““The officer grinned cheerfully at Ralph. 'We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?' Ralph nodded. The officer inspected the little scarecrow in front of him. The kid needed a bath, a haircut, a nose-wipe and a good deal of ointment. 'Nobody killed, I hope? Any dead bodies?' 'Only two. And they've gone.' The officer leaned down and looked closely at Ralph. 'Two? Killed?' Ralph nodded again. Behind him, the whole island was shuddering with flame. The officer knew, as a rule, when people were telling the truth. He whistled softly.””
