Tanner did as he was told and passed it to him. The single sheet of paper was headed Supreme Allied Commander Southeast Asia Command. Mao had signed it, not only in English, but in Chinese, with Mountbatten countersigning.
‘There you are, Jack,’ Campbell said as he folded it. ‘Piece of history here. If Mao wins, Hong Kong will stay British until 1 July 2097.’
‘You think it will happen, Laird?’
‘Who knows? We’ve got to win the war first. Pass me my Bible, will you?’
Tanner went to the dresser where the Major’s toilet articles were laid out. The Bible was about six inches by four with a cover of embossed silver, a Celtic cross standing out clearly. It was very old. Campbells had carried it to war for many centuries. It had been found in the pocket of the Major’s ancestor who had died fighting against Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden. It had been recovered from the body of his uncle, killed on the Somme in 1916. Ian Campbell took it everywhere.
Tanner opened it. The inside of the Bible’s cover was also silver. He felt carefully with his nail, it sprang open, revealing a small hidden compartment. Campbell folded the sheet of paper to the appropriate size and fitted it in, closing the lid.
‘Top secret, Jack, only you and I know it’s there. Your Highland oath on it.’
‘You have it, Laird. Shall I put it in the holdall, Laird?’
‘No, I’ll carry it in my map pocket.’ There was a knock at the door, Tanner went to open it and Flight Lieutenant Caine stepped in. He was carrying heavy flying jackets and boots.
‘You’ll need these, sir. We’ll probably have to go as high as twenty thousand over part of the Hump. Bloody freezing up there.’
The young man looked tired, dark circles under his eyes. Campbell said, ‘I’m sorry about this. I know you’ve only just got in.’
‘That’s all right, sir. I carry a co-pilot, Pilot Officer Giffard. We can spell each other. We also have a navigator and wireless operator. We’ll make out.’ He smiled. ‘One can hardly say no to Lord Mountbatten. All the way to Delhi on this one I see?’
‘That’s right. Then onwards to London.’
‘Wish I was doing that leg of the trip.’ Caine opened the door and looked out at the rain. ‘Never stops, does it? What a bloody country. I’ll see you at the plane, sir.’ He went out.
Campbell said, ‘Right, Jack, let’s get moving.’
They pulled on the flying boots, the heavy sheepskin jackets. Finally ready, Tanner picked up his holdall and the Major’s.
‘On your way, Jack.’
Tanner moved out. Campbell glanced around the room, reached for his cap and put it on, then he picked up the Bible, put it in the map pocket of his flying jacket and fastened the flap. Strange, but he felt more than tired. It was as if he had reached the end of something. His Highland blood speaking again. He shrugged the feeling off, turned and went out into the rain, following Tanner to the Dakota.
To Kunming from Chungking was four hundred and fifty miles. They took the opportunity of refuelling and then pressed on to the most hazardous section of the trip, the five hundred and fifty miles over the Hump to the Assam airfields.
Conditions were appalling – heavy rain and thunderstorms and the kind of turbulence that threatened to break the plane up. Several hundred aircrew had died making this run over the past couple of years; Campbell knew that. It was probably the most hazardous flying duty in the RAF or the USAF. He wondered what persuaded men to volunteer for such work and, while thinking about it, actually managed some sleep, only surfacing as they came into their Assam destination to refuel.
The onward trip to Delhi was another eleven hundred miles and a completely different proposition. Blue skies, considerable heat and no wind to speak of. The Dakota coasted along at ten thousand feet and Caine left the flying to Giffard, came back and tried to get a couple of hours’ sleep.
Campbell dozed again and came awake to find the wireless operator shaking Caine by the shoulder. ‘Delhi in fifteen minutes, Skipper.’
Caine got up, yawning. He grinned at Campbell. ‘Piece of cake this leg, isn’t it?’
As he turned away there was an explosion. Pieces of metal flew off the port engine, there was thick black smoke and, as the propeller stopped turning, the Dakota banked and dived steeply, throwing Caine off his feet.
Campbell was hurled against the bulkhead behind with such force that he was almost knocked senseless. The result was that he couldn’t really take in what was happening. It was a kind of nightmare, as if the world was breaking up around him, the impact of the crash, the smell of burning and someone screaming.
He was aware of being in water, managed to focus his eyes and found himself being dragged through a paddy field by a wild-eyed Tanner, blood on his face. The Corporal heaved him on to a dyke then turned and hurried back, knee-deep in water, to the Dakota, which was burning fiercely now. When he was halfway there it blew up with a tremendous explosion.
Debris cascaded everywhere and Tanner turned and came back wearily. He eased the Major higher on the dyke and found a tin of cigarettes. His hand shook as he lit one.
‘Are we it?’ Campbell managed to croak.
‘So it would appear, Laird.’
‘Dear God.’ Campbell’s hands moved over his chest. ‘The Bible,’ he whispered.
‘Dinna fash yourself, Laird, I’ll hold it safe for you.’
Tanner took it from the map pocket and then all sounds faded for Campbell, all colour, nothing now but quiet darkness.
In Chungking Mountbatten and Stilwell were examining on the map the relentless progress of the advancing Japanese, who had already overrun most of the Allied airfields in eastern China.
‘I thought we were supposed to be winning the war,’ Stilwell said.
Mountbatten smiled ruefully. ‘So did I.’
Behind him, the door opened and an aide entered with a signal flimsy. ‘Sorry to bother you, sir, but this is from Delhi, marked urgent.’
Mountbatten read it then swore softly. ‘All right, you can go.’
The aide went out. Stilwell said, ‘Bad news?’
‘The Dakota Campbell was travelling in lost an engine and crashed just outside Delhi. It fireballed after landing. By all accounts the documents and my dispatches went with it.’
