10 tahun lalu.
Seorang rakan dalam perjalanan ke Kuching, Sarawak.
Sedang beratur di kaunter tiket.
Apabila tiba gilirannya, pegawai kaunter bertanya;
Kaunter : " Encik kenal tak Hani Mohsin?"
Rakan : "Ish, mintak maaf la noo, saya tak berapa kenal laa.."
Kaunter: " Encik pernah tengok rancangan Roda Impian?"
Rakan: "Emmm, rasanya macam pernah."
Kaunter : "Haa...yang berdiri di hadapan Encik tadilah Hani Mohsin, pengacara Roda Impian".
Rakan: "oohh.."
..ucap rakan saya seraya berpaling melihat susuk tubuh Hani Mohsin yang meluru kepada anaknya yang sedang menanti.
peristiwa yang berlaku selepas itu diliput dengan lebih luas dalam pautan di bawah:
http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2006&dt=0726&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_02.htm
http://teratakburukzam.blogspot.my/2006/07/berita-bergambar-sekitar-majlis.html
Monday, July 25, 2016
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Khatam al-Quran
Selepas Isyak, saya sakit perut lalu kembali ke rumah. Selesai kira-kira jam 9.40 malam. Oleh kerana surau berhampiran rumah saya hanya melakukan 8 rakaat tarawih, dan mereka saya rasa sudah berada hampir rakaat ke-8, saya bergerak ke surau yang jauh sikit kerana di situ mereka melaksanakan tarawih 20 rakaat yang dipimpin oleh Imam Hafiz. Saya mungkin boleh mendapat beberapa rakaat bersama Imam.
Saya menyertai ke rakaat ke berapa saya tidak pasti, tetapi Imam membaca surah tertentu dan kemudian kedengaran surah al-Buruj. Ini bermakna saya sudah hampir ke rakaat-rakaat terakhir. Imam menamatkan rakaat pertama dengan surah at-Tariq.
Kombinasi surah-surah dan bilangan rakaat seterusnya saya tidak dapat ingat lagi, namun
rakaat ke 19 : al-Fiil sehingga an-Naas.
rakaat ke 20 : permulaan al-Baqarah sehingga ...muflihun.
mungkin, saya tidak pernah melihat perkara ini dilakukan, yakni permulaan al-Baqarah dibaca pada rakaat kedua.
(mungkin juga saya pernah tetapi telah melupakannya).
Pada dasarnya, di dalam solat, kita disuruh membaca surah mengikut turutan surah, dan bilangan ayat pada rakaat kedua hendaklah hampir sama atau kurang daripada rakaat pertama.
Misalnya a-A'la pada rakaat pertama dan al-Kafiruun pada rakaat kedua.
Saya menyertai ke rakaat ke berapa saya tidak pasti, tetapi Imam membaca surah tertentu dan kemudian kedengaran surah al-Buruj. Ini bermakna saya sudah hampir ke rakaat-rakaat terakhir. Imam menamatkan rakaat pertama dengan surah at-Tariq.
Kombinasi surah-surah dan bilangan rakaat seterusnya saya tidak dapat ingat lagi, namun
rakaat ke 19 : al-Fiil sehingga an-Naas.
rakaat ke 20 : permulaan al-Baqarah sehingga ...muflihun.
mungkin, saya tidak pernah melihat perkara ini dilakukan, yakni permulaan al-Baqarah dibaca pada rakaat kedua.
(mungkin juga saya pernah tetapi telah melupakannya).
Pada dasarnya, di dalam solat, kita disuruh membaca surah mengikut turutan surah, dan bilangan ayat pada rakaat kedua hendaklah hampir sama atau kurang daripada rakaat pertama.
Misalnya a-A'la pada rakaat pertama dan al-Kafiruun pada rakaat kedua.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Quire
di dalam filem Biggles Adventures in Time (1986), perkataan ini ada digunakan;
penerangan di atas ini adalah maksud yang masyhur, tetapi di dalam filem tersebut, ia digunakan untuk membawa maksud "koir".
noun \ˈkwī(-ə)r\
NOUN
penerangan di atas ini adalah maksud yang masyhur, tetapi di dalam filem tersebut, ia digunakan untuk membawa maksud "koir".
2
quire
Definition of quire
- archaic variant of choir
Bigglesworth
Dari wikipedia:
James Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). Biggles first appeared in the story "The White Fokker", published in the first issue ofPopular Flying magazine, in 1932. The first collection of Biggles stories, TheCamels Are Coming, was published that same year. The series was continued until the author's death in 1968, eventually spanning nearly a hundred volumes – including novels and short story collections – most of the latter with a common setting and time.
