Read Online Rigadoon by Louis-ferdinand & Manheim Celine - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Louis-ferdinand & Manheim Celine
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more Reichsgesund . . .
"An army order to Sigmaringen! . . . more like it, don't you think?"
He's not in a joking mood, it seems to me . . . he warns me . . . the hardest part will be Berlin . . .
"Bad shape there . . . everybody at the station, you'll see . . . not just refugees . . . soldiers! millions! . . . bound for Ulm, for the south . . . you know the Anhalt station? . . ."
Certainly! . . . our fish train would stop outside Berlin . . . we'd get out . . . and walk to Anhalt with our two guards, they knew the way . . .
"Certainly! . . . certainly!"
As long as we get there!
I hand him our papers, so does Le Vig . . . that beautiful Reichsbevoll stamp isn't good enough, not any more, we need the O.K.W. . . . Oberkommando der Wehrmacht . . . Army High Command . . . Harras adds in his own hand: "Wehrmacht befehl! Sigmaringen" . . . seems to me we're all set . . . but what about tickets? . . . everything seems to be free around here!
"You'll pay later! later!"
The debts we'll have! and to tell the truth I found out . . . later! . . . that the end is not in sight! . . .
Right now it's our papers . . . he gives them back! I shove them into my pocket! . . . including Le Vig's visas, he wants it that way . . . but that's not all! . . . one more formality! . . . he's got to notify Berlin . . . the Foreign Office and Chancellery . . . and all the lines are cut . . . underground . . . above ground . . . as fast as they can repair them . . . I knew that already . . . pretty good idea who it was . . . they'd arrested a hundred suspects . . . they could arrest a thousand for all the good! . . . the Wehrmacht technicians had developed a system of cyclo-magneto transmission that nobody could sabotage . . . I go out and look . . . we all go . . . good grief! . . . Kracht's bike mounted on top of a sleigh! . . . did I know that bike! . . . Kracht, the intrepid cyclist! . . . but here now his bike was attached . . . welded and riveted . . . and the back wheel was hitched to a transmission belt that drove a. generator . . . Kracht gets up on the seat, and pedals! . . . and pedals! . . . I get it . . . he's making electricity . . . atta boy! . . . the long antenna up front transmits! and receives too! . . . a two-way antenna . . . Harras explains . . . only Kracht had better not weaken!
"Noch! noch! . . . harder! harder!"
Harras is looking for Berlin . . . transmitting . . . he shows me his little set. . . tiny . . . hollow of your hand . . . and waits for Berlin to answer . . . Harras has his helmet on . . . he listens . . . got 'em! . . . didn't take long . . .
"I'm notifying them of your arrival . . . indispensable!"
All right with me! . . . dot . . . dot . . . dash!
I see he's learned telegraphy . . . Kracht up there on his bicycle isn't having much fun . . .
"Noch! . . . noch! . . . Kracht! . . . keep it up!"
Kracht is knocking himself out! . . . running the generator! no fits and starts! . . . it's got to be steady! . . . or the antenna stutters! . . . stop! . . . finished transmitting! . . . kind of sudden! . . . now to receive! the reception is more ticklish! . . . Kracht has to pedal in the other direction . . . backwards! . . . that's the spirit! . . . lucky Kracht has kept in training . . .
"Gut! Kracht! Gut!"
You can actually see the antenna, the crackling . . . Harras hears . . . he hears Berlin . . . he hears the Chancellery . . .
"It's okay, Destouches! Granted! . . . ja! . . . ja! . . . you can go! . . . just a second now! . . . noch! noch, Kracht! Stettin! . . . got to notify Stettin!. . . they've got to know!"
Right . . . . our Greek colleague and his lepers and his nun . . . I'd forgotten them! . . . twelve blood-and-pus cases . . . maybe fifteen . . . a whole sleighload . . . two sleighs . . . Stettin doesn't answer! Kracht gives it everything he's got! No soap! . . . oh well, they won't get lost! . . . there's only one road to Stettin . . . very well marked and guarded . . . and maintained . . . I
"An army order to Sigmaringen! . . . more like it, don't you think?"
