time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)-第22章

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e　and　the　only　thing　that　sets　us　apart　from　the　apes。　Though　just　barely。
　　
　　Now　D~vid　broke…or　appeared　to　break…his　habitual　reserve。　〃No　battalion　for　me；〃　he　said。　〃No　indeedy！　I'm　going　to　be　regimental　adjutant　and　stand　out　in　front　where　the　girls　can　see　me。〃
　　
　　Perhaps　his　remark　wasn't　taken　seriously…regimental　adjutant　is　lower　than　battalion　mander。　But　it　was　certain　to　be　repeated；　and　David　knew　it；　perhaps　by　the　prospective　cadet　regimental　mander　to　missioned　officers　mak。　ing　the　selections　for　cadet　officers。
　　
　　No　matter…　David　was　chosen　regimental　adjutant。
　　
　　By　military　organization　of　that　time；　a　regimental　adjutant。　did　stand　out　in　front；　all　alone；　where　female　visitors　could　hardly　avoid　seeng　him。　But　one　may　doubt　that　this　figured　into　Dave's　plans。
　　
　　The　regimental　adjutant　attends　no　formations　other　than　full　regimental　formations。　He　goes　to　and　from　classes　alone；　instead　of　marching　or　being　marched。　Other　first　classmen　are　responsible　each　for　some　unit　of　cadets；　be　it　squad；　platoon；　pany；　battalion；　or　regiment；　the　regimental　adjutant　has　no　such　responsibilities　and　only　one　minor　administrative　task；　he　keeps　the　watch　list　for　the　most　senior　of　the　cadet　officers。
　　
　　But　he　is　not　on　that　watch　list　himself。　Instead　he　is　supernumerary　who　fills　in　when　one　of　them　is　ill。
　　
　　第10节
　　
　　And　this　was　the　lazy　man's　prize。　Those　cadet　officers　were　perfect　specimens　and　the　chances　that　one　would　be　too　ill　to　take　his　day's　duty　ranged　from　negligible　to　zero。
　　
　　For　three　years　our　hero　had　been　standing　watch。　about　every　tenth　day。　These　watches　weren't　difficult；　but　they　involved　either　getting　to　bed　a　half　hour　late　or　getting　up　a　half　hour　early；　and　much　standing　on　tired　feet；　all　an　affront　to　Dave's　tender　regard　for　his　fort。
　　
　　But　his　last　year　David　stood　only　three…　watches；　and　he　〃stood〃those　sitting　down；　as　〃Junior　Officer　of　the　Watch。〃
　　
　　At　last　the　Day　arrived。　David　graduated；　was　missioned。
　　
　　…then　went　to　the　chapel　and　remarried　his　wife。　If　her　belly　bulged　a　little；　that　was　not　unusual　in　brides　even　in　those　days；　and　was　always　ignored；　and　condoned　once　a　young　couple　married。　It　was　widely　known　though　rarely　mentioned　that　an　eager　young　bride　could　acplish　in　seven　months　or　less　what　takes　nine　for　cow　or　countess。
　　
　　Dave　was　safely　past　all　rocks　and　shoals；　he　need　never　again　fear　going　back　to　that　mule　and　〃honest　work。〃
　　
　　But　life　as　a　junior　officer　in　a　warship　turned　out　to　be　less　than　perfect。　It　had　good　points…servants；　a　fortable　bed；　easy　work　that　rarely　got　David's　hands　dirty；　and　twice　as　much　money。　But　he　needed　that　and　more；　to　support　a　wife；　and　his　ship　was　at　sea　enough　that　he　often　lacked　the　pleasant　pensations　of　marriage。　Worst　of　all；　he　stood　heel…and…toe　watches　on　a　short　watch　list；　this　meant　a　fourhour　night　watch　about　every　other　night…standing　up。　He　was　sleepy　much　of　the　time　and　his　feethurt。
　　
　　So　David　applied　for　training　as　an　aeronaut。　This　Navy　had　recently　grasped　an　idea　called　〃air　power〃　and　was　trying　to　grab　as　much　of　it　as　possible　in　order　to　keep　it　out　of　the　wrong　hands…the　Army's　hands；　that　is。　They　were　behind　as　the　Army　had　grabbed　first…so　volunteers　for　flying　Were　wele。
　　
　　David　was　quickly　ordered　to　shore　duty　to　see　if　he　had　the　makings　of　an　aeronaut。
　　
　　He　had　indeed！　He　not　only　had　the　mental　and　physical　qualities　but　also　was　highly　motivated…as　his　new　work　was　done　sitting　down；　whether　in　classroom　or　in　the　air；　and　he　stood　no　night　watches　and　received　pay…and…a…half　for　sitting　down　and　sleeping　at　home；　flying　was　classed　as　〃hazardous　duty〃　and　extra　pay　was　awarded。
　　
