“Which is the worst field of the bunch, Jimmy?” I asked.
The lieutenant groaned.
“There’s one out near Salcedo, Samar province—she’s pretty awful.
They’re rating her for six P. T. 9’s. They lost ten men with fever when
they cleared that jungle out. It gets so hot the sharks crawl out of the
ocean and cool off on the sand of—”
I yawned. Jimmy closed his eyes. It was hot in the club. It would be
hotter; the season was just starting. I could imagine what the Salcedo
field would be like. While I was thinking about the captain, Sock Casey
came in. He had just come from headquarters and he had an official list
of assignments. I grabbed for it.
I’d drawn a field on Luzon. Sock was slated for assignment to Colonel
Brace’s staff. And Captain Dantone Marcosson had pulled a C. O.’s job—at
Salcedo!
Jimmy was looking over my shoulder, having come to life. His eyes went
down the list.
“Soft for you, Sock,” he stated. “The colonel smokes none but the best
of cigars. And you pulled a nice field, Mac—easy hop in to Manila.
Pretty fair country around that stretch. You can— Say, is that Hell’s
Angel Marcosson? The C. O. for Salcedo?”
Sock beat me to it.
“It sure is!” he stated. “Good spot, Jimmy?”