(eng) Mack Reynolds - Bat Harding 03 by Rolltown

Author:Rolltown [Rolltown]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Jeff Smith flushed angrily and sat down.

Bat Hardin, obviously, was gratified. However, he knew that there were various persons in the town who weren't particularly friendly toward him. He wondered if his victory was a matter of the lesser of two evils. Though they might not think him the best of all possible cops, they were pretty sure that Jeff Smith would be a damned sight worse. He also wondered vaguely who had cast the second vote for Smith, who had obviously voted for himself.

Armanruder was saying, "We have all, except two, evidently accepted the truthfulness of Mr. Hardin's story, that he was kidnapped and the town threatened. How large an element has threatened us, we cannot say, but a threat has been made. Further comments before we put to a vote whether or not we should retreat?"

Ferd Zogbaum raised his hand and was recognized.

He stood and said, an indignation in his tone, "When we decided to make this trek, all the way to South America, did any of us labor under the illusion that it was all going to be peaches and cream? Didn't we realize that we proposed to go through some of the wildest country remaining in North, Central and South America? Didn't we realize that there was going to be all sorts of hardship and accident before we got through? Didn't we all accept that some of our vehicles would break down, that some of us, before we were through, would possibly die from one cause or the other?

Didn't we all know that there would be bad weather, landslides earthquakes, and possibly bandits? Very well. This is our first stop. Is it going to be our last south of the border? Are we going to chicken out at the first threat—not actuality, thus far, just a threat—of danger?" He sat down abruptly.

Armanruder said, "Thank you Mr. Zogbaum. Anyone else?" Phil Terwilliger requested permission to speak.

He said, "It is all very well for a young man such as Mr. Zogbaum to be so gung ho, to wish to press on into adventure. However, when my wife, who is already quite ill, and I voted to take this trip with the rest of the town, we did not expect to be bitten by snakes in Nicaragua, or buried by a landslide in Costa Rica, nor…" his elderly voice went sarcastic "…

attacked by headhunting Indians in Ecuador. We had been of the opinion that with the advent of the Pan American Highway it was quite possible these days to travel all the way to our destination in reasonable comfort and safety. However, if on our first day we are threatened by a body of armed men, one of whom told Mr. Hardin that he wouldn't particularly mind shooting him, then I think we have stuck our necks into something more than we had originally planned. I strongly urge that we turn back as a town. But if you others vote to go on then I, at least, will disassociate

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