[Jakin-ezine] Ther than this, and at this point t
Brought to you by:
jakinezine
From: Tuminello M. <pre...@pe...> - 2010-03-28 07:25:40
|
But his women, bless my soul, they filled their pockets with jade and ivory and what-not. There were some foreign looters in there at the same time, great swells too, and they just smashed the plate-glass over the cabinets and filled their pockets and their arms too. One old Porsslanese official was standing there, a high mandarin of some sort, and he had an emerald necklace around his neck. Some diplomat or other walked up to him and quietly took it off, and the old man didn't stir, but the tears were rolling down his cheeks." "He had no right to complain," said Sam. "We clearly have the right to the contents of a conquered city by the rules of war." "Perhaps. But there are some curious war rules. Some of the armies shoot all natives in soldiers' uniforms because they are soldiers, and then they shoot all natives who resist them in civil dress, because they are not soldiers and have no right to fight. I suppose they ought to go about naked. They used to kill their prisoners with the butt-end of their rifles, but that breaks the rifles, and now they generally use the bayonet." "Here are some newspapers," said he on another occasion. "You've been made a brigadier for capturing Gomaldo. Isn't that great? But they _will_ call you 'Captain Jinks' at home, no matter what your rank is. The papers say so. The song has made it stick." "I'm sorry for that," said Sam. "It would be pleasanter to be called 'General.'" "It's all the same," said Cleary. "Wasn't Napoleon called the Little Corporal? It's really more distinguished." "Perhaps it is," said Sam contentedly. "Some of the papers criticize us a little too," added Cleary. "They say we are acting brutally here and in the Cubapines. Of course only a few say it, but their number is increasing." "They make themselves ridiculous," said Sam. "They don't see how ludicrous their suggestions are that we should actually retire and let these countries relapse into barbarism. As that |