was?'
'We'll discuss it later,' said Hunter. 'I must say Deering's quite useful with that popper, isn't he? Perhaps they put him through a course in Moscow or Hanoi or one of those places.'
'There isn't very much to it, actually, at close range anyway. The impact on material is so tremendous that you can correct your aim by it. It takes a few seconds each time, of course, or you wouldn't be here now.'
'No, I don't suppose I would. What a blessing… Would you reload your very handy gun for me, corporal? We might need it again soon.'
As he grudgingly obeyed, the corporal said, 'This wouldn't be one of that Captain Leonard's ideas, would it, sir?'
'Oh, I doubt it. The Ministry are very sticky about living-target practice shoots. They're still living in the nineteenth century in many ways. Ah, thank you.'
'What have you in mind now?' asked Ross-Donaldson.
'Just a little look. I won't go far.'
Hunter lay down and moved his face slowly round the corner. He instantly caught sight of Jagger's red hair shining in the late sun as its owner began to emerge from a window some twenty feet from Deering and on a level with him.
'Oh, Christ,' said Hunter.
'What's up?'
'Jagger's getting out onto the roof.'
'Good idea.'
'Not from his point of view. He probably doesn't know Deering's got that machine-pistol with him. He can knock Jagger off in a second.'
When Jagger was fully out of his window, Hunter took up his previous position and fired a burst at a chimney-pot fifteen feet away from Deering on the other side. The machine-gun started up after a couple of seconds. Hunter ran twenty yards, fired again, this time more or less into the sky, and ran on. The air in his path seemed to fill with invisible rushing metal, any piece of which, it occurred to him, would be fatal if it struck almost anywhere. He tried to make himself run straight on, could not, turned at a right angle, ran a few more paces, tripped over a tussock and fell. For a single second the sound of flying metal grew louder, then it and the sound of the gun ceased abruptly. The silence made him put his hands to his ears. When he looked up at the roof he saw Jagger's hand raised in a wave and at his feet a shape that must have been Deering.
The whole action, from when Deering fired his first round to when he fired his last, had taken six minutes. After another seven or eight, Hunter was lying in the best armchair in the ante-room drinking champagne out of a silver tankard. Discussion raged round him.
'First-class show, Max,' said the Colonel.
'Thank you, sir.'
'I'll see you get a gong for this.'
'That's frightfully kind of you, sir.'
'And of course it'll make all the difference to your career.'
'I'm glad you think so, sir.'
'No doubt about it… Yes, Alastair, what's the score?'
'Casualty report, sir. Two men superficially cut by flying splinters, otherwise nil. As regards this unit, that is. One civilian casualty.'
'How on earth did that come about?'
Ross-Donaldson accepted champagne from a proffered tray. 'The man concerned was to have lectured here tonight,' he said. 'Name of Caton, Dr. L. S. Caton. It seems he arrived by taxi just before the alarm sounded. The gate guard admitted him according to arrangement, and presumably he'd just started being driven up to the Mess when the firing began. The driver pulled up, they hung on for a bit and a stray round came through the windshield.'
'Mm. He's dead, I take it?'
'Oh yes, sir. Full in the face. I'm afraid he won't be easy to identify. Ayscue's down there now, taking care of things.'
'What about the taxi-driver?'
'Not a scratch. But he's naturally rather upset. His taxi's in a bit of a state. I had him taken to the Sergeants' Mess. I'll go over there and sort him out when I've drunk this. Oh, as regards the damage report, sir, will the morning be soon enough for that? There won't be much on it, apart from the second machine- gun.'
'Of course, Alastair, of course,' said the Colonel. 'Thank you. Spot more champagne all round, I think, before we go in to dinner.'
Hunter had more champagne. It made him feel tired, or he began to feel tired while he was drinking it. When the time came to move to the dining-room he excused himself, saying he thought he would finish his drink and take a sandwich up to his room. Left alone, he shut his eyes.
'Passing over,' he muttered. 'Somebody we don't know. The farther edge.'
He opened his eyes when the door opened and Jagger's gaudy head appeared round
