Chapter 34
You look at your watch. "Now!" you whisper, "Now!" Whitney
takes hold of a slender bamboo stalk and shakes it
and the noise seems like a clap of piercing thunder.
The Jap whirls at the sound and instantly leaps to
a position of readiness, with legs spread wide and rifle
thrust out sideways as though to stand off an attack.
You see Lindstrom reach out with his left hand and
pick up a fistful of dirt which he will probably
use to throw in the Nip's eyes if he should
happen to turn around accidentally. He starts forward, slowly at
first, hoping to get within striking distance before being discovered.
Your breath is smothered with tension. He takes one step,
then another. Five or six more and he'll be able
to leap on the enemy and dig his trench knife
into the sentry's back. Stealthily he is narrowing the gap.
Suddenly, there is a crash of brittle underbrush behind him
and your head jerks at the sound and you see
another Jap running out from behind the rock pile, heading
straight for Lindstrom, with his rifle distended and his bayonet
held high for a jab at the throat. The sentry
in the foreground wheels around and is momentarily stupefied at
the situation. Then he, too, raises his piece and charges.
Quick! Get on your feet! Smash through the restraining barrier
of brush. You see a look of consternation on Lindstrom's
face. He is standing there with his knife frozen in
his hand. You are free of the tangled vines now
and the butt of the Tommy gun is pressed against
your ribs. The first Jap reaches him and lunges with
a short, upward stab. Lindstrom sidesteps, throws the dirt in
his face and with the same motion grabs hold of
the rifle barrel. His other hand is raised to drive
the knife into the Nip's exposed body, but the sentry
closes in to aid his comrade and parries the blow,
catching the knife in the hook near the hilt of
his bayonet. You can't shoot now! You can't! You're sure
to hit your own man. Whitney and Egan are up.
Let's get 'em! Let's get 'em! Let's get 'em with
our knives or bayonets or bare hands. Let's get 'em!
You throw aside the submachine gun and run for the
struggling group, drawing your knife from its sheath at your
hip. Lindstrom has lost his footing and falls to the
earth. The knife is sprung from his hand and slithers
crazily along the ground. The Jap standing over him is
drawn back for a stroke. You jump with your fingers
outstretched and catch the front part of his throat, jerking
his head back. You can feel the muscles in his
neck convulsing and you can see the look of surprise
and immediate terror in his eyes. You twist the knife
into his back, putting all your strength behind its penetration.
You feel his gasping breath on your wrist and it
is mixed with saliva and the rifle drops from his
hands and blood bursts from his mouth and trickles down
his chin and he shivers. Then all at once he
becomes limp and you know he is dead. You withdraw
your stained knife and lower the carcass to the grass.
Egan and Whitney have already felled the other enemy soldier
and he lies with his knees retracted to his stomach
and his eyes bulging and sightless and his bony hands
pressed to the Imperial seal engraved on his rifle receiver.
They closed his life's book and sat on the cover.
* * *
