The Cadet Corporal (36 page)

As Peter got closer Carnes, who had been kneeling and looking down, turned his head and put up his hand. He screamed, “Keep away! Don't come near me!”

Peter slowed down and called back, “Don't be silly! It will be alright. Don't jump.”

In the torch beam Graham glimpsed Carnes' expression. It was one of frantic resolve. To Graham's dismay he saw that Carnes had the rope tied around his neck. The other end of the rope was tied around the steel railway line. As Peter walked forward Carnes shouted again, “Don't come near me!”

Peter stopped and tried to reason with him but Carnes just shook his head and looked down. In the torchlight Graham clearly saw him swallow. His eyes looked very large and glistened in the light. He opened his mouth to say something to Peter, then stepped back and stumbled. For a second Carnes tried to regain his footing, then he fell.

Carnes screamed and so did Graham, who was still twenty metres away. Carnes dropped straight down but then came to an abrupt stop, his body still above the railway line. ‘His foot has slipped through between the sleepers,' Graham thought. His own heart hammered frantically with anxiety as he hurried on forward. Fear had now slowed his progress as he could clearly see what a huge drop lay below. Now he was out past the shallow water and was over the sand of the main river bed.

Peter called, “Wait Carnes! Don't move! I'll help you.” He began walking towards Carnes.

“No! Get away!” Carnes screamed. He began to struggle frantically to haul his leg free. In the process he squirmed so that he was hanging out over the edge.

Peter kept moving and reached Carnes. “Stop moving so I can help you,” he cried.

Instead Carnes began hysterical shouting and struck at Peter. “Leave me alone! Leave me alone! I want to die!”

There was a smack and Graham saw Peter stagger, then heard him cry out. To Graham's horror Peter suddenly toppled sideways and fell off the bridge. One second he was there, the next he was gone. There was a thud and the bridge shuddered. A metallic clang sounded and Graham saw that Peter had landed across one of the cross beams. Then he slid over the side, his hands clawing desperately for a grip.

Unaware that he was screaming in despair Graham dashed forward and looked down, seeing only the struggling black shape that was Peter. Far below was the sand, floodlit by the Land Rover's headlights. Somehow Peter had grabbed on but he was hanging by one hand from the bottom flange of the cross girder and could slip and plummet to his death at any second. And in Graham's way was Carnes. He had managed to get his leg free and was crouching on the sleepers staring down at Peter in shocked dismay.

“Help him Carnes! Don't just sit there!” Graham shouted.

Carnes shook himself and stared at Graham. “I didn't mean to! I just wanted him to keep away,” he wailed.

Graham clenched his fists and grated his teeth. “I don't care what you meant! Grab hold of him! Quick!”

But Carnes just knelt there babbling it wasn't his fault.

“Help me!” Peter gasped. “Hurry! I can't hold on much longer!”

“Hang on Pete! Hang on!” Graham cried as he hurried the last few steps. It was only then, as he knelt down to reach for Peter that he realised what the distant glow and the growing vibration meant- a train was coming!

CHAPTER 36

HANG ON !

“Hang on!” Graham shouted to Peter. Peter had managed to get his other hand up to grab hold of the cross beam but it was a poor grip as only the fingers were over the lip of the steel girder.

“Help!” Peter gasped. “I can't hold on much longer.”

Graham dithered for a second, looking frantically around to try to work out the best way to help his friend. Carnes was in his way so Graham stood up and moved around to his other side. Then he took hold of the rail and lowered one boot down over the end of the sleepers till it reached the cross beam. With his heart hammering from fear he turned himself around and slid backwards down, ignoring the scraping on his chest and stomach from the ends of the rough wooden sleepers. Trembling and sweating and on the brink of paralysing terror he reached down and grabbed the top of the beam. Carefully he stood side on and then lowered himself until he was sitting astride the beam with his back to the railway.

As he sat down the vibration through the rail told Graham that the train was now on the bridge. It was coming from the far end and he hoped he had time. By now the headlight of the approaching locomotive was lighting everything up in brilliant black and white. That helped Graham as he looked in under the sleepers.

The main beam was about half a metre deep, with flanges twenty centimetres wide. The cross girder he was sitting on was similar in size. There were huge bolt heads but nothing to actually hang onto. Far below was the river bed. Graham broke into a sweat of fear and trembled, feeling very insecure. ‘One slip and I am a goner,' he told himself. For a few seconds he was paralysed by vivid flashbacks of when he had clung to the slippery face of Stoney Creek Falls. Then he shook his head and gritted his teeth.

There was nothing for it but to take a risk. Shaking with fear he lay down and locked his legs together around the girder. The hard steel edges cut painfully into his flesh but he ignored this. Holding on with his left hand he leaned out and down and grasped Peter's left wrist. To his dismay both his hand and Peter's skin were slick with sweat. Above him Carnes was still leaning over and crying that he hadn't meant it.

Suddenly Carnes became aware of the train and began to scream and jibber, “A train! A train!” In his agitation he began clawing at Graham, almost pulling him off balance. Graham knew that there were small safety projections for bridge maintenance workers to use so he pointed to one and screamed, “Get onto that!”

