“It’s a wager. Come along.”
The bottle was placed in position. Crack! The passenger hit it, and it disappeared in fragments into the sea.
“Trot out another one,” said the marksman.
“Not at all. The conditions were that you hit that one three times out of six. Five shots more.”
ONLY A RUSE AFTER ALL
The called-up one volubly explained that there was no need in his case for a medical examination.
“I’m fit and I want to fight. I want to go over on the first boat. I want to go right into the front trenches, but I want to have a hospital close, so that if I get hit no time will be wasted in taking me where I can get mended right away, so that I can get back to fighting without losing a minute. Pass me in, doctor. Don’t waste any time on me. I want to fight, and keep fighting!”
The doctor, however, insisted, and, when he got through, reported a perfect physical specimen.
“You don’t find nothing wrong with me, doctor?”