Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III THE TOWER OF BABEL " Des barques romaines, disais-je.— Non, disais-tu, portugaises."— Jean Giraudoux. "'V "IT TOT you require, sir," inter- Y rupted Private Brommit, " is a glass o' boilin' 'ot milk an' whisky, with lots o' cinnamon." Aurelle, who was suffering from an attack of influenza, was at Estre"es, under the care of Dr. O'Grady, who tirelessly prescribed ammoniated quinine. " I say, doctor," said the young Frenchman, " this is a drug that's utterly unknown in France. It seems strange that medicines should have a nationality." " Why shouldn't they ?" said the doctor. " Many diseases are national.If a Frenchman has a bathe after a meal, he is stricken with congestion of the stomach and is drowned. An Englishman never has congestion of the stomach." "No," said Aurelle; "he is drowned all the same, but his friends say he had cramp, and the honour of Britain is saved." Private Brommit knocked at the door and showed in Colonel Parker, who sat down by the bed and asked Aurelle how he was getting on. " He is much better," said the doctor; " a few more doses of quinine " " I am glad to hear that," replied the colonel, " because I shall want you, Aurelle. G.H.Q. is sending me on a mission for a fortnight to one of your Brittany ports; I am to organize the training of the Portuguese Division. I have orders to take an interpreter with me. I thought of you for the job." " But," Aurelle put in, " I don't know a word of Portuguese." " What does that matter ? " said the colonel. " You're an interpreter, aren't you ? Isn't that enough ? " The following day Aurelle told his servant to try and find a Portuguese in the little town of Estre'es. " Brommit is an admirable fellow," said Colonel Parker, " he found whisky for me in the middle of...