grabbed Chevannes' legs, hoisted him on to his shoulder and sprinted to the trees. He had barely stepped away from the road when the first line of bullets spat a line behind him. Laying Chevannes roughly on the ground, he crouched behind a tree, aircraft roaring overhead, seemingly only just above the canopy. Bullets hurtled through the branches and along the road. A line pinged across the truck. A moment later there was a loud boom and the vehicle was engulfed in flames, the canvas cover and wooden rear crackling loudly.
It was over in moments, the six aircraft thundering onwards. A miracle: no one had been hurt, although as Tanner lifted Chevannes to his feet, the Frenchman groaned with pain.
Twenty miles, thought Tanner, give or take. They could walk it, but would the enemy catch up before they reached safety? He rubbed his eyes, rubbed his cheeks, wished he had a cigarette.
They made another stretcher, this time for Chevannes, and on they went. For a while no one spoke and all that could be heard was the tramp of boots. They had come so far.. . Tanner cursed.
'Come on, boys,' he said at length. 'Let's lift our heads. We're nearly there. We can bloody do this. Just a few hours' hard march, that's all, and we've done that plenty of times.'
'Sarge!' said Sykes, suddenly. 'Look!'
They followed his outstretched finger and there, a few hundred yards ahead, they saw the unmistakable sign of a roadblock. Hastily, Tanner brought his binoculars to his eyes.
British troops.
'They're ours, lads!' he said. 'They're bloody well ours!' And he began to run towards them.
The roadblock was manned by a small detachment of Royal Navy Marines, whose commander stepped forward as Tanner stood gasping, his hands on his knees.
Immediately he straightened and saluted. 'Sergeant Tanner, sir, of the King's Own Yorkshire Rangers, and Lieutenant Nielssen of His Majesty the King's Guard.'
'Lieutenant Lindsay,' the Marines officer replied. 'Where in God's name have you come from?'
At Lieutenant Lindsay's command post - a roughly built sangar made from stones and branches among the pines - Tanner gave a brief account of their journey from the Balberkamp, and stressed the importance of getting the professor away as quickly as possible.
Lieutenant Lindsay, a thin-faced Scotsman of about thirty, stroked his moustache thoughtfully as he listened, then said, 'We have a dilemma, though, Sergeant. Although the port is only eighteen miles up the track, it would be suicide to attempt the journey now. You know what it's like - you've suffered two close calls yourself. A mile behind us, though, there's a small village and a four- hundred-and-eighty-yard tunnel. To be honest, that tunnel's the main reason we're here. Most of our forces are already at Andalsnes, but what's left are in the tunnel. We're the last outpost here. We've been ordered to cover them should Jerry push on through.'
'How many are up there, sir?' Tanner asked. 'Rather more than one company of Green Howards, plus various other loose strands, so to speak,' Lindsay told him. 'The aim is to hold off the enemy here, then slip away tonight. The chaps in the tunnel are going by train - it's in there, ready and waiting to go - and we've got seven trucks hidden here. There are ships coming for us tonight - assuming they haven't been sunk.' He paused. 'I'm sorry, it's pretty grim, I'm afraid.'
Tanner took off his helmet and turned to Nielssen. 'What do you think, sir?'
'We should wait until this evening. If we are caught out in the open we could be in big trouble.'
Tanner nodded, then walked a few steps away.
'Sarge?' It was Sykes. 'What are you thinking?'
'I'm thinking a handful of Marines won't stop a concerted effort by the Germans.'
'We've still got a few explosives. Could always put them to good use.'
'You're right.' He turned back to Nielssen and Lindsay. 'Sir,' he said to Nielssen, 'why don't you go with the professor, Chevannes and Derigaux, and take cover in the tunnel?' Then, to Lieutenant Lindsay, he said, 'If we can help here, sir, we'll stay with you. We've got some explosive left we could use.'
Lieutenant Lindsay smiled. 'Yes, I'm sure you could, Sergeant. I'm afraid demolitions aren't really my line.'
'And if you don't mind me asking, sir, what ammo have you got left? We're almost out.'
'Enough. We've got a two-inch mortar, one Lewis gun and two Brens, plus an assortment of rifles and a fair amount of ammo for those. There is an ammunition train as well in the tunnel, though, so you can get some more if you need it.'
At this news Tanner's spirits rose. He thought quickly. 'With your permission, sir, I'd like to take one of the trucks to the tunnel, leave Lieutenant Nielssen and the professor, then load up with a few supplies.'
'Good idea,' said the captain. 'I'll get a couple of my men to help you.'
The tunnel had been blasted through the steep valley side. It was dark and narrow, the air close; there was a strong musty smell of urine and soot. Although most of the waiting troops were already on the train, a number were milling about at the tunnel's entrance. They were clearly exhausted, faces and uniforms filthy. Tanner asked a Green Howards corporal if there was an RAP.
'Aye,' he replied, pointing into the tunnel. 'On the train in the tunnel. Just follow the screams.'
They found the RAP and woke a medical orderly who was asleep on the carriage steps. 'All right,' said the medic, yawning, 'bring him in.' Tanner and Derigaux hoisted Chevannes aboard. The stench of medicines and putrid flesh was overwhelming.
'What are you bringing me?' said a doctor, his overalls covered with blood.
'A smashed cheek,' said Tanner.
'All right, put him there,' said the doctor, pointing to a space in the corridor.
At long last, thought Tanner, as he helped lay down the lieutenant.
The dank and fetid air of the tunnel was a relief after the RAP carriage. They pushed on alongside the dimly lit train until they found the adjutant of the Green Howards. After a brief explanation, the Norwegians' names had been added to his list.
'You take the train when it leaves,' Tanner told them.
'Thank you, Sergeant,' said Nielssen, 'for everything.'
'What about you?' asked Anna.
'We're going to help the Marines,' he replied. 'We've got to make sure that that train can get you to the port.'
'But you'll be able to escape in time?'
'I hope so, yes. We'll find you at Andalsnes.'
She looked up at him, biting her lip. 'Good luck, Jack.' She kissed him, then stepped up on to the train.
He walked back slowly towards the others.
'Cheer up, Sarge,' said Sykes. 'At least you've still got us.'
'Yes, give us a kiss, Sarge,' said McAllister.
'I'll give you a bloody sore gob, if you're not careful, Mac.'
The ammunition train was further towards the tunnel entrance, and although the quartermaster in charge seemed reluctant to let them on board, when Tanner produced Lieutenant Lindsay's note of authorization, he relented. Twenty minutes later, they were back at the waiting truck, clutching a wooden crate of gelignite, another of grenades, four tins of safety fuse and another of detonators. Their pouches were stuffed with clips of .303 rounds.
'You took your bloody time,' muttered the Marines' driver. 'Come on, load up and let's get the hell out of here.'
In the back of the truck, Sykes said, 'He's a bit jumpy, isn't he?' No sooner had he said that than half a dozen Stukas appeared over the valley and dived down behind them, sirens screaming.
'That's why, Stan,' said Tanner. 'Bastards are trying to block the tunnel. Better pray they don't succeed.'
