Greenmantle - The Original Classic Edition. Buchan John

Gaudian spoke in a pleasant voice, as if he wanted to atone for Stumm's imperiousness. 'We are men who love our Fatherland, Herr Brandt,' he said. 'You are not of that Fatherland, but at least you hate its enemies. Therefore we are allies, and trust each other like allies. Our victory is ordained by God, and we are none of us more than His instruments.'

       Stumm translated in a sentence, and his voice was quite solemn. He held up his right hand and so did Gaudian, like a man taking an oath or a parson blessing his congregation.

       Then I realized something of the might of Germany. She produced good and bad, cads and gentlemen, but she could put a bit of the fanatic into them all.

       CHAPTER SIX

       The Indiscretions of the Same

       I was standing stark naked next morning in that icy bedroom, trying to bathe in about a quart of water, when Stumm entered. He strode up to me and stared me in the face. I was half a head shorter than him to begin with, and a man does not feel his stoutest when he has no clothes, so he had the pull on me every way.

       'I have reason to believe that you are a liar,' he growled.

       I pulled the bed-cover round me, for I was shivering with cold, and the German idea of a towel is a pocket-handkerchief. I own I

       was in a pretty blue funk.

       'A liar!' he repeated. 'You and that swine Pienaar.'

       With my best effort at surliness I asked what we had done.

       'You lied, because you said you know no German. Apparently your friend knows enough to talk treason and blasphemy.' This gave me back some heart.

       'I told you I knew a dozen words. But I told you Peter could talk it a bit. I told you that yesterday at the station.' Fervently I blessed my luck for that casual remark.

       He evidently remembered, for his tone became a trifle more civil.

       'You are a precious pair. If one of you is a scoundrel, why not the other?'

       'I take no responsibility for Peter,' I said. I felt I was a cad in saying it, but that was the bargain we had made at the start. 'I have known him for years as a great hunter and a brave man. I knew he fought well against the English. But more I cannot tell you. You have to judge him for yourself. What has he done?'

       I was told, for Stumm had got it that morning on the telephone. While telling it he was kind enough to allow me to put on my trou-sers.

       It was just the sort of thing I might have foreseen. Peter, left alone, had become first bored and then reckless. He had persuaded the

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