[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
voice hushed with awe. "My bloody oath, you're a genius. Genius."
"It's my birthday. So I figured we'd have a celebration. And I've got this,"
the King said, holding up a bottle.
"What is it?"
"Sake!"
"I don't believe it," Mac said. "Why, there's the whole hindquarters of a pig
here." He bent forward and sniffed it. "My God, it's real, real, real, and
fresh as a day in May, hurray!"
They all laughed.
"Better lock the door, Tex." The King turned to Peter Marlowe. "Okay,
partner?"
Peter Marlowe was still staring at the meat. "Where the hell did you get it?"
"Long story!" The King took out a knife and scored the meat, then deftly
broke the small hindquarters into two joints and put them into the stewpan.
They all watched, fascinated, as he added a quantity of salt, adjusted the pan
to the absolute center of the hot plate, then sat back on the concrete bed and
crossed his legs. "Not bad, huh?"
For a long time no one spoke.
A sudden twist of the door handle broke the spell. The King nodded to Tex,
who unlocked the door, opened it a fraction, then swung it wide. Brough
entered.
He looked around astonished. Then noticed the stove. He went over and peered
into the stewpot. "I'll be goddamned!"
The King grinned. "It's my birthday. Thought I'd invite you to dinner."
"You got yourself a guest." Brough stuck out his hand to Larkin. "Don Brough,
Colonel."
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"Grant's my Christian name! You know Mac and Peter?"
"Sure." Brough grinned at them and turned to Tex. "Hi, Tex!"
"Good to see you, Don."
The King motioned to the bed. "Take a seat, Don. Then we got to go to work!"
Peter Marlowe wondered why it was that American enlisted men and officers
called themselves by Christian names so easily. It didn't sound cheap or
unctuous it seemed almost correct and he had noticed that Brough was
always obeyed as their leader even though they all called him Don to his face.
Remarkable.
"What's this work jazz?" asked Brough.
The King pulled out some strips of blankets. "We're going to have to seal the
door."
"What?" Larkin said incredulously.
"Sure," the King said. "When this begins cooking, we're liable to have us a
riot on our hands. The guys start smelling this, Chrissake, figure for
yourselves. We could get torn apart. This was the only place I could figure
where we could cook in private. The smell will mostly go out the window. If we
seal the door good, that is. We couldn't cook it outside, that's for sure."
"Larkin was right," said Mac solemnly. "You're a genius. I'd never have
thought of it. Believe me," he added laughing, "Americans, henceforth, are
amongst my friends!"
"Thanks, Mac. Now we'd better do it."
The King's guest took the strips of blanket and stuffed them in the cracks
around the door and covered the barred peephole in the door. When they had
finished the Kong inspected their work.
"Good," he said. "Now, what about the window?"
They looked up at the little barred section of sky, and Brough said, "Leave
it open until the stew really begins to boil. Then we'll cover it and stand it
as long as we can. Then we can open it up for a while." He looked around. "I
figure it might be all right to let the perfume out sporadically. Like an
Indian smoke signal."
"Is there any wind?"
"Goddamned if I noticed. Anyone?"
"Hey Peter, give me a lift up, laddie," said Mac. Mac was the smallest of the
men, so Peter Marlowe let him stand on his shoulders. Mac peered through the
bars, then licked his finger and held it out.
"Hurry up, Mac, for God's sake you're no chicken, you know!" Peter Marlowe
called out.
"Got to test for wind, you young bastard!" And again he licked his finger and
held it out, and he looked so intent and so ridiculous that Peter Marlowe
began laughing, and Larkin joined in, and they doubled up and Mac fell down
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six feet and grazed his leg on the concrete bed and began cursing.
"Look at my bloody leg, blast you," Mac said, choking. It was only a little [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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voice hushed with awe. "My bloody oath, you're a genius. Genius."
"It's my birthday. So I figured we'd have a celebration. And I've got this,"
the King said, holding up a bottle.
"What is it?"
"Sake!"
"I don't believe it," Mac said. "Why, there's the whole hindquarters of a pig
here." He bent forward and sniffed it. "My God, it's real, real, real, and
fresh as a day in May, hurray!"
They all laughed.
"Better lock the door, Tex." The King turned to Peter Marlowe. "Okay,
partner?"
Peter Marlowe was still staring at the meat. "Where the hell did you get it?"
"Long story!" The King took out a knife and scored the meat, then deftly
broke the small hindquarters into two joints and put them into the stewpan.
They all watched, fascinated, as he added a quantity of salt, adjusted the pan
to the absolute center of the hot plate, then sat back on the concrete bed and
crossed his legs. "Not bad, huh?"
For a long time no one spoke.
A sudden twist of the door handle broke the spell. The King nodded to Tex,
who unlocked the door, opened it a fraction, then swung it wide. Brough
entered.
He looked around astonished. Then noticed the stove. He went over and peered
into the stewpot. "I'll be goddamned!"
The King grinned. "It's my birthday. Thought I'd invite you to dinner."
"You got yourself a guest." Brough stuck out his hand to Larkin. "Don Brough,
Colonel."
Page 162
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Grant's my Christian name! You know Mac and Peter?"
"Sure." Brough grinned at them and turned to Tex. "Hi, Tex!"
"Good to see you, Don."
The King motioned to the bed. "Take a seat, Don. Then we got to go to work!"
Peter Marlowe wondered why it was that American enlisted men and officers
called themselves by Christian names so easily. It didn't sound cheap or
unctuous it seemed almost correct and he had noticed that Brough was
always obeyed as their leader even though they all called him Don to his face.
Remarkable.
"What's this work jazz?" asked Brough.
The King pulled out some strips of blankets. "We're going to have to seal the
door."
"What?" Larkin said incredulously.
"Sure," the King said. "When this begins cooking, we're liable to have us a
riot on our hands. The guys start smelling this, Chrissake, figure for
yourselves. We could get torn apart. This was the only place I could figure
where we could cook in private. The smell will mostly go out the window. If we
seal the door good, that is. We couldn't cook it outside, that's for sure."
"Larkin was right," said Mac solemnly. "You're a genius. I'd never have
thought of it. Believe me," he added laughing, "Americans, henceforth, are
amongst my friends!"
"Thanks, Mac. Now we'd better do it."
The King's guest took the strips of blanket and stuffed them in the cracks
around the door and covered the barred peephole in the door. When they had
finished the Kong inspected their work.
"Good," he said. "Now, what about the window?"
They looked up at the little barred section of sky, and Brough said, "Leave
it open until the stew really begins to boil. Then we'll cover it and stand it
as long as we can. Then we can open it up for a while." He looked around. "I
figure it might be all right to let the perfume out sporadically. Like an
Indian smoke signal."
"Is there any wind?"
"Goddamned if I noticed. Anyone?"
"Hey Peter, give me a lift up, laddie," said Mac. Mac was the smallest of the
men, so Peter Marlowe let him stand on his shoulders. Mac peered through the
bars, then licked his finger and held it out.
"Hurry up, Mac, for God's sake you're no chicken, you know!" Peter Marlowe
called out.
"Got to test for wind, you young bastard!" And again he licked his finger and
held it out, and he looked so intent and so ridiculous that Peter Marlowe
began laughing, and Larkin joined in, and they doubled up and Mac fell down
Page 163
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
six feet and grazed his leg on the concrete bed and began cursing.
"Look at my bloody leg, blast you," Mac said, choking. It was only a little [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]