[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
job?
"That was before," Byron Jones III was saying. "I'll bet the son of a bitch
cooks it and eats it in front of us." But he was thinking about his home.
Goddamned if I'm going to stay there any more. Got to get me my own apartment.
Yeah. But where the hell's the dough coming from?
"So what if he does?" Tex asked. "We got maybe two or three days to go." Then
home to Texas, he was thinking. Can I get my job back? Where the hell will I
live? What am I going to use for dough? When I get in the hay, is it going to
work?"
"What about the Limey officer, Tex? You think we should go talk with him?"
"Yeah, we should. But hell, later today, or tomorrow. We gotta get used to
the idea." Tex suppressed a shudder. "When he looked at me it was as though,
just like he was looking at a a geek! Holy cow, what's so goddam wrong with
me? I look all right, don't I?"
They all studied Tex, trying to see what the officer had seen. But they saw
only Tex, the Tex they had known for three and a half years.
"You look all right to me," Dino said finally. "If anyone's a freak it's him.
Goddamned if I'd parachute into Singapore alone. Not with all the lousy Japs
around. No sir! He's the real freak."
The King was walking along the jail wall. You're a stupid son of a bitch, he
told himself. What the hell're you so upset about? All's well in the world.
Sure. And you're still the King. You're still the only guy who knows how to
get with it.
He cocked his hat at a rakish angle and chuckled as he remembered Dino. Yeah,
that bastard would be cursing, wondering if he'd really get the chicken,
knowing he'd been aced into working. The hell with him, let him sweat, the
King thought cheerfully.
Page 276
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
He crossed the path between two of the huts. Around the huts were groups of
men. They were all looking north, towards the gate, silently, motionless. He
rounded another hut and saw the officer standing in a pool of emptiness,
staring around bewildered, his back towards him. He saw the officer go toward
some men and laughed sardonically as he saw them retreat.
Crazy, he thought cynically. Plain crazy. What's there to be scared of? The
guy's only a captain. Yep, he's sure going to need a hand. But what the hell
he's so scared about beats me!
He quickened his pace, but his footsteps made no noise.
"Morning, sir," he said crisply, saluting.
Captain Forsyth spun around, startled. "Oh! Hello." He returned the salute
with a sigh of relief. "Thank God someone here is normal." Then he realized
what he had said. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean "
"That's all right," the King said agreeably. "This dump's enough to put
anyone off kilter. Boy, are we pleased to see you. Welcome to Changi!"
Forsyth smiled. He was much shorter than the King but built like a tank.
"Thank you. I'm Captain Forsyth. I've been sent to look after the camp until
the fleet arrives."
"When's that?"
"Six days."
"Can't they make it any sooner?"
"These things take time, I suppose." Forsyth nodded toward the huts. "What's
the matter with everyone? It's as though I was a leper."
The King shrugged. "Guess they're in a state of shock. Don't believe their
eyes yet. You know how some guys are. And it has been a long time."
"Yes it has," Forsyth said slowly.
"Crazy that they'd be scared of you." The King shrugged again. "But that's
life, and their business."
"You're an American?"
"Sure. There are twenty-five of us. Officers and enlisted men. Captain
Brough's our senior officer. He got shot down flying the hump in '43. Maybe
you'd like to meet him?"
"Of course." Forsyth was dead-tired. He had been given this assignment in
Burma four days ago. The waiting and the flight and the jump and the walk to
the guardhouse and the worry of what he would meet and what the Japanese would
do and how the hell he was going to carry out his orders, all these things had
wrecked his sleep and terrored his dreams. Well, old chap, you asked for the
job and you've got it and here you are. At least you passed the first test up [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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job?
"That was before," Byron Jones III was saying. "I'll bet the son of a bitch
cooks it and eats it in front of us." But he was thinking about his home.
Goddamned if I'm going to stay there any more. Got to get me my own apartment.
Yeah. But where the hell's the dough coming from?
"So what if he does?" Tex asked. "We got maybe two or three days to go." Then
home to Texas, he was thinking. Can I get my job back? Where the hell will I
live? What am I going to use for dough? When I get in the hay, is it going to
work?"
"What about the Limey officer, Tex? You think we should go talk with him?"
"Yeah, we should. But hell, later today, or tomorrow. We gotta get used to
the idea." Tex suppressed a shudder. "When he looked at me it was as though,
just like he was looking at a a geek! Holy cow, what's so goddam wrong with
me? I look all right, don't I?"
They all studied Tex, trying to see what the officer had seen. But they saw
only Tex, the Tex they had known for three and a half years.
"You look all right to me," Dino said finally. "If anyone's a freak it's him.
Goddamned if I'd parachute into Singapore alone. Not with all the lousy Japs
around. No sir! He's the real freak."
The King was walking along the jail wall. You're a stupid son of a bitch, he
told himself. What the hell're you so upset about? All's well in the world.
Sure. And you're still the King. You're still the only guy who knows how to
get with it.
He cocked his hat at a rakish angle and chuckled as he remembered Dino. Yeah,
that bastard would be cursing, wondering if he'd really get the chicken,
knowing he'd been aced into working. The hell with him, let him sweat, the
King thought cheerfully.
Page 276
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
He crossed the path between two of the huts. Around the huts were groups of
men. They were all looking north, towards the gate, silently, motionless. He
rounded another hut and saw the officer standing in a pool of emptiness,
staring around bewildered, his back towards him. He saw the officer go toward
some men and laughed sardonically as he saw them retreat.
Crazy, he thought cynically. Plain crazy. What's there to be scared of? The
guy's only a captain. Yep, he's sure going to need a hand. But what the hell
he's so scared about beats me!
He quickened his pace, but his footsteps made no noise.
"Morning, sir," he said crisply, saluting.
Captain Forsyth spun around, startled. "Oh! Hello." He returned the salute
with a sigh of relief. "Thank God someone here is normal." Then he realized
what he had said. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean "
"That's all right," the King said agreeably. "This dump's enough to put
anyone off kilter. Boy, are we pleased to see you. Welcome to Changi!"
Forsyth smiled. He was much shorter than the King but built like a tank.
"Thank you. I'm Captain Forsyth. I've been sent to look after the camp until
the fleet arrives."
"When's that?"
"Six days."
"Can't they make it any sooner?"
"These things take time, I suppose." Forsyth nodded toward the huts. "What's
the matter with everyone? It's as though I was a leper."
The King shrugged. "Guess they're in a state of shock. Don't believe their
eyes yet. You know how some guys are. And it has been a long time."
"Yes it has," Forsyth said slowly.
"Crazy that they'd be scared of you." The King shrugged again. "But that's
life, and their business."
"You're an American?"
"Sure. There are twenty-five of us. Officers and enlisted men. Captain
Brough's our senior officer. He got shot down flying the hump in '43. Maybe
you'd like to meet him?"
"Of course." Forsyth was dead-tired. He had been given this assignment in
Burma four days ago. The waiting and the flight and the jump and the walk to
the guardhouse and the worry of what he would meet and what the Japanese would
do and how the hell he was going to carry out his orders, all these things had
wrecked his sleep and terrored his dreams. Well, old chap, you asked for the
job and you've got it and here you are. At least you passed the first test up [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]