Thursday, May 6, 2010 - An hour after the General's plane had taken off,... |
| An hour after the General's plane had taken off, Dalleson received a bewildering patrol reportA squad from E Company had patrolled a thousand yards into the jungle beyond their latest positions and found a Japanese bivouac desertedUnless the co-ordinates they reported were completely incorrect, that bivouac should have been nearly in the rear of the Toyaku Line
At first Dalleson didn't believe the reportThere was the memory of Sergeant Lanning and the false reports he had given, the indications that any number of squad and platoon leaders were not fulfilling their missionsBut still it seemed unlikelyIf a man was going to falsify a report, he was more likely to say he had encountered resistance and turned back
The Major scratched his noseIt was eleven o'clock fendi spy bag replica and the morning sun had been baking long enough on the operations tent to make the air inside unbearably hot, leavened with the dry unpleasant smell of heated canvasThe Major was sweating, and the portion he could see of the bivouac clearing through the furled side walls of the tent shimmered in the heat and blared back in his eyesHe was thirsty and debated emptily for a few minutes whether to send one of the enlisted clerks to officers' mess for an iced beer from the refrigeratorBut it seemed too much troubleThis was the kind of day when he would have preferred to do nothing except sit before his desk and wait for reports to be forwarded to himA few feet away two officers were discussing the possibility of getting away in a jeep for the afternoon to go swimming chanel handbags for sale on the beachHis stomach was bothering him, as it did on all particularly hot days, and he fanned himself slowly, vaguely irritable
"There's a rumor, utterly unfounded, of course," one of the lieutenants drawled, "that we're getting some Red Cross girls after the campaign
"We'll have to fix up a part of the beach, have lockers builtIt might end up quite nicely, you know
"We'll be moving out againInfantry always gets the worst of it That lieutenant lit a cigarette"But, God, I wish the campaign was over
"What for? We'll just have to write the history when it isThat's always the worst time
Dalleson sighed againTheir talk about the end of the campaign depressed himWhat was he going to do about that patrol report? He felt a gentle tug at his bowelsIt would louis vuitton diaper bags not be unpleasant sitting here, contemplating going to the latrine, if he had nothing to worry aboutIn the distance an artillery battery had fired, sending a moody echo through the sultry morning airThe Major picked up the field telephone on his desk and cranked it twice"Give me Potential Red Easy," he grunted at the operator
He asked for the Commanding Officer of E Company"Listen, Windmill, this is Lanyard," he saidHe was using the code names
"What do you want, Lanyard?"
"I got a patrol report this morning from youNumber 318, you know the one I mean?"
"Yes
"Is the goddam thing true? And let's have it, WindmillIf one of your boys made it up and you cover for him, I'll have your ass over a barrelI checked on it myself, I talked to the squad leaderHe swears chanel tote he didn't goof-off
"All right, I'm going to proceed on the --" the Major looked for the word he had heard so often -- "on the assumption that it's okayAnd Heaven help ya if it isn't
The Major mopped his face againWhy did the General have to be away on this of all days? He had a subdued resentment that Cummings had not foreseen itHe should get something in motion right away but he was confusedInstead, he decided to go to the latrine
Sitting on the boards, feeling the sun bake sentiently on his exposed belly, the Major tried to thinkBut other things distracted himThe latrine stench was extremely powerful on this hot morning and he noticed it, made a decision to have a detail dig a new officers' latrine that afternoonHis red face sweated profusely in the open d |
|
|
About Me
Friends
|
