The Tally Ho

Escape — It’s A Risky Business
                              by our own reporter

    You can either go off the cuff and attempt to run away, drive away in a Mini-Moke, or place your trust in someone who hands you an Electro Pass and attempt to escape by helicopter. But really if you are to attempt an escape its always best to know where you are escaping from, so that you can calculate where it is you are escaping to! Lucky for No. 6 then that his ally, Nadia, had seen a file,  even if it was only for a few seconds, but enough to know the location of The Village. What’s more Nadia has a contact man from the Village of Braniewo. No.6 was in such a hurry to escape The Village, that he didn’t once consider how Nadia was able to make contact with the man at the cave when she was in The Village! It might have been that Karel was there at the cave just on the off-chance should Nadia manage to escape The Village But then how did he know she was there in the first place? It was supposed that No.6 and Nadia would eventually arrive in an office he knows very well in London. A 12 hour journey by sea Gdansk/Danzig then by air to Copenhagen , and by air again to London. Except that journey never actually took place. There was a short journey by sea, then back to The Village aboard the M. S. Polotska, not that No.6 was aware of that, sealed in that crate! The fact of the matter is No.6 had been betrayed on two occasions when he had tried to escape, by women!          No.6 is not one to stop trying, he again takes to the sea aboard a jet boat. Having boarded the boat and fought off the two motor mechanics, he heads for the open sea chased by No.2 piloting the helicopter. The result of this escape attempt is exactly the same as it was on land. Throwing himself out of a moving vehicle, and a confrontation with the Guardian! And if it hasn’t been risky enough for No.6 by this point, things get more risky when he attempts an escape  by impersonating Curtis! He tried to say as little as possible during that ride to the helicopter, because he had no idea what No.2 was talking about when he mentioned that proposition he had put to Curtis when he arrived in The Village. No.6 was on edge, he than made the mistake about the General, and then, well how was No.6 to have known Susan had died a year ago? Betrayed again if indirectly, by a woman!     No.6 then once more takes to the sea aboard an open raft. 25 days at sea, and finally he makes a “home run,” only to find someone, Mrs. Butterworth, living in his home in London! With the aid of the Colonel and Thorpe, his story of the road block, the gypsy encampment, and Mrs. Butterworth are checked out and found to be true. Then its just a matter of locating The Village, which means a search area of some 1,750 square miles! Its been a long journey, but once again No.6 ends up back where he started. It seems his cottage is the only place he can ever go!     Two thefts were reported by a painter working on the refit of the Stone Boat. That of a lifebelt and a length of rope! It was thought that No.6 had taken them, as he was seen loitering on the quayside at the time. However the body of No.34, tied to a lifebelt, was retrieved from the sea by the crew of M. S. Polotska. Despite the life preserver No.34 had seemingly died from cold and exposure! Another spate of thefts took place in the Village, the first of which were two Taxis, but this was let ride. Then a surveillance camera was removed from its mounting, a telephone from a kiosk, a screwdriver and electrical components from an electrics tuck. And an aerial was broken off one of the taxis! No.6 was accused by No.53 that he takes too many risks, well escape is worth a risk or two isn’t it? But it seems it was the Rook who took most of the risks in this case, especially when it is he who had to put to the open sea on such a flimsy raft in order to bring a rescue boat inshore. It can be no surprise that no women were involved in this attempted escape, and no wonder. However one element does appear to have been overlooked by No.6 as he planned another attempted escape by sea……………………..the time of the tides!

Be seeing you