The Food of the Gods / Пища богов. Книга для чтения на английском языке

“You? Do? Why! Go up the street to the gunsmith’s, of course. Why? For guns. Yes – there’s only one shop. Get eight guns! Rifles. Not elephant guns – no! Too big. Not army rifles – too small. Say it’s to kill – kill a bull. Say it’s to shoot buffalo! See? Eh? Rats? No! How the deuce are they to understand that? Because we want eight. Get a lot of ammunition. Don’t get guns without ammunition – No! Take the lot in a cab to – where’s the place? Urshot? Charing Cross, then. There’s a train – Well, the first train that starts after two.

“You – Bensington. Got a telephone? Yes. I’ll ring up five of my chaps from Ealing. Why five? Because it’s the right number!

“Where you going, Redwood? Get a hat! Nonsense. Have mine. You want guns, man – not hats. Got money? Enough? All right. So long.

“Where’s the telephone, Bensington?”

Bensington wheeled about obediently and led the way.

Cossar used and replaced the instrument. “Then there’s the wasps,” he said. “Sulphur and nitre’ll do that. Obviously. Plaster of Paris.[52 - Plaster of Paris. – Обожженный гипс, гашеная известь.] You’re a chemist. Where can I get sulphur by the ton in portable sacks? What for? Why, Lord bless my heart and soul! – to smoke out the nest, of course! I suppose it must be sulphur, eh? You’re a chemist.

“Yes, I should think sulphur.”

“Nothing better?”

“Right. That’s your job. That’s all right. Get as much sulphur as you can – saltpetre to make it burn. Sent? Charing Cross. Right away. See they do it. Follow it up. Anything?” He thought a moment. “Plaster of Paris – any sort of plaster – bung up nest – holes – you know. That I’d better get.”

“How much?”

“How much what?”

“Sulphur.

“Ton. See?”

Bensington tightened his glasses with a hand tremulous with determination. “Right,” he said, very curtly.

“Money in your pocket?[53 - Money in your pocket? – (разг.) Наличные есть?]” asked Cossar. “Hang cheques. They may not know you. Pay cash. Obviously. Where’s your bank? All right. Stop on the way and get forty pounds – notes and gold.” Another meditation.