head off, with no result.
"Swine! You call that cooperation, do you? You call that cooperation? Let your pals go off into the godawful freezing cold without so much as a cup of coffee? Well, God rot the balls off the lot of you, that's all I can say!"
Actually, he said a great deal more, accompanied by much spitting and a variety of oaths, until the happy notion struck him that the Third Company's cook owed him some money, and we trotted off behind him to batter the unfortunate man awake. We were stopped on the way by Lieutenant Welz, who seemed to think we were reporting for duty.
"There you are!" he said tersely. "And about time too!"
"Aw, give it a rest, Ulrich!" Porta pushed the lieutenant in the chest and moved him contemptuously aside. "Just because you've gone up in the world, you think you can shove your old buddies around, eh? We know you don't mean it, we know it's all show, so come off it, for Chrissake."
"Obergefreiter Porta, this isn't the first time I've had to tell you that under Paragraph 165 .. ."
"OK, OK, take it easy," said Porta peaceably. "You'll wear yourself out before you reach puberty, the way you're carrying on." He put a hand over the lieutenant's mouth.
"You forgotten that day I pulled you out of a shell hole? You forgotten I risked my life for you? Your lousy bones'd still be rotting there if it weren't for me, right?"
The lieutenant jerked his head away. "I've repaid you for it."
"What? Slipped me a few stinking marks now and again? You call that repayment? I call it more like bribery and corruption. You can't win, Ulrich, I can run rings around you and you know it!"
We walked on toward the Third Company, with Lieutenant Welz trailing slightly behind. Porta dragged a sleep-ridden but meekly unprotesting cook from his blankets and we gathered around to watch as he brewed us up some coffee on a spirit stove. Even Welz, temporarily forgetting his rank and the particular circumstances, accepted a cup and found the time to put away a thick ham sandwich. The cook, meanwhile, had succeeded in negotiating another loan from Porta, at some phenomenal rate of interest.
Half an hour later, we reported for duty. Colonel Hinka was waiting for us. "So! You've deigned to put in an appearance, have you? Very good of you, I must say. I was beginning to think I should have to come and fetch you myself. All right, all right, Obergefreiter, don't waste time with fanciful excuses, I've a job for you to do. Come and take a look."
He spread a map over his table and we jostled each other with a show of great eagerness, trying to atone for our unpunctuality.
"Now look, the thing is this--it's essential we know exactly what the enemy is up to. We already have information about a tank unit up here at point X. What I want to know is what they've got hidden away between point X and Yersovka, down here. In other words, I want you three men to take a good look at the enemy buildup between these two points. Get the idea?"
He turned to us with his most enchanting smile. I smiled back and wondered sourly why he had chosen us for the task.
Porta scratched his chest. "Jesus, it's a good thing that coffee was strong," he muttered.
Hinka ignored Porta and turned back to the map. "I've already warned our infantry. You can cross at this point here." He jabbed a finger on the map, and we all peered anxiously down at it. "Now, I suggest you check your watches. The time is exactly 0145 hours. I want you back here again within six hours, reporting to me by 0800 at the latest." He smiled again. "All right? If you're delayed by more than half an hour," he said pleasantly, "it'll be a court-martial for each of you. Any questions?"
"Yes, sir." Porta stopped scratching his chest and stood to attention. "I should like to ask how far the enemy lines extend. According to the Fuhrer, they go all the way from the Black Sea up to the north coast. Well, it seems to me we couldn't possibly get up to the north coast and back in six hours
"Swine! You call that cooperation, do you? You call that cooperation? Let your pals go off into the godawful freezing cold without so much as a cup of coffee? Well, God rot the balls off the lot of you, that's all I can say!"
Actually, he said a great deal more, accompanied by much spitting and a variety of oaths, until the happy notion struck him that the Third Company's cook owed him some money, and we trotted off behind him to batter the unfortunate man awake. We were stopped on the way by Lieutenant Welz, who seemed to think we were reporting for duty.
"There you are!" he said tersely. "And about time too!"
"Aw, give it a rest, Ulrich!" Porta pushed the lieutenant in the chest and moved him contemptuously aside. "Just because you've gone up in the world, you think you can shove your old buddies around, eh? We know you don't mean it, we know it's all show, so come off it, for Chrissake."
"Obergefreiter Porta, this isn't the first time I've had to tell you that under Paragraph 165 .. ."
"OK, OK, take it easy," said Porta peaceably. "You'll wear yourself out before you reach puberty, the way you're carrying on." He put a hand over the lieutenant's mouth.
"You forgotten that day I pulled you out of a shell hole? You forgotten I risked my life for you? Your lousy bones'd still be rotting there if it weren't for me, right?"
The lieutenant jerked his head away. "I've repaid you for it."
"What? Slipped me a few stinking marks now and again? You call that repayment? I call it more like bribery and corruption. You can't win, Ulrich, I can run rings around you and you know it!"
We walked on toward the Third Company, with Lieutenant Welz trailing slightly behind. Porta dragged a sleep-ridden but meekly unprotesting cook from his blankets and we gathered around to watch as he brewed us up some coffee on a spirit stove. Even Welz, temporarily forgetting his rank and the particular circumstances, accepted a cup and found the time to put away a thick ham sandwich. The cook, meanwhile, had succeeded in negotiating another loan from Porta, at some phenomenal rate of interest.
Half an hour later, we reported for duty. Colonel Hinka was waiting for us. "So! You've deigned to put in an appearance, have you? Very good of you, I must say. I was beginning to think I should have to come and fetch you myself. All right, all right, Obergefreiter, don't waste time with fanciful excuses, I've a job for you to do. Come and take a look."
He spread a map over his table and we jostled each other with a show of great eagerness, trying to atone for our unpunctuality.
"Now look, the thing is this--it's essential we know exactly what the enemy is up to. We already have information about a tank unit up here at point X. What I want to know is what they've got hidden away between point X and Yersovka, down here. In other words, I want you three men to take a good look at the enemy buildup between these two points. Get the idea?"
He turned to us with his most enchanting smile. I smiled back and wondered sourly why he had chosen us for the task.
Porta scratched his chest. "Jesus, it's a good thing that coffee was strong," he muttered.
Hinka ignored Porta and turned back to the map. "I've already warned our infantry. You can cross at this point here." He jabbed a finger on the map, and we all peered anxiously down at it. "Now, I suggest you check your watches. The time is exactly 0145 hours. I want you back here again within six hours, reporting to me by 0800 at the latest." He smiled again. "All right? If you're delayed by more than half an hour," he said pleasantly, "it'll be a court-martial for each of you. Any questions?"
"Yes, sir." Porta stopped scratching his chest and stood to attention. "I should like to ask how far the enemy lines extend. According to the Fuhrer, they go all the way from the Black Sea up to the north coast. Well, it seems to me we couldn't possibly get up to the north coast and back in six hours
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