Chapter 26
This is the locked and unused room of the world
about which the questions of the curious are politely ignored
and which, like its stock counterpart in a Hollywood scenario,
protects the family from having to witness its eugenic monstrosity.
Egan has not gone forward yet to his point position,
and Lindstrom stops the patrol in order to arrange signals.
He says, "One tap on the Tommy butt means halt.
Two taps mean danger, and three taps mean all clear.
If you see or hear anything suspicious, don't forget them
because in a spot like this we each have four
lives to worry about. Got it?" Whitney and Egan grunt
their agreement and you nod. "Okay, Egan, get up front."
Whitney moves to your left flank, about ten yards ahead,
and Lindstrom is to your right. Egan is rapidly disappearing
behind the heavy veil of frondescence. Now you are alone.
Wind up all the little alarm clocks of your mind.
Look around. No, you won't be able to see through
the jungle, but quite frequently you can look under it
because most of the vegetation is only a foot high
and there is a space between the undergrowth's high mark
and the lowest level reached by the crowded, overhanging vines.
Move as part of the ground. Be quiet and silent.
Stretch out your toe exploringly while you keep the weight
of your body on your rear leg. You wish that
stealth was natural for you, but a lifetime of security
has made your movements deliberate and direct.
mmmBright artificial lights
have reduced the efficiency of your vision, and all the
noise and din of city life has dulled your hearing.
But dammit, you've still got two ears on your head
and they were both approved by port of embarkation physicians
and they both stick out in the commonly accepted manner.
Can you distinguish the click of a rifle being loaded
from the sound of a twig being snapped in two?
Can you identify the fleeting thud of a human footstep
as against the pad of one of the jungle animals?
It is pitch, it is volume, it is tonal quality.
It is a patchwork of sounds, a complexity of loudnesses,
a momentary swish of audibility, a delicate flutter of frequencies.
Use your eyes, too. Sure, "visibility limited" is an understatement
and maybe this is tobacco road on a dark night.
But at least you can see the indications of activity,
like broken stems of bushes or water spattered from leaves,
and you can avoid stepping on rotten logs and branches
and insecure footing and stones that are likely to roll.
Use your nose. The stink of defecation will tell you
whether or not Japs have been there and how recently.
Decomposition has a thin, sickish stench, and a dead Nip
left behind unburied may give you some very valuable clues.
Cigarette smoke persists for a long time in the jungle
and its odor may lead you directly to the enemy.
Then, too, you have been told that under field conditions
a Jap can be smelled from about ten feet away.
And use your head. Be alert, but take things easy.
Move with your muscles relaxed and save your body moisture.
Fear and exhaustion are the big dangers in jungle combat,
so don't get excited or panicky or lose your patience.
Still, don't get reckless and cocky. Make one tiny slip
and you might as well lie down and be buried.
Do it the hard way, the rough, tough, Army way.
Your class at college voted you Most Likely to Succeed.