Siri Biggles diterbitkan Eastern Universities Press M Sdn. Bhd. untuk edisi Bahasa Melayu.
Aku mula membaca siri Biggles pada 1986, dalam edisi Bahasa Melayu, dijumpai di perpustakaan sekolah. Banyak juga yang sempat aku baca, sehinggalah aku bertukar sekolah kira-kira 2 bulan selepas itu.
Siri Biggles tidak ada di perpustakaan sekolah baru, tetapi aku berkenalan dengan Hardy Boys, hard-cover, edisi Bahasa Inggeris.
aku cuba mencari di Chowrasta dan Perpustakaan Awam Pulau Pinang pada 1999, tetapi tidak banyak yang dapat kutemui.
Aku rasa, pada ketika itu, hanya terdapat dua naskhah sahaja di Perpustakaan Awam Pulau Pinang, Padang Kota Lama.
Menyelongkar fail lama, aku mendapati satu senarai dalam Microsoft Words, bertarikh kemaskini terakhir 14 Oktober 2001, satu cubaan membeli buku-buku terpakai dari Australia.
Berikut adalah senarai itu;
Kerana masalah kewangan, rancangan untuk membeli buku-buku ini tidak dapat diteruskan.
Sekarang ini, pada 2016, harga buku-buku terpakai ini sudah melambung tinggi.
Sebahagian cerita-cerita pendek tulisan Captain W.E Johns;
James Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). Biggles first appeared in the story "The White Fokker", published in the first issue ofPopular Flying magazine, in 1932. The first collection of Biggles stories, TheCamels Are Coming, was published that same year. The series was continued until the author's death in 1968, eventually spanning nearly a hundred volumes – including novels and short story collections – most of the latter with a common setting and time.
Siri Biggles diterbitkan Eastern Universities Press M Sdn. Bhd. untuk edisi Bahasa Melayu.
Aku mula membaca siri Biggles pada 1986, dalam edisi Bahasa Melayu, dijumpai di perpustakaan sekolah. Banyak juga yang sempat aku baca, sehinggalah aku bertukar sekolah kira-kira 2 bulan selepas itu.
Siri Biggles tidak ada di perpustakaan sekolah baru, tetapi aku berkenalan dengan Hardy Boys, hard-cover, edisi Bahasa Inggeris.
aku cuba mencari di Chowrasta dan Perpustakaan Awam Pulau Pinang pada 1999, tetapi tidak banyak yang dapat kutemui.
Aku rasa, pada ketika itu, hanya terdapat dua naskhah sahaja di Perpustakaan Awam Pulau Pinang, Padang Kota Lama.
Menyelongkar fail lama, aku mendapati satu senarai dalam Microsoft Words, bertarikh kemaskini terakhir 14 Oktober 2001, satu cubaan membeli buku-buku terpakai dari Australia.
Berikut adalah senarai itu;
b)1st
edition hardbacks
BIGGLES & THE BLACK RAIDER H&S
1st 1953 [1105], bit brown, cvr cloth little worn $15
BIGGLES AIR COMMODORE O 1950 rep in
standard pilot dj, worn, lacks ffep [1699] $14
BIGGLES DELIVERS THE GOODS,H&S 1952
rep [9923] dj has large piece out of
lower front right corner
$10
BIGGLES FAILS TO RETURN H&S 1950
rep [9954] damaged dj $15
BIGGLES IN AFRICA O 1948 rep [9926]
small chips to edges of 3 pages
fairly g 'pilot' dj except wear top of
spine, couple of other small faults $15jh
BIGGLES OF THE INTERPOL Ham Library ed
browned, repaired dj [991] $10
d)Reprint
hardbacks
BIGGLES TAKES A HOLIDAY H&S 1951
[9924] lacks ffep, spine faded $7hold?
