Страница 81 из 118
"The English captain asks that you recommend me to the Governor for the Star of St. Peter." Fly
He had been hounding the Governor for one these last six months.
"Will you please tell the English captain that I would be delighted to convey his written citation to the Governor." The aide-de-camp smiled blandly. Through their business association he knew better than to take Fly
"I asked you to meet me here to discuss a matter of very great importance." He paused. "Two months ago your scouts attacked a German supply column near the village of Kibiti."
"That's right." Fly
We fought like madmen. Hand-to-hand stuff."
"Quite," Joyce agreed quickly. "Quite so. With this column was a German naval officer..
"didn't do it," interjected Fly
"I beg your pardon."
"He was shot trying to escape and you try and prove different," Fly
"Yes, I know. I have a copy of your report. A pity. A great pity. We would dearly have liked to interrogate the man."
"You calling me a liar?"
"Good Lord, Major O'Fly
"Thank you. It's damn good gin, haven't tasted anything like it in years. I don't suppose you could spare a case or two?" Again Joyce was startled.
"I'm sure the wardroom secretary will be able to arrange something for you."
"Bloody good stuff," said Fly
"Major O'Fly
"Have I?" hell!" bellowed Fly
"Sank you?" asked Joyce.
"Rammed me! There I was sailing along in this dhow peaceful as anything when up she comes and bang, right up the arse."
"I see," murmured Joyce. "Was it intentional?"
"You bloody tooting it was." "Why.
"Well..."started Fly
"Where did this happen?"
"About fifty miles off the mouth of the Rufiji river."
liabilities
"The Rufiji?"Joyce leaned forward eagerly. "Do you know it? Do You know the RUfiji delta?"
"Do I know the Rufiji delta?" chucked Fly
"Excellent! Wonderful!" Joyce could not restrain himself from pursing his lips and whistling the first two bars of "Tipperary'. From him this was expression of unadulterated joy.
"Yeah? What's so wonderful about that?" Fly
"Major O'Fly
"Who are you kidding? The Blitcher was sunk months ago everybody knows that."
"Presumed sunk. She, and the two British warships that pursued her, disappeared off the face of the earth or more correctly the ocean. Certain pieces of floating wreckage were recovered that indicated that a battle had been fought by the three ships. It was thought that all three had gone down." Joyce paused and smoothed the grey wings of hair along his temples. "But now it seems certain that Blucher was badly damaged during the engagement, and that she was holed up in the delta."
"Those wheels! Steel plating for repairs!" "Precisely, Major, precisely. But..." Joyce smiled at Fly
"Yes, they did. "Fly
"They did?" demanded Joyce harshly.
"Yeah. We left them lying in the veld. My spies told me that after we had gone the Germans sent another party of bearers up and took them away."
"Why didn't you prevent it? ""What the hell for? They've got no value," Fly
"The enemy's insistence must have demonstrated their value." "Yeah. The enemy were so insistent they sent up a couple of Maxim guns with the second party. In my book the more Maxims there are guarding something, the less value it is."