Межзвёздный скиталец
Chapter 3
Therewasnoneedformany,becausetheyunlockedonlyonedungeonatatime.Theywereequippedwithpick-handles—ahandytoolforthe“disciplining”ofahelplessman.Onedungeonatatime,anddungeonbydungeon,theymessedandpulpedthelifers.Theywereimpartial.Ireceivedthesamepulpingastherest.Andthiswasmerelythebeginning,thepreliminarytotheexaminationeachmanwastoundergoaloneinthepresenceofthepaidbrutesofthestate.Itwastheforecasttoeachmanofwhateachmanmightexpectininquisitionhall.
Ihavebeenthroughmostoftheredhellsofprisonlife,but,worstofall,farworsethanwhattheyintendtodowithmeinashortwhile,wastheparticularhellofthedungeonsinthedaysthatfollowed.
LongBillHodge,thehard-bittenmountaineer,wasthefirstmaninterrogated.Hecamebacktwohourslater—or,rather,theyconveyedhimback,andthrewhimonthestoneofhisdungeonfloor.TheythentookawayLuigiPolazzo,aSanFranciscohoodlum,thefirstnativegenerationofItalianparentage,whojeeredandsneeredatthemandchallengedthemtowreaktheirworstuponhim.
ItwassometimebeforeLongBillHodgemasteredhispainsufficientlytobecoherent.
“Whataboutthisdynamite?”hedemanded.