GIMLET KING OF THE COMMANDOS UofLondon
1950 rep ilust boards [9927] sound
$15
SERGEANT BIGGLESWORTH CID H&S 1950
3imp [1133] cloth like new, internally g $20
f)WEJ
paperbacks
BIGGLES & the MENACE FROM SPACE
large colour comic H&S 1981 [9942]
bent and worn corners, internally okay
apart from texta'd name on title page $10
BIGGLES' CHINESE PUZZLE Knight
paperback 1972 rep browned little worn [994] $4
BIGGLES FLIES NORTH Arm paperback C258
1966 [9910] couple of loose pages,browned
$3
BIGGLES FLIES SOUTH,Armada paperback
1966?[105] browned $10jh
BIGGLES FLIES WEST,Green Knight
paperback, browned, insect [106]
damage to back cover,
$5
BIGGLES GOES TO WAR Armada paperback
C279 browned 1962 $5 [1010]
$5
BIGGLES HITS THE TRAIL,Armada
paperback1980 [704]circular illos $3
BIGGLES IN AUSTRALIA Armada paperback
C328 1977
$10
BIGGLES IN THE BALTIC,Armada paperback
1983 rep [709]
$5
BIGGLES IN THE BLUE Knight 1972
paperback rep browned, worn [996] $5
BIGGLES IN THE JUNGLE Armada paperback
1981 rep some stains and wear $5jh
BIGGLES IN THE ORIENT,Armada paperback
1963, partially split spine[716],browned, $4
BIGGLES IN THE SOUTH SEAS, Armada
paperback,1965,browned,some [jh]
cover edge damage
$4
BIGGLES PIONEER AIR FIGHTER,Armada
paperback1982 [705]very good $15
BIGGLES THE UNTOLD STORY Pan pb [903]
movie story book, bent corners $7
BIGGLES WORKS IT OUT,Armada [116x2]
paperback, 1971? biro against titles listing
$4
NO REST FOR BIGGLES,Arm C255 1977
paperback slight browning $7
RETURN TO MARS,Armada paperback 1970,
paper [120] browned $7
THE RESCUE FLIGHT Armada pb C305 1977
[1139] reading copy only $2
Kerana masalah kewangan, rancangan untuk membeli buku-buku ini tidak dapat diteruskan.
Sekarang ini, pada 2016, harga buku-buku terpakai ini sudah melambung tinggi.
Sebahagian cerita-cerita pendek tulisan Captain W.E Johns;
THE TURKEY
BIGGLES stood by the ante-room window
of the officers' mess with a coffee cup in his hand and regarded the
ever-threatening sky disconsolately.
It was Christmas-time; winter had long
since displaced with fogs and rains the white, piled clouds of summer, and
perfect flying weather was now merely a memory of the past. Nor did the change
of season oblige by providing anything more attractive or seasonable than
dismal conditions. A good fall of snow would have brightened up both the
landscape and the spirits of those who thought that snow and Yuletide ought
always to go together.
But the outlook from the officers'
mess of No. 266 Squadron was the very opposite of what the designers of
Christmas cards imagine an appropriate setting for the season.
"Well," observed Biggles, as
he looked at it, "I think this is a pretty rotten war. Everything's
rotten. The weather's rotten. This coffee's rotten - to say nothing of it being
half-cold. That record that Mahoney keeps playing on the gramophone is rotten.
And our half-baked mess caterer is rotten-putrid in fact!"
"Why, what's the matter with
him?" asked Wat Tyler, the recording officer, from the table, helping
himself to more bacon.
"Tomorrow is Christmas Day, and
he tells me he hasn't got a turkey for dinner."
"He can't produce turkeys out of
a hat. What do you think he is - a magician? How can ----"
"Oh, shut up, Wat. I don't know
how he can get a turkey. That's his affair."
"You expect too much. You may not
have realised it yet, but there's a war on! "
Biggles eyed the recording officer
sarcastically.
"Oh, there's a war on, is
there?" he said. "And you'd make that an excuse for not having a
turkey for Christmas dinner? I say it's all the more reason why we should have
one. I'll bet every squadron on each side of the Line has got turkey for dinner
- except us! "
"Well, you're a bright boy,"
returned Wat, "why don't you go and get one, if it's so easy?"
"For two pins I'd do it!"
snorted Biggles.
"Fiddlesticks!"
Biggles swung round on his heel.
"Fiddlesticks, my grandmother! " he snapped. " Are you
suggesting I couldn't get a turkey if I tried?"
"I am," returned Wat.
"I know for a fact that Martin has ransacked every roost, shop and
warehouse for a radius of fifty miles, and there isn't one to be had for love
or money."
"Oh," Biggles said.
"Then in that case I shall have to see about getting one."
Algy caught his eye and frowned.
"Don’t make rash promises," he said warningly.
"Well, when I do get one you’ll
be one of the first to line up with your plate, I’ll be bound," Biggles
retorted. "Look here, if I get that bird, will you all line up respectfully
and ask for a portion – and will somebody do my dawn patrols for a week?"
