Battle Cry - Leon Uris [139]
Harper lay in the grass. He looked down. “O.K., radioman over the top.” Danny crawled on all fours to the rim. Ski grabbed and held him fast. I went to them quickly to see what the trouble was. Ski, without a word, looked into my eyes. Then he spoke. “Keep Danny up here,” he whispered, “I’m shoving,” and he dove down the ridge.
“Chrisake, Mac, you assigned me to go down,” Danny said.
“It’s better this way, he wants it,” I said. “Keep in contact with him.”
One by one the observation party made the clearing to the edge of the woods. Harper went over last. He called me to him before he went. “If anything happens to us down there, you are in command, Mac.” Bryce didn’t argue, he was too petrified. “If we get trapped, you get the information back to Topeka White first and then stand by. Don’t send anybody down unless you get orders from me.” I patted him on the back and he went down.
Harper, Paris, McQuade, and Rackley lay in behind a huge rock.
“Tell the radioman to get his antennae down.” Rackley moved back to Ski quickly.
“How many do you see there, Paris?”
“I’d say about six hundred—huh, McQuade?”
“Yeah, crawling with them.”
“I count fourteen MGs and two 108s. Looks like a colonel over there…must be the big wheel.”
“Looks like the whole camp is drunk on saki. They must know they’re the chosen ones.” Harper opened his map. Paris made an X on it.
“M-7 on the button. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
They slipped back to Ski. “Are you in contact with Mac up there?”
The Feathermerchant nodded.
“How do you talk into this thing?”
“Press the mike button. Let me know when you want to listen.”
“Hello ridge…this is Harper.”
“Hello Harper, this is the ridge…go ahead.”
“Six hundred Japs, fifteen machine guns, dozen or so mortars, two Pistol Petes, rest in small arms, plenty of ammo. Colonel seems to be top cheese. Camp disorganized, wide open for surprise attack. Seem to be crocked. Position is exactly M-7.”
Danny repeated the message and Harper O.K.’d it. “Get that back to Topeka White and stand by to move out. Keep in contact with us till we get back up there.”
It had started to rain, straight down and hard. “Lucky break, gives us cover. O.K., radioman, you go first with that radio.”
Ski crouched as he moved out from behind the rock.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
He rolled over and darted back in. His face was screwed in agony.
“Drop!” Harper ordered. “We’ve been spotted.”
In a minute the Jap camp was alive with wild screams.
“Don’t fire till they’re on top of us.” A line of Japs came charging from the woods, led by a saber-wielding officer.
“Banzai! Banzai!”
The marines sweated and beaded in on the horde. “Blast them!” Harper ordered.
“Banzai!”
A burst of bullets came from behind the rocks, cutting down a wave of Japs. Another wave came on shrieking wildly.
“Make every shot count!”
“BANZAI!”
Another volley and they fell back, cursing.
Pedro Rojas, the corpsman, crawled in beside them. His shoulder was bleeding.
“Take a look at Ski, he got hit.”
Pedro rolled the Feathermerchant over on his back. The rain splattered on his pain-wracked face. Pedro tore up the leg of his dungaree.
“Holy Mother Mary,” he whispered, and crossed himself quickly.
“Where did he get it?”
“Right through the kneecap.”
“This is the ridge…what are you guys doing, playing poker?”
“This is Harper. We’re up the creek. I don’t think they’ll try rushing again though.”
“Ridge talking. We can cover you if you break for it one at a time.”
“This is Harper. We can’t…radioman is hit…sit tight.” He turned to McQuade. “What do you say, Mac?”
“We’ll never get him up that hill. It’s probably like glass now.”
Rackley spoke. “We should better wait for dusk. They ain’t in too good a shootin’ position and they won’t hit us if we lay low.”
Harper’s gum popped wildly. He looked at each man, then at Ski. “Somebody will have to stay and keep a rear guard. BAR man, give me your weapon. I’ll need all the grenades here too.”
“Hold it, Harper. Your job is to get the patrol back. I’m staying,” McQuade said.