cc.iceberg-第13部分

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　Even　if　the　Lax　had　picked　up　survivors　from　a　phony　shipwreck；　the　captain　would　have　immediately　reported　it。〃　Koski　suddenly　smiled。　〃As　I　recall；　Fyrie's　last　message　asked　for　the　reservation　of　a　penthouse　suite　at　the　Statler…Hilton　in　New　York。〃
　〃Poor　bastard；〃　Dover　said　slowly。　〃If　money　and　success　ends　like　this；　who　needs　it？〃　He　looked　at　the　thing　on　the　deck　again　and　quickly　turned　away。　〃God；　what　kind　of　maniac　could　murder　fifteen　humans　at　a　sitting？　Methodically　poison　fifteen　men　and　then　calmly　cremate　them　with　a　flamethrower？〃
　〃The　same　maniac　who　blows　up　airliners　for　insurance　money；〃　said　Pitt。　〃One　who　can　kill　another　human　with　the　same　lack　of　shattering　guilt　you'd　experience　after　swatting　a　fly。　The　motive　here　was　obviously　gain。　Fyrie　and　his　people　made　a　discovery　that　was　extremely　valuable。　The　United　States　wanted　it；　Russia　wanted　it；　but　a　dark　horse　got　away　with　it。〃
　〃Was　it　worth　all　this？〃　Hunnewell　said　with　sickness　in　his　eyes。
　〃It　was　to　the　sixteenth　man。〃　Pitt　stared　down　at　the　grisly　remains　on　the　deck。　〃The　unrecorded　intruder　who　became　the　death　of　the　party。〃
　
　Chapter　5
　
　Iceland；　the　land　of　frost　and　fire；　rugged　glaciers　and　smoldering　volcanoes；　an　island　prism　of　lava…bed　reds；　rolling　tundra　greens；　and　placid　lake　blues　stretched　under　the　rich　gold　glow　of　the　midnight　sun。　Surrounded　by　the　Atlantic　Ocean；　bounded　by　the　warm　waters　of　the　Gulf　Stream　in　the　south　and　by　the　frigid　polar　sea　to　the　north；　Iceland　rests　midway　as　the　crow　flies　between　New　York　and　Moscow。　A　strange　island　of　kaleidoscopic　scenes　far　less　cold　than　its　name　suggests；　the　average　temperature　in　the　cold　month　of　January　rarely　rises　above　that　of　the　New　England　coast　of　the　United　States。　To　someone　seeing　it　for　the　first　time；　Iceland　seems　indeed　an　unequaled　phenomenon　of　beauty。
　
　Pitt　watched　the　jagged　snow…packed　peaks　of　the　island　grow　on　the　horizon　and　the　flashing　water　below　the　Ulysses　turn　from　the　deep　blue　of　the　great　ocean　depths　to　the　rich　green　of　the　inshore　surf。　Then　he　altered　the　controls；　and　the　helicopter　dipped　neatly　on　a　ninety…degree　angle　and　a　parallel　course　along　the　steep　lava　cliffs　that　burst　from　the　sea　below。　They　passed　over　a　tiny　fishing　village；　nestled　on　a　barron　circle　bay；　its　roofs　painted　in　a　checkered　myriad　of　tile　reds　and　pastel　greens；　an　outpost　at　the　gateway　of　the　Arctic　Circle。
　〃What　time　is　it？〃　Hunnewell　asked；　awakening　from　a　light　sleep。
　〃Ten　minutes　past　four　in　the　morning；〃　Pitt　replied。　〃God；　to　look　at　the　sun；　you'd　think　it　was　four　in　the　afternoon。〃　Hunnewell　yawned　loudly　and　made　a　vain　attempt　to　stretch　in　the　cramped　confines　of　the　cockpit。　〃About　now　I'd　give　my　right　arm　if　I　could　go　back　to　sleep　between　the　crisp　white　sheets　of　a　soft　bed。〃
　〃Keep　your　eyes　propped　open；　it　won't　be　long　now。〃
　〃How　far　to　Reykjavik？〃
　〃Another　half　hour。〃　Pitt　paused　to　make　a　visual　check　of　the　instruments。　〃I　could　have　cut　north　sooner；　but　I　wanted　to　sightsee　the　coastline。〃
