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He certainly had a problem Under less restricted circuood deal more sympathetic But I too had a probleency his did not share Another few hours of celibacy would not kill hie would resolve itself in hanging or decapitation or whatever sort of fun and gaenda

"I suppose you have had women?"

"Oh," I said "Yes, uh, yes I have" And so I had, and it was the possession of one such, Tuppence Ngawa by naht me to Thailand in the first place

"Many women?"

"Not too many"

"What are they like?"

"Better than ham"

"Pardon me?"

"Never mind," I said It was a reference to an old joke about a priest and a rabbi, a joke that couldn’t make much sense to a Thai Besides, it was a diversion; thenoas to find a way to escape, and the only hope was this unhappy virgin, and-

Of course

"There is nothing on earth to match the embrace of a woman," I said "I am not without extensive experience in such matters and I can tell you that no other sensation is its equivalent The soft, sweet texture of fery lips and tender doe-like eyes, the taste of a woent aroma of a woman…"

I went on in this vein for quite a while It had the desired effect The poor clown had a fairly short fuse to begin with, and this was sheer agony for him "Stop," he said at last "Please stop"

"It is unfair that you have never known such joy If only I were free, I would do so about it"

"You would?"

"Of course, my friend"

"But ould you do?"

"I would help you find a woman"

"You could do this?"

"With ease and with pleasure"

He hesitated for a moment "It is a trick," he said suddenly "It is a capitalist imperialist trick, a trick"

And he went away

I slapped aobscene in Sia to kill me I didn’t kno and I didn’t knohy, but it hardlyto let inal friend had decided that he did not trust o to sleep and I would never wake up I could barely remember what sleep was like, but the way I re up refreshed, and that was a part I couldn’t look forward to They were going to put me to sleep, and that would be the end of it

"You would really get me a woman?"

He had returned It was darker now, and his voice washis ti about Capitalist imperialist trick or no, I was his one chance, just as he was ed upon less than that

"I will"

"I have decided to trust you, my friend"

"Good"

"I shall help you"

"They will killabout it"

"We will escape"

"Good"

"Together"

"Good"

"I go now When it is darker, when the caood friend"

I celebrated by slapping anotherthe days and considerably worse at night, and night was co The le, but by the time I was captured the ferocity of their attack had direat extent By now they mostly let me alone What with my diet and my dysentery and the raids of earlierout of blood

I wondered if my little friend would ever come back and whether his help would e could only be opened by lowering it to the ground, which in turn could not be done withoutthe entire caht, so that even if I escaped fro to sneak out of the cale to walk through