* * * * *
On the thirtieth of June, we invited the Major to come aboard his
palatial new yacht.
"Ah, thank you," he said gratefully. "A surprise? For my birthday? Ah,
you loyal members of my command make up for all that I've lost--all of
it!" He nearly wept.
I said: "Sir, the pleasure is all ours," and backed out of his
presence. What's more, I meant every word.
It was a select party of slightly over a hundred. All of the wives
were there, barring twenty or thirty who were in disfavor--still, that
left over eighty. The Major brought half a dozen of his favorite
officers. His bodyguard and our crew added up to a total of thirty
men.
We were set up to feed a hundred and fifty, and to provide liquor for
twice that many, so it looked like a nice friendly brawl. I mean we
had our radio operator handing out highballs as the guests stepped on
board. The Major was touched and delighted; it was exactly the kind of
party he liked.
He came up the gangplank with his face one great beaming smile. "Eat!
Drink!" he cried. "Ah, and be merry!" He stretched out his hands to
Amy, standing by behind the radio op. "For tomorrow we wed," he added,
and sentimentally kissed his proposed bride.
I cleared my throat. "How about inspecting the ship, Major?" I
interrupted.
"Plenty of time for that, my boy," he said. "Plenty of time for that."
But he let go of Amy and looked around him. Well, it was worth looking
at. Those Englishmen really knew how to build a luxury liner. God rest
them.
The girls began roaming around.
It was a hot day and late afternoon, and the girls began discarding
jackets and boleros, and that began to annoy the Major.
"Ah, cover up there!" he ordered one of his wives. "You too there,
what's-your-name. Put that blouse back on!"
It gave him something to think about. He was a very jealous man, Amy
had said, and when you stop to think about it, a jealous man with a
hundred and nine wives to be jealous of really has a job. Anyway, he
was busy watching his wives and keeping his military cabinet and his
bodyguard busy too, and that made him too busy to notice when I tipped
the high sign to Vern and took off.