Bowler Hat and Red Nose
A BLOODHOUND IS NEEDED 1 Little Rece was musing as he ate his lunch. The investigation seemed so simple sometimes. Catch the thief, take the reward, and that’s all. At other times it felt complicated and difficult. How should they begin? What did they need? And then he realised that he should ask his brother for advice. His brother read detective stories every day. “We had an argument about what is needed for an investigation. I mean, I was listening to all the rubbish being said about umbrellas, galoshes, wires.” “That is rubbish indeed.” “I think that a revolver is needed.” “That is just as stupid. The first thing that is needed is a corpse.” “Naturally, that’s clear.” “And then, it depends. The best thing to have is a bloodhound. Let it sniff about, and the investigation can begin. This is an English specialty.” The little Rece yawned. “At least try to look competent if I try to engage in an intelligent conversation with you.” But the little Rece already knew what he wanted, and he was not interested in intelligent conversations at all. 43
“Thank you for the intelligent conversation anyway.” “In exchange for that, go and fetch Mum’s sleeping pills.” Little Rece put the prescription in his pocket. He walked down the stairs and stood in the gateway. How should he get a bloodhound? In the meantime, he walked to the pharmacy and bought the pills. His overloaded left pocket was bulging, and the pills tinkled in the glass with every step. He strolled lazily down the street, eyeing the dogs. There were plenty of them, but each had a leash on its neck with somebody holding the other end. Then he saw a boy, cursing with great talent. “Come on, you bastard! You lunatic hell-hound! You dog of a bitch! You cock-up scavenger! You oversize bacillus! You, you, you!”
His dog flashed its tiny porcelain teeth, lay down in the dust, spreading its legs like a frog. “Is this your dog?” “Is this a dog at all? Do you think I am willingly making a fool of myself?” 44
“So it was passed off on you.” “You’re as sharp as a razor. I have tried everything. But this bastard always finds its way home.” “Do you want me to help you?” “Let’s hear the offer, brother.” “Not that I would want it. But I have a sick aunt, I’d like to surprise her with it.” “There is only one question, brother. Where does your aunt live?” “The postman only goes there once a week. With a gun because the place is so deserted.” “Here, take the dog!” “What is her name?” “Lili.” “Quite a stupid name. Now come on, Lili.” Lili looked at little Rece with bright eyes. Then she rushed forth and the leash tightened. This was how they reached the square. Still running, little Rece saw Bagaméri leaning on his cart, and – yes! – a huge bloodhound was leashed to the wheel. The little Rece murmured to himself in a dismal tone: “Bagaméri looks suspicious, very suspicious!”
2 Lili was an undivided success among the wild geese. The little Rece was proud of the dog, although it secretly hurt him a little when he saw that Lili was just as friendly with everyone as she was with him. He explained to them what the dog should be used for. 45
“Can this dog sniff at all?” Karcsi whispered. “I mean, isn’t she too small?” The little Rece rejected the idea. “We shall need her wit, not her physical force.” The wild geese set out. The little Rece put the leash back on the dog’s neck. Péter took the album from under his pillow, and put a piece of paper in it. On the paper he wrote: Inspection of the scene. Participants: Lili, Rozmaring, Rex, Jim and Joe, Boa and Constrictor. Reserve: Hörömpő and Emmánuel the Fourth.
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separate part különálló rész
vertically függőlegesen
to get stuck elakad
cell rubrika
appropriate megfelelő
digit számjegy
to scan átnéz
approach megközelítés
confinement szobafogság
to mutter motyog
amnesty amnesztia
horizontally vízszintesen
A BLOODHOUND IS NEEDED 1 galoshes sárcipő
to bulge kidagad
corpse holttest
to eye sg nézeget vmit
wire kábel
bloodhound véreb
to sniff about körülszaglászik to yawn ásít
to fetch elhoz
sleeping pill altató (tabletta) prescription recept
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to tinkle csilingel
leash póráz
to curse szitkozódik scavenger dögevő
oversize túlméretezett bacillus bacilus
to flash sg felvillant vmit
to pass sg off on sy rásóz vmt vkre
to tighten megfeszül
deserted elhagyatott
suspicious gyanús
dismal gyászos
razor borotva
2 undivided osztatlan
wit
to reject sg visszautasít vmit
reserve tartalék
success siker
ész
inspection of the scene helyszíni szemle
INSPECTION OF THE SCENE 1 intrusion behatolás
grid rács
investigator nyomozó
a week’s dose egy heti adag
undercover titkos
to toot tülköl
foghorn ködkürt to croak brekeg
cracked voice rekedt hang
resignation beletörődés
charming elbűvölő
to clatter by elzötyög
to wrap becsomagol gravel kavicsos
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About the Author István Csukás (1936–) studied music, law and arts. He earned his living as the editor-in-chief of Móra Ferenc Publishing House from 1978 to 1985, and has been working as a freelance writer ever since. He turned to children’s literature in the mid-60’s, and wrote close to a hundred volumes of novels, poetry and tales.
About the Title The members of the Wild Geese patrol enter into an alliance to find the turtles that were stolen from the Zoo. Bagaméri, the damned ice-cream man, constantly crosses their path to get to the turtles first and to earn the reward. The serialised film version of the book produced in 1974 received several awards, for example the Best Children Series award in Hollywood in 1976.