　〃Six　hours；　forty…five　minutes　since　we　left　the　Catawaba。　Not　bad　time。〃
　〃Probably　could　have　shaved　that　considerably　if　we　weren't　handicapped　with　an　extra　fuel　tank。〃
　〃Without　it　we'd　be　back　there　somewhere　trying　to　swim　four　hundred　miles　to　shore。〃
　Pitt　grinned。　〃We　could　have　always　sent　a　Mayday　to　the　Coast　Guard。〃
　〃Judging　from　the　mood　mander　Koski　was　in　when　we　took　off；　I　doubt　if　he'd　put　himself　out　for　us　if　we　were　drowning　in　a　bathtub　and　he　had　his　hand　on　the　plug。〃
　〃In　spite　of　what　Koski　thinks　of　me；　I'd　vote　for　him　as　admiral　any　time　he　decided　to　run。　In　my　book　he's　a　damn　good　man。〃
　〃You　have　a　funny　way　of　expressing　your　admiration；〃　Hunnewell　said　dryly。　〃Except　for　your　perceptive　deduction　concerning　the　flame　thrower　hat's　off　to　you　for　that　one；　by　the　way…you　really　didn't　tell　him　a　damned　thing。〃
　〃We　gave　him　the　truth　as　far　as　it　went。　Anything　else　would　have　been　fifty　percent　guesswork。　The　only　real　fact　that　we　omitted　was　the　name　of　Fyrie's　discovery。〃
　〃Zirtonium。〃　Hunnewell's　gaze　was　lost　in　the　distance。　〃Atomic　number：　forty。〃
　〃I　barely　squeaked　through　my　geology　class；〃　Pitt　said；　smiling。　〃zirconium？　What　makes　it　worth　mass　murder？〃
　〃Purified　zirconium　is　vital　in　the　construction　of　nuclear　reactors　because　it　absorbs　little　or　no　radiation。
　
　Every　nation　in　the　world　with　facilities　for　atomic　research　would　give　their　eyeteeth　to　have　it　obtainable　by　the　carload。　Admiral　Sandecker　is　certain　that　if　Fyrie　and　his　scientists　did　indeed　discover　a　vast　zirconium　bonanza；　it　was　under　the　sea　close　enough　to　the　surface　to　be　raised　economically。〃
　
　Pitt　turned　and　stared　out　of　the　cockpit　bubble　at　the　dark　ultramarine　blue　that　stretched　almost　unripPled　to　the　south。　A　fishing　boat　with　a　chain　of　dories　sailed　out　to　sea；　the　tiny　hulls　moving　as　easy　as　if　they　were　gliding　across　a　tinted　mirror。　He　watched　them　through　eyes　that　barely　saw；　his　mind　dwelling　on　the　exotic　element　that　lay　…covered　by　the　cold　waters　below。
　〃A　hell　of　an　undertaking；〃　he　muttered；　just　loud　enough　to　be　heard　over　the　drone　from　the　engine's　exhaust。　〃The　problems　of　raising　raw　ore　from　the　sea　bottom　are　emense。〃
　〃Yes；　but　not　insurmountable。　Fyrie　Limited　employs　the　world's　leading　experts　at　underwater　mining。
　
　That's　how　Kristjan　Fyrie　built　his　empire；　you　know；　dredging　diamonds　off　the　coast　of　Africa。〃　Hunnewell　spoke　with　what　sounded　like　simple　admiration。　〃He　was　only　eighteen；　a　seaman　on　an　old　Greek　freighter；　when　he　jumped　ship　at　Beira；　a　small　port　on　the　coast　Of　Mozambique。　It　didn't　take　him　long　to　catch　the　diamond　fever。　There　was　a　boom　on　in　those　days；　but　the　big　SYndicates　had　all　the　productive　claims　tied　up。
　
　That's　where　Fyrie　stood　out　from　the　rest…he　had　a　shrewd　and　creative　mind。
