Arthur G. Hill,
The Terrible Answer
“ Smith said, raising his glass. "Here's to empire."Larkin was striding up and down the line of straining Martians. The scowl had become a part of him.It's getting him, Smith marveled. Act or no act, he likes it. Experiment or not, he's in his element.The six men sat drinking their beer and watching Larkin. But only Cleve was aware of the skill with which the man worked. The gradual application of pressure; the careful moving forward from bog to bog with the path of retreat always open. From sharpness to brusqueness. From the brusque to the harsh. From the harsh to the brutal. ”
