Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING
“Perhaps you had a tummyache,” Heinrich grumbled, “because
you have been so nervous.”
Harry agreed: “Having my cottage nearly burn down the other
night did not help matters.”
Heinrich laughed with hearty falseness, and then said a few jolly
words to the new guests, “Ein berauschter und abgeschmackter
Witz,” to inform them that Harry was just a drunken fool. By now
half of the new guests had folded their own brows into frowns, and
the others were asking for more details. Even if the American was only
joking, what kind of drunken madman had they been saddled with at
what was supposed to be a first-class resort? Heinrich excused himself
and departed to sort out passports and dinner arrangements.
Harry went up to the German who had done most of the translat­
ing. “Where in Burma are you coming from, may I ask?”
“From Mandalay,” the man said evenly. “Very interesting city.
Beautiful and very many histories.”
“Did you happen to see a group of Americans, eleven of them, by
any chance?” And here Harry paused to think how best to describe
them, by their most distinguishing characteristics. “A very pretty
Chinese lady and her daughter, twelve years old. And a black lady,
quite tall, who wears long stripey caftans and walks like an African
queen. Also there was a teenage boy, looking rather Asian, which he
is by half, and the others, well, sort of what typical Americans look
like... tall, wearing baseball caps. Have you seen them? Yes?”
The man translated briskly for his group. “He is asking if we have
seen Chinese tourists, women and children, American in style.” And
they all returned the same answer: No.
“Thought not,” Harry said. He was quiet for a moment, then said
to the designated interpreter, “Would you be so kind as to ask your
friends to be on the lookout for my friends? If you happen to run into
them while you’re sightseeing today or tomorrow...Well, you see,
they’ve been missing since Christmas morning. All eleven of them.”
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