Yes, sir; it is.
Harrison caught the transatlantic twang in McGills voice. Are you an American, Dr McGill?
No, sir; Im a Canadian citizen.
I see. It is very public-spirited of you to volunteer to stay and give evidence.
McGill smiled. No trouble at all, sir. I have to be here in Christchurch in any case. I leave for the Antarctic next month. As you may know, the Operation Deep Freeze flights leave from here.
Professor Rolandson stirred. Youre going to the Antarctic and your name is McGill! Would you be the Dr McGill who wrote a paper on stress and deformation in snow slopes which appeared in the last issue of the Antarctic Journal?
Yes, sir.
Rolandson turned to Harrison. I think we are fortunate in having Dr McGill with us. I have read many of his papers and his qualifications as an expert witness are unimpeachable.
Yes, indeed. Harrison waggled an eyebrow. But I think his qualifications should be read into the record. Will you tell us something about yourself, Dr McGill?
Id be glad to. McGill paused, marshalling his thoughts. I took a B.Sc. in physics at the University of Vancouver and then spent two years with the Canadian DSIR in British Columbia. From there I went to the United States M.Sc. in meteorology at Columbia University and D.Sc. in glaciology at the California Institute of Technology. As to practical experience, I have spent two seasons in the Antarctic, a year in Greenland at Camp Century, two years in Alaska and I have just completed a years sabbatical in Switzerland doing theoretical studies. At present I work as a civilian scientist in the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory of the United States Army Terrestrial Sciences Centre.
There was a silence which was broken by Harrison. He gave a nervous cough. Yes, indeed. For simplicitys sake, how would you describe your employment at present?
McGill grinned. I have been described as a snowman. A ripple of laughter swept across the hall, and Rolandsons lips twitched. I should say that I am engaged on practical and theoretical studies of snow and ice which will give a better understanding of the movement of those materials, particularly in relation to avalanches.
I agree with Professor Rolandson, said Harrison. We are very fortunate to have such a qualified witness who can give an account of the events before, during and after the disaster. What took you to Hukahoronui, Dr McGill?
I met Ian Ballard in Switzerland and we got on very well together. When he came to New Zealand he invited me to visit him. He knew that I was coming to New Zealand on my way to the Antarctic and suggested that I arrive a little earlier than I had originally intended. He met me at the airport in Auckland and then we both went down to Hukahoronui.
Lyall held up his hand, and Harrison nodded to him. How long did the witness know Mr Ballard in Switzerland?
Two weeks.
Two weeks! repeated Lyall. Did it not seem strange to you on such a casual acquaintanceship that Mr Ballard should undertake such a long journey involving an air flight from South Island to North Island to meet you at the airport?
Harrison opened his mouth as though to object, but McGill, his face hardened, beat him to it. I dont understand the import of the question, but Ill answer it. Mr Ballard had to attend a board meeting of his company in Auckland with which my arrival coincided.
I didnt understand the tenor of that question, either, Mr Lyall, said Harrison grimly. Does the answer satisfy you?
Yes, sir.
It will speed this inquiry if irrelevant questions are kept to a minimum, said Harrison coldly. Go on, Dr McGill.
In the Press gallery Dan Edwards said, There was some sort of malice behind that. I wonder what instructions the Petersons have given Lyall.
McGill said, There was a lot of snow on the way to Hukahoronui...
Fifteen miles from Hukahoronui they came across a Volkswagen stuck in a drift, the skis strapped on the top proclaiming its purpose. It contained two Americans helplessly beleaguered by the snow. Ballard and McGill helped to haul the car free and received effusive thanks from the two men who were called Miller and Newman. McGill looked at the Volkswagen, and commented, Not the best car for the conditions.
You can say that again, said Newman. Theres more snow here than in Montana. I didnt expect it to be like this.
Its an exceptional season, said McGill, who had studied the reports.
Miller said, How far is it to Huka..., He stumbled over the word but finally got it out by spacing the syllables. Huka-horo-nui?
About fifteen miles, said Ballard. He smiled. You cant miss it this road goes nowhere else.
Were going for the skiing, said Newman. He grinned as he saw Ballards eye wander to the skis strapped on top of the car. But I guess thats evident.
Youre going to get stuck again, said Ballard. Thats inevitable. Youd better go on ahead and Ill follow, ready to pull you out.
Say, thats good of you, said Miller. Well take you up on that offer. Youve got more beef than we have.
They hauled the Volkswagen out of trouble five times before they reached Hukahoronui. On the fifth occasion Newman said, Its real good of you guys to go to all this trouble.
