From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [374]
Neither the contempt or the unbreakability bothered Fatso. His business was to ask each man the question and hit him if he gave the wrong answer, not to worry about the results, and he did his job thoroughly and methodically. When he had worked his way through the line, he came back to the Major and they both went down the line and stopped in front of Blues Berry.
“Who broke Murdock’s arm for him?” Major Thompson said.
Everybody knew they knew, then.
Berry stared straight ahead without answering.
Fatso hit him.
“Did you break Murdock’s arm for him?” Major Thompson said.
Berry stared straight ahead, at attention, without answering.
Fatso hit him.
“Did you break Murdock’s arm for him?” Major Thompson said.
Berry stared straight ahead, at attention, without answering.
Fatso hit him.
“It just happens,” the Major smiled, “that we already know you was the man who broke Murdock’s arm for him.”
Berry grinned.
Fatso hit him.
“Step forward,” Major Thompson said.
Berry took two paces forward, still grinning.
Fatso hit him across the bridge of the nose with the head of the grub hoe handle. Berry went down to his knees. He stayed there several seconds, nobody helping him, before he got back up shakily. Blood was pouring out of his nose, but he did not raise his hands or move his eyes from the wall. He licked his lips with the tip of his tongue and grinned at the Major.
“I’m going to make an example out of you, Berry,” Major Thompson said crisply. “You’re too big for your pants. I’m going to cut you down till you fit them. You think you’re too tough. I’m going to show these men what happens to a man who gets too big for his pants and thinks he’s too tough. Did you break Murdock’s arm?”
“Fuck you,” Berry said huskily.
This time Fatso hit him in the mouth with the head of the grub hoe handle. Berry’s knees went loose but he did not quite go down. His eyes came unfocused but he did not move them from the wall. When he straightened up, he worked his mouth a little and spat two teeth out at Fatso’s feet contemptuously and grinned at him.
“And I’m going to kill you, Fatso,” he grinned. “If I ever get out of here, I’m going to hunt you down and kill you. So you better get me first. Because if I ever get out, I’ll kill you.”
Fatso was as unmoved by this as he had been by the general contempt and uncooperativeness. He raised his grub hoe handle again, methodically, diligently, impassively, but Major Thompson stopped him.
“Take him down to the gym,” the Major said. “I dont want to dirty the barracks up any more than necessary. Some of you men clean this mess up.”
Fatso took Berry by the arm and started to lead him to the door but Berry jerked his arm loose and said, “Keep your fat paws off of me. I can still walk,” and walked to the door by himself. The guard outside unlocked the door. Berry walked through it. Fatso and the Major and then the two guards followed him.
“The crazy son of a bitch,” Jack Malloy said contortedly. “Thats not the way to handle them. I told him thats not the way to handle them.”
“Maybe he’s tired of handling them,” Prew said narrowly.
“He’ll be tireder,” Malloy said unforgivingly. “They’re serious.”
It was the first time any of them had ever heard a man scream when he was in the gym getting a work out. The fact that it was Blues Berry whom they heard screaming proved they were serious, that this time the Major and Fatso were out to make it or break it, showdown or else. In Number Two they cleaned up the floor and settled down to wait. It was already after nine-thirty, and the fact that the lights were still on showed this was really going to be an occasion. They managed to find out from Pfc Hanson who passed by the door under arms hurriedly, that it was one of the guards up on the cliff who had seen him.
It was eleven-thirty when Major Thompson, wearing his sidearms, came for them with the guards. There were ten guar