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Muller is waiting for me in front of the huts. I give him the flying boots. We go in and he tries them on. They are a perfect fit – He digs into his kit and gives me a decent chunk of salami. And there is hot tea with rum as well.
III
We are getting reinforcements. The gaps in the ranks are filled, and the empty straw palliasses[66] in the huts are soon occupied. Some of them are old hands, but twenty-five young replacement troops straight from the recruiting depots have been assigned to our company as well. They are almost a year younger than we are. Kropp nudges me. ‘Have you seen the kids?’
I nod. We strut about, get ourselves shaved on the parade-ground, put our hands in our pockets, look at the new recruits and feel as if we have been in the army for a thousand years.
Katczinsky joins us. We wander through the stables and come across the recruits, who are just being given their gasmasks and some coffee. Kat asks one of the youngest of them, ‘I bet you lot haven’t had any decent grub for a good long time, eh?’
The recruit pulls a face[67]. ‘Bread made out of turnips for breakfast, turnips for lunch and turnip cutlets with turnip salad in the evening.’
Katczinsky gives an appreciative whistle[68]. ‘Bread made from turnips? You were lucky – they’re already making it out of sawdust. But what about beans? Do you fancy some?’
The young soldier colours up. ‘You don’t have to take the mickey[69].’
All Katczinsky says is, ‘Bring your mess-tin.’
Curious, we follow him. He leads us to a big container next to his palliasse. Sure enough, it is half full of beans with bully beef. Katczinsky stands in front of it like a general and says, ‘Eyes bright and fingers fight![70] That’s the army motto!’
We are amazed. ‘Bloody hell, Kat,’ I ask, ‘how did you come by that?’
‘Old Ginger was glad to get it off his hands. I gave him three pieces of parachute silk for it. Well, beans taste just as good cold.’
With a generous flourish he gives the young soldier a portion and tells him, ‘Next time you turn up here with your mess-tin, you’ll have a cigar or some chewing tobacco in the other hand. Got it?’