Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 8, 2025
Hallen was included, but he did not seem happy. Then things were ready. The skipper of the carrier took over, with full awareness that the very highest brass in Washington was listening to every word. "We can skip your technical information, Mr. Coburn," he said with ironic courtesy, "unless you've something new to offer." Coburn shook his head. He seethed.
Automatically he raised his arms, and for a few moments both men stood motionless, staring perplexedly at one another. Then Mr. Coburn lowered the pistol and attempted a laugh, a laugh nervous, shaky, and without merriment. His lips smiled, but his eyes remained cold and venomous. "Good heavens, Merriman, but you did give me a start," he cried, making an evident effort to be jocular.
Hunter and Nereid guided missiles were set up as standard equipment in a number of brand-new places. They were loaded for bear. But days went by, and nothing happened. Nothing at all. But officialdom was not at ease. If anything while the wide world went happily about its business really high-level officialdom grew more unhappy day by day. Coburn and Janice flew back to Salonika.
"Now come the threats and demands," said Coburn. "Perhaps." But Dillon seemed to hesitate. "Dammit, Coburn, you're a reasonable man. Try to think like us a moment. What would you do if you'd started to explore space and came upon a civilized race, as we have?" Coburn said formidably, "We'd study them and try to make friends." "In that order," said Dillon instantly. "That's what we've tried to do.
That broke things all up; and the next day they began on Coburn and gave him a terrible cursing for steering them against such a game as that, when they came on with good intentions to back him in the fight. They never said anything, however, to Hoy, as they knew he was always looking for the best of every game, and was as ready to fleece a friend as a foe.
His English was so heavily accented as to be hard to understand, but he pointed out that Coburn knew details of the event in Náousa that only someone who had been there could know. "True enough," said the American officer darkly, "but he can tell the truth now, before we make fools of ourselves sending him to Athens to be unmasked. Suppose," he said unpleasantly, "you give us the actual facts!"
Lunch with their new acquaintances passed pleasantly, and after it the two friends went with Mr. Coburn to see over the works. Hilliard thought it better to explain that they had seen something of them on the previous day, but notwithstanding this assurance Mr. Coburn insisted on their going over the whole place again.
He would soon drop so absurd a notion when he had met her. The idea of her being party to such a thing was too ridiculous even to be annoying. However, Hilliard insisted on going to the mill, and he, Merriman, could then pay that call on the Coburns. It would not be polite to be in the neighborhood and not do so. And it would be impossible to call without asking Miss Coburn to come on the river.
Then his face went absolutely impassive. "I'm ready to shoot!" snapped Coburn. "Show them your hand. I can tell now." He felt the tensing of the others in the room, not toward the major but toward him. They were preparing to jump him, thinking him mad. But the major grinned ruefully: "Clever, Mr. Coburn! But how did you pick me out?"
The service officers looked at Coburn with something like accusation in their eyes. He was the means by which they had come to realize their impotence. The Greek general sat quietly in the rear. "Mr. Coburn," said the Secretary from Washington. "We've been canvassing the situation. It seems that we simply are not prepared to offer effective resistance not yet to the ... invaders you tell us about.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking