Thursday, 10 September 2009

As the wild sheep defecate




‘You see?’ says Yakub Beg, craning his neck and trying to grin. ‘A dotard, flown with dreams. A badawai zhazh-kayan* who talks as the wild sheep defecate, at random, everywhere. When you and I go hither , Flashman bahadur, we shall leave him, and even the Ruskis will take pity on such a dried-up husk, and employ him to clean their privies –those of the common soldiers, you understand, not the officers.’

*A wild babbler



Flashman at the Charge, pp.220-21, Pan edition, 5th printing, 1979.




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2 comments:

AW said...

No one should be posted to Afganistan who hasnt read Flashman.

Speedicut said...

AW,

A friend who was over there in the early stages said much the same thing.