Chapter 33
Through the corners of your eyes you see the Jap
sentry approaching. He traverses your line of sight and as
his searching scrutiny passes over your hiding place,
mmmyou instinctively
draw back and try to make yourself small and inconspicuous.
The Nip is wearing remnants of a worn khaki shirt
and you can see that he carries around his neck
an amulet in the form of a small cloth bag
which probably contains some earth from his native village shrine
and which he firmly believes will protect him in battle.
up to his bare knees. Around his waist is a
"fundashi" or loin cloth, with a pocket on its side
out of which protrudes a knife handle. Across his shoulder
is a bandolier of ammunition, while carried in his hands
is his rifle with its gleaming bayonet attached. Jauntily cocked
on his head is a steel helmet camouflaged with foliage.
The tour of his post ends where the slight rise
on which the observation station has been situated descends to
the marshy level of the stream's approaches, and the sentry
turns to walk back. "Little brown brother. . .little brown brother,
you are the customer listed on our bill of lading.
"You're just a runt, barely more than five feet tall,
and you're galled at the fact that the white man
is bigger than you are, and it spurs you on
to work twice as hard for longer lengths of time.
During your occupation of this island, you rose before morning
And, after a brief toilet, you began your daily worship
with meditation and a respectful reading of the Imperial mandate.
"You'll labor from pain at dawn to groan at night,
and spend the rest of your time fighting or marching.
And you'll do it all on a handful of rice
and maybe a few scraps of dried fish or some
chopped seaweed or sliced ginger or gourd shavings
mmmwashed down
with sake or a beverage made from Mamushi snake flesh.
And even without food or drink you can keep going
for a longer period, and at meal times you will
pretend that you have eaten and contentedly display a toothpick.
"There are two chances in three that in civilian life
you were either a farmer or an urban factory worker,
and when you write home you are permitted to say:
'I fight south of the equator and need more competition.
The enemy is weak. I fight fiercely and I live
under conditions very similar to those of the regular residents'."
Here he comes again. "Little brown brother, when your relatives
receive the official notification of your heroic death in action,
they will rigidly abstain from eating fish for 49 days
in mourning. You will never sit among them and exaggerate."
He pivots and retraces his steps. With sudden apprehension you
see that he has paused and is looking at the
pile of loose stones. Could he have detected Lindstrom's
mmmpresence?
No. His attitude is expectant rather than suspicious. It occurs
to you that he might be waiting for relief.
Jesus Christ, we'll have to work fast. We'll have to
get him out of the way in a hurry and
set a trap for the next one. Where is Lindstrom?
The sentry resumes his walk. Egan's hand grips your arm.
You see a slight tremor in the bushes opposite you.
It's Lindstrom. His knife is unsheathed. The Jap's back is
angled toward him. This will be quick and clean.
Japs don't mind death. It's a nice change from living.
* * *