There was silence for a moment.
"Yes, I will," declared
Mahoney.
"Good! You can be getting a stock
of combat reports ready," declared Biggles, turning towards the door.
"Where are you off to?"
called Wat.
"Turkey hunting," replied
Biggles shortly.
"And where do you imagine you are
going to find one?"
"You don’t suppose I’m going to
stand here and wait for one to come and give itself up, do you? And you don’t
suppose I’m going to wander about this frost-bitten piece of landscape looking
for one?"
"But I tell you, you won’t find a
turkey within miles!"
"That’s all you know about
it!" grunted Biggles, and turning, slammed the door.
Now, at the beginning of that
conversation Biggles had not the remotest idea of where he was going to start
his quest for a turkey. But he had a vague recollection of seeing a large flock
of turkeys below him on an occasion when he had been flying very low; an as he
left the room to fulfil his rash promise he suddenly recalled where he had seen
them.
He was half-way to the sheds when he
called to mind the actual spot, and realised with dismay that it was over the
other side of the Lines. He paused in his stride and eyed the sky meditatively.
The clouds were low, making reconnaissance-flying quite useless, but there were
breaks through which a pilot who was willing to take chances might make his way
to the "sunnyside".
Returning to, the ground would be
definitely dangerous, for if the pilot chose to come down through the clouds at
a spot where they reached to the ground, a crash would be inevitable. But once
in the air the clouds would present plenty of cover. It was, in fact, the sort
of day on which an enthusiastic airman might penetrate a good distance into
enemy territory without encountering opposition.
He went on thoughtfully towards the
sheds. The farm on which he had seen the turkeys, he remembered, was close to a
village with a curiously shaped church tower. It was, to the best of his
judgment, between thirty and forty miles over the Lines, and provided that the
clouds were not absolutely solid in that region he felt confident of being able
to find it again.
But he had by no means made up his
mind to go, for the project bristled with big risks. To fly so far over enemy
country alone was not a trip to be lightly undertaken. And to land in enemy
territory and leave the machine-as he would have to do-was little short of
madness. Was it worth the risk?
He decided it was not, and was about
to return to the mess when he was hailed by Algy and Mahoney, who had followed
him up.
" Are you going turkey hunting in
the atmosphere?" grinned Mahoney.
The remark was sufficient to cause
Biggles to change his mind there and then, for he could stand anything except
ridicule. "Yes," he said brightly. "They fly very high, you know
- higher than you ever go. But I think I can manage to bag one."
"But you're not seriously
thinking of flying?" cried Algy, aghast. "It's impossible on a day
like this! Look how low the clouds are! "
"You'll see whether I am or
not," muttered Biggles. "Smyth, get my machine out."
"But it-----" began the
N.C.O.
"Get it out - don't argue. My
guns loaded?"
"Yes, sir."
"Tanks full?" "Yes,
sir."
"Then get her out and start
up."
"He's as mad as a March
hare," declared Mahoney hopelessly, five minutes later, as Biggles' Camel
roared up into the moisture-laden sky.
"He is!" agreed Algy.
"But it's time you knew him well enough to know that when he comes back
he'll have a turkey with him - if he comes back at all. I wish I knew which way
he'd gone. If I did I'd follow him to see that he doesn't get into
mischief."
After climbing swiftly through a hole
in the clouds Biggles came out above them at 5,000 feet, and after a swift but
searching scrutiny of the sky turned his nose north-east. In all directions
stretched a rolling sea of billowing mist that gleamed white in the wintry sun
under a sky of blue.
North, south, east, and west he
glanced in turn; but, as he expected, not a machine of any sort was in sight,
and he settled himself down to his long flight hopefully. The first difficulty,
he thought, would be to find and identify the village or farm; the next would
be to land in a suitable field near at hand without damaging the machine.
He realised that his greatest chance
of success lay in the fact that the place was so far over the Lines, well
beyond the sphere of the German aircraft and the German infantry who were
holding, or were in reserve for, the trenches. To have landed anywhere near
them would have been suicidal.
As it was, his objective was a remote
hamlet where the only opposition he was likely to encounter on the ground was a
farmer, or his men, although there was always a chance of running into stray
German troops who were quartered or billeted well behind the Lines at rest
camps or on the lines of communication.
"Well, it's no use making plans
on a job like this," he mused. "Let's find the place and see what
happens."
