| Show Guadalcanal Savo Island Diary d N Natives 0 ive Pr Prove ve Helpful toM to Marines Marins r I By Richard Installment Four Forty The island said the colonel who expresses himself well and easily is shaped like a walnut with the points at the north and south ex ex- It i Is about nine miles mUes from northern to southern tip along either shore That hike should take all morning and part of the afternoon If If f said th the tho I colonel lO I. I we d dont don't t run i into t a any Nips The captain of the ship who did not share the colonels colonel's suave good humor viewed Miller and me with suspicion He asked for our credentials credentials credentials cre cre- and told us not to talk to any of the crew of the ship He seemed upset because we had no written orders to make the trip Miller and I had visions of ourselves ourselves ourselves our our- selves in the brig but the prospect did not bother us By this time we were past being annoyed by the idea of physical discomfort Finally the matter with the captain captain captain cap cap- tain was straightened out and he unbent and became quite friendly We decided that he had merely been carrying out routine dure We the We-the the captain the colonel colonel colonel colo colo- nel some of the other officers Miller and I sat I-sat sat in the captains captain's little office yarning Friday September 4 After a a. wonderful hearty breakfast breakfast breakfast break break- fast up to the bridge to find that we are zigzagging Stand by for depth charges was the word that crackled from the ships ship's speaker system We Ve were making full speed The crew went tensely hurriedly about the business of preparing to fire depth charges Weve Veve sighted a periscope the officer of the deck told me dead ahead But before any could be fired the ship slowed and theair the theair theair air of tension relaxed Its only a mast of one of the ships we lost out here said the 0 O 0 O D. D Every time we see it we think its it's a periscope We were getting near to Savo island I went below and got my gear together and came back up upon upon upon on the bridge We all stood silently silently si silently si- si watching the small humpbacked humpbacked hump hump- backed island grow larger The regular bong bong of the depth finder was a hollow eerie sound in the stillness General quarters sounded and the speaker system droned Man Manyour Manyour Manyour your boats Stand by all boat crews I went to my assigned boat and climbed aboard jammed my way among tight-packed tight marines Our engines rumbled and coughed then started and we were off for shore It seemed odd to be going through the same experience ol oI landing on a strange shore again as I had done at Guadalcanal The movements were the same same our our sitting sitting sitting sit sit- ting low in the boat our strung- strung out lines of landing craft streakIng streaking streak streak- ing in toward the beach and even the growing distinctness of the island as palms began to stand standout standout standout out against the sky and thatch huts became visible seemed something something something some some- thing like routine But there remained remained remained re re- re- re the breathless suspense wondering when and if machine guns would open up on us from the shore and in those moments of wondering as usual one imagined imagined imag imag- ined fined the arrival of bullets and the prospect of men being hit in the boat But none of these things happened happened happened hap hap- and we came to shore and made our landing without having having having hav hav- ing been fired on We advanced cautiously up the beach but there were no Japs and no shots fired We came almost Immediately to a row of bamboo and thatch huts which constituted a village The houses sat amidst wide-spaced wide palms and in the grove black natives natives natives na na- na- na tives stood and watched us as we advanced Most of them wore only colored bright-colored loin An Australian guide who accompanied accompanied accompanied ac ac- ac- ac companied us set to work to se secure secure secure se- se cure some native boys who would lead us through the trails around the island The big chief of the Island was not in the vicinity but butone butone butone one black man who spoke the Solomon Solomon Solomon Sol Sol- Sol Sol- omon islands pidgin English was soon located Like the rest he wore a bright flannel loin-cloth loin and his hair was crinkly crinkly and and redI red I found later that native dandies dandies dandies dan dan- dies dye their hair with lime- lime juice The natives native's manners were mild He raised his hand in greeting anc and smiled showing stumpy teeth thickly covered with tartar anc and stained reddish-brown reddish by While the Australian and the native talked marines crept out into the surrounding woods with guns at the ready We did not want to be ambushed in the village village village vil vil- lage by the Japanese A line of five or six natives stood behind the black man who spoke English They smiled childishly Some of their black bodies were tattooed One of them wore a necklace of colored bright-colored beads Me fella Japanese man begun the Australian But the native shook his head and smiled benignly No man island he said We Ve must have looked incredulous incredulous incredulous lous for foI the row of natives behind behind behind be be- hind their spokesman raised their right hands shook their heads and smiled reinforcing his argument Our aviators on reconnaissance had spotted roads and objects resembling resembling resembling re re- re- re tents on Savo Sayo island Th The Australian brought up the matter This fella tella have tent tent he said You savvy tent 1 The native looked mystified Him small house him calico explained the Australian But the native insisted there ther were no Japs laps on the island Four Fou Japs he said aid had come to th the island some time before in a small smal boat But they had left on Sun Sun- day But we would have to see for ourselves whether or not the native native native na na- na- na tive was telling the truth The I Australian explained that we needed needed need need- ed tw two guides Big master want half halt halfman halfman haltman man go around this way said the Australian Half Hal round this way Me fella need two good boys savvy Two native boys who spoke pidgin pid pith gin were soon located The Australian Australian Australian Aus Aus- gave them instructions If you Japan man you fella Ha no run all aU about quick tl time e I he said but all same stop and we we fella killum The two natives a nodded you fella tell a getting good chow long government government government govern govern- ment he promised I chose to go 10 with the group of raiders w who o went covering the east coast of the Island They were being led Jed by Captain John W. W Antonelli of ot Lawrence Lawrenc Mass The guide a assigned us 13 was Wall of typical native pattern Stumpy dirty teeth red hair childish manners man man- I and ners-and and he smiled ners apologetically ly when he spoke He told us ushe ushe I he had learned English on I where he had been a cook for an i Englishman He had ad come back to Savo to get married He hie said his is name was Allen luva To Be Continued II Copyright 1943 by nan Random om House I Inc Distributed by King Features Feature Syndicate Inc |
