This Gun for Hire by Eric Ambler

Author:Eric Ambler [Ambler, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-95005-5
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2012-12-12T00:00:00+00:00

4

He was joking, of course, but nobody there seemed to find it very funny; in fact Ruys looked a bit ill for a moment. Personally I found it a joke in poor taste.

But Kinck went on flogging it to death. ‘Open arrest, of course,’ he said still smiling, ‘and, without, let us hope, a court-martial in prospect, but still with certain inconveniences involved.’

Still nobody smiled. He gave it up and became businesslike.

‘As security-minded persons,’ he continued, ‘you will realize that where important and valuable secrets are concerned there can be no such thing as trust. So, as it now becomes necessary for me to share some secrets with you, I must first ask you to accept some temporary restrictions on your personal freedom. Is that understood?’

We nodded.

‘It will be simplest then if from now on you consider yourselves as commissioned officers on active service in a theatre of war and obliged to observe a code of strict security regulations. Specifically, you will, from now on, write no letters nor correspond in any other way with outside persons without submitting such letters or messages to me for censorship. You will not communicate verbally with civilian personnel here or in the operational areas to which you will be going except in the presence of a brother officer or unless you have specific orders to do so. These restrictions apply also to wives. I may add that for a period of two months from now none of you will be permitted to leave Kundi Province for any reason or on any pretext. Is that all understood?’

‘What about illness?’ asked Willens. ‘Supposing my wife gets sick. Anyone could in this sort of place.’

‘We have adequate medical facilities here at Kawaida with a fully qualified European doctor in charge. Any other objections?’

Willens shook his head, rather reluctantly, I thought.

‘Then we are all in agreement? Barrière?’

He asked each of us in turn. When we had all said ‘yes’ he nodded.

‘Very well, then we can get to work.’ He reached down, opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a sketch-pad and pencil. ‘I take it that you have all read carefully the briefing sheets you were given this morning?’

We all nodded.

‘Good.’ He was like a bloody schoolmaster. ‘I must now tell you that the briefing contains one misstatement of fact. It says there that the western boundary of Kundi Province, the frontier separating us from the Republic of Ugazi, is the Nyoka River. That is only partly true. The word “Nyoka” means “snake” and if you look at the map you will see why the river is called that. Between Ugazi and Kundi it makes two very sharp turns, like this.’

He drew a large S on the sketch pad and held it up for us to see.

‘Now,’ he went on, ‘you know something of the history of these two countries. They were once French colonial possessions. Kundi Province and Changa Province, which now belongs to our neighbours across the river, were once under the same

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