The War That Came Early: the Big Switch
“They spoke without much grammar, but they made themselves understood. One skinny, hairy fellow bowed to get Hideki Fujita’s attention—they learned Japanese customs, too—and said, “Peace now Russia, Japan—yes, Sergeant-san?”
“Hai,” Fujita agreed. He couldn’t very well deny it, not when the peace had at last been officially announced.
“We go home?” the maruta asked.
To that, the Japanese sergeant only shrugged. “I have no orders one way or the other,” he answered. It was harder to think of the pr...isoners as logs when they became talking logs: not impossible, but harder.
“So sorry—don’t understand,” this Russian said.
“No orders,” Fujita repeated. They might be talking logs now, but no, they didn’t talk well. You had to keep things as simple as you could, as if you were talking to a retarded three-year-old.
The maruta got it this time. “Arigato,” he said. “When orders? Soon?”
Fujita shrugged again. “I don’t know,” he said again, and walked away.MoreLess
“Hai,” Fujita agreed. He couldn’t very well deny it, not when the peace had at last been officially announced.
“We go home?” the maruta asked.
To that, the Japanese sergeant only shrugged. “I have no orders one way or the other,” he answered. It was harder to think of the pr...isoners as logs when they became talking logs: not impossible, but harder.
“So sorry—don’t understand,” this Russian said.
“No orders,” Fujita repeated. They might be talking logs now, but no, they didn’t talk well. You had to keep things as simple as you could, as if you were talking to a retarded three-year-old.
The maruta got it this time. “Arigato,” he said. “When orders? Soon?”
Fujita shrugged again. “I don’t know,” he said again, and walked away.MoreLess
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