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.He was rolling some appreciatively around his mouth and reflecting ontheir adventures of the past weeks when Marco came in.The Doctor swallowed the wine.'Join me in a glass, Polo?' he asked.'Thank you, Doctor.' Marco pulled up a chair as the Doctor clicked his fingers for service and orderedthe wine.'The arrangements are satisfactorily made for the rest of the journey to Shang-Tu, Doctor,' Marcosaid.'Knowing you, Polo, I do not doubt it.''Horses will be here for us at dawn and the bearers will see our wagons safely charged beforereturning to Su-Chow.We'll ride until midday, stop at a wayside inn for a meal and ride on untildusk.''No jingling bells, I trust.' Marco laughed. 'We won't be riding as hard as Ling-Tau.''An agreeable young man,' the Doctor observed and Marco reiterated that their journey would takethem eight days.'There'll be a few aches and pains at the end of that,' the Doctor added lightly,thinking all the time that they'd be long since gone into another age and another galaxy whenMarco reached the summer palace.Marco drained his glass and stood up.'I must write up my journal, Doctor, so I'll bid you goodnight.''Useful thing, keeping a record of events, Polo.Goodnight.' As Marco went up to his room, theDoctor took some more wine and began rolling it around his mouth.They put their plan into operation after midnight when the way-station staff were asleep.Theytip-toed out onto the courtyard and around to the stables.Ping-Cho was with them to wavegoodbye, as she put it.The Doctor was vexed that there wasn't a guard on his ship.'Anyone could steal it,' he said indignantly.'Like us,' Ian murmured with a grin.The Doctor clambered up onto the wagon.Ping-Cho ran over tohim and kissed the back of his hand.'Goodbye, kind lord,' she whispered.'Farewell, gentle maiden,' the Doctor replied, 'and refuse to marry someone old enough to be mygrandfather.' Ping-Cho went to Barbara and Ian in turn to say goodbye, leaving Susan until thelast.They embraced with tears in their eyes as the Doctor put the key into the lock.'For a moment I thought you were going with them.Ping-Cho,' Marco's voice came out of thedarkness.'No, Doctor, if you look into the gloom you will see that you are completely surrounded bymy bearers, all of whom are armed as I am, and as Susan is not yet up there with you, it would bepointless trying to dash for freedom.So come down, please, and give me the key.' The Doctorwithdrew the key from the lock and Barbara and Ian helped him to the ground.He handed Marcothe key without a word.'Yes, Doctor, you're right, it is a useful thing." Marco said enigmatically as the Doctor walked backinto the way-station.At dawn the Doctor stood in front of the TARDIS looking up at it, when Marco and Tegana came overto him.'Your horse is saddled, Doctor, and we must start our journey,' Marco spoke gently.The Doctor'seyes were cold when he turned to face him.'Do I have your word as, I suppose, a gentleman, that my flying caravan, as you call it, will safelyreach the Khan's summer palace?''On my oath,' Marco replied, which Tegana thought was a huge joke knowing that Kuiju would cometo collect it once they had ridden from Lan-Chow.The wagon in the stable, my lord, I am here to take it,' Kuiju handed Wang-Lo an official-lookingdocument with wax seals and pointed to the relevant clauses.'One can read, fellow,' Wang-Lo retorted, although secretly he was impressed by the seals.'Takeit.' Turning his back he went into the way-station.During their midday meal at an inn, Marco broached the subject of the key.'How did you come by it?' he asked the Doctor.'It was given to me,' the Doctor replied, looking at him directly.'By whom?' Ping-Cho opened her mouth to speak but Ian was quicker.'Me.I searched your room when you were in Lan-Chow last night and found it.' Dismissing thesubject, Ian turned to Barbara and asked her to pass him the red sauce.'You mean the Hoy Sien Jeung,' Barbara smiled as she handed it to him.Marco said nothing. They rode on for two days without incident except that Susan noticed Ping-Cho becoming more andmore taciturn.She recognised the symptom of homesickness.For his part, the Doctor spent his timedreaming of the hot bath he would wallow in to ease his saddle-weary bones when they stoppedin the evening.Barbara and