Nissen News - 15.12.1941, Blaðsíða 14

12
NISSEN NEWS
The Formula
M4 merged himself into the darlt shad-
ows of the building, moving swiftly and
silently as a tracking leopard. Occasion-
ally he halted and listened for possible
pursuers, but each time, no sound but his
own deep breathing met his ears, and
once more he crept forward.
At last he had been commissioned to
do something really big. It was the great-
est test since he had joined the Service
— the moment for which he had plan-
ned so long —• and he was grimly deter-
mined that nothing should come between
him and success.
Suddenly his groping hand met the
framework of the door — the door which
stood between England and the formula,
he told himself. To his amazement, he
felt it move inwards at his touch. Could
it be that this unlocked, unguarded ent-
rance was just one of the traps he had
been warned against? M4 halted a mo-
ment to consider the possihilities, and
at last decided that he had come too far
to back out at this point.
Crossing the threshold, he advanced
cautiously into the blackness of the room.
From all sides came the crackling and
stench of burning flesh — a heavy, sick-
ening smell.
“The swine!”, he muttered beneath his
breath. So this was the torture chamber
he had heard men speak of in fearful
tones; this was the spot where the evil
work was carried out.
He had been given explicit instructions
as to how he was to act and where the
secret formula wras probably hidden. And
he made straight for the place indicated.
His hand delved beneath a pile of pap-
ers and he flicked on his torch for one
OVERHEARD IN CAMP.
“Garn, I can remember the time when
your mother used to tie a scarf round
your neck and smack your cheeks to make
you look well-fed before sending you to
school.”
brief instant. He gave a grunt of satis-
faction as his gaze fell on the long-de-
sired sheet of paper.
Sounds which had hitherto seemed
quite normal now began to tear his ner-
ves, and M4 found himself starting at
mere nothings.
“I must get out of this place before I
go nuts”, he told himself with a laugh
which held no mirth. He started on his
way towards the door by which he had
recently entered. The cool air outside
had never smelt so sweet before and it
seemed so easy now that the worst was
over. Breaking from the shadows he ran
quickly to where the Chief sat at the
wheel of a car, with engine throbbing.
Another minute and they were speeding
away in the direction of Headquarters,
and only then did the Chief break the
silence.
“Did you get it?”, he casually enquir-
ed, as though speaking of some everyday
purchase.
“Sure”, replied M4, with undisguised
pride, tapping the newly acquired docu-
ment in his hand. Dare he ask the Chief
what the Formula was? Would it be a
hreach of the Service code?
Why not? Surely he was entitled to
know the value of his risky enterprise.
The Chief seemed to read his thoughts.
“Bumflough”, he said, “What you liave
obtained for the Government tonight will
probably alter the entire course of the
war. It will affect the whole Army, Navy
and Air Force. NOW WE KNOW WHAT
“TOUCHER” PL'TS IN THE IHCE TO
MAKE IT TASTE LIKE PORRIDGE AT
BREAKFAST TIME!”.
R. M. Lewis.
A GOOD DEAL.
An R.A.S.C. driver, when asked where
he got the timber he was using to build
a shed, replied, “R.A.S.C. P.R.I.”
(P.R.I. in this case no doubt means
“Procured Rather Inexpensively”. — Ed.)