Evening star., 1949-08-28

account for. =,
Secret Valleys" Is q novel by
q young British writer who was a
navigator in the Royal Air Force,
flew on many missions out OF
Malta and seems to know Greece.
The story suggests that there
NAV be involved in this hidden
fighting q defense of that indl-
vidualisnl which Moscow SO
deSpiseS
It is about fierce old man
on the island of Crete, who leo
q band Of irregulars that fought
the Germans to a standstill from
mountain fastnesses for three
years. One Of the band turned
traitor, and the leader. Achilles.
was appointed to slip into the
German-held village and execute
him. This Achilles did. After
the war Achilles found that his
reward for harassing his country's
enemies was to lose his olive
orchard to D. grasping Greek who
had held a mortgage. When
Achilles went 10 law, the Greek
set the authorities against the
guerrilla chieftain, reporting that
he had murdered fellow coun-
tryman. Achilles, who knew and
cared nothing about Communists,
returned to the mountains. joined
by friends, including some Com
munists. When police and SOL
diers tried to arrest them, they
fought and hid in their secret
places.
Favorite Guerrilla.
Gradually Achilles followers
fell away and he fought on alone.
This is the story of what hap
pened after Achilles, living in
cave, with only his daughter Per-
sephone for company, was joined
by three British officers, his old
wartime benefactors.
1t is an exciting novel, written
with no little beauty. The char
acters are deftly and distinctly
drawn. The three veterans rep
resent divergent PHILOSOPHERS.
Tom is a conservative and makes
a point of being old-school Eng
lish; Henri, the Frenchman, is a
Marxist, and Angus, the school,
master, the main character, is a
confused liberal. For different
reasons they stuck by Achilles
when he was besieged by his
countrymen. o.
Perennial StruggIers.
The story takes a leftward turn.
but it is more in depicting the
forces of the government, police
and military, as brutal ana
stupid than In clarifying guer-
rilla rebels. Greek peasants are
shown as perennial strugglers
against oppression. in one form or
another, and wanting only to be
left alone, to exc out living in
their own way. If Mr.. Cousins
intended to convey more direct
propaganda in favor OF the re-
bellious guerrillas in general, it is
not too obvious. AT least. aside
from an artistic novel, he gives
us a new slant on the troubles
in Greece and a fresh glimpse
of Greek character.
MIRACLE AT GARDENRIGG
BY Tom Hanlin. BRANDON,
House; $2.75J
In a vivid, suspensive novel, Mr..
Hanlin describes a disaster IN q
coal mine in Scotland.
It is a very old mine and 20o
miners deep underground mad
yertently cut into an unmapped
tunnel abandoned century ago.
The tunnel is full OF water ana
1t sweeps into the active workings.
The miners retreat as far as they
can, but they know it is only a
question of hours until the water
fills their tunnels and they are
drowned. The Offices at the SHAFT
mouth are notified by telephone
and rescue operations start.
A young miner named Rack
O'Dell is in a little group sent into
another tunnel. If they can reach
q certain spot in time, the water
can be diverted. That's the only
hope for the trapped men. ODen
gets ahead of the rest. A weak
ened wall gives way, and he f1nds
himself alone in the tunnel, cut on
from escape, but still headed to-
ward the wheel which will turn a
trapdoor andsrelease the water
If he can reach it. But the closing
of the passage behind him means
the water will submerge him; in
saving the others he will bring
his own death. But Rack does not
hesitate.
Meanwhile, at the mine gates,
the two girls who love O'Del are
eager to help. One, Chrissie, must
marry him or face disgrace. The
other, Ria, who belongs to the
Irish Catholic families that occupy
one section of the mining village.
long has determined not to marry.
She wants to become a nun. When
it is apparent that Rack cannot
reach the wheel in time and phone
reports from underground indicate
the water rising about the 200 men
has reached the death level" Ria
refuses to give up. She prays in
cessantly until she is convinced