Ballard smiled. Youd do the same, Im sure, if the position were reversed. He pointed. Thats the Gap the entrance to the valley. Once youre through there youre home and dry.
They followed the Volkswagen as far as the Gap and watched it descend into the valley, then Ballard pulled off the road. Well, there it is.
McGill surveyed the scene with a professional eye. Instinctively he looked first at the white sweep of the western slope and frowned slightly, then he said, Is that your mine down at the bottom there?
Thats it.
You know something? I havent asked what you get out of there.
Gold, said Ballard. Gold in small quantities. He took a packet of cigarettes and offered one to McGill. Weve known the gold was there for a long time my father was the first to pick up the traces but there wasnt enough to take a chance on investment, not while the gold price was fixed at thirty-five dollars an ounce. But when the price was freed the company risked a couple of million pounds sterling in establishing the plant you see down there. At present were just breaking even; the gold were getting out is just servicing the capital investment. But the pickings are getting richer as we follow the reef and we have hopes.
McGill nodded abstractedly. He was peering through the side window at the rock walls on either side of the Gap. Do you have much trouble in keeping the road clear just here?
We didnt seem to have trouble years ago when I used to live here. But were having a fair amount now. The town has got some of the companys earth-moving machinery on more-or-less permanent loan.
Itll get worse, said McGill. Maybe a lot worse. I did a check on meteorological conditions; theres a lot of precipitation this year and the forecast is for more.
Good for skiers, said Ballard. Bad for mining. Were having trouble getting equipment in. He put the car in gear. Lets get down there.
He drove through the town and then to the mine office. Come in and meet the senior staff, he said, then hesitated. Look, Im going to be a bit busy for maybe an hour. He grinned. Finding out if theyve made a fortune while Ive been away. Ill get someone to take you to the house.
Thatll be fine, said McGill.
They went into the office building and Ballard opened a door. Hello, Betty. Is Mr Dobbs in?
Betty jerked her thumb. Inside with Mr Cameron.
Fine. Come on, Mike. He led the way to an inner office where two men were discussing a plan laid on a desk. Hello, Mr Dobbs; hello, Joe. Id like you to meet a friend wholl be staying in Huka for a while Mike McGill. This is Harry Dobbs, the mine manager, and Joe Cameron, the mine engineer.
Dobbs was a thin-faced New Zealander with a dyspeptic expression who looked as though his wifes cooking did not agree with him. Cameron was a broad-shouldered American pushing sixty but not admitting it. They shook hands, and Ballard said, Everything okay?
Cameron looked at Dobbs and Dobbs looked at Cameron. Dobbs said in a thin voice, The situation is deteriorating at the same rate.
Cameron chuckled. What he means is that were still having trouble with this goddam snow. We had a truck stuck in the Gap yesterday; took two dozers to get it out.
If we cant keep up essential supplies then output is going to be restricted, said Dobbs.
I dont think well make a profit this half year, said Ballard.
Mike, here, says things will get worse, and he ought to know hes a snow expert.
Dont take that as gospel, protested McGill. Ive been known to be wrong. He looked through the window. Is that the mine entrance?
Cameron followed his gaze. Yes, thats the portal. Most people think of a mine as having a vertical shaft, but we just drove an adit into the mountainside. It slopes down inside, of course, as we follow the reef.
It reminds me of a place in British Columbia called Granduc. McGill slanted his eyes at Cameron. Know it?
Cameron shook his head. Never heard of it.
McGill looked oddly disappointed.
Dobbs was saying, ... and Arthurs Pass was closed for twelve hours yesterday, and the Haast has been closed since Tuesday. I havent heard about Lewis Pass.
What have those passes to do with us? asked Ballard. Our supplies come from Christchurch and dont cross the mountains at all.
Theyre the main passes across the Southern Alps, said Dobbs. If the government cant keep them open, then what chance do we have? Theyll be using every machine theyve got, and no one is going to send a snow plough to clear a way to Hukahoronui its a dead end.
Well just have to do the best we can, Mr Dobbs. Ballard jerked his head at McGill. Lets get you settled in, Mike.
McGill nodded and said to the room at large, Nice to have met you.
Well have to get together, said Cameron. Come over to my place and have dinner some time. My daughters a great cook.
Dobbs said nothing.
They went into the outer office. Betty will show you where the house is. The bedroom on the left at the back is yours. I wont be more than an hour.
Take your time, said McGill.
It was nearly three hours later when Ballard turned up and by that time McGill had unpacked, taken a walk around town which did not take long, and returned to the house to make an urgent telephone call.