''You can see how easy it is,'' the Colonel told the girl. ''Everybody ought to do it before breakfast.''
''We cannot all be combat infantrymen,'' the girl told him softly. ''I respect it more than anything except good, honest fliers.
Please talk, I'm taking care of you.''
''Good fliers are very good and should be respected as such,'' the Colonel said.
He looked up at the light on the ceiling and he was completely desperate at the remembrance of his loss of his battalions, and of individual people.
He could never hope to have such a regiment, ever.
He had not built it.
He had inherited it.
But, for a time, it had been his great joy.
Now every second man in it was dead and the others nearly all were wounded.
In the belly, the head, the feet or the hands, the neck, the back, the lucky buttocks, the unfortunate chest and the other places.
Tree burst wounds hit men where they would never be wounded in open country.
And all the wounded were wounded for life.
''It was a good regiment,'' he said. ''You might even say it was a beautiful regiment until I destroyed it under other people's orders.''
''But why do you have to obey them when you know better?''
''In our army you obey like a dog,'' the Colonel explained. ''You always hope you have a good master.''
''What kind of masters do you get?''
''I've only had two good ones so far.
After I reached a certain level of command, many nice people, but only two good masters.''
''Is that why you are not a General now?
I would love it if you were a General.''
''I'd love it too,'' the Colonel said. ''But maybe not with the same intensity.''
''Would you try to sleep, please, to please me?''
''Yes,'' the Colonel said.
''You see, I thought that if you slept you might get rid of them, just being asleep.''
''Yes. Thank you very much,'' he said.
There was nothing to it, gentlemen.
All a man need ever do is obey.
CHAPTER 32
''YOU slept quite well for a time,'' the girl told him, lovingly and gently. ''Is there anything you would like me to do?''
''Nothing,'' the Colonel said. ''Thank you.''
Then he turned bad and he said, ''Daughter I could sleep good straight up and down in the electric chair with my pants slit and my hair clipped.
I sleep as, and when, I need it.''
''I can never be like that,'' the girl said, sleepily. ''I sleep when I am sleepy.''
''You're lovely,'' the Colonel told her. ''And you sleep better than anyone ever slept.''
''I am not proud of it,'' the girl said, very sleepily. ''It is just something that I do.''
''Do it, please.''
''No.
Tell me very low and soft and put your bad hand in mine.''
''The hell with my bad hand,'' the Colonel said. ''Since when was it so bad.''
''It's bad,'' the girl said. ''Badder, or worse, than you will ever know.
Please tell me about combat without being too brutal.''
''An easy assignment,'' the Colonel said. ''I'll skip the times.
The weather is cloudy and the place is 986342.
What's the situation?
We are smoking the enemy with artillery and mortar.
S-3 advises that S-6 wants Red to button up by 1700. S-6 wants you to button up and use plenty of artillery.
White reports that they are in fair shape.
S-6 informs that A company will swing around and tie in with B.
''B Company was stopped first by enemy action and stayed there of their own accord.