　　I　had　best　say　something　about　these　aeroplanes　since　they　resemble　not　at　all　the　aerodynes　you　are　used　to。　In　a　way　they　were　hazardous。　So　is　breathing。　They　were　not　as　hazardous　as　the　automotive　ground　vehicles　then　in　use；　and　not　nearly　as　hazardous　as　being　a　pedestrian。　Accidents；　fatal　and　otherwise；　usually。　could　be　traced　to　a　mistake　on　the　part　of　the　aeronaut…David　never　let　that　sort　of　accident　happen　to　him。　He　had　no　wish　to　be　the　hottest　pilot　in　the　sky；　he　merely　wanted　to　be　the　oldest。
　　
　　Aeroplanes　were　weird　monstrosities　looking　like　nothing　in　the　sky　today；　save　possibly　a　child's　kite…they　were　often　called　〃kites。〃　They　had　two　wings；　one　above　the　other；　and　the　aeronaut　sat　between　them。　A　small　baffle　helped　to　detect　wind　from　his　face。　Don't　look　surprised；　these　flimsy　structures　flew　very　slowly；　pulled　through　the　air　by　a　powered　screw。
　　
　　Wings　were　made　of　varnished　cloth　held　rigid　by　struts…　you　can　see　from　this　alone　that　their　speeds　could　never　be　any　large　fraction　of　the　speed　of　sound…except　on　sad'　occasions　when　an　overly　eager　pilot　would　dive　straight　down；　then　pull　the　wings　off　through　tiying　too　abruptly　to　recover　a　normal　attitude。
　　
　　Which　David　never　did。　Some　people　are　natural　fliers。　The　first　time　David　examined　an　aeroplane　he　understood　its　strengths　and　weaknesses　as　thoroughly　as　he　understood　the　milking　stool　he　had　left　behind　him。
　　
　　He　learned　to　fly　almost　as　quickly。　as　he　had　learned　to　swim。
　　
　　His　instructor　said；　〃Dave；　you're　a　natural。　rm　going　to　remend　you　for　fighter　training。〃
　　
　　Fighter　pilots　were　the　royalty　of　aeroplane　fliers；　they　went　up　and　engaged　enemy　pilots　in　single　bat。　A　fighter　who　did　this　successfully　five　times…killed　the　opposing　pilot　instead　of　being　killed…was　called　an　〃Ace；〃　which　was　a　high　honor；　for；　as　you　can　see；　the　average　chance　of　doing　this　is　the　fifth　power　of　one…half；　or　one　in　thirty…two。　Whereas　the　chance　of　getting　killed　instead　is　the　plement；　close　to　certainty。
　　
　　Dave　thanked　his　mentor　while　his　skin　crawled　and　his　brain　went　whir…click　as　it　considered　ways　to　avoid　this　honor　without　giving　up　pay…and…a…half　and　the　fort　of　sitting　down。
　　
　　There　were　other　disadvantages　to　being　a　fighter　pilot　besides　the　prime　hazard　of　getting　your　ass　shot　off　by　some　stranger。　Fighter　pilots　flew　in　one…man　kites　and　did　their　own　navigation…without　puters；　homing　devices；　or　anything　that　would　be　taken　for　granted　today…or　even　later　that　century。　The　method　used　was　called　〃dead　reckoning；〃　because；　if　you　didn't　reckon　it　correctly；　you　were　dead…since　Navy　flying　was　done　over　water；　from　a　small　floating　aerodrome；　with　a　margin　of　safety　in　fuel　for　a　fighter　plane　of　only　minutes。　Add　to　this　the　fact　that　a　fighter　pilot　in　bat　had　to　choose　between　doing　navigation　or　giving　single…
　　
　　minded　attention　to　attempting　to　kill　。a　stranger　before　that　stranger　killed　him。　If　he　wanted　to　be　an　〃Ace〃…or　even　eat　dinner　that　night…he　must。　put　first　things　first　and　worry　about　navigation　later。
　　
　　~n　addition　to　the　chance　of　being　lost　at　sea　and　drowned　in　a　kite　that　was　out　of？gas…did　I　say　how　these　things　were　powered？　The　air　screw　was　driven　by　an　engine　powered　by　a　chemical　exothermic　reaction…oxidation　of　a　hydrocarbon　fluid　called　〃gas；〃　which　it　was　not。　If　you　think　this　unlikely；　I　assure　you　that　it　was　unlikely　even　then。　The　method　was　woefully　inefficient。　A　flier　was　not　only　likely　to　run　out　of　gas　with　nothing　around　him　but　ocean；　but　also　this　temperamental　engine　often　coughed　and　quit。　Embarrassing。　Sometimes　fatal。
　　
　　The　lesser　drawbacks　to　being　a　fighter　pilot　were　not　all　physical　danger；　they　simply　did　not　fit　David's　master　plan。　Fighter　pilots　were　assigned　to　floating　aerodromes；　or　carriers。　In　peacetime；　which　this　nominally　was；　a　flier　did　not　work　too　hard　nor　stand　many　watches　and　spent　much　of　his　time　ashore　at　a　land　aerodrome　even　though　he　was　carried　on　the　muster　rolls　of　a　carrier　ship…thereby　credited　with　sea　duty；　necessary　for　promotion　and　。pay。
　　
　　But　for　several　weeks　each　year　a　ifier　assigned　to　a　carrier　ship　would　actually　be　at　sea；　practicing　mock　warfare…　which　involved　getting　up　an　hour　before　dawn　to　warm　those　cantankerous　engines　and　stand　by　rea