Carnes either did not hear him or did not understand as he kept screaming. He leaned over and grabbed at Graham. Graham swore and tried to ignore him. What was taking up most of his consciousness was Peter's terror-filled face as he dangled by his hands below him. By now the roar of the approaching train had become a deafening thunder. This was drowned out as the engine sounded its air horn, the blast seeming to shake the whole structure.

‘This is not going to work!' Graham thought as he felt Peter slipping from his grip. But did he dare let go for a moment while trying to get a better grip? ‘I have to take the risk,' he thought. Desperation made him act. Judging he was safe from the train Graham tried to ignore it. He let go of the cross beam with his left hand and reached down with it and grabbed hold of Peter's shirt sleeve, twisting the cloth into his grip. The action drove some of the burs deeply into his palm but he ignored the pain and tightened his grip. In doing so Graham had to lean over the side of the beam, depending on his legs to keep a grip.

“Swing your legs up Pete!” Graham shouted, his voice all but drowned out by the massive roar of the train.

Peter tried to but was obviously scared to swing much lest his fingers slip off the rim of the girder. Graham tightened his grip with his left hand and then let go of Peter's wrist with his right. Leaning even further over Graham reached down and seized Peter's shirt with his right hand. At that moment the locomotive's horn blared deafeningly again and then the thunder of its approach changed note and Graham knew it had roared onto the section of bridge they were on.

Suddenly boots struck at Graham and he felt Carnes grabbing at him. A terror-stricken Carnes came scrabbling down on top of him, grabbing frantically at his clothes for a hold. Graham felt pure terror surge in his veins as he began to slip sideways off the beam. He screamed at Carnes to stop it but was ignored. With an ear-shattering roar the engine raced past a few centimetres above his head. The noise was so loud and terrifying that Graham found it all but paralysing. All he could do was hang on.

To prevent himself being dragged sideways off the beam Graham braced his boots under the main girder and clung on, literally for grim death. Above him sounded an even more ear splitting screech as hundreds of brake shoes came on, to scrape at hundreds of steel wheels. The din was absolutely stunning. The whole bridge seemed to thunder and shake.

By this time Graham was almost frantic with fear as he could feel himself being slowly dragged off the beam by Carnes, who now grabbed him around the neck and upper body. Carnes' boots hammered at the steel girder and then beat at Peter, who clenched his teeth and clung grimly on. ‘This can't go on,' Graham thought. He could feel his strength giving out.

“Climb up over me Pete!” Graham screamed, at the same time using all his strength to haul Peter upwards. Peter's shirt stretched, then ripped, but it was enough. With a desperate lunge Peter let go of the rim with his right hand and managed to get it up over the top of Graham's back. He grabbed at Graham's trousers and hung on, his boots flailing at thin air as he tried to swing them up to get a grip.

Carnes was in the way. Worse still he was slowly dragging Graham off the beam. Something began pressing sharply into Graham's neck and back and he realised it was the rope Carnes had around his neck. Suddenly the rope went slack and Carnes slid even further over until he was dangling beside Peter. In the process he clung frantically to Graham who could feel himself being pulled over as well. Knowing that he was doomed if he allowed this to happen Graham used all the strength in his leg muscles to brace his boots under the main girder.

For over a minute all he could do was hang on with all his might. On one side was Peter, pulling at him as he tried to get a foothold. One the other was Carnes, who was now screaming in Graham's ear as he clung desperately on.

Then the last wagon of the train rolled past and the fearful metallic screeching, clashing and banging began to recede. Graham was quiet unable to move his head and feared that Carnes was going to break his neck as he clung to him. His cheek was pressed hard down onto the cold steel of the cross beam.

Suddenly the weights shifted, almost causing Graham to slip over under the beam. Peter had got a boot up onto one of the diagonal cross beams and now reached up over him to grip the sleepers. Then Peter was above him and sitting astride him, his boots placed on the lower flange of the cross beam. It hurt but Graham guessed that Peter knew what he was doing.

“Hang on Graham,” Peter yelled in his ear.

Graham did, with Carnes still hanging from him. But it was not a stable situation. Carnes was squirming and struggling so much that he kept upsetting Graham's grip and balance. By now his thigh and calf muscles were starting to quiver and feel white hot.

“Stop moving Carnes and we will get you up,” Peter yelled.

But Carnes was beyond reason. He clawed at Graham, gripping his shirt. This ripped right across the back where it had already been torn. Carnes screamed and dropped. For a moment Graham thought he had fallen but then the rope went tight across his back and shoulders and he knew that Carnes was dangling on the end of it. To the extent that he was himself being strangled by its pressure across the back of his neck Graham half wished Carnes would fall off.

“Pete! Do something!” Graham gasped. “I'm being choked.”

“Wait. Just hold on,” Peter replied.

There was movement and Peter said, “Have you got hold of him?”

“Yes,” Graham called back, grabbing hold of Carnes' sleeve.

“Try to lift him and hang on for a minute while I get back on to the bridge,” Peter replied.

