fixing up explosives? He wanted to call out – warn the British troops. There was no sense in more soldiers being blown to pieces now.
Axel stood up quickly. ‘The railway station, it’s going to blow up,’ he said in German. ‘I’ve just remembered. Last night. When we marched through the town. They were putting explosives on the roof.’
Will stared at him blankly.
Eddie roused himself to translate. ‘Axel says the railway station’s been wired up – could blow at any minute.’
‘We’ve got to tell them,’ said Will. ‘Come on!’
The two of them began to walk quickly towards the men lined up in ranks before the station. The colonel was still holding forth – the men were completely silent. Axel could bear it no longer. They were all standing there and could get blown to pieces at any second. He started to call out in German ‘Schnell! Rennen Sie weg!’ – Quick! Get out of the way!
They all stopped and looked around. Axel felt terribly vulnerable. Several of the soldiers raised their rifles and pointed them at him. Will stood in front of him.
‘The station,’ Will shouted, pointing. ‘It’s wired with explosives. It might go up at any second. This German soldier is my prisoner. He’s just told me.’
‘Who is this?’ spluttered the colonel. ‘What’s this Hun blighter doing here? Somebody shoot him and let me get on.’
Fortunately for Axel, no one was prepared to take that remark seriously. A young lieutenant stepped forward and whispered in the colonel’s ear. Then the man said, ‘But I thought this place had been checked for traps. Rhodes, didn’t your men find a bomb in the basement?’
‘They did, sir,’ said the young lieutenant, ‘but if there is another one, they must have missed it. I think we should investigate further.’
Other senior officers began a heated conversation among themselves.
Lieutenant Rhodes grabbed Axel by the arm – not roughly, but like a teacher dealing with an unruly pupil, and certainly firmly enough to make it clear he would not stand for any nonsense. ‘What do you know?’ he said in passable German.
‘Please, sir,’ Axel gabbled, ‘I was here last night. I marched through the town. I saw some of our men fixing explosives to the roof.’
‘So why are you telling us?’ asked the officer in a reasonable tone.
‘The war is over,’ pleaded Axel. ‘What is the point of more of you being killed?’
‘Stand firm,’ bellowed a sergeant. The men snapped to attention in their columns. They were clearly uneasy, but no one was going to break ranks until they were ordered to do so.
‘Lieutenant Rhodes,’ called the colonel. The young officer went to him and they had a hurried conversation. The colonel spoke in short, angry sentences. Rhodes came back to Axel.
‘Whereabouts did you see these explosives?’ he asked.
‘I couldn’t tell exactly,’ said Axel. ‘It was dark. But I could see them handling wires and sticks of explosive.’
The officer conferred with the colonel again, still holding Axel tightly by the arm. Then he turned to him and said, ‘I’ve been ordered to search the building with you.’
The sergeant bellowed, ‘Men, take ten steps backwards.’
The men shuffled awkwardly back. There were a few uneasy murmurings. ‘Silence in the ranks,’ shouted the sergeant.
‘Rhodes,’ called the commander, ‘hurry up and take that wretch into the station and see what you can find.’
‘Very well, Colonel,’ said the lieutenant.
Axel marvelled at his sang froid. ‘But it might go up at any second,’ he said. ‘Please. I don’t know where the explosives are – other than somewhere on the roof. Maybe they put them in the gutter.’
The officer instructed Will to return to his post. Then, with one hand gripping Axel’s arm, he hurried into the building and up the stairs. For the third or fourth time that day Axel began to feel mortal fear, but this English officer seemed remarkably calm for someone who might be blown to pieces at any moment.
‘We found one large cache of explosives in the basement, on a time switch,’ he explained, as if he were talking to a colleague. ‘Twenty-four-hour fuse. My bomb-disposal boys must have thought that was it.’
‘You go first,’ said the officer when they came to a closed door in the entrance hall leading to the upper floors. Axel knew he thought the door might be booby-trapped. He refused to go. The officer pulled out his pistol. ‘No, after you, I insist,’ he said with mock courtesy.
‘But if I am killed, how will I be able to help you?’ Axel said desperately.
‘I’m sure