“Who was that?”
“Perhaps Johannes himself.”
“He had a brown skin and the upper part of his body was naked.”
“Can we trust him?”
“Who knows? We may as well look in to-morrow morning and hear what he has to say.” [[25]]
“Hush! be careful; that Dunkelhof is a regular spy.”
They both crept between their blankets and were soon in a sound slumber.
Next morning, after they had fetched their soup from the kitchen, they had to pass the hut of Johannes. They found him standing outside his door. Without uttering a word he moved away from the entrance as if inviting them to come in. They entered, put their pannikins on the floor and seated themselves on a bench.
On a table before them lay already spread a choice repast prepared by Johannes. In addition to the ration of soup from the barrack kitchen, there was boiled rice, snow white and well granulated, dishes of sauces made of fish and vegetables, surrounded by some smaller dishes of pepper fried in oil and pounded with shrimp. There were also plates of dried venison and cod’s roe together with roasted meat. A duck, swimming in a palatable sauce, completed the cheer.
“You are a Lucullus,” began Schlickeisen.