“Let the bloody rope hold him,” Graham gasped. ‘It's what he wanted,' he thought, but didn't say.

“I can't,” Peter replied. “The train has cut the knot and I've got the end around my wrist. You have to take the weight so I can get up.”

Graham shouted to Peter he had the weight and clung on grimly. The rope suddenly went slack and Peter put a boot in the middle of Graham's back. Then the pressure was gone. Graham was able to turn his head and breathe. He looked over the side into Carnes' terror-stricken eyes. Carnes was screaming and babbling for them to save him. As he did he jerked and squirmed, his legs flailing at thin air.

“Stop moving, bugger you!” Graham yelled. He could hardly hold on himself and could feel Carnes slipping through his grasp.

Carnes ignored him and kept frantically trying to climb back up to him. Suddenly the rope went tight and Carnes began to choke. His eyes bulged and his tongue stuck out. With his left hand he clawed at the noose around his neck. Graham stared in horrified fascination.

Peter shouted in Graham's ear, “Grab him and lift!”

Graham realised that Peter was leaning over the side of the bridge next to him and was reaching down with both hands. Peter shouted again, “Quick! I've tied the rope on to stop him dropping. Help me!”

Seeing Carnes choking to death before his very eyes galvanized Graham for a last big effort. He reached down, grabbed Carnes' hair and heaved up. Peter was able to reach Carnes' shirt and he took over hauling while Graham transferred his grip to Carnes' trousers. Then it was relatively easy. Peter used all his strength to drag Carnes up over the end of the sleepers onto the rails.

Graham lay astride the girder, shuddering with exertion and fear for a moment, then opened his mouth to call to Peter to help him. He had no need. Peter had already acted and reached down to grab his clothes. “Ok Graham. Up you come. Take it slow.”

Graham did. He was shaking so much he feared he would slip or lose his grip so he moved one limb at a time, only moving another when he was sure he had a tight grip. The hardest part was twisting around to get a grip behind him, then turning to reach up for the rail. Once he had the rail in his grasp it was easy. He placed a boot on the cross beam and pushed himself up so that he slid forward on his front across the rails.

Peter held him while he did this but once he was up both boys just lay down across the track. For several minutes all they could do was lie there. Graham was so shaken and sore that he felt as though elephants had trampled him and tried to pull him apart.

Suddenly a ghastly thought crossed his mind: was Carnes being strangled by his noose?

“Pete, check that Carnes isn't being choked to death by his noose,” he called.

Peter did so then lay back. “It's OK, he's breathing,” he said. “He didn't tie a proper noose so the knot didn't tighten up.”

‘Poor old Carnes,' Graham thought. ‘Couldn't even hang himself properly!'

Then he lay back and began to sob as the reaction set in.

It was the lights and shouting which roused Graham. He turned his head and saw the headlights of another vehicle parking below them. Then the thud of boots sounded on the bridge and a minute later a desperately anxious Capt Conkey arrived to join them. As he swept the beam of his torch over the three boys he cried aloud, “Oh thank God! All safe!”

Capt Conkey made them lie still while he made more phone calls. As he did Graham roused himself. “Sir, call the railways and tell them to stop any trains.”

“The police are doing that, and that train that just crossed is stopped a little way up the line,” Capt Conkey replied. Then he sat down and shook his head, then sobbed, “Oh my word, that was bloody close!”

“You are telling me!” agreed Peter feelingly. He sat up and Graham tried to do so as well but found all his muscles quivering. Capt Conkey insisted they lie there till they had recovered and more help had arrived. Lt Hamilton was the first, then the very anxious train crew. They were mightily relieved to learn that no-one had been injured or killed. Next to arrive were two army officers and an army medic from the camp.

Between them they assisted the boys to walk safely back off the bridge. As he made his way along with Capt Conkey walking behind him and holding his arm Graham felt quite dizzy and shuddered at the risks he and Peter had taken running out in the dark along the two planks. When he at last reached the embankment at the end of the bridge he sighed with relief and offered a silent prayer.

By the time they had slithered down the embankment and negotiated the barbed wire fence two more vehicles had arrived: a police car and an ambulance from Charters Towers. The boys were at once taken to the ambulance. Graham's scratches were cleaned and daubed with antiseptic and he was asked if he wanted to go to the hospital to see a doctor.

“No thanks,” he replied. “I am alright, just a little shaken up.”

Peter gave the same reply and both he and Graham were taken to one side while Carnes was placed in the ambulance. After a discussion between the adults a policeman climbed in the back of the ambulance and it drove off. Graham and Peter were both then questioned by the officers and the police. That was something Graham found a bit of an ordeal as he was hurting by then. His scratches smarted and his over-stretched muscles continued to tremble. He found he was shaking and felt flushed.

The upshot was that both he and Peter were driven to the army camp. Here the army medic again washed the cuts and scratches and they were fed with hot Milo. A spare shirt was found for Graham and he gingerly pulled it on. During a break in the questioning Graham gave Peter a wry smile and said, “I reckoned you were history when you were dangling by just one hand.”