He's not in a joking mood, it seems to me . . . he warns me . . . the hardest part will be Berlin . . .
"Bad shape there . . . everybody at the station, you'll see . . . not just refugees . . . soldiers! millions! . . . bound for Ulm, for the south . . . you know the Anhalt station? . . ."
Certainly! . . . our fish train would stop outside Berlin . . . we'd get out . . . and walk to Anhalt with our two guards, they knew the way . . .
"Certainly! . . . certainly!"
As long as we get there!
I hand him our papers, so does Le Vig . . . that beautiful Reichsbevoll stamp isn't good enough, not any more, we need the O.K.W. . . . Oberkommando der Wehrmacht . . . Army High Command . . . Harras adds in his own hand: "Wehrmacht befehl! Sigmaringen" . . . seems to me we're all set . . . but what about tickets? . . . everything seems to be free around here!
"You'll pay later! later!"
The debts we'll have! and to tell the truth I found out . . . later! . . . that the end is not in sight! . . .
Right now it's our papers . . . he gives them back! I shove them into my pocket! . . . including Le Vig's visas, he wants it that way . . . but that's not all! . . . one more formality! . . . he's got to notify Berlin . . . the Foreign Office and Chancellery . . . and all the lines are cut . . . underground . . . above ground . . . as fast as they can repair them . . . I knew that already . . . pretty good idea who it was . . . they'd arrested a hundred suspects . . . they could arrest a thousand for all the good! . . . the Wehrmacht technicians had developed a system of cyclo-magneto transmission that nobody could sabotage . . . I go out and look . . . we all go . . . good grief! . . . Kracht's bike mounted on top of a sleigh! . . . did I know that bike! . . . Kracht, the intrepid cyclist! . . . but here now his bike was attached . . . welded and riveted . . . and the back wheel was hitched to a transmission belt that drove a. generator . . . Kracht gets up on the seat, and pedals! . . . and pedals! . . . I get it . . . he's making electricity . . . atta boy! . . . the long antenna up front transmits! and receives too! . . . a two-way antenna . . . Harras explains . . . only Kracht had better not weaken!
"Noch! noch! . . . harder! harder!"
Harras is looking for Berlin . . . transmitting . . . he shows me his little set. . . tiny . . . hollow of your hand . . . and waits for Berlin to answer . . . Harras has his helmet on . . . he listens . . . got 'em! . . . didn't take long . . .
"I'm notifying them of your arrival . . . indispensable!"
All right with me! . . . dot . . . dot . . . dash!
I see he's learned telegraphy . . . Kracht up there on his bicycle isn't having much fun . . .
"Noch! . . . noch! . . . Kracht! . . . keep it up!"
Kracht is knocking himself out! . . . running the generator! no fits and starts! . . . it's got to be steady! . . . or the antenna stutters! . . . stop! . . . finished transmitting! . . . kind of sudden! . . . now to receive! the reception is more ticklish! . . . Kracht has to pedal in the other direction . . . backwards! . . . that's the spirit! . . . lucky Kracht has kept in training . . .
"Gut! Kracht! Gut!"
You can actually see the antenna, the crackling . . . Harras hears . . . he hears Berlin . . . he hears the Chancellery . . .
"It's okay, Destouches! Granted! . . . ja! . . . ja! . . . you can go! . . . just a second now! . . . noch! noch, Kracht! Stettin! . . . got to notify Stettin!. . . they've got to know!"
Right . . . . our Greek colleague and his lepers and his nun . . . I'd forgotten them! . . . twelve blood-and-pus cases . . . maybe fifteen . . . a whole sleighload . . . two sleighs . . . Stettin doesn't answer! Kracht gives it everything he's got! No soap! . . . oh well, they won't get lost! . . . there's only one road to Stettin . . . very well marked and guarded . . . and maintained . . . I
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