Harkness felt a mad wildness of impatience. He went to the window and tugged at the bars. In despair his hands fell to his side.
"The only chance, Dunbar, is to go straight for him the moment we're out of this room, even if those damned Japs are with him. We can't do much, but we may smash him up a bit first. Then there's Jabez. We've forgotten Jabez. Where's he been all this time?"
Dunbar looked up. "I expect he went home after we went off."
"No," said Harkness, "he was to be there till six. He told me. What's happened to him? At any rate he'll give the alarm if we don't turn up."
"No, he'll think we got safely off."
"Yes, I suppose he will. My God, it's five to six. Look here, stand up a moment."
They stood up.
"Let's take hands. Let's swear this. Whatever happens to us now, whether some of us survive or none, whether we die now or live happily ever afterwards, we'll be friends forever, nothing shall ever separate us, for better or worse we're together for always."
They swore it.
"And see here. If I don't come out of this don't have any regrets either of you. Don't think you brought me into this against my will. Don't think that whichever way it goes I regret a moment of it. You've given me the finest time."