Ian enjoyed the countryside and the meandering river while Teganalooked with cynical amusement at the Great Wall which he estimated must have taken at least twocenturies to build.Marco would have preferred to force the pace but out of respect for the Doctorcontented himself with their progress.However, two crises were building.The first was triggered byBarbara after dinner in a way-station when she insisted that Ian talk to Marco about returning theTARDIS to them.'It's pointless,' he said.'I've tried again and again." Just then Marco came into the lounge.'Ian wants to talk to you,' she said and, adding that she was tired, went up to her room.Marcolooked at Ian who remained silent.'What is it?' he asked.Ian thought for a moment before replying with measured words.'You must give us back the Doctor's flying caravan.' Marco turned away in exasperation.'You know what it means to me.If I give it to Kublai Khan, he will let me go home to Venice.''We want to go home, too.And without it, we can't.''I have promised to take you to Venice with me and see you safely on your way home from there.''By boat.But we can't go by boat.We need the Doctor's caravan.' Marco looked at Ian for severalseconds.'Why, Ian?' he asked.'Why?' Ian closed his eyes and when he opened them he knew he would tellthe truth.'My home is in England, Marco,' he said.'You've said so before and I grant it's a long way.But the journey is not impossible.The Crusadersdid it.' Ian took a deep breath.'Marco, for me the Crusaders lived nearly seven hundred years ago.' For a moment, Marco lookedpuzzled and then shook his head.'That's ridiculous, Ian.The Crusaders were in Accra less than twenty five years ago.' Ian looked athim in desperation.'Don't you understand? We come from another time.''That's impossible.''The Doctor's caravan doesn't only cover distances.It crosses years, centuries.''Journeys into the past and into the future,' Marco said, smiling.'Yes.I know it's hard to believe but it's true.I swear it.Look at our clothes, listen to the way wetalk.Everything's different.''I have never been to England but I have heard that the English are an eccentric race [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.He was rolling some appreciatively around his mouth and reflecting ontheir adventures of the past weeks when Marco came in.The Doctor swallowed the wine.'Join me in a glass, Polo?' he asked.'Thank you, Doctor.' Marco pulled up a chair as the Doctor clicked his fingers for service and orderedthe wine.'The arrangements are satisfactorily made for the rest of the journey to Shang-Tu, Doctor,' Marcosaid.'Knowing you, Polo, I do not doubt it.''Horses will be here for us at dawn and the bearers will see our wagons safely charged beforereturning to Su-Chow.We'll ride until midday, stop at a wayside inn for a meal and ride on untildusk.''No jingling bells, I trust.' Marco laughed. 'We won't be riding as hard as Ling-Tau.''An agreeable young man,' the Doctor observed and Marco reiterated that their journey would takethem eight days.'There'll be a few aches and pains at the end of that,' the Doctor added lightly,thinking all the time that they'd be long since gone into another age and another galaxy whenMarco reached the summer palace.Marco drained his glass and stood up.'I must write up my journal, Doctor, so I'll bid you goodnight.''Useful thing, keeping a record of events, Polo.Goodnight.' As Marco went up to his room, theDoctor took some more wine and began rolling it around his mouth.They put their plan into operation after midnight when the way-station staff were asleep.Theytip-toed out onto the courtyard and around to the stables.Ping-Cho was with them to wavegoodbye, as she put it.The Doctor was vexed that there wasn't a guard on his ship.'Anyone could steal it,' he said indignantly.'Like us,' Ian murmured with a grin.The Doctor clambered up onto the wagon.Ping-Cho ran over tohim and kissed the back of his hand.'Goodbye, kind lord,' she whispered.'Farewell, gentle maiden,' the Doctor replied, 'and refuse to marry someone old enough to be mygrandfather.' Ping-Cho went to Barbara and Ian in turn to say goodbye, leaving Susan until thelast.They embraced with tears in their eyes as the Doctor put the key into the lock.'For a moment I thought you were going with them.Ping-Cho,' Marco's voice came out of