He glanced at his compass to make sure
that he was on his course, and then at his watch, and noticed that he had been
in the air for nearly twenty-five minutes
" Almost there," he
muttered, and began looking for a way down through the clouds. But in all
directions they presented an unbroken surface, and rather than risk
over-shooting his objective he throttled back and with his eyes on the
altimeter began gliding down through them.
He shivered involuntarily as the
clammy mist closed about him and swirled around wings and fuselage like
gale-blown smoke. Down-down-down; 3,000- 2,000-1,000, and still there was no
sign of the ground.
At 500 feet he was still in it, but it
was getting thinner, and at 3°0 feet he emerged over a sombre, snow-covered
landscape. The country was absolutely strange to him, so he raced along just
below the clouds, looking to right and left for a landmark that he could
recognise.
For about five minutes he flew on,
becoming more and more anxious, and was beginning to think that he had made a
big error of judgment when straight ahead he saw the dim outline of a
far-spreading wood. He recognised it at once.
"Dash it I I've come too
far," he muttered, and, turning the Camel in its own length he began
racing back over his course. "There must be a following wind upstairs to
take me as far over as this," he mused, as the minutes passed, and still
he could see no sign of the village he sought.
He came upon it quite suddenly, and
his heart gave a leap as his eyes fell upon the well-remembered farm- house,
with its rows of poultry houses. But where were the turkeys? Where was the
flock of a hundred or more plump black birds that had fled so wildly at his
approach on the last occasion? Then he understood.
"Of course I" he told
himself savagely. "What a fool I am! They're all dead by now. Plucked and
hanging up in the Berlin poulterers' shops, I expect. Ha!"
A sparkle came to his eyes as they
fell on a great turkey cock, evidently the monarch of the flock, that had, no
doubt, been kept as the leader of the next year's brood. It was standing
outside one of the houses, with its feathers puffed out, its head on one side,
and an eye cocked upwards on the invader of its domain.
"Don't stretch your neck, old
cock; you'll have a closer view of me in a minute," mumbled Biggles, as he
took a quick glance around to get the lie of the land.
The poultry coops were in a small
paddock about a hundred yards from the farmhouse and its outbuildings, which,
in turn, were nearly a quarter of a mile from the village. There were several
fields near at hand in which an aeroplane might be landed with some risk, and
as far as he could see, not a soul was in sight.
So much was he able to take in at a
glance. There was no wood, or any other form of cover, so concealment was out
of the question. The raid would have to be made in the open and depend entirely
upon speed for its success.
."Well, it's no use messing
about," he thought, and, cutting his engine, glided down into a long,
narrow field adjoining the paddock. He had a nasty moment or two as the machine
bumped over the snow-covered tussocks and molehills with which the pasture was
plentifully besprinkled, but kicking on right rudder just before the Camel ran
to a standstill he managed to swerve so that it stopped not far from the low
hedge which divided the field from the paddock.
He was out of the cockpit at once,
and, with his eye on the farm, ran like a deer towards the turkey, which still
appeared to be watching the proceedings with the greatest interest.
It stood quite still until he was not
more than ten yards away, but still on the wrong side of the hedge, and it was
only when he began to surmount this obstacle that the turkey's interest began
to take the form of mild alarm.
"Tch-tch!" clucked Biggles
gently, holding out his hand and strewing the snow with imaginary grains of
corn. But the bird was not so easily deluded. It began to sidestep away,
wearing that air of offended dignity that only a turkey can adopt; and, seeing
that it was likely to take real fright at any moment, Biggles made a desperate
leap.
But the turkey was ready: it sprang
nimbly to one side, at the same time emitting a shrill gobble of alarm. Biggles
landed on all fours in the sodden grass.
"I ought to have brought my gun
for you," he raged, "and then I'd give you something to gobble about,
you scraggy-necked----"
His voice died away as he gazed in
stupefied astonishment at a man who had appeared at the door of the nearest poultry
house-which, judging by the fork he held, he had been in the act of cleaning.
If Biggles was surprised, it was clear
that the man was even more surprised, and for ten seconds they stared at each
other speechlessly. Biggles was the first to recover his presence of mind,
although he hesitated as to what course to pursue.
Remembering that he was in occupied
Belgian territory, it struck him that the man looked more like a Belgian than
an enemy.
"Are you German?" Biggles
asked sharply, in French.
"No, Belgian," replied the
other quickly. "You are English, is it not?" he added quickly,
glancing apprehensively towards the farmhouse.
The action was not lost on Biggles.
"Are there Germans in the house?" he asked tersely.
"Yes, the Boches are living in my
house!" The Belgian spat viciously.
