Part 17 (1/2)

At the last moment, Joe suddenly struck out with his left leg, hooked with his foot the small table at which the three Sov officers had been sitting and twisted quickly, throwing it to the side and immediately into the way of his enraged opponent.

The other swore as his s.h.i.+ns banged the side and was thrown slightly forward, for a moment off balance.

Joe stepped forward quickly, precisely, and his right chopped down and to the side of the other's prominent jawbone. The Russkie, if Russkie he was, went suddenly glazed of eye. His doubling forward, originally but an attempt to regain balance, continued and he fell flat on his face.

Joe spun around. ”Come on, Max, let's get out of here. I doubt if we're welcome.” He didn't want to give the other two time to organize themselves and decide to attack. Defeat the two, he and Max might be able to accomplish, but Joe wasn't at all sure where the waiters would stand in the fray, nor anyone else in the small cabaret, for that matter.

Max, at the peak of excitement now, yelled, ”What'd you think I been saying? Come on, follow me. There's a rear door next to the rest room.”

Waiters and others were converging on them. Joe Mauser didn't wait to argue, he took Max's word for it and hurried after that small worthy, going round and about the intervening tables and chairs like an old time broken field football player.

XVIII

Joe Mauser had a.s.sumed there would be some sort of reverberations as a result of his run-in with the Sov officers, but hadn't suspected the magnitude of them.

The next morning he had hardly arrived at the small emba.s.sy office which had been a.s.signed him, before his desk set lit up with General Armstrong's habitually worried face. He said, without taking time for customary amenities, ”Major Mauser, could you come to my office immediately?” It wasn't a question.

In General George Armstrong's office, beside the general himself, were his aide, Lieutenant Anderson who Joe had at long last sorted out from Lieutenant d.i.c.kson, Lieutenant colonel Bela Kossuth and another Sov officer whom Joe hadn't met before.

Everybody looked very stiff and formal.

The general said to Joe, ”Major Mauser, Colonel Kossuth and Captain Petofi have approached me, as your immediate superior, to request that your diplomatic immunity be waived so that you might be called upon on a matter of honor.”

Joe didn't get it. He looked from one of the two Hungarians to the other, then back at Armstrong, scowling.

Lieutenant Anderson said, unhappily. ”These officers have been named to represent Captain Sandor Rakoczi, major.”

Bela Kossuth clicked his heels, bowed, said formally, ”Our princ.i.p.al realizes, Major Mauser, that diplomatic immunity prevents his issuing request for satisfaction. However”--the Hungarian cleared his throat--”since honor _is_ involved--”

At long last it got through to Joe. His own voice went coldly even.

”General Armstrong, I--”

The general said quickly. ”Mauser, as an official representative of the West-world, you don't have to respond to anything as dashed silly as a challenge to a duel.”

The faces of the two Hungarians froze.

Joe finished his sentence. ”... I would appreciate it if you and Lieutenant Anderson would act for me.”

Kossuth clicked his heels again. ”Gentlemen, the _code duello_ provides that the challenged choose the weapons.”

General Armstrong's face, usually worried, was now dark with anger.

”Choice of weapons, eh? Against Sandor Rakoczi? If you will excuse us now, gentlemen, Lieutenant Anderson and I will consult with you in one hour in the Emba.s.sy Club and discuss the affair further. I say frankly, I have never heard of a diplomat being subjected to such a situation, especially on the part of officers of the country to which he is accredited.”

The Hungarians were unfazed. Kossuth looked at his wrist chronometer.

”One hour in the Emba.s.sy Club, gentlemen.” The two of them clicked again, bowed from the waist, and were gone.

General Armstrong glared at Joe. ”Dash it, if you hadn't been so confoundedly quick on the trigger, I could have warned you, Mauser.”