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gates. These appeared to be the only means of access to the castle, which
otherwise was surrounded by high granite walls, some apparently original,
other sections built by later hands. Indeed, most of the present castle seemed
to have undergone vast reconstruction. To the rear Bond could just make out
what could well be the ruins of the original keep; but the remainder looked
more like a great Gothic-style heap, beloved of Victorians - all gables and
turrets.
Three cars stood in front of what was obviously the main door  a wide
structure with a pillared portico. The castle seemed to be set in the midst of
large formal gardens, and the whole aspect produced a half-sinister,
half-Disneyland quality. Craning forward, Bond could just make out the edge of
a vast lawn to the right of his view. He thought he could glimpse the corner
of a marquee. For tomorrow's Games, he presumed. Well, Dr Anton Murik
certainly had a castle and, no doubt, acted like a king in it.
Bond was just about to get to his feet, return to the car, drive back and
present himself at King Murik's court, when he realised, too late, that he was
not alone.
They had come upon him with the craft and experience of professional hunters,
materialising from the ground like spirits of the night. But these were not
spirits  particularly their leader who now loomed huge above him.
'Spyin' on Murik Castle, eh?' the giant accused him in a broad Scots accent.
'Now wait a minute . . .' Bond began, raising a hand to remove the Nitefinder
kit; but, as he moved, so two hands, the size of large hams, grasped him by
the lapels, and he was lifted bodily into the air.
'Ye'll come guy quiet wi' us. Right?' the giant said.
Bond was in no mood for going quietly with anybody. He brought his head down
hard, catching the big man on the forward part of his nose bridge. The man
grunted, letting go of Bond, who could see the butt had been well placed. A
small trickle of blood had begun to flow from the man's nostrils.
'I'll kill ye for  ' The man was stopped by another voice from behind them.
'Caber? Hamish? Malcolm? What is it?'
Bond instantly recognised the slight nasal twang of Mary-Jane Mashkin. 'It's
Bond,' he shouted. 'You remember, Miss Mashkin. We met at Ascot. James Bond.'
She appeared, like the others, suddenly as though from the ground. 'My God, Mr
Bond, what're you doing here?' She peered at the giant. 'And what's happened
to you, Caber?'
'Yon man gied me a butt to the neb,' he muttered, surly. Mary-Jane Mashkin
laughed. 'A brave man, doing something like that to Caber.'
'I fear your man thought I was a poacher. He-well, he lifted me up, and became
generally aggressive. I'm sorry. Am I trespassing?'
Caber muttered something which sounded belligerent, as Mary-Jane Mashkin spoke
again, 'Not really. This track is a right-of-way through the Laird's land.
We've been, doing a little night hunting, and looking at the digging.' She
inclined her head towards the other side of the track where Bond had seen the
low earth piles. 'We've just started working on a new drainage system. Just as
well you didn't wander that way. You could've stumbled into a pretty deep pit.
They've dug down a good fifteen feet, and it's over twelve feet wide.' She
paused, coming closer to him so that he caught the scent of Madame Rochas in
his nostrils. 'You didn't say why you were here, Mr Bond.'
'Lost,' Bond raised his hands in a gesture of innocence.
He had already slipped the Nitefinder set from his head, as though it was the
most natural thing to be wearing. 'Lost and looking for the castle.'
'Which I guess you found.'
'Found, and was observing.'
She put a hand on his arm, 'Then I think you'd better take a closer look,
don't you? I presume you were coming to visit.'
'Quite,' Bond nodded. In the darkness the men shuffled and Mary-Jane Mashkin
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gave some quick orders. There was, apparently, a Land Rover up the track a
little way. 'I'll guide Mr Bond down and you follow,' she told Caber, who had
calmly relieved Bond of the Nitefinder set.
'You should have taken the track straight ahead at the village,' she said when
they were settled in the Saab and moving.
'I gathered that.'
The Land Rover was close behind as they swept up to the gates. A figure
appeared to open up for them, and Mary-Jane Mashkin told Bond they kept the
gates closed at night, and on special locks. 'You can never tell. Even in an [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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