An Aussie in their midst, Chapter two- Settled and unsettled
Summary- What will Hogan do when the new arrivals begin to plan an escape?
Authors note- Hope you like it so far! Go the Aussies!
Linda in Brissy- There will be tucker! I promise it.
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It had been two weeks since the new prisoner's arrival. Hogan had been right, having a man from the Australian outback, complete with slang and slouch hat had made life very interesting indeed. The Aussie kept making comments at the English about how they couldn't play cricket and had attempted to teach Carter and a few others to play Aussie Rules (A.F.L). Newkirk still went into gales of laughter remembering Louis Lebeau's (the prisoner's chef) face, when in the middle of his 'welcome to the stalag dinner' of fine French cuisine Freed-cot asked if he could have a snag.
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Corporal Steven Freed-Cot had a very clear purpose as he walked across the compound during free time. He wanted to talk to Colonel Hogan. Freed-Cot was restless, and annoyed. He was sick of prison camp. He wanted to get back out into the fighting, his friends were out there, somewhere and all he could do was sit around trying to teach the Americans to play a decent game of footie.
Any time Steven tried to bring up escaping however the person he was talking too had something to do, people to see. Steve even had an almost fool-proof escape plan. He just couldn't do it alone.
Knocking loudly on the door of Barracks two, the corporal heard a shout to come in.
He entered, and found three men playing a card game at the table.
"Hey Steve!" said Andrew Carter, grinning, "why are you here?"
"Looking for Colonel Hogan," he replied, "is he here?"
"Through that door." Said a black sergeant whose name Freed-cot couldn't place.
"Thanks mate."
He pushed the door to Colonel Hogan's quarters open, to find the Colonel sitting on his bed thumbing through a book.
"Corporal," Hogan said, acknowledging the salute he was getting and setting down his book, "how may I help you?"
Freed-Cot shut the door and turned to Hogan, "Look Colonel, I'm not here to bat the breeze with you*. I wanna get out of here, I'm about as happy as a bastard on father's day**. I know I have a shot at*** getting out of here, but no one will even talk about escape. What's the deal?"
Hogan didn't quite know what to say, he hadn't yet checked out the Australian completely, and so couldn't tell him about the no escape rule. But then, he didn't have a reason for the Aussie not to escape.
"How were you thinking of getting out?"
"Well mate, there's a blind spot in the fence, I figure I cut a hole through that, get someone to cry bloody murder**** at the other end of camp as a distraction and then I take off into the bush. All I need is a cockatoo, so I knew if the guards were coming."
Hogan was seriously confused. He usually was after talking to the corporal. Australian English, especially outback Australian English, was very hard to translate.
"What do you mean by a cockatoo?" Hogan asked, wishing Freed-Cot came with a little dictionary where you could look all his phrases up.
"A lookout mate, someone to watch my back."
"Right." Hogan tried to think of some plausible reason not to let him escape, "when did you want to try your escape?"
"There's a full moon tomorrow night, and the night after. I figure one of those nights." Freed-Cot said, feeling excited that finally someone was going to help him escape.
"Right." That didn't give Hogan very much time to come up with a way to stop him.
"I'll try and find you a lookout, I'll see you before tomorrow night."
"Thanks mate!" exclaimed Steve, then realising his mistake he saluted quickly and added, "I mean sir."
"Dismissed" said Hogan wearily, waving the excited Corporal out of his office.
Freed-cot grinned as he exited the office. Yes! A chance to get out of this place, and back to his battalion. He saw the cook, what was his name? LeBeau that was it, mixing something on the stove.
"Hey LeBeau, any chance I can grab some tucker? The hominy***** they serve here is bloody awful!"
Kinch and Carter, who were sitting at the table, both choked when they heard Freed-Cot call LeBeau's beloved food, tucker.
LeBeau looked like he was going to have a fit or something, he began twitching slightly.
Freed-Cot turned around to Carter for an explanation of the French man's sudden attack. Carter waved his arms at the door in a 'get out while you still can' sort of motion.
The corporal didn't ignore the advice, as Louis who now looked quite ready to explode began to turn towards him.
"On second thought mate, I reckon I can tackle the food in the kitchen afterwards." He spun and left rather quickly.
After he had heard the barracks door close Hogan came out into the room to find LeBeau shouting angry French at the stove, as if it had offended him greatly.
He gave Kinch a curious look, and Kinch smiled broadly. "Freed-Cot asked Louis for some tucker." He explained.
LeBeau began another barrage of abuse at the stove.
"Men, we have a bit of a problem. Freed-Cot has an escape planned and because we haven't checked him out yet I can't tell him about the operation."
"What do we do?" asked Carter
"Wee have to try and check him out by tomorrow night." Hogan said, "If we can't do that I'll send on of you along with him."
"I'm not going." LeBeau interrupted, "that loony Aussie will probably get me killed trying to feed me some of his snags!" He said snags as if it were the spawn of all evil or something.
"I'd assumed you wouldn't be." Hogan said smoothly, he continued with his plan, "I'll sen done of you along and you'll get him caught, and brought back here. I do feel a bit sorry for him though, he's with a group of air force men because of some German mishap, and there isn't a single other person of his nationality in camp."
"I'll go with him sir!" said Carter excitedly, "can I blow up a bridge or something while I'm gone? I've got some really good explosives locked away and oh boy would they make some nice fireworks and." Carter had finally realised Hogan was giving him the look.
"Sorry sir."
"That's ok Carter, be ready to go tomorrow night."
"Yes sir."
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*bat the breeze- engage in idle talk
**about as happy as a bastard on fathers day-unhappy
***have a shot at- have a chance at
**** cry bloody murder- make a huge amount of noise.
***** hominy- prison food.
Hope you like it so far! REVIEWS PLEASE!
