The Iron Tiger - Jack Higgins [67]
Hamid was already sliding from the back of a mule up on the rim of the hollow, an automatic rifle in his hands. Cheung turned, crouching, and Hamid fired three times so quickly that they sounded like one, the first shot catching Cheung in the shoulder, spinning him round, the second and third driving him hard against the wall.
Janet turned away quickly, stumbling into Drummond's arms as Cheung struggled for life, clawing for the revolver he had dropped, and then blood erupted from his mouth in a bright flow and he coughed once and lay still.
Lieutenant Singh came over the skyline on a mule, reaching for the bridle of Hamid's mount, following him down into the hollow. Hamid turned Cheung over with his toe and looked down at him.
'The face of the damned.'
'What happened?' Drummond said. 'I thought the Indian Army was supposed to stay on its own side of the border?'
'It still is,' Hamid said. 'Young Singh here, woke me just after you left. He thought I might have other ideas, which I did. Being a young man of spirit, he decided to come with me.'
'And Major Naru?'
'Most unhappy.'
'Do I detect the possibility of a court martial in the near future?'
'A matter of supreme indifference to either of us, but, in any event, unlikely. The newspapers wouldn't like it. Is Father Kerrigan all right?'
'As right as he ever will be,' the old priest said, appearing in the doorway. 'Nothing that a bottle of Jamieson's and a decent meal wouldn't cure.'
'Then I suggest we take you to where we can obtain both items as quickly as possible. Poor Naru will be most uncomfortable until we cross the border.'
They brought out the horses and helped Father Kerrigan and Janet into the saddle. The old man looked down at Cheung, crossed himself and muttered a prayer as he moved off between Singh and Hamid, and Janet followed.
Drummond was the last to leave, and after he'd mounted, he sat on his mule for a moment or two looking down at Cheung, feeling strangely sad.
But nothing mattered now except that life began again, and as he rode up towards Janet, waiting for him on the edge of the plateau, he was smiling.
A Biography of Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins is the pseudonym of Harry Patterson (b. 1929), the New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy thrillers, including The Eagle Has Landed and The Wolf at the Door. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Patterson grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a child, Patterson was a voracious reader and later credited his passion for reading with fueling his creative drive to be an author. His upbringing in Belfast also exposed him to the political and religious violence that characterized the city at the time. At seven years old, Patterson was caught in gunfire while riding a tram, and later was in a Belfast movie theater when it was bombed. Though he escaped from both attacks unharmed, the turmoil in Northern Ireland would later become a significant influence in his books, many of which prominently feature the Irish Republican Army. After attending grammar school and college in Leeds, England, Patterson joined the British Army and served two years in the Household Cavalry, from 1947 to 1949, stationed along the East German border. He was considered an expert sharpshooter.
Following his military service, Patterson earned a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics, which led to teaching jobs at two English colleges. In 1959, while teaching at James Graham College, Patterson began writing novels, including some under the alias James Graham. As his popularity grew, Patterson left teaching to write full time. With the 1975 publication of the international blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, which was later made into a movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, Patterson became a regular fixture on bestseller lists. His books draw heavily from history and include prominent figures--such as John Dillinger--and often center around significant