Left aerodrome 6 A. M.
Enemy patrols encountered 5
Ditto ditto chased 4
Ditto ditto forced down 2
Bombs dropped on Verleur Station 5
&c., &c.
Fortunately Tam possessed a romantic and a poetical soul, and there were
rare occasions when he would offer a lyrical account of his adventures
containing more color and detail. As, for example, his account of his
fight with Lieutenant Prince Zwartz-Hamelyn:
"Oh, wad some power the giftie gi'e us
Tae see oursel's as ithers see us."
Thus spake a high an' princely Hun
As he fired at Tam wi' his Maxim gun.
Thinkin', na doot, that bonnie lad
Was lookin', if no' feelin', bad.
But Tam he stalled his wee machine
An' straffit young Zwartz-Hamelyn.
It was Blackie who harnessed Tam's genius for description to the pencil
of a stenographer, and thereafter, when a long report was needed by
Headquarters, there would appear at Tam's quarters one Corporal
Alexander Brown, Blackie's secretary, and an amiable cockney who wrote
mystic characters in a notebook with great rapidity.
"Is it ye, Alec?" said Tam, suspending his ablutions to open the door of
his "bunk." "Come away in, man. Is it a report ye want? Sit down on the
bed an' help yeersel' to the seegairs. Ye'll find the whisky in the
decanter."
Corporal Brown sat on the bed because he knew it was there. He dived
into his pocket and produced a notebook, a pencil and a cigaret, because
he knew they had existence, too. He did not attempt to search for the
cigars and the whisky because he had been fooled before, and had on two
separate occasions searched the bunk for these delicacies under the
unsmiling eyes of Tam and aided by Tam's advice, only to find in the end
that Tam was as anxious to discover such treasures as the baffled
corporal himself.
"We will noo proceed with the thrillin' serial," said Tam, spreading
his towel on the window-ledge and rolling down his shirt-sleeves. "Are
ye ready, Alec?"
"'Arf a mo', Sergeant--have you got a match?"
"Man, ye're a cadger of the most appallin' descreeption," said Tam
severely. "A'm lookin' for'ard to the day when it'll be a coort-martial
offense to ask yeer superior officer for matches--here's one. Don't
strike it till ye give me one of yeer common cigarets."
The corporal produced a packet.
"A'll ask ye as a favor not to let the men know A've descended to this
low an' vulgar habit," said Tam. "A'll take two or three as
curiosities--A'd like to show the officers the kind o' poison the lower
classes smoke--"
"Here! Leave me a couple!" said the alarmed non-commissioned officer as
Tam's skilful fingers half emptied the box.
"Be silent!" said Tam, "ye're interruptin' ma train o' thochts--what did
A' say last?"
"You said nothing yet," replied the corporal, rescuing his depleted
store.
"Here it begins," said Tam, and started:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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