Part 10 (1/2)

”Let's see it,” Hampden urged.

McGee handed him the report. Hampden read it, whistled softly and pa.s.sed it to Yancey, who read quite as slowly as he talked. A look of disappointment spread over his face.

”It's a report, I reckon,” he said slowly, ”but it's about as satisfyin'

as a mess of potato chips would be to a hungry cowhand. It's as thin as skimmed milk. Say, who won this fight? You or the other fellow?”

”I believe that report will give me the credit,” McGee answered.

”Maybe. And that last paragraph will win somebody a bawlin' out. Cowan will ask you to change that. Looks like inefficiency on somebody's part.”

”Perhaps it is. It goes as it stands. After all, it goes through channels to the Royal Flying Corps, you know. I'm flying their s.h.i.+p and still under their orders.”

”Well, when I get my first one,” Yancey replied, ”believe me, they'll get the full details, and when they get through readin' it they'll think I'm the bimbo what invented flyin'. Those white-collared babies at Headquarters have to get all their thrills secondhand, and this thing of yours is about as thrillin' as the minutes of a Sunday School Meeting.”

At that moment Mullins, the peppery little Operations Officer, entered the room, his face a ma.s.s of wrinkling smiles. He walked over to the desk where McGee was seated and from his pockets dumped out a double handful of articles, such as army men had learned to list under the broad heading--”Souvenirs.” There was a wrist watch, a German automatic pistol, a silver match box, a leather cigarette case, a belt buckle bearing the famous ”Gott Mit Uns” and a number of German paper marks.

For a moment McGee sat staring at them, then slowly pushed his chair back from the table as he looked up at the smiling Mullins.

”What's this--stuff?” he asked.

”Souvenirs, of course! From your latest victory. Cowan and I decided to go over to the hospital and run through the chap's pockets to see if we could find anything that should be sent back to Intelligence. Darned if Siddons wasn't there ahead of us, getting ready to fill his pockets with _your_ souvenirs. I told him to wait until he bagged his own game.

So there you are--cups, belts and badges!”

McGee gathered up the articles, one by one, and handed them back to Mullins.

”Take them back,” he ordered, somewhat firmly.

”What!” Mullins' jaw dropped. ”You don't want 'em?”

”No.”

”Not even _one_--for luck?”

”No. I've never carried anything that belonged to the _other_ fellow, for luck. Take them back.”

Yancey stepped forward, but he was still behind the soft-voiced Edouard Fouche, who said:

”I'll take them, then. I'm not so high-minded about it.”

Tex Yancey pawed Fouche aside as a bear might sweep aside an annoying puppy. ”Out of the way, little fellow. We'll divide these spoils of war--or we'll draw for 'em. Everyone to draw straws.”

”Wait!” McGee interposed himself between Mullins, Yancey, and the indignant Fouche. ”If you boys want souvenirs, go out and get them for yourself. Mullins told Siddons to wait until he bagged his own game.

That goes here, too. Take 'em back, Mullins. A man of courage has a right to his personal belongings--even after he is dead. Take them back and let them be buried with him. By the way,” he turned back to the desk and picked up his report, ”I want a confirmation from Major Cowan. Where is he?”

”Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Mullins replied. ”He just jumped in a side car and went streaking off to Wing, looking like he thought the war had been won. And he took with him a nice little plum for Intelligence. We found an order in that pilot's pocket that should have been left behind.”

”Indeed? What was it?” McGee asked.

”It was in German, of course,” Mullins continued, ”and Cowan is as rotten in German as I am. But Siddons is a shark at it. Speaks half a dozen languages, you know, and--”