‘Wasn’t I supposed to beat him?
Isn’t that the point?
Now that he’s dead, I guess it doesn’t matter any more whether I’m a better ping-pong player or not, does it?’
‘I guess not.’
‘And I’m sorry about making such a fuss about those Atabrine tablets on the way over. If you want to catch malaria, I guess it’s your business, isn’t it?’
‘That’s all right, Appleby.’ ‘But I was only trying to do my duty. I was obeying orders. I was always taught that I had to obey orders.’ ‘That’s all right.’
‘You know, I said to Colonel Korn and Colonel Cathcart that I didn’t think they ought to make you fly any more missions if you didn’t want to, and they said they were very disappointed in me.’
Yossarian smiled with rueful amusement.
‘I’ll bet they are.’
‘Well, I don’t care.
Hell, you’ve flown seventy-one.
That ought to be enough.
Do you think they’ll let you get away with it?’
‘No.’
‘Say, if they do let you get away with it, they’ll have to let the rest of us get away with it, won’t they?’
‘That’s why they can’t let me get away with it.’
‘What do you think they’ll do?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Do you think they will try to court-martial you?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Are you afraid?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you going to fly more missions?’
‘No.’
‘I hope you do get away with it,’ Appleby whispered with conviction.
‘I really do.’
‘Thanks, Appleby.’ ‘I don’t feel too happy about flying so many missions either now that it looks as though we’ve got the war won. I’ll let you know if I hear anything else.’ ‘Thanks, Appleby.’
‘Hey!’ called a muted, peremptory voice from the leafless shrubs growing beside his tent in a waist-high clump after Appleby had gone.
Havermeyer was hiding there in a squat. He was eating peanut brittle, and his pimples and large, oily pores looked like dark scales.
‘How you doing?’ he asked when Yossarian had walked to him.
‘Pretty good.’
‘Are you going to fly more missions?’
‘No.’
‘Suppose they try to make you?’
‘I won’t let them.’
‘Are you yellow?’
‘Yes.’
‘Will they court-martial you?’
‘They’ll probably try.’
‘What did Major Major say?’ ‘Major Major’s gone.’
‘Did they disappear him?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘What will you do if they decide to disappear you?’
‘I’ll try to stop them.’
‘Didn’t they offer you any deals or anything if you did fly?’
‘Piltchard and Wren said they’d arrange things so I’d only go on milk runs.’
Havermeyer perked up.
‘Say, that sounds like a pretty good deal.
I wouldn’t mind a deal like that myself.
I bet you snapped it up.’