“No... no...” Richard struggled to sit up again. “Stop the car — I’m going by ’plane.”
Rex laughed. “I’d just hate to be a passenger in your ’plane tonight, Richard. You couldn’t push a pram after the swipe I gave you!”
“I... don’t mind leaving... the ’plane,” Richard muttered, “if we... all get away... safely.”
“Don’t you worry, Richard, we’re all here. You take these and have a good sleep till we get to the frontier.” The Duke pushed the tablets into his mouth. He sank back on to the cushions of the car. “Yes... the frontier... make the frontier...” his voice sank into indistinct mutterings — in a few moments he was fast asleep.
“D’you reckon they’ll send out a warning about us?” Rex asked, after a long silence.
“Not about you and me,” the Duke replied. “With Yakovkin on guard, it is unlikely that they will discover our escape till the morning — but I am afraid there will be trouble about Simon.”
“Certain to be if Leshkin meant to arrest me again tonight,” Simon agreed, pessimistically; “they’ll find the car missing, and try and trace us by that — probably try and hold us up on the road.”
“Have you got a gun?”
“Ner, but Richard may have.”
The Duke felt him over. “No,” he said, “he’s unarmed.”