hear several voices shouting back and forth. Alfred leaned against the wall. "They've got us," he said in a resigned voice.
"Not yet." Kolodzi took the tommy-gun off his back: he needed time to think. It was a novel situation for him, because this time it was not Russians but Germans who were after him. It was a paralyzing thought, and for a moment he felt like a man wrongly suspected of a crime. It was as if he only needed to reach the tunnel exit in order to clear up the misunderstanding with a few words. But then he remembered that he had a deserter with him and had himself left Oviz without leave. He might have been able to explain that, he thought: after all, he had Schmitt's movement order in his pocket, and he could surely try something with that; easy enough to think up a special mission he had been sent on. And he could say he simply had to get to the station so as to look out for a train; only then he oughtn't to have let himself be caught climbing over the fence with Alfred—because obviously the sentries saw them. You're a damned fool, he told himself furiously, why did you ever let yourself in for this at all? You knew it might go wrong.
It was pitch dark in the middle of the tunnel. At its exit, where the patch of grey had grown brighter, the noise had stopped. Kolodzi felt for Alfred's arm and whispered: "Back."
Although they tried to walk quietly, the nails of their boots crunched on the stone ground as if they were walking over splintered glass. They went down on their knees and crept forward on all fours. The ground was cold. Kolodzi felt as if he were crawling through a black pipe; only the patch of grey at the exit showed the direction. His brain was working feverishly, thinking of the two sentries who had fired at them.
Were they waiting outside the tunnel till it grew lighter? Were they getting reinforcements, would there already be machine guns waiting for them at each end of the tunnel?
. Kolodzi jumped to his feet, took his tommy-gun in his hand and began to run. Behind him he heard Alfred's scared voice, but he took no notice of that, nor did he remember any longer that it was German soldiers who were out for his blood. He thought of nothing at all now, simply ran fast and steadily, no longer worrying about the noise his boots were making. Schmitt's binoculars knocked against his chest, but he didn't register that either. His tall, sinewy body had become anesthetized by a single thought, and when a tommy-gun cracked off somewhere, he did not even bend his back. Bits of stone were torn up in front of him, but he only shook his head slightly and ran on steadily with a murderous determination. When he reached the tunnel exit, he saw five men race up the road as though the devil were after them, and further up what seemed a solid wall of soldiers was rolling toward them. He heard sirens shrilling, a tommy-gun barked, the shots came whistling through the cold air. At last he stopped and looked round.
Alfred came running out of the tunnel, looked along the street and then turned left. Kolodzi bounded toward him, yelling: "To the embankment!" They clambered up the slope, sinking up to their knees in snow, slipped back, gasped, clutched on to lumps of icy snow; then they were on top. Before them stood the fence, dark and threatening, nearly seven feet high. Kolodzi heard shouting on the road, shots whizzed near them, near his shoulder one bullet struck a hole into the fence; the hole was so big he could have stuck his finger through it. He threw his tommy-gun over the fence and pulled himself up. Taking in at a glance that there was no one on the other side, he jumped down. The snow broke his fall, he was on his feet again at once and retrieved his gun. Looking up, he saw that Alfred had not come over the fence.
He dashed back and pressed his face against a crack, just in time to see Alfred sliding down the embankment slope. Soldiers came running across the road, and it was already so light that he
"Not yet." Kolodzi took the tommy-gun off his back: he needed time to think. It was a novel situation for him, because this time it was not Russians but Germans who were after him. It was a paralyzing thought, and for a moment he felt like a man wrongly suspected of a crime. It was as if he only needed to reach the tunnel exit in order to clear up the misunderstanding with a few words. But then he remembered that he had a deserter with him and had himself left Oviz without leave. He might have been able to explain that, he thought: after all, he had Schmitt's movement order in his pocket, and he could surely try something with that; easy enough to think up a special mission he had been sent on. And he could say he simply had to get to the station so as to look out for a train; only then he oughtn't to have let himself be caught climbing over the fence with Alfred—because obviously the sentries saw them. You're a damned fool, he told himself furiously, why did you ever let yourself in for this at all? You knew it might go wrong.
It was pitch dark in the middle of the tunnel. At its exit, where the patch of grey had grown brighter, the noise had stopped. Kolodzi felt for Alfred's arm and whispered: "Back."
Although they tried to walk quietly, the nails of their boots crunched on the stone ground as if they were walking over splintered glass. They went down on their knees and crept forward on all fours. The ground was cold. Kolodzi felt as if he were crawling through a black pipe; only the patch of grey at the exit showed the direction. His brain was working feverishly, thinking of the two sentries who had fired at them.
Were they waiting outside the tunnel till it grew lighter? Were they getting reinforcements, would there already be machine guns waiting for them at each end of the tunnel?
. Kolodzi jumped to his feet, took his tommy-gun in his hand and began to run. Behind him he heard Alfred's scared voice, but he took no notice of that, nor did he remember any longer that it was German soldiers who were out for his blood. He thought of nothing at all now, simply ran fast and steadily, no longer worrying about the noise his boots were making. Schmitt's binoculars knocked against his chest, but he didn't register that either. His tall, sinewy body had become anesthetized by a single thought, and when a tommy-gun cracked off somewhere, he did not even bend his back. Bits of stone were torn up in front of him, but he only shook his head slightly and ran on steadily with a murderous determination. When he reached the tunnel exit, he saw five men race up the road as though the devil were after them, and further up what seemed a solid wall of soldiers was rolling toward them. He heard sirens shrilling, a tommy-gun barked, the shots came whistling through the cold air. At last he stopped and looked round.
Alfred came running out of the tunnel, looked along the street and then turned left. Kolodzi bounded toward him, yelling: "To the embankment!" They clambered up the slope, sinking up to their knees in snow, slipped back, gasped, clutched on to lumps of icy snow; then they were on top. Before them stood the fence, dark and threatening, nearly seven feet high. Kolodzi heard shouting on the road, shots whizzed near them, near his shoulder one bullet struck a hole into the fence; the hole was so big he could have stuck his finger through it. He threw his tommy-gun over the fence and pulled himself up. Taking in at a glance that there was no one on the other side, he jumped down. The snow broke his fall, he was on his feet again at once and retrieved his gun. Looking up, he saw that Alfred had not come over the fence.
He dashed back and pressed his face against a crack, just in time to see Alfred sliding down the embankment slope. Soldiers came running across the road, and it was already so light that he
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