The Book That Saved the Earth 61

The Book That Saved the Earth : Oh, no, no. But poor Lieutenant Iota has not had her breakfast. Lieutenant Iota, I order you to eat this — this sandwich. : ( dubiously ) Eat it? Oh, Captain! It’s a very great honour to be the first Martian to eat a sandwich, I’m sure, but — but how can I be so impolite as to eat before my Sergeant? (handing Oop the book and saying brightly) Sergeant Oop, I order you to eat the sandwich immediately. : ( making a face ) Who, Lieutenant? Me, Lieutenant? I OTA and O MEGA : ( saluting ) For the glory of Mars, Oop! : Yes, of course! ( unhappily ) Immediately. ( He opens his mouth wide. Omega and Iota watch him breathlessly. He bites down on a corner of the book, and pantomimes chewing and swallowing, while making terrible faces.) : Well, Oop? : Well, Oop? ( Oop coughs . Omega and Iota pound him on the back .) : Was it not delicious, Sergeant Oop? : ( saluting ) That is correct, sir. It was not delicious. I don’t know how the Earthlings can get those sandwiches down without water. They’re dry as Martian dust. : Sir, sir. Great and Mighty Think-Tank. I beg your pardon, but an insignificant bit of data floated into my mind about those sandwiches. : It can’t be worth much, but go ahead. Give us your trifling bit of data. : Well, sir, I have seen surveyor films of those sandwiches. I noticed that the Earthlings did not eat them. They used them as some sort of communication device. : (haughtily) Naturally. That was my next point. These are actually communication sandwiches. Think-Tank is never wrong. Who is never wrong? A LL : (saluting ) Great and Mighty Think-Tank is never wrong. : Therefore, I order you to listen to them.