can order about. None of the rest of us is under your command, directly or indirectly, which makes it a bit awkward for martinet colonels accustomed to instant obedience. Second thing is, I don't think you need bother searching.'

Claremont did some even more manful quelling, then finally and silently gave Deakin a coldly interrogative look.

Deakin said: 'When we were refuelling this morning I saw someone take a case about the size of a transmitter from the supply wagon and walk back along the track with it. The snow was pretty thick and the visibility – well, we all remember what that was like. I just couldn't see who it was.'

'Yes? Assuming it was Ferguson, why should he do a thing like that?'

'How should I know? Ferguson or no Ferguson, I didn't speak to this person. Why should I do your thinking for you?'

'You become increasingly impertinent, Deakin.'

'I don't see there's a great deal you can do about that.' Deakin shrugged. 'Maybe he wanted to repair it.'

'And why take it away to do that?'

Deakin showed an uncharacteristic flash of irritation. 'How the hell should–' He broke off. 'Is the supply wagon heated?'

'No.'

'And it's way below freezing. If he wanted to carry out some repairs or maintenance he'd take it to a heated place – one of the troop wagons. And they're both at the bottom of that ravine now – including the transmitter. There's your answer.'

Claremont had himself well under control. He said thoughtfully: 'And you're pretty glib with