"Dunn, is there enough time to have these gentlemen fed before they go to the revetments?"
"There's time, Sir, but Japanese Naval artillery has taken out the mess, Sir. I will get them some C rations, Sir."
"Sorry about that, gentlemen," Galloway said. "And thank you once again, in case I don't see you again, for the aircraft."
"Our pleasure, Captain," the Navy Lieutenant said with a weak smile as he adjusted the interior straps of his helmet.
"Bill, that was a rotten fucking thing to do to those sailors," Galloway said, when Lieutenant Dunn, wearing a very pleased-with-myself grin, walked back in the tent ten minutes later.
`Yeah, wasn't it?" Dunn replied. "But it will give them something to talk about when they get back to their air-conditioned wardroom. How they personally repelled mass attacks of sword-wielding Japanese." `After they have a nice shower and a nice shave and have put on nice clean clothes," Galloway said.
The telephone rang.
"Greengiant," Galloway answered it.
"Yes, Sir. They're being serviced. They're brand new, Colonel. Somebody in the Navy must have screwed up."
"I'll pass the word, Sir. Thank you." He put the field telephone back into its leather case.
"That was the skipper. The ETA on the R4D to take those guys out of here is fourteen hundred."
"They'll be glad to hear that," Dunn said.
"They would be even gladder if you told them at say, thirteen fifty-five."
"Has anyone ever told you, Skipper, that you can be just as much a prick as any of us?" The telephone rang again.
"Greengiant.
"Yes, Sir.
"I'll send the three remaining aircraft, Sir, and with your permission, Dunn and I will take two of the new aircraft.
That'll let us kill two birds with one stone. I don't want to turn them over to somebody else without a test flight.
"Aye, aye, Sir." He put the phone back in its leather case.
"Coast watchers report a flight of three twin-engine bombers from Rabaul. Destination unknown, but where else than here?"
"I heard," Dunn said. "It will be a pleasure flying an airplane fresh from the showroom floor."
"Just don't break it," Galloway said as he got up from his chair. "I don't think there's any more where these came from." When they reached their plane revetments, they found Navy pilots guarding them. Each wore a helmet and firmly clutched a Springfield, as he peered warily over the sandbags toward the general direction of the sound of the small arms and mortar fire.
Three minutes after that, Dunn and Galloway were airborne, climbing slowly, so as to conserve fuel, to a final altitude of ,000 feet.
No Japanese aircraft appeared.
When their fuel was gone and they were making their descent to Henderson, they encountered a large flight of mixed Navy and Marine F4Fs climbing upward.
"Cactus Fighter leader, Galloway."
"Go ahead, Galloway."
"What's up?"
"There's supposed to be three recon aircraft and twenty Zeroes up here someplace."
"Haven't seen a thing."
"Lucky you." Galloway pushed the nose of the Wildcat over and down. If there were twenty Zeroes in the air-and if the Coast watchers said there were, you could bank on it-the worst situation to be in was nearly out of gas and trying to get on the ground.
He allowed the airspeed indicator to come close to the red line before retarding the throttle. When he glanced out the window he could see Bill Dunn.
Dunn-apparently holding the stick with his knees-had both hands free to mimic some guy holding a Springfield rifle to his shoulder and wincing in pain and surprise at the recoil.
Galloway, smiling, shook his head.
{Three]
HEADQUARTERS,
FIRST MARINE DIVISION
GUADALCANAL, SOLOMON ISLANDS
1605 HOURS 13 SEPTEMBER 1942
Looking something like a schoolteacher, Major General Archer Vandergrift, commanding the First Marine Division, stood with an eighteen-inch ruler in his hand in front of the situation map in the G-3 Section. A technical sergeant was nearby, armed with a piece of cloth and a red and black grease pencil, prepared to make corrections to the map as necessary.
The "students" were the general staff. the G-1 (Personnel), the G-2 (Intelligence), the G-3 (Plans and Operations), the G-4 (Supply), plus Lieutenant Colonel William Whaling, executive officer of the Fifth Marines; Lieutenant Colonel Hayden Price, commanding 5th Battalion, Eleventh Marines (the artillery); and Lieutenant Colonel Merritt Edson, commanding 1st Raider Battalion.
"I realize you all would rather be with your units, so I'll make this as quick as I can," General Vandergrift said. "I just want to make absolutely sure the left hand knows what the right hand is doing." He turned to the map.
"Red Mike sent his people out at sunrise to recover what he had lost during the night," he said, using the pointer. "There was not much resistance, and they were able to regain their fighting positions. When the Raiders withdrew last night, they had to leave the food they took from the Japanese at Tasimboko. The Japanese now have it back." He moved the pointer. "The Parachute Battalion's Able Company, which was here, had no contact with the Japanese last night. We moved it down here, to the level area, so they could support the Raiders when they went out to take back their positions. They got this far when they were taken under fire from concealed positions. The company commander... who was that, Mike?"
"McKennan, General. Captain William."
"Right. Good man. He made the correct decision not to get into a major scrap on what was a very narrow front. So he moved around here, got some artillery support, and this time only ran into some sniper opposition. He was where he was supposed to be by about 1500.
"Charley Company of the Raiders was pretty badly hurt last night, here on the right. They were withdrawn and replaced by Able Company, plus what was left of Dog Company, which we have disbanded.
"Edson has pulled his line back about one hundred yards, to here," Vandergrift said. "That shortened it, and it will force the Japanese to attack the open ground here. We have moved the machine guns around to take advantage of that field of fire, and the rifle positions have been built up all along that area.
"I called Mike about three o'clock and told him that I was going to send in the 2nd of the Fifth to back him up, and that as soon as I could find Jack Stecker, I was going to send him up there to look around. He told me that Jack was up there first thing this morning. Why wasn't I surprised?" There was dutiful laughter.
The problem of getting 2nd of the Fifth into position is that have to cross the Henderson runway to get there," Vandergrift continued. "And the runway, obviously, has been about as busy as it can get. Whaling, have you got an estimate from Jack Stecker about when he'll be in position?" Colonel Whaling stood up. He did not appear happy.