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- Колин Маккалоу
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- Стр. 317/535
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Jims
and
Patsy
had
enlisted
in
Dubbo
,
but
camp
was
to
be
Ingleburn
,
outside
Sydney
,
so
everyone
saw
them
off
on
the
night
mail
.
Cormac
Carmichael
,
Eden
's
youngest
son
,
was
on
the
same
train
for
the
same
reason
,
going
to
the
same
camp
as
it
turned
out
.
So
the
two
families
packed
their
boys
comfortably
into
a
firstclass
compartment
and
stood
around
awkwardly
,
aching
to
weep
and
kiss
and
have
something
warming
to
remember
,
but
stifled
by
their
peculiar
British
mistrust
of
demonstrativeness
.
The
big
C-36
steam
locomotive
howled
mournfully
,
the
stationmaster
began
blowing
his
whistle
.
Meggie
leaned
over
to
peck
her
brothers
on
their
cheeks
selfconsciously
,
then
did
the
same
to
Cormac
,
who
looked
just
like
his
oldest
brother
,
Connor
;
Bob
,
Jack
and
Hughie
wrung
three
different
young
hands
;
Mrs.
Smith
,
weeping
,
was
the
only
one
who
did
the
kissing
and
cuddling
everyone
was
dying
to
do
.
Eden
Carmichael
,
his
wife
and
aging
but
still
handsome
daughter
with
him
,
went
through
the
same
formalities
.
Then
everyone
was
outside
on
the
Gilly
platform
,
the
train
was
jerking
against
its
buffers
and
creeping
forward
.
"
Goodbye
,
goodbye
!
"
everyone
called
,
and
waved
big
white
handkerchiefs
until
the
train
was
a
smoky
streak
in
the
shimmering
sunset
distance
.
Together
as
they
had
requested
,
Jims
and
Patsy
were
gazetted
to
the
raw
,
half-trained
Ninth
Australian
Division
and
shipped
to
Egypt
at
the
beginning
of
1941
,
just
in
time
to
become
a
part
of
the
rout
at
Benghazi
.
The
newly
arrived
General
Erwin
Rommel
had
put
his
formidable
weight
on
the
Axis
end
of
the
seesaw
and
begun
the
first
reversal
of
direction
in
the
great
cycling
rushes
back
and
forth
across
North
Africa
.
And
,
while
the
rest
of
the
British
forces
retreated
ignominiously
ahead
of
the
new
Afrika
Korps
back
to
Egypt
,
the
Ninth
Australian
Division
was
detailed
to
occupy
and
hold
Tobruk
,
an
outpost
in
Axis-held
territory
.
The
only
thing
which
made
the
plan
feasible
was
that
it
was
still
accessible
by
sea
and
could
be
supplied
as
long
as
British
ships
could
move
in
the
Mediterranean
.
The
Rats
of
Tobruk
holed
up
for
eight
months
,
and
saw
action
after
action
as
Rommel
threw
everything
he
had
at
them
from
time
to
time
,
without
managing
to
dislodge
them
.
"
Do
youse
know
why
youse
is
here
?
"
asked
Private
Col
Stuart
,
licking
the
paper
on
his
cigarette
and
rolling
it
shut
lazily
.
Sergeant
Bob
Malloy
shifted
his
Digger
hat
far
enough
upward
to
see
his
questioner
from
under
its
brim
.
"
Shit
,
no
,
"
he
said
,
grinning
;
it
was
an
oft-asked
query
.
"
Well
,
it
's
better
than
whiting
gaiters
in
the
bloody
glasshouse
,
"
said
Private
Jims
Cleary
,
pulling
his
twin
brother
's
shorts
down
a
little
so
he
could
rest
his
head
comfortably
on
soft
warm
belly
.
"
Yair
,
but
in
the
glasshouse
youse
do
n't
keep
getting
shot
at
,
"
objected
Col
,
flicking
his
dead
match
at
a
sunbathing
lizard
.
"
I
know
this
much
,
mate
,
"
said
Bob
,
rearranging
his
hat
to
shade
his
eyes
.
"
I
'd
rather
get
shot
at
than
die
of
fuckin
'
boredom
.
"