Biggles thought swiftly. If there were
Germans in the house they would be soldiers, and, of course, armed. At any
moment one of them might look out of a window and see him.
"Why have you come here?"
the Belgian went on, in a nervous whisper.
Biggles pointed to the turkey.
"For that," he answered.
The Belgian looked at him in
amazement. He looked at the bird, and then back at Biggles. Then he shook his
head. "That is impossible," he said. "I am about to kill it, for
it has been kept back for the German officers in the village."
"Will they pay you for it?"
asked Biggles quickly.
"No."
"Then I will. How much?"
The Belgian looked startled. "It
is not possible!" he exclaimed again.
"Isn't it?" Biggles cast a
sidelong glance at the turkey, which, reassured by the presence of the owner,
whom it knew, was strutting majestically up and down within three yards of
them. He thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out some loose franc notes.
"Here, take this!" he said, and leapt on to the bird.
This time there was no mistake, and he
clutched it in both arms. He seized the flapping wings and held them together
with his left hand, taking a firm grip of the neck with his right.
"Come on, kill it!" he
called to the Belgian. "I can't! "
There was a sudden shout from the
direction of the house and, looking up, he saw to his horror that a soldier in
grey uniform was standing on the doorstep watching him. Again the call of alarm
rang out and a dozen or more German troops - some half-dressed, others fully
clad and carrying rifles - poured out.
For a moment they stood rooted in
astonishment. Then, in a straggling line, they charged down into the paddock.
Biggles waited for no more. Ducking
under the outstretched arm of the farmer, who made a half-hearted attempt to
stop him, he scrambled over the hedge into the field where he had left the
machine. His foot caught in a briar, and he sprawled headlong; but the bird,
which he had no intention of relinquishing, broke his fall, and he was up again
at once.
Dishevelled, and panting with
excitement, he sped towards the Camel. Fortunately, the impact of Biggles' ten
stone weight as he fell seemed to have stunned the bird, or winded it; at any
rate, it remained fairly passive during the dash to the machine.
As he ran, Biggles was wondering what
he was going to do with the bird when he got to the machine, and blamed himself
for overlooking this very vital question. With time he could have tied it up,
but with the Germans howling like a pack of hounds in full cry less than a
hundred yards away, there was no time for that.
He did the only thing possible. He
slung the bird into the cockpit, and still holding it with his right hand
climbed in after it. It was obvious at once that there was no room for both of
them, for the cockpit of a Camel is small, and the turkey is a large bird.
At least, there was no room on the
floor of the cock-pit without jamming the control-stick one way or the other,
which certainly would not do. The Camel was not fitted for side-by-side
seating, so in sheer desperation he plonked the bird on to the seat and sat on
it.
He felt sorry for the bird, but there
was no alternative, and he mentally promised it respite as soon as they got
clear of the ground.
A rifle cracked perilously near, and
another, so without waiting to make any fine adjustments, he shoved the
throttle open and sped across the snow. It did not take him long to realise
that he had bitten off rather more than he could chew, for the turkey was not
only a large bird but a very strong one.
Whether it was simply recovering from
the effects of the fall, or whether it was startled by the roar of the three
hundred horse-power in the Camel's Bentley rotary engine, is neither here nor
there; but the fact remains that no sooner had he started to take off than the
bird gave a convulsive jerk that nearly threw him on the centre-section.
"Sit still, you fool," he rasped. "Do you want to kill us
both?" In sheer desperation he pulled the machine off the ground and steered
a crazy course into the sky.
He breathed a sigh of relief as his
wheels lifted, for he had fully expected his undercarriage to buckle at any
moment under the unusual strain. The danger of the troops being past, he
attempted to adjust himself and his passenger into positions more conducive to
safety and comfort.
He groped for his belt, but quickly
discovered that its length, while suitably adapted for a single person, was not
long enough to meet round him in his elevated position. So he abandoned it, and
keeping under the clouds, made for home, hoping that he would not find it
necessary to fly in any position other than on even keel.
His head was, of course, sticking well
up above the windscreen, and the icy slipstream of the propeller smote his face
with hurricane force. He tried to crouch forward, but the turkey, relieved of
part of his weight, seized the opportunity thus presented to make a commendable
effort to return to its paddock.
It managed to get one wing in between
Biggles' legs and, using it as a lever, nearly sent him over the side; he only
saved himself by letting go of the control-stick and grabbing at the sides of
the cockpit with both hands. The machine responded at once to this unusual
freedom by making a sickening, swerving turn earthwards, and he only prevented
a spin, which at that altitude would have been fatal, by the skin of his teeth.
