Doctor Who_ Empire of Death - BBC Worldwide [47]
Vollmer tutted to himself. 'It'll be getting dark soon and nobody wants to be out in the open here at night. I want you to split into teams of two and begin searching the surrounding area. Five pairs go upstream, five pairs search the hills and the rest of you try downstream. Do not lose sight of your partner. If you haven't found anything before the sun touches the hills, start heading back. If you do find the lieutenant, fire a single shot into the air and wait. Fire another shot once every minute until I reach you. Is that clear?' The soldiers gave a murmur in response. 'Now get going. I will stay here in case Ashe returns to camp. Move!'
The men broke ranks and set off, stopping only to collect their rifles and ammunition. Hawthorne found himself working with Johnson again. 'You're like a bad penny, did you know that?'
`Speak for yourself, Thorny,' the younger man replied. Ì
saw enough of your ugly face dragging those crates back to camp. What do you think is inside them?'
`Don't know and I don't care' Hawthorne stopped and peered into the forest around them. 'Can you see anyone else?'
`No'
`Me neither. Time for a smoke' Hawthorne pulled his tobacco tin out of a pocket and perched on the stump of a fallen tree to fill his pipe.
`Thorny! What about looking for the lieutenant?'
`What about it? Stupid bugger's big enough and ugly enough to look after himself. If he isn't, he shouldn't be in the army.' Satisfied with the arrangement of tobacco he had nurtured into the bowl of his pipe, Hawthorne slipped his tin back into a pocket. 'You got a match?'
Johnson shook his head. 'How many times do I have to tell you? I don't smoke'
`Doesn't mean you aren't carrying matches' Hawthorne patted all his pockets but already knew he had left his own back at camp. 'Stands to reason, just common courtesy. You should carry matches, then if someone asks you for a light, you've got one to give'
`You're the one that smokes! Why don't you have your matches?'
`Bloody Vollmer sent us out here before I could pick them up, didn't he?' Hawthorne sighed and dug out the tobacco tin again, tipping the contents of his pipe back into the rectangular container.
`He's not that bad, you know.' Johnson said.
'Who?'
`The sergeant. Could have had us up on report last night, but he didn't'
Ònly because he knew he needed two willing volunteers for today - us' Hawthorne stood up and eased open the buttons on his trousers. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pass water.' He stepped carefully over the fallen tree trunk and began relieving himself, whistling tunelessly. Hawthorne was just getting everything back in its proper place when his eyes wandered sideways across the ground. `Jesus, Mary and Joseph!'
Johnson rushed over to his side. 'Thorny! What is it? You didn't half make me -'
`Pass me your rifle, Nicholas. The sergeant will want to see this' Hawthorne fired a single shot into the air and handed the weapon back to Johnson. Then he undid the buttons of his tunic and took it off before carefully laying the garment over Lieutenant Ashe's face. 'Don't know what did that to him, but it looks like he's been scared to death.'
Extract from Observations and Analysis, A Journal: It was dark when we reached London, having travelled in from Windsor by train. General Doulton put the Doctor and me into a hansom cab and directed the driver to the Great Northern Hotel at King's Cross. 'I'll meet you outside the station at eight sharp tomorrow morning,' he shouted as the cab pulled away.
`Where will you be?' the Doctor called back.
Àt my club,' Doulton replied before disappearing into the night. 'I'll just make sure your box of equipment is safely gored at the station overnight!'
The Doctor settled back into the cab and sighed. 'Now this is the life. A much more civilised way to travel. You know something, I can't remember the last time I rode in a hansom cab.