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.That doesn't add to the oddsagainst us, it multiplies them.""I know; but what can we do about it?""Since Mr Templar pointed out that anyone should really be safe enough with ahigh-powered rifle in their hands and everyone else within call, I thoughtthat three of us could divide up the watches and cover the whole day frombefore dawn till after dusk, as long as one could possibly see anything.Thatis, if Mr Templar would help out.I know he can't stay here indefinitely,but ""If it'll make anybody feel better, I'd be glad to take a turn that way,"Simon said indifferently.It might have been more polite to sound more enthusiastic, but he could notmake himself believe that the Monster would actually be caught by any suchsystem.He was impatient for Mackenzie's report, which he thought was theessential detail.The call came about two o'clock, and it was climactically negative."The doctor canna find a trrace o' drugs or poison in the puir animal."Simon took a deep breath.Page 103 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"What did he think of its injuries?""He said he'd ne'er seen the like o' them.He dinna ken anything in thewurruld wi' such crrushin' power in its jaws as yon Monster must have.If'twas no' for the teeth marrks, he wad ha' thocht it was done wi' a club.Butthe autopsy mak's that impossible.""So I take it you figure that rules you officially out," said the Saintbluntly."But give me a number where I can call you if the picture changesagain."He wrote it down on a pad beside the telephone before he turned and relayedthe report."That settles it," said Mrs Bastion."It can't be anything else butan Niseag.And we've got all the more reason to try Noel's idea of keeping watch allday.""I had a good sleep this morning, so I'll start right away," Bastionvolunteered."You're entitled to a siesta.""I'll take over after that," she said."I want to be out there again attwilight.I know I'm monopolizing the most promising times, but this mattersmore to me than to anyone else."Simon helped her with the dishes after they had had coffee, and then sheexcused herself."I'll be fresher later if I do take a little nap.Why don't you do the same?It was awfully good of you to get up in the middle of the night with me.""It sounds as if I won't be needed again until later tomorrow morning," saidthe Saint."But I'll be reading and brooding.I'm almost as interested inanNiseag now as you are."He went back to the book he had left in the drawing room as the house settledinto stillness.Annie Clanraith had already departed, before lunch, taking asheaf of papers with her to type at home.Presently he put the volume down on his thighs and lay passively thinking,stretched out on the couch.It was his uniquely personal method of tacklingprofound problems, to let himself relax into a state of blank receptiveness inwhich half-subconscious impressions could grow and flow together in delicatelyfluid adjustments that could presently mould a conclusion almost as concreteas knowledge.For some time he gazed sightlessly at the ceiling, and then hecontinued to meditate with his eyes closed.He was awakened by Noel Bastion entering the room, humming tunelessly.Thebiographer of Wellington was instantly apologetic."I'm sorry, Templar I thought you'd be in your room.""That's all right." Simon glanced at his watch, and was mildly surprised todiscover how sleepy he must have been."I was doing some thinking, and thestrain must have been too much for me.""Eleanor relieved me an hour ago.I hadn't seen anything, I'm afraid.""I didn't hear you come in."Page 104 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"I'm pretty quiet on my feet.Must be a habit I got from commando training.Eleanor often says that if she could stalk like me she'd have a lot moretrophies." Bastion went to the bookcase, took down a book, and thumbed throughit for some reference."I've been trying to do some work, but it isn't easy toconcentrate."Simon stood up and stretched himself."I guess you'll have to get used to working under difficulties if you'regoing to be a part-time monster hunter for ten years isn't that how longEleanor said she was ready to spend at it?""I'm hoping it'll be a good deal less than that.""I was reading in this bookMore Than A Legend that in 1934, when theexcitement about the Monster was at its height, a chap named Sir EdwardMountain hired a bunch of men and organized a systematic watch like you weresuggesting, but spacing them all around the lake.It went on for a month ortwo, and they got a few pictures of distant splashings, but nothing that wasscientifically accepted."Bastion put his volume back on the shelf."You're still skeptical, aren't you?""What I've been wondering," said the Saint, "is why this savage behemoth withthe big sharp teeth and the nutcracker jaws chomped up a dog but didn'tswallow even a little nibble of it.""Perhaps it isn't carnivorous.An angry elephant will mash a man to a pulp,but it won't eat him.And that dog could be very irritating, barking ateverything ""According to what I heard, there wasn't any barking.And I'm sure the sheepit's supposed to have taken didn't bark.But the sheep disappeared entirely,didn't it?""That's what Clanraith says.But for all we know, the sheep may have beenstolen.""But that could have given somebody the idea of building up the Monsterlegend from there."Bastion shook his head."But the dogdid bark at everyone," he insisted stubbornly."Except the people he knew," said the Saint, no less persistently."Every dogis vulnerable to a few people.You yourself, for instance, if you'd wanted to,could have come along, and if he felt lazy he'd've opened one eye and thenshut it again and gone back to sleep.Now, are you absolutely sure that nobodyelse was on those terms with him? Could a postman or a milkman have madefriends with him? Or anyone else at all?"The other man massaged his mustache."I don't know.Well, perhaps Fergus Clanraith might."Simon blinked.Page 105 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"But it sounded to me as if he didn't exactly love the dog.""Perhaps he didn't.But it must have known him pretty well.Eleanor likes togo hiking across country, and the dog always used to go with her.She's alwayscrossing Clanraith's property and stopping to talk to him, she tells me.Shegets on very well with him, which is more than I do.""What, that old curmudgeon?""I know, he's full of that Scottish Nationalist nonsense.But Eleanor is halfScots herself, and that makes her almost human in his estimation.I believethey talk for hours about salmon fishing and grouse shooting [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.That doesn't add to the oddsagainst us, it multiplies them.""I know; but what can we do about it?""Since Mr Templar pointed out that anyone should really be safe enough with ahigh-powered rifle in their hands and everyone else within call, I thoughtthat three of us could divide up the watches and cover the whole day frombefore dawn till after dusk, as long as one could possibly see anything.Thatis, if Mr Templar would help out.I know he can't stay here indefinitely,but ""If it'll make anybody feel better, I'd be glad to take a turn that way,"Simon said indifferently.It might have been more polite to sound more enthusiastic, but he could notmake himself believe that the Monster would actually be caught by any suchsystem.He was impatient for Mackenzie's report, which he thought was theessential detail.The call came about two o'clock, and it was climactically negative."The doctor canna find a trrace o' drugs or poison in the puir animal."Simon took a deep breath.Page 103 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"What did he think of its injuries?""He said he'd ne'er seen the like o' them.He dinna ken anything in thewurruld wi' such crrushin' power in its jaws as yon Monster must have.If'twas no' for the teeth marrks, he wad ha' thocht it was done wi' a club.Butthe autopsy mak's that impossible.""So I take it you figure that rules you officially out," said the Saintbluntly."But give me a number where I can call you if the picture changesagain."He wrote it down on a pad beside the telephone before he turned and relayedthe report."That settles it," said Mrs Bastion."It can't be anything else butan Niseag.And we've got all the more reason to try Noel's idea of keeping watch allday.""I had a good sleep this morning, so I'll start right away," Bastionvolunteered."You're entitled to a siesta.""I'll take over after that," she said."I want to be out there again attwilight.I know I'm monopolizing the most promising times, but this mattersmore to me than to anyone else."Simon helped her with the dishes after they had had coffee, and then sheexcused herself."I'll be fresher later if I do take a little nap.Why don't you do the same?It was awfully good of you to get up in the middle of the night with me.""It sounds as if I won't be needed again until later tomorrow morning," saidthe Saint."But I'll be reading and brooding.I'm almost as interested inanNiseag now as you are."He went back to the book he had left in the drawing room as the house settledinto stillness.Annie Clanraith had already departed, before lunch, taking asheaf of papers with her to type at home.Presently he put the volume down on his thighs and lay passively thinking,stretched out on the couch.It was his uniquely personal method of tacklingprofound problems, to let himself relax into a state of blank receptiveness inwhich half-subconscious impressions could grow and flow together in delicatelyfluid adjustments that could presently mould a conclusion almost as concreteas knowledge.For some time he gazed sightlessly at the ceiling, and then hecontinued to meditate with his eyes closed.He was awakened by Noel Bastion entering the room, humming tunelessly.Thebiographer of Wellington was instantly apologetic."I'm sorry, Templar I thought you'd be in your room.""That's all right." Simon glanced at his watch, and was mildly surprised todiscover how sleepy he must have been."I was doing some thinking, and thestrain must have been too much for me.""Eleanor relieved me an hour ago.I hadn't seen anything, I'm afraid.""I didn't hear you come in."Page 104 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"I'm pretty quiet on my feet.Must be a habit I got from commando training.Eleanor often says that if she could stalk like me she'd have a lot moretrophies." Bastion went to the bookcase, took down a book, and thumbed throughit for some reference."I've been trying to do some work, but it isn't easy toconcentrate."Simon stood up and stretched himself."I guess you'll have to get used to working under difficulties if you'regoing to be a part-time monster hunter for ten years isn't that how longEleanor said she was ready to spend at it?""I'm hoping it'll be a good deal less than that.""I was reading in this bookMore Than A Legend that in 1934, when theexcitement about the Monster was at its height, a chap named Sir EdwardMountain hired a bunch of men and organized a systematic watch like you weresuggesting, but spacing them all around the lake.It went on for a month ortwo, and they got a few pictures of distant splashings, but nothing that wasscientifically accepted."Bastion put his volume back on the shelf."You're still skeptical, aren't you?""What I've been wondering," said the Saint, "is why this savage behemoth withthe big sharp teeth and the nutcracker jaws chomped up a dog but didn'tswallow even a little nibble of it.""Perhaps it isn't carnivorous.An angry elephant will mash a man to a pulp,but it won't eat him.And that dog could be very irritating, barking ateverything ""According to what I heard, there wasn't any barking.And I'm sure the sheepit's supposed to have taken didn't bark.But the sheep disappeared entirely,didn't it?""That's what Clanraith says.But for all we know, the sheep may have beenstolen.""But that could have given somebody the idea of building up the Monsterlegend from there."Bastion shook his head."But the dogdid bark at everyone," he insisted stubbornly."Except the people he knew," said the Saint, no less persistently."Every dogis vulnerable to a few people.You yourself, for instance, if you'd wanted to,could have come along, and if he felt lazy he'd've opened one eye and thenshut it again and gone back to sleep.Now, are you absolutely sure that nobodyelse was on those terms with him? Could a postman or a milkman have madefriends with him? Or anyone else at all?"The other man massaged his mustache."I don't know.Well, perhaps Fergus Clanraith might."Simon blinked.Page 105 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"But it sounded to me as if he didn't exactly love the dog.""Perhaps he didn't.But it must have known him pretty well.Eleanor likes togo hiking across country, and the dog always used to go with her.She's alwayscrossing Clanraith's property and stopping to talk to him, she tells me.Shegets on very well with him, which is more than I do.""What, that old curmudgeon?""I know, he's full of that Scottish Nationalist nonsense.But Eleanor is halfScots herself, and that makes her almost human in his estimation.I believethey talk for hours about salmon fishing and grouse shooting [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]