"Phew! " he gasped, thoroughly
alarmed. "Another one like that and this bird'll have the cockpit to
himself! " He brought the machine to even keel, at the same time taking a
swift look around for possible trouble.
He saw it at once, in the shape of a
lone Albatros scout that had evidently just emerged from the clouds, and was
now moving towards him.
He pursed his lips, then automatically
bent forward to see if his gun sight was in order. Only then did he realize
that he was much too high in his seat to get his eye anywhere near it. In a
vain attempt to do this he again crouched forward, and once more the bird
displayed its appreciation of the favour by-heaving to such good purpose that
Biggles was flung forward so hard that his nose struck the top edge of the
windscreen. He blinked under the blow, and retaliated by fetching the cause of
it a smart jab with his left elbow.
Meanwhile, the Hun was obviously
regarding the unusual position and antics of the pilot with deep suspicion, for
he half turned away before approaching warily from another direction.
"That fellow must think I've got
St. Vitus' Dance," thought Biggles moodily, as the bird started a new
movement of short, sharp jerks which had the effect of causing the pilot to bob
up and down and the machine to pursue a curious, undulating course. "I
don't wonder he's scared!" he concluded. "Oh, help!"
The turkey had at last succeeded in
getting its head free, and it raised it to a point not a foot from Biggles'
face. The look of dignity it had once worn was now replaced by one of indignation.
For a moment or two all went well, for
the bird seemed to be satisfied with this modicum of freedom, and began to look
from side to side at its unusual surroundings with considerable interest.
"Yes, my lad, that's a Hun over
there!" Biggles told it viciously, as the Albatros swept round behind
them. "If you start playing the fool again you're likely to be roasted in
your feathers!"
Taka-taka-taka-taka!
Biggles saw that the Hun had placed
himself in a good position for attack, and knew the matter was getting serious.
He had no intention of losing his life for the sake of a meal, so he forthwith
prepared to jettison his cargo--an action which had always been in the
background of his mind as a last resort.
But, to his increasing alarm, he found
that this was going to be a by-no-means-simple matter, and he was considering
the best way of accomplishing it when the staccato chatter of machine-guns, now
very close, reached his ears.
To stunt, or even return the attack,
was out of the question, and now, thoroughly alarmed, he moved his body as far
forward as possible in order to allow the bird to wriggle up behind him and
escape. The turkey appeared to realise his intention, and began worming its way
upward between his back and the seat.
Taka-taka-taka-taka-taka!
"Get out, you fool! " yelled
Biggles, as he heard the bullets boring into the fuselage behind him; but
either the bird did not understand or else it refused to accept his invitation,
for it remained quite still. There was only one thing to do, and he did it. He
pulled the control-stick back and shot upwards into the clouds.
To climb right through them - a
distance of perhaps several thousand feet - was, of course, impossible, for to
keep the machine level in such conditions was out of the question. Still, he
hung on until, finding himself becoming giddy, he dived earthward again, and
looked anxiously for his pursuer as he emerged into clean air.
To his annoyance, he saw that the Hun
was still there, about three hundred yards behind him.
In turning to look behind he had put
his left hand on the bird, and as he turned once more he saw, to his horror,
that his glove was covered with blood.
"I've been hit!" was his
first thought.
Then he grasped the true state of
affairs. No wonder the bird was quiet-it was dead. It had stopped a shot which
in normal circumstances might have caught him in the small of the back.
The shock sobered him, but he found
that it was a good deal easier to dispose of a dead bird than a living one.
Twenty-odd pounds of dead weight was a very different proposition from the same
weight of jerking, flapping, muscular life, and he had no difficulty in stowing
it in the space between the calves of his legs and the bottom of the seat.
This done, he quickly buckled his
safety-belt, and, turning to his attacker, saw, to his intense relief, that,
presumably encouraged by his opponent's disinclination to fight, the Hun was
coming in carelessly to deliver the knock-out.
Biggles spun the Camel round in its
own length and shot up in a climbing turn that brought him behind the
straight-winged machine. That the pilot had completely lost him he saw at a
glance, for he raised his head from his sights, and was looking up and down, as
if bewildered by the Camel's miraculous disappearance.
Confidently Biggles roared down to
point-blank range. The German looked round over his shoulder at the same
moment, but he was too late, for Biggles' hand had already closed over his
gun-lever.
