alistairmaclean.bearisland-第23节

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t；　a　pretty　even　trade。　I　looked　down　at　the　half…hidden　lovely　face　and　reflected　that　I　was　possibly　having　a　shade　the　better　of　the　deal。　I　reached　for　my　own　rug；　draped　it　round　my　shoulders　in　Navaho　style；　picked　up　the　Olympus　manifesto　again　and　continued　to　read。　The　next　two　pages　were　largely　a　hyperbolic　expansion　of　what　had　gone　before　with　the　writer…I　assumed　it　was　Heissman…harping　on　at　nauseating　length　on　the　twin　themes　of　the　supreme　artistic　merit　of　the　production　and　the　necessity　for　absolute　secrecy。　After　this　self…adulatory　exercise；　the　writer　got　down　to　facts。
　〃After　long　consideration；　and　the　close　examination　and　subsequent　rejection　of　a　very　considerable　number　of　possible　alternatives；　we　finally　decided　upon　Bear　Island　as　the　location　for　this　project。　We　are　aware　that　all　of　you；　and　this　includes　the　entire　crew　of　the　Morning　Rose　from　Captain　Imrie　downwards；　believed　that　we　were　heading　for　a　destination　in　the　neighbourhood　of　the　Lofoten　Islands　off　northern　Norway　and　it　was　not　exactly；　shall　we　say；　through　fortuitous　circumstance；　that　this　rumour　was　gaining　some　currency　in　certain　quarters　in　London　immediately　prior　to　our　departure。　We　make　no　apologies　for　what　may　superficially　appear　to　be　an　unwarranted　deception　for　it　was　essential　to　our　purposes　and　the　maintenance　of　secrecy　that　this　subterfuge　be　adopted。
　〃For　the　following　brief　description　of　Bear　Island　we　are　indebted　to　the　Royal　Geographical　Society　of　Oslo；　who　have　also　furnished　us　with　a　translation。〃　That　was　a　relief；　just　as　long　as　the　translator　wasn't　Heissman　I　might　be　able　to　get　it　on　the　first　reading。　〃This　information；　it　is　perhaps　superfluous　to　add；　was　obtained　for　us　through　the　good　offices　of　a　third　party　entirely　unconnected　with　Olympus　Productions；　a　noted　ornithologist　who　must　remain　entirely　incognito。　It　may　be　mentioned　in　the　passing　that　the　Norwegian　Government　has　given　us　permission　to　film　on　the　island。　We　understand　that　it　is　their　understanding　that　we　propose　to　make　a　wild　life　documentary：　such　an　understanding；　far　less　a　mitment；　was　not　obtained　from　us。〃
　I　wondered　about　the　last　bit…not　the　cleverer…　than…thou　smugness　of　it；　that　was　clearly　inseparable　from　everything　Heissman　wrote…but　the　fact　that　he　should　say　it　at　all。　Heissman；　clearly；　was　not　a　man　much　given　to　hiding　his　own　brilliance…the　phrase　low　cunning〃　would　not　have　occurred　to　him…under　a　bushel　but　equally　he　wasn't　a　man　who　would　permit　this　particular　type　of　self　gratification　to　lead　him　into〃　danger。　Almost　certainly　if　the　Norwegians　did　find　out　they　had　been　deluded　there　would　be　nothing　in　international　law　they　could　do　about　it…Olympus　wouldn't　have　overlooked　anything　so　obvious…other　than　ban　the　pleted　film　from　their　country　and　as　Norway　could　hardly　be　regarded　as　a　major　market　this　would　cause　few　sleepless　nights。　On　the　other　hand；　it　would　be　effective　in　stilling　any　qualms　of　conscience　…true；　this　was　a　world　of　the　cinema　but　Heissman　would　be　unlikely　to　overlook　even　the　most　remote　possibility…that　might　have　arisen　had　the　project　been　denied　even　this　superficial　official　blessing；　and　the　very　fact　that　they　were　being　made　privy　to　the　secret　inner　workings　of　Olympus　would　tend　to　bind　both　cast　and　crew　closer　to　the　pany　for　it　is　an　almost　universal　law　of　nature　that　mankind；　which　is　still　in　the　painful　process　of　growing　up；　dearly　loves　its　little　closed　and/or　secret　societies；　whether　those　be　the　most　remote　Masonic　Lodge　in　Saskatchewan　or　White's　of　St。　James's；　and　tend　to　form　an　intense　personal　attachment　and　loyalty　to　other　members　of　that　group　while　presenting　a　united　front　to　the　world　of　the　unfortunates　beyond　their　doors。　I　did　not　overlook　the　possibility　that　there　might　be　another；　and　conceivably　sinister　；　interpretation　of　Heissman's　confidential　frankness　but　as　it　was　now　into　the　early　hours　of　the　morning　I　didn't　particularly　feel　like　seeking　it　out。
　〃Bear　Island；〃　the　resume　began。　〃One　of　the　Svalbard　group；　of　which　Spitzbergen　is　much　the　largest。　This　group　remained　neutral　and　unclaimed　until　the　beginning　of　the　20th　Century　when；　because　of　its　very　considerable　investments　in　the　exploitation　of　mineral　resources　and　the　establishment　of　whaling　operation；　Norway　requested　sovereignty　of　the　area；　placing　her　petition　before　the　Conference〃…they　didn't　specify　what　conference…〃at　Christiana　（Oslo）　in　1910；　1912；　and　again　in　1914。　On　each　occasion　Russian　objections　prevented　ratification　of　the　proposals。　However；　in　1919　the　Allied　Supreme　Council　granted　Norway　sovereignty；　formal　possession　being　taken　on　August　14；　1925。〃