Summary- What will Hogan do when the new arrivals begin to plan an escape?
Authors note- Hope you like it so far! Go the Aussies!
Linda in Brissy- There will be tucker! I promise it.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It had been two weeks since the new prisoner's arrival. Hogan had been right, having a man from the Australian outback, complete with slang and slouch hat had made life very interesting indeed. The Aussie kept making comments at the English about how they couldn't play cricket and had attempted to teach Carter and a few others to play Aussie Rules (A.F.L). Newkirk still went into gales of laughter remembering Louis Lebeau's (the prisoner's chef) face, when in the middle of his 'welcome to the stalag dinner' of fine French cuisine Freed-cot asked if he could have a snag.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Corporal Steven Freed-Cot had a very clear purpose as he walked across the compound during free time. He wanted to talk to Colonel Hogan. Freed-Cot was restless, and annoyed. He was sick of prison camp. He wanted to get back out into the fighting, his friends were out there, somewhere and all he could do was sit around trying to teach the Americans to play a decent game of footie.
Any time Steven tried to bring up escaping however the person he was talking too had something to do, people to see. Steve even had an almost fool-proof escape plan. He just couldn't do it alone.
Knocking loudly on the door of Barracks two, the corporal heard a shout to come in.
He entered, and found three men playing a card game at the table.
"Hey Steve!" said Andrew Carter, grinning, "why are you here?"
"Looking for Colonel Hogan," he replied, "is he here?"
"Through that door." Said a black sergeant whose name Freed-cot couldn't place.
"Thanks mate."
He pushed the door to Colonel Hogan's quarters open, to find the Colonel sitting on his bed thumbing through a book.
"Corporal," Hogan said, acknowledging the salute he was getting and setting down his book, "how may I help you?"
Freed-Cot shut the door and turned to Hogan, "Look Colonel, I'm not here to bat the breeze with you*. I wanna get out of here, I'm about as happy as a bastard on father's day**. I know I have a shot at*** getting out of here, but no one will even talk about escape. What's the deal?"
Hogan didn't quite know what to say, he hadn't yet checked out the Australian completely, and so couldn't tell him about the no escape rule. But then, he didn't have a reason for the Aussie not to escape.
"How were you thinking of getting out?"
"Well mate, there's a blind spot in the fence, I figure I cut a hole through that, get someone to cry bloody murder**** at the other end of camp as a distraction and then I take off into the bush. All I need is a cockatoo, so I knew if the guards were coming."
Hogan was seriously confused. He usually was after talking to the corporal. Australian English, especially outback Australian English, was very hard to translate.
"What do you mean by a cockatoo?" Hogan asked, wishing Freed-Cot came with a little dictionary where you could look all his phrases up.
"A lookout mate, someone to watch my back."
"Right." Hogan tried to think of some plausible reason not to let him escape, "when did you want to try your escape?"
"There's a full moon tomorrow night, and the night after. I figure one of those nights." Freed-Cot said, feeling excited that finally someone was going to help him escape.
"Right." That didn't give Hogan very much time to come up with a way to stop him.
"I'll try and find you a lookout, I'll see you before tomorrow night."
"Thanks mate!" exclaimed Steve, then realising his mistake he saluted quickly and added, "I mean sir."
"Dismissed" said Hogan wearily, waving the excited Corporal out of his office.
Freed-cot grinned as he exited the office. Yes! A chance to get out of this place, and back to his battalion. He saw the cook, what was his name? LeBeau that was it, mixing something on the stove.
"Hey LeBeau, any chance I can grab some tucker? The hominy***** they serve here is bloody awful!"
Kinch and Carter, who were sitting at the table, both choked when they heard Freed-Cot call LeBeau's beloved food, tucker.
LeBeau looked like he was going to have a fit or something, he began twitching slightly.
Freed-Cot turned around to Carter for an explanation of the French man's sudden attack. Carter waved his arms at the door in a 'get out while you still can' sort of motion.
The corporal didn't ignore the advice, as Louis who now looked quite ready to explode began to turn towards him.
"On second thought mate, I reckon I can tackle the food in the kitchen afterwards." He spun and left rather quickly.
After he had heard the barracks door close Hogan came out into the room to find LeBeau shouting angry French at the stove, as if it had offended him greatly.
He gave Kinch a curious look, and Kinch smiled broadly. "Freed-Cot asked Louis for some tucker." He explained.
LeBeau began another barrage of abuse at the stove.
"Men, we have a bit of a problem. Freed-Cot has an escape planned and because we haven't checked him out yet I can't tell him about the operation."
"What do we do?" asked Carter
"Wee have to try and check him out by tomorrow night." Hogan said, "If we can't do that I'll send on of you along with him."
"I'm not going." LeBeau interrupted, "that loony Aussie will probably get me killed trying to feed me some of his snags!" He said snags as if it were the spawn of all evil or something.
"I'd assumed you wouldn't be." Hogan said smoothly, he continued with his plan, "I'll sen done of you along and you'll get him caught, and brought back here. I do feel a bit sorry for him though, he's with a group of air force men because of some German mishap, and there isn't a single other person of his nationality in camp."
"I'll go with him sir!" said Carter excitedly, "can I blow up a bridge or something while I'm gone? I've got some really good explosives locked away and oh boy would they make some nice fireworks and." Carter had finally realised Hogan was giving him the look.
"Sorry sir."
"That's ok Carter, be ready to go tomorrow night."
"Yes sir."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*bat the breeze- engage in idle talk
**about as happy as a bastard on fathers day-unhappy
***have a shot at- have a chance at
**** cry bloody murder- make a huge amount of noise.
***** hominy- prison food.
Hope you like it so far! REVIEWS PLEASE!