He fired only a short burst, but it
was enough. The Albatros reared up on its tail, fell off on to a wing, and then
spun earthwards, its engine roaring in full throttle.
Biggles did not wait to see it crash.
He was more concerned with getting home, for he was both cold and tired. He
found a rift in the clouds, climbed up through it, and, without seeing a
machine of any description, crossed the Lines into comparative safety.
Judging the position of the aerodrome
as well as he could he crept cautiously back to the ground, and landed on the
deserted tarmac.
With grim satisfaction, he hauled the
corpse of his unwitting preserver from the cockpit, and, flinging it over his
shoulder, strode towards the mess.
Dead silence greeted him as he opened
the mess door, and, still in his flying-kit, heaved the body of his feathered
passenger on to the table. Then a babble of voices broke out.
Mahoney pushed his way to the front,
staring. "Where on earth did you get that?" he cried incredulously.
"I told you I was going turkey
hunting," replied Biggles simply, "and-well, there you are! Look a
bit closer, and you'll see the bullet-holes. I don't like reminding you, old
lad, but don't forget you're doing my early patrols next week. And don't forget
I'm carving the turkey I "
The End
Friday, June 3, 2016
Kaput
Oleh kerana seringkali diucapkan oleh rakyat Malaysia, untuk suatu jangkamasa, aku menyangkakan bahawa "kaput" adalah bahasa Melayu, suatu slanga, mungkin, sehinggalah aku menemuinya di dalam kamus, baharulah aku ketahui bahawa ia adalah daripada bahasa Inggeris, walaupun mungkin juga berasal daripada perkataan Jerman.
menurut Merriam-Webster;
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kaput
kaput
adjective ka·put \kə-ˈpu̇t, kä-, -ˈpüt\
Simple Definition of kaput
- : no longer working
- : no longer able to continue : completely ruined or defeated
Full Definition of kaput
- 1: utterly finished, defeated, or destroyed
- 2: unable to function
- 3: hopelessly outmoded
Did You Know?
Kaput originated with a card game called piquet that has been popular in France for centuries. French players originally used the term "capot" to describe both big winners and big losers. To win all twelve tricks in a hand was called "faire capot" ("to make capot"), but to lose them all was known as "être capot" ("to be capot"). German speakers adopted "capot," but respelled it "kaputt," and used it only for losers. When English speakers borrowed the word from German, they started using "kaput" for things that were broken, useless, or destroyed.
Oleh kerana kurang berinteraksi dengan bangsa Inggeris dan Eropah, maka aku sangat kurang ataupun mungkin tidak pernah mendengar perkataan kaput diucapkan oleh orang-orang selain rakyat Malaysia. Mungkin satu-satunya situasi aku mendengar ia diucapkan oleh bangsa Inggeris sendiri ialah di dalam siri The Incredible Hulk S02E03 The Antowuk Horror.
Kaput
Oleh kerana seringkali diucapkan oleh rakyat Malaysia, untuk suatu jangkamasa, aku menyangkakan bahawa "kaput" adalah bahasa Melayu, suatu slanga, mungkin, sehinggalah aku menemuinya di dalam kamus, baharulah aku ketahui bahawa ia adalah daripada bahasa Inggeris, walaupun mungkin juga berasal daripada perkataan Jerman.
menurut Merriam-Webster;
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kaput
kaput
adjective ka·put \kə-ˈpu̇t, kä-, -ˈpüt\
Simple Definition of kaput
- : no longer working
- : no longer able to continue : completely ruined or defeated
Full Definition of kaput
- 1: utterly finished, defeated, or destroyed
- 2: unable to function
- 3: hopelessly outmoded
Did You Know?
Kaput originated with a card game called piquet that has been popular in France for centuries. French players originally used the term "capot" to describe both big winners and big losers. To win all twelve tricks in a hand was called "faire capot" ("to make capot"), but to lose them all was known as "être capot" ("to be capot"). German speakers adopted "capot," but respelled it "kaputt," and used it only for losers. When English speakers borrowed the word from German, they started using "kaput" for things that were broken, useless, or destroyed.
Oleh kerana kurang berinteraksi dengan bangsa Inggeris dan Eropah, maka aku sangat kurang ataupun mungkin tidak pernah mendengar perkataan kaput diucapkan oleh orang-orang selain rakyat Malaysia. Mungkin satu-satunya situasi aku mendengar ia diucapkan oleh bangsa Inggeris sendiri ialah di dalam siri The Incredible Hulk S02E03 The Antowuk Horror.
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