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Stanley gazed at the men sprawled on the beach, looking for a better answer to give BrownHe noticed Croft stalking along the edge of the beach, searching the jungle, and he watched him
"What's Croft up to?" he asked
"He probably saw something," Brown saidHe was getting to his feetAll about them the men in the platoon were beginning to stir like cattle turning their heads toward a new sound or smell
"Aaah, Croft is always looking for something," Stanley grunted
"There's something doing," Brown mumbled
Just then Croft fired a burst into the jungle and dropped to the groundThe sound of the shots was unexpectedly loud and the men in the platoon winced, fell prostrate again in the sandA Japanese rifle fired back, and the men began to fire indiscriminately into the jungleStanley found himself sweating so intensely that he could not focus the sights of his rifleHe lay there with his senses blurred, flinching unconsciously every time a bullet passedIt sounded like a bee humming past, and he thought with surprise, A guy can get hurtHe remembered immediately afterward the joke about that, and began to laugh weaklyBehind him, on the beach, he heard someone knock off tiffany jewelry scream, and then the firing haltedThere was a long uneasy silence among the men, and Stanley watched the air rise shimmering off the sand
At last Croft got cautiously to his feet, and darted into the jungleAt its edge he motioned for the men nearest him to approach, and Stanley stared at the sand and hoped Croft would not notice himThere was a pause, a wait of several minutes, and then Croft and Wilson and Martinez appeared from the brush, and came strolling back toward the beach
"We got two of them," Croft said"I don't think they was any others or they'd have left their packs when they took off He spat onto the sand"Who got hit?" he asked
"Minetta did," Goldstein saidHe was leaning over him, holding a first-aid compress against Minetta's leg
"Let's see it," Croft saidHe ripped away Minetta's trouser and gazed at the wound"Just a scratch," he said
Minetta moaned, "If you had it, you wouldn't say that"You're gonna live, boy He turned around and looked at the men in the platoon, who had gathered about him"Goddammit," he said, "let's spread outThey may be some other Japs messin' around near here The men were talking and chattering with a nervous profuse gucci wholesale reliefCroft looked at his watch"We only got about forty minutes till the truck come for usJus' spread out on the beach and keep your eyes openWe ain't gonna do any more unloadin'
He turned to one of the landing-craft drivers standing beside him and asked, "You men on guard here at the dump at night?"
"Yeah
"With those Japs I guess you'll stay awake tonight Croft lit a cigarette, and walked over to Minetta again"You'll have to stay here, boy, until the truck comesJus' hold that compress there, and nothin' is gonna happen to ya
Stanley and Brown lay on their stomachs, talking to each other and looking at the jungleStanley was feeling very weakHe tried to ignore his panic but he kept thinking of how safe they had felt when there had been Japanese so near to themYou never know when you're safe, he muttered to himselfHe felt an intense horror which he repressed with difficultyAll his nerves seemed to have come apartHe felt he would say something absurd in a moment or so, and he turned to Brown and uttered the first thought in his mind, "Wonder how Gallagher took it?"
"What do ya mean?"
"You know, the Japs being killed, and him thinking of his cambon chanel wife
"Aaah," Brown said"He didn't even connect it
Stanley looked at Gallagher, who was talking quietly to Wilson"He seems to be coming around," Stanley said"I feel sorry for the guy, but I'll tell you what, maybe he's lucky
"You don't mean that
"When you get rid of a woman, you never know when you're well offI don't know Gallagher's wife, but he's not a big guy, he probably wasn't able to give her too much lovingHell, they'll cheat on ya even when you do give 'em something to remember, so I wouldn't be too surprised if she had her little fling, especially in the first months when she knew the kid was coming and she wasn't taking any chances if she fooled around with anybody
"That's all you ever think about," Stanley mutteredHe hated Brown for a momentBrown's contempt for women stroked the jealousy, the fear that Stanley usually was able to controlFor a moment or two, he was half convinced his wife was cuckolding him, and though he flung off the idea, he sat there troubled and nervous
"I'll tell ya something I think about," Brown said"Just what happened right nowYou're sitting around talkin' and wham something startsYou never know what's gonna hit omega mens watch fake yaY'think Minetta ain't scared now? He's learnin' what it's all aboutListen, I'll tell ya, they ain't gonna be a moment until I get back and touch my foot on the ground in the States before I stop believin' that I never know when I'm gonna get itYou stay over awhile and you're due, that's all
Stanley felt a nameless anxiety rising in himDimly, he knew that part of it came from fearing death, really fearing it for the first time, but he knew that it also swelled out of everything he had been thinking about before the skirmish had begunIt fed upon his jealousy and his indifferent love-making, it came from the nights at home when he had been sleepless and franticFor some reason he found it painful suddenly to think about Gallagher and the abrupt way in which his wife had diedYou look out for everything, he thought, and you still get hit from behindStanley felt a deep malaiseHe stared about him, listening to some artillery fire in the distance, and the anxiety increased, became almost painful for a momentHe was sweating, close to whimperingThe heat of the day, the glare of the sand, and the nervous fatigue from the action, had combined to drain him of any d |
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