The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 81 Bring in your wounded

The first stretcher, carrying an unconscious construction worker from the helicopter, had Spencer at one end, and Eliška and Auntie Sacha at the other, though the old lady proved to be more of an impediment than a help. They were closely followed by Simon and Boris carrying another one of the stricken workers.

Even though they had landed the Sikorsky nearer to the entrance than before, the intervening distance was treacherous under foot and still involved carrying the victims across half the marshalling yard of tramlines and sidings. Though they had made slower progress than they had hoped for, but they managed to traverse the distance, with little worse than a couple of stubbed toes and some wet feet from the deep puddles.

Spencer found that the mine entrance was full of yet another gaggle of excited children and teenagers but there was no sign of Samuel Wellington. They lowered their charges down on the floor as gently as possible and assessed the situation.

"He that was foretold is coming!" Auntie Sacha said mysteriously, as if informing them of the coming of a great messiah.

"Who's coming? "Spencer asked.

There was the sound of an approaching truck outside and a little while afterwards Elektra arrived, carrying Basil. He was followed by about thirty old people none of whom felt comfortable about entering the mine.

"Not him!" Sacha said disparagingly.

"Do we wait here or do we bring everyone further into mine?" Elektra asked Spencer.

"Let's take them to the canteen." Spencer said. "At least we can make everyone drinks."

"No Him." Sacha said pointing to Samuel.

Samuel appeared as if from nowhere."We have the infirmary prepared and we have trolleys on their way as I speak to transport those who can't or shouldn't walk."

"What we do with those that can walk?" Elektra asked Samuel.

"By all means bring the walking wounded to the canteen if you can persuade them to come...but lets have those that are actively losing blood first!" Samuel announced. "Followed by those with broken bones followed by those that have been... damaged by too much muscle relaxant."

"Not my fault if today's youth can't take their drink!" Sacha protested. "Still mustn't grumble. Can't fault their enthusiasm they supped their jars like it was water! Thirsty men workers!"

"And I hear that they are not very good at cards either!" Eliška said, barely suppressing a laugh.

"Can't fault their enthusiasm for card playing neither!" Sacha protested. "Would have been more fun if they'd have stayed awake though! Still mustn't grumble!"

"But most cider does not contain wormwood!" Samuel said, with more than a hint of disapproval.

"T'isnt proper cider unless it has wormwood!" Sacha said. "Doesn't keep without wormwood you know! Still mustn't grumble."

"It doesn't keep either if you drink it all at once!" Samuel remarked. "Whether you grumble or not."

Behind Samuel, they could hear the sound of several hospital trolleys racing towards them rather faster than was sensible on the uneven surface of the tunnel floor. The first two to arrive were propelled by Greta and Stepa, closely followed by Slepý Bobek and Bláznivý Marek.

"We won. We won!" Greta and Stepa crowed.

Elektra lay Basil down on the first trolley pushed by Greta. The old man with a broken arm occupied the second trolley pushed by Stepa, though he seemed reluctant to actually lie down on it, despite Stepa's assertions that he might fall off if he didn't. By that time Karlov had arrived with Michal and Pawel, who absolutely refused to be wheeled to the infirmary and instead marched there military fashion despite their injuries and consequently, were the first to arrive there.