human
And when do you propose to put your thinking cap on about our plans, Jack?
gpt
I'm not going to think of anything else from this minute.
human
Hear, hear. The 'anything else' must wait, eh?
gpt
That's not very much like a German hobbledehoy's laugh, is it?
human
Righto, matey, I forgot. That was Nessa; this is Hans;
gpt
Not so much of your forgetting, young 'un. This may be no mere picnic.
human
Keep your hair on; but I'm going to have the time of my life. By the way, what's your name?
gpt
Been christened so often lately that I'm not too clear about it. You can call me boss.
human
Boss, eh? Then you expect to be master, I suppose? with a mischievous meaning chuckle.
gpt
Am I to keep it up always?
human
Jack's the English for it.
gpt
Anything else?
human
Wait till the time comes, my lad;
gpt
And what about our plans, boss?
human
I don't see anything for it but to tramp it, if you can stick it.
gpt
How far?
human
The nearest road to the frontier is about thirty odd miles; but as we can't take that, we can put it down at fifty, say. There's no need to rush things, and if we can manage ten or fifteen each day, it ought to do the trick.
gpt
Nothing in that to hurt me, boss. I've often padded twenty or twenty-five in a day, looking for a job, you know. But what's waiting for us at the end of the tramp?
human
I wish I could tell you. My rough idea is to make for a place called Lingen. There are two little dips in the Dutch frontier which come down close to it, and it looks like a fairly good jumping-off place. I'm out of it, if we don't run against some of the smuggling lot there, and the best plan I can think of is to try and join up with some of them and get across in that way.
gpt
Looks all right. If we can get there, that is.
human
Needn't worry about that, young 'un. We can tramp it at night, at the worst; but we're not likely to be interfered with. We can always be going to a job just a few miles farther on. I always thought of Osnabr𡡷k as the place where we might have to start our tramp, and I've a road map. What we want at the moment is a place where we can rest for an hour or two.