thedarkness.'No, Doctor, if you look into the gloom you will see that you are completely surrounded bymy bearers, all of whom are armed as I am, and as Susan is not yet up there with you, it would bepointless trying to dash for freedom.So come down, please, and give me the key.' The Doctorwithdrew the key from the lock and Barbara and Ian helped him to the ground.He handed Marcothe key without a word.'Yes, Doctor, you're right, it is a useful thing." Marco said enigmatically as the Doctor walked backinto the way-station.At dawn the Doctor stood in front of the TARDIS looking up at it, when Marco and Tegana came overto him.'Your horse is saddled, Doctor, and we must start our journey,' Marco spoke gently.The Doctor'seyes were cold when he turned to face him.'Do I have your word as, I suppose, a gentleman, that my flying caravan, as you call it, will safelyreach the Khan's summer palace?''On my oath,' Marco replied, which Tegana thought was a huge joke knowing that Kuiju would cometo collect it once they had ridden from Lan-Chow.The wagon in the stable, my lord, I am here to take it,' Kuiju handed Wang-Lo an official-lookingdocument with wax seals and pointed to the relevant clauses.'One can read, fellow,' Wang-Lo retorted, although secretly he was impressed by the seals.'Takeit.' Turning his back he went into the way-station.During their midday meal at an inn, Marco broached the subject of the key.'How did you come by it?' he asked the Doctor.'It was given to me,' the Doctor replied, looking at him directly.'By whom?' Ping-Cho opened her mouth to speak but Ian was quicker.'Me.I searched your room when you were in Lan-Chow last night and found it.' Dismissing thesubject, Ian turned to Barbara and asked her to pass him the red sauce.'You mean the Hoy Sien Jeung,' Barbara smiled as she handed it to him.Marco said nothing. They rode on for two days without incident except that Susan noticed Ping-Cho becoming more andmore taciturn.She recognised the symptom of homesickness.For his part, the Doctor spent his timedreaming of the hot bath he would wallow in to ease his saddle-weary bones when they stoppedin the evening.Barbara and Ian enjoyed the countryside and the meandering river while Teganalooked with cynical amusement at the Great Wall which he estimated must have taken at least twocenturies to build.Marco would have preferred to force the pace but out of respect for the Doctorcontented himself with their progress.However, two crises were building.The first was triggered byBarbara after dinner in a way-station when she insisted that Ian talk to Marco about returning theTARDIS to them.'It's pointless,' he said.'I've tried again and again." Just then Marco came into the lounge.'Ian wants to talk to you,' she said and, adding that she was tired, went up to her room.Marcolooked at Ian who remained silent.'What is it?' he asked.Ian thought for a moment before replying with measured words.'You must give us back the Doctor's flying caravan.' Marco turned away in exasperation.'You know what it means to me.If I give it to Kublai Khan, he will let me go home to Venice.''We want to go home, too.And without it, we can't.''I have promised to take you to Venice with me and see you safely on your way home from there.''By boat.But we can't go by boat.We need the Doctor's caravan.' Marco looked at Ian for severalseconds.'Why, Ian?' he asked.'Why?' Ian closed his eyes and when he opened them he knew he would tellthe truth.'My home is in England, Marco,' he said.'You've said so before and I grant it's a long way.But the journey is not impossible.The Crusadersdid it.' Ian took a deep breath.'Marco, for me the Crusaders lived nearly seven hundred years ago.' For a moment, Marco lookedpuzzled and then shook his head.'That's ridiculous, Ian.The Crusaders were in Accra less than twenty five years ago.' Ian looked athim in desperation.'Don't you understand? We come from another time.''That's impossible.''The Doctor's caravan doesn't only cover distances.It crosses years, centuries.''Journeys into the past and into the future,' Marco said, smiling.'Yes.I know it's hard to believe but it's true.I swear it.Look at our clothes, listen to the way wetalk.Everything's different.''I have never been to England but I have heard that the English are an eccentric race [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]