　Having　established　the　ownership　beyond　all　doubt　the　report　proceeded：　〃The　（Bear）　island；　74'28w；　1913'E。；　lies　some　260　miles　N。NW。　of　North　Cape；　Norway；　and　some　140　miles　south　of　Spitzbergen　and　may　be　regarded　as　the　meeting　point　of　the　Norwegian；　Greenland；　and　Barents　seas。　In　terms　of　distance　from　its　nearest　neighbours　；　this　is　the　most　isolated　island　in　the　Arctic。〃　
　There　followed　a　long　and　for　me　highly　uninteresting　account　of　the　island's　history　which　seemed　to　consist　mainly　of　interminable　squabbles　between　Norwegians；　Germans；　and　Russians　over　whaling　and　mining　rights…although　I　was　mildly　intrigued　to　learn　that　as　recently　as　the　20S　there　had　been　as　many　as　a　hundred　and　eighty　Norwegians　working　the　coal　mines　at　Tunheim　in　the　northeast　of　the　island…I　would　have　imagined　that　even　the　polar　bears；　after　whom　the　island　was　named；　would　have　given　this　desolation　as　wide　a　berth　as　possible。　The　mines；　it　seemed；　had　been　closed　down　following　a　geological　survey　which　showed　that　the　purity　and　thickness　of　the　seams　were　not　sufficient　to　make　it　a　profitable　proposition。　The　island；　however；　was　not　entirely　uninhabited　even　today：　it　appeared　that　the　Norwegian　Government　maintained　a　meteorological　and　radio　station　at　Tunheim。
　Then　came　articles　on　the　natural　resources；　vegetation　and　animal　life；　all　of　which　I　took　as　read。　The　references　to　the　climate；　however；　which　might　be　expected　to　concern　us　all；　I　found　much　more　intriguing　and　highly　discouraging。　〃The　meeting　of　the　Gulf　Stream　and　the　Polar　Drift；〃　it　read；　〃makes　for　extremely　poor　weather　conditions；　with　large　rainfall　and　dense　fogs。　The　average　summer　temperature　rises　to　not　more　than　five　degrees　above　freezing。　Not　until　mid…July　do　the　lakes　bee　ice…free　and　the　snow　melts。　The　midnight　sun　lasts　for　106　days　from　April　30th　to　August　13th：　the　sun　remains　below　the　horizon　from　November　7th　to　February　4th。〃　This　last　item　made　our　presence　there；　this　late　in　the　year；　very　odd　indeed　as　Otto　couldn't　expect　more　than　a　few　hours　of　daylight　at　the　most：　perhaps　the　script　called　for　the　whole　story　to　be　shot　in　darkness。
　〃Physical　and　geological；〃　it　went　on；　〃Bear　Island　is　triangular　in　shape　with　its　apex　to　the　south；　being　approximately　twelve　miles　long　on　its　north…south　axis　and　in　width　varying　from　ten　miles　in　the　north　to　two　miles　in　the　south　at　the　point　where　the　southernmost　peninsula　begins。
　Generally　speaking　the　north　and　west　consist　of　a　fairly　flat　plateau　at　an　elevation　of　about　a　hundred　feel？；　while　the　south　and　cast　is　mountainous；　the　two　main　plexes　being　the　Misery　Fell　group　in　the　east　and　the　Antaretiefjell　and　its　associated　mountains；　the　Alfredfjcil；　Hambergfiell；　and　Fuglefiell　in　the　extreme　southeast。
　〃There　are　no　glaciers。　The　entire　area　is　covered　with　a　network　of　shallow　lakes；　none　more　than　a　few　yards　in　depth：　those　account　for　about　one…tenth　of　the　total　area　of　the　island：　the　remainder　of　the　interior　of　the　island　consists　largely　of　icy　swamps　and　loose　scree　which　makes　it　extremely　difficult　to　traverse。
　〃The　coastline　of　Bear　Island　is　regarded　as　perhaps　the　most　inhospitably　bleak　in　the　world。　This　is　especially　true　in　the　south　where　the　island　ends　in　vertical　cliffs；　the　streams　entering　the　sea　by　waterfalls。　A　characteristic　feature　of　this　area　is　the　detached　pillars　of　rock　that　stand　in　the　sea　close　to　the　foot　of　the　cliffs；　remnants　from　that　distant　period　when　the　island　was　considerably　larger　than　it　is　now。　The　melting　of　the　snows　and　ice　in　June/July；　the　powerful　tidal　streams　and　the　massive　erosion　undermining　those　coastal　hills　so　that　large　masses　of　rock　are　constantly　falling　into　the　sea。　The　great　dolomite　cliffs　of　Hambergfjcil　drop　sheer　for　over　1400　feet？：　at　their　base；　projecting　from　the　seas　are　sharp　needles　of　rock　as　much　as　250　feet？　high；　while　the　Fuglefiell　（Bird　Fell）　cliffs　are　almost　as　high　and　have　at　their　most　southerly　point　a　remarkable　series　of　high　stacks；　pinnacles；　and　arches。　To　the　east　of　this　point；　between　Kapp　Bull　and　Kapp　Kolthoff；　is　a　bay　surrounded　on　three　sides　by　vertical　cliffs　which　are　nowhere　less　than　1000　feel？　high。
　〃Those　cliffs　are　the　finest　bird　breeding　grounds　in　the　Northern　Hemisphere。〃
　It　was　all　very　fine　for　the　birds；　I　supposed。　That　was　the　end　of　the　Geographical　Society's　report…or　as　much　of　it　as　the　writer　had　chosen　to　include…and　I　was　bracing　myself　for　a　return　to　Hei