Lion, Tiger, Bear | 419 Watcha lookin at? Aint you flea-bitten mutts ever seen a joyman airship before? asked a grizzled chief petty officer of decent years from the Brooklyn Navy Yard. You there! Stop touchin that damn ting or yoose burn ya hand. Over-curious Seabees, huh? Give em hell, Chief, said Bernie, shaking out butts for both of them and heading for the latrine, the lavender paper trailing from his pocket. Tanks, sir. Dese here greasy barn animals wouldnt know ah split coconut from a pissinlug nut. Marines escorted the Germans off the Bear and into one of the huts to be debriefed. Despondent, bonds cut, an exhausted Gerlach hobbled along shoeless in the deep sand behind Porsche. Intolerable situationa prisoner! The shame of it all.. .Hope they have cold pilsner at least. Weary, trousers ripped in several places, Porsche fluffed his ragged Homburg. Hmmff. Ill second that, Walter. Oh, and if you have any designs on lolling me again Ill have my son Ferry sabotage your Mercedes drop-top. Remember…the palm gardens by the Canyon River in Shambala? asked Gerlach in a whisper. Porsche furrowed his brow. Gardens? Wheres Shambala? He laughed. Nothing…nothing at all. Just a dream I had. Schafer looked to one of the Navajo Marines and laughed. Cowboys and Indians, Edmund, noble red descendants of Lemuria.’Ihe great Geronimo. Cochise. Ja-ja… he replied. If only they would allow us to measure some craniums. Move along and keep your yaps shut, you Kraut pricks, said the gruff Navajo Marine, menacing Garand pointed. Inside the main hut, U.S. Naval officers, ONI, an OSS woman in an Army uniform, and two Army G2 intelligence personnel greeted the Germans warmly as guests, not POWs. Cold Budweiser and root beer were served from an ice bucket along with Spam sandwiches on G.I. white bread. Light conversations ensued: Rations and crew comfort, flight duration and places visited, engineering discussions, sightings of Russians and Japanese forces, underground tunnels and rivers described in detail, hometowns and family, caverns, strange animals and tall trees, the mysterious disappearance of the odd and disliked Nazarra brothers during the whirlpool storm, Geneva Convention protocols, varieties of Pennsylvania Dutch and Bavarian bratwurst debated.