　〃If　diamond　deposits　could　be　found　on　land　not　two　miles　from　shore；　he　reasoned；　why　couldn't　they　lie　underwater　on　the　continental　shelf？　So　every　day　for　five　months　he　dove　in　the　warm　waters　of　the　Indian　Ocean　until　he　found　a　section　of　the　seabed　that　looked　promising。　Now　the　trick　was　scrounging　the　financing　to　buy　the　needed　dredging　equipment。　Fyrie　had　arrived　in　Africa　with　nothing　but　the　shirt　on　his　back。　To　beg　from　the　white　moneyed　interests　in　the　territory　would　have　been　a　waste　of　time。　They　would　have　taken　everything　and　left　him　with　nothing。〃
　〃One　percent　of　something　is　often　better　than　ninety…nine　percent　of　nothing；〃　Pitt　interjected。
　〃Not　to　Kristjan　Fyrie；〃　Hunnewell　replied　defensively。　〃He　had　a　true　Icelander's　sense　of　principle…share　the　profits　but　never　give　them　away。　He　went　before　the　black　people　of　Mozambique　and　sold　them　on　forming　their　own　syndicate；　with　Kristjan　Fyrie；　of　course；　as　president　and　general　manager。　After　the　black　people　raised　the　financing　for　the　barge　and　dredging　equipment；　Fyrie　worked　twenty　hours　a　day　until　the　entire　operation　was　running　like　a　puter　at　IBM。　The　five　months　of　diving　paid　off…the　dredge　began　to　bring　up　high…grade　diamonds　almost　immediately。　Within　two　years　Fyrie　was　worth　forty　million　dollars。〃
　
　Pitt　noticed　a　dark　speck　in　the　sky；　several　thousand　feet　higher　and　in　front　of　the　Ulysses。　〃You　certainly　seem　to　have　studied　the　Fyrie　history。〃
　〃I　know　it　sounds　strange；〃　Hunnewell　went　on；　〃but　Fyrie　seldom　stayed　with　a　project　more　than　a　few　years。　Most　men　would　have　bled　the　operation　dry。　Not　Kristjan。　After　he　made　a　fortune　beyond　his　wildest　dreams；　he　turned　the　whole　business　over　to　the　people　who　financed　the　venture。〃
　〃Just　gave　it　away？〃
　〃Lock；　stock　and　the　popular　barrel。　He　distributed　every　share　of　his　stock　to　the　native　stockholders；　set　up　a　black　administration　that　could　run　efficiently　without　him；　and　took　the　next　boat　back　to　Iceland。　Of　the　few　white　men　held　in　high　esteem　by　the　Africans；　the　name　of　Kristjan　Fyrie　stands　right　at　the　top。〃
　
　Pitt　was　watching　the　solitary　dark　speck　in　the　northern　sky　turn　into　a　sleek　jet　aircraft。　He　leaned　forward；　screwing　up　his　eyes　against　the　bright　blue　glare。　The　stranger　was　one　of　the　new　executive　jets　built　by　the　British…　fast；　reliable　and　capable　of　whisking　twelve　passengers　halfway　around　the　world　in　a　matter　of　hours　without　a　fuel　stop。　Pitt　barely　had　time　to　realize　that　the　stranger　was　painted　an　ebony　black　from　nose　to　tail　when　it　swept　past　his　range　of　vision　traveling　in　the　opposite　direction。
　〃What　did　Fyrie　do　for　an　encore？〃　he　asked。
　〃Mined　manganese　off　Vancouver　Island　in　British　Columbia　and　brought　in　an　offshore　oil　field　in　Peru　to　name　a　few。　There　were　no　mergers；　no　subsidiaries。　Kristjan　built　Fyrie　Limited　into　a　great　industry　specializing　in　underwater　geological　exploitation；　nothing　else。〃
　〃Did　he　have　a　family？〃
　〃No；　his　parents　died　in　a　fire　when　he　was　very　young。　All　he　had　was　a　twin　sister。　Don't　really　know　much　about　her。　Fyrie　put　her　through　a　finishing　school　in　Switzerland；　and；　so　rumor　has　it；　she　later　became　a　missionary　somewhere　in　New　Guinea。　Apparently　her　brother's　fortune　meant　noth