The Military Philosophers - Anthony Powell [39]
‘I’ve been there once or twice. When my father was at the War Office, I remember him bringing two Belgian officers to our house. It was a great excitement.’
‘Your father was officier de carrière?’
‘He’d come back from Paris, where he’d been on the staff of the Peace Conference. By the way, several Belgian officers are living at the same block of flats as myself. I don’t know any of them.’
Cucherman asked the name of the place.
‘Ah, yes,’ he said. ‘Clanwaert is there. You will be dealing with him about Congo matters. An amusing fellow.’
‘I have an appointment with him tomorrow.’
‘He was formerly in the Premier Regiment des Guides – like your Life Guards, one might say. I believe he fought his first engagement in 1914 wearing what was almost their parade uniform – green tunic, red breeches, all that. Then a love affair went wrong. He transferred to La Force Publique. A dashing fellow with a romantic outlook. That was why he never married.’
The Force Publique was the Congo army, quite separate from the Belgian army, officered somewhat on the lines, so it seemed, of our own Honourable East India Company’s troops in the past.
‘Kucherman’s going to be all right,’ said Finn.
Even Gauthier de Graef, who had all his countrymen’s impatience with other people’s methods, and would not have hesitated to grumble about his new chief, agreed with that judgment. He was a tall young man with a large moustache, who, after a frantic drive to the coast to catch up the remnant of the Belgian forces embarked for England, had jumped the last yard or so over water, as the boat had already set sail from harbour.
‘I needed a drink after that,’ he said. ‘A long one, let me assure you.’
I was just off to see Kucherman or Hlava one morning, when General Bobrowski was put through on my telephone. Bobrowski, even for himself, was in a tremendous state of excitement. He explained that he had been unable to make contact with Finn, and now he was told that neither Pennistone nor Slade were available. It was a matter of the most urgent importance that he had an appointment with Finn as soon as possible. He appealed to me as Pennistone’s former assistant in Polish liaison. Finn was at that moment with one of the brigadiers; Pennistone probably at the Titian – where it was quite likely he would learn of whatever was on Bobrowski’s mind – and Slade was no doubt somewhere in the building negotiating with another section. Slade returned at that moment and I handed Bobrowski over to him. I wondered what the trouble was. Bobrowski became easily excited, but this seemed exceptional. Pennistone outlined the enormity on my return.
‘Listen to this,’ he said. ‘Tell me whether you believe it or not’
He was partly angry himself, partly unable not to laugh.
‘Let’s go and have lunch. I’ll tell you there.’
The story was certainly a strange one.
‘Szymanski’s out,’ said Pennistone.
‘Out of where?’
‘Jug.’
‘He’s escaped from the detention barracks?’
‘In a rather unusual way.’
‘Did he break out?’
‘He left by the front door.’
‘In disguise?’
‘It appears that first of all a certain amount of telephoning took place from the appropriate branches, Polish and British, saying that Szymanski’s conviction had been quashed and his case was to be reconsidered. Then two British officers arrived bearing the correct papers to obtain his body. Szymanski was accordingly handed over to their custody.’
‘This was bogus?’
‘The next thing was, Szymanski himself appeared shortly after at the prison, wearing the uniform of a British second-lieutenant and explaining that he knew the way to get out of anywhere. In fact, the prison hasn’t been invented that could keep him inside.’
‘Didn’t they lock him up again?’
‘They couldn’t. The documents made him a free man.’
‘What had happened?’
‘There were those who thought Szymanski’s outstanding qualities – not necessarily his most gentlemanly ones – might come in useful for a piece of work required.’
‘You mean some of our people?’
‘Possibly certain Polish elements were also sympathetic to the scheme. That