"Duncan, Dave - Impossible Odds v1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duncan Dave)

will assume youТre sleeping with him?Ф

УI do not sleep with Bernard! I mean I do not, er, lie with him!Ф Just
sitting beside him was quite dangerous enough.

УThen youТre about to,Ф Mother Celandine said firmly. That was not
a question. УUnless you drop him completely, right away.Ф That
was.

УI donТt want to do that,Ф Trudy said.

УThen letТs talk about rings and things, dear.Ф

When a stupid twigger asked you if you felt all right, the first thing
that happened was that you started not feeling all right. Think about
it for a while longer and you began to feel all wrong. As the night
passed, Junior Pike Man Elson grew steadily more unhappy. He
was cold. He was sweating. His eyes hurt. He had a flea, and fleas
inside a breastplate were worse torture than the rack. He was really
mad at his idiot wife for starting another baby so soon. Already he
couldnТt afford to feed all the gaping mouths that greeted him
whenнever he went home.

Every quarter hour or so, Corporal Nolly gave the signal that meant,
count three, then stamp feet together, shoulder halberd, take one
pace forward, turn inward, and so on. It ended with the two of them
having changed sides. That was better than being reported for
fainting on duty, but it hardly classed as an exciting evening.

It was the glare of the torchlight that made ElsonТs eyes hurt.

His new girl was probably balling that redhead in Blue Company
right now.

Every hour or thereabouts, Nolly gave the other signal, so Elson
shouldered his halberd and marched around to the back door to
relieve Blaccalf. Then he was all alone and could shiver all he
wanted. He could keep his eyes closed so

10 Dave Duncan

that torchlight didnТt pain him. He could run on the spot to try and
warm up. He could scratch for the flea. At least the mosquitoes
seemed to have taken pity on him. He decided it was no great
honor to guard Grand Duke Whosit of Wherнever, who was no
doubt swiving some cute blonde in a feathнerbed upstairs. He was
screamingly mad at Sergeant Bates.

Tramping boots announced the return of Blaccalf.