Show MK ewie r T E 0 wolf P PRATT R T RELEASE was STORY TITUS THUS FARI FAR perty forty faur fear old wilbebt winkle who operates pera tei a tecali hop la in the alley back of el his om Is notified ty by hta hh draft board that te li Is la I la IA A he breaks break the bad news to Ws Us domineering wile wife amy who now katei baleto t part with him mr bir winkle li is lent to camp squibb a thousand miles from rom home borne where he be meets mr bir tinker man 0 hla his own age who wants to lof avenge aage a nephew w killed at pearl harbor liter after graduating from notor motor mechanic anict chool school nr mr winkle goes goei home on a tor fur lough amy hardly knows know him and his bis log penelope barks barki at him furiously it short ume time alter after returning to camp both jtb mr winkle and mr fiaker are en louf cuts for it point of embarkation CHAPTER X between mr tinker and the irreducible lr fact that they were actually off to one of the various wars vars go ingon on mr winkle sleep much that first night ile he lay there precariously on the edge ot of the berth trying to adjust himself to the situation and regretting a little that he had not taken the chance of getting out lut of the army when he had the opportunity this was as the saying went it this was what he had trained tor for he was going to where battles were being fought he was going to help ight them the realization struck him so forcibly that he nearly fell tut out of the berth especially when mr tinker gave him an extra hard push then again he endeavored to I 1 look 0 ok on en the bright side of it he was a hardened soldier be ae well maybe not hard but with plenty of preparation the additional months as a mem zer ser of a service company had brought the confidence of experience they hid had brought a corporals it and finally those of a full fledged edged sergeant he and mr tink I 1 1 4 5 the day they stop but kept tight eight on marching up the gangplank and on to the ship he felt betrayed cheated and fooled er r were a team it having been found that tha t mr tinker was good at the work while he supplied a lit gle more skill at figuring it out he overlook the drama of it either here they were several hundred men in a special train rushing to an unknown destination to save the nation he knew that crack streamliners stream liners weri were sidetracked tor lor them everything made way for or them even if you were hurrying to risk your life that gave you a tense sense of importance he fell asleep on this thought reaming dreaming that he was sinking in vide waters and that he grasped at ak tiny straw to save himself mr winkle expected to be marched right on a ship as soon as they reached their embarkation port two wo days later but there seemed to be no such hurry as that which tad bad brought them here they were given physical examinations cat ions their equipment w was as inspected spec ted and orders were issued to ke keep p their canteens filled to the mouth thus read readied led they were assembled one morning and marched out through an entrance in the brick wall they made their way along a road coad at the side of the harbor in which many ships all painted an indifferent gray were moored mr winkle had bad never seen a real ship before and was impressed with their size he wondered which would be theirs they were called to a halt beside e 0 high wall of one of the larger bissi vessels orders were shouted to his amazement and relief they started in marching arching back again to the staging area tea this had been merely proc practice the man next to him said that was a close one each day after that they went through the same process th the t third h ird L time jim it was repeated there were L complaints y even mr winkle asked these questions question and came not to believe in any of the marches to the ship he took it ft for granted that each time he arrayed himself in his full equip merit ment and sweated to 0 o the pier that he would turn right around again and come back the daythel day they stop but kept right on marching up the gangplank and on to the ship he felt betrayed cheated and tooled fooled to mr tinker at his side he ha observed well I 1 guess weve burned our gangplanks gang planks behind Us mr tinker stared at him scowling to get his meaning though he know the true quotation he appeared to find something wrong with mr winkles version or at least with the way he be spoke the matter pop he as asked ked you seasick already i more men poured on to the ship and still more marched along the pier toward her mr winkle mr tinker and ten others were shown below to their private stateroom instead of bunks a large cabin had been stripped aped of its beds and other luxurious furnishings and canvas hammocks slung in tiers of three from a wooden framework mr winkle drew one of the top hammocks so close to the ceiling that it made him feel like a fly by sticking there they stowed their gear and investigated the quarters one of the men opened a door and stood frozen in his tracks come here he said in an awed voice and see it if you see what im look looking g at they crowded around him peering over his shoulders and saw a gleaming bathroom holy cowl another man cried aint our suite sweet the ship would be totally blacked out at night which meant no smoking on deck no cigarette butt or scrap of paper was to be thrown overboard lest it leave a trail which could be followed in case the ship was hit and had to be abandoned they were to slide down landing nets neti which would be lowered and not lump jump overboard if a man tell fell overboard the ship could not risk stopping stepping to pick him up these instructions caused no evident alarm normally mr winkle should have had an acute attack ol of imagination right then and there but it come as it lately in the learning that a great and solicitous mother the army looked after his every interest AU all he had to do was to trust it obey orders I 1 and roost most important of all keep his mouth shut the ship sailed that night while some of them were asleep and some of them were still adjusting their bodies to the hammocks mr winkle listening heard the deep throb of the engines he put his hand band against the ceiling and felt a thrumming there the smell of oil became stronger A low sleepy murmuring came from other men A forward movement became perceptible that was all no one spoke in the morning they were at sea their own and dozens of other ships scratched a glassy mirror with continual zigzags zig the convoy stretched into the distance as tar far as the eye could see al A its outer edges they ey could make out destroyers and 0 ther other which kept up a worried pacing back and forth in and out and sometimes around in wide sweeps and circles it was heartening to see them and their fellow troopships though they knew that death was possible any instant from the sky or from be neath the water it seemed just as impossible that anything could touch them soldiers were everywhere on the ship the last inch of space being crowded with them if they had little privacy before they had none now it was barely possible to step anywhere without walking on somebody or putting your toot foot into the middle of a crap game somehow they managed to move around tor for the most part good na tu mr winkle marveled at what he and other men had been conditioned to stand he began to have a respect for the extent that man mah would let himself be abused for the opportunity of tra traveling v eling a long way to get killed despite its inconvenience and tragedy there was a decided lement element of joy in war of virile men becoming bra braves es and setting out on the exciting adventures of the warpath karpath war path the favorite pastime while standing or sitting on deck or leaning against the rail was speculating on where they were going australia was arc proposed ased and I 1 aim to see one of them kangaroos jumping around with her kid in her pocket no sir another differed if it was australia told us my cousin went out there last beus year and he knew from the time he left he aint seen any kangaroos yet but he says the people there are hep cats w who he cook with gas th the e solomons a third man said we took them over we were being sent out to hold bold them I 1 had it straight raight it from the top kick something tells me another man interrupted were going to be dropped off in hawaii I 1 always wanted to go there and now is it he was hooted down on the basis no such luck could be theirs it was sergeant winkles considered opinion that they were going to new guinea what they go got t there pop it he was asked your book say cannibals he told them ile he thought his guidebook had said that me said mr tinker 1 I dont care where Where it is just so theres japs on the fourth day while sitting bitting on the deck with his bis back against the rail mr winkle nearly jumped out of his life belt when there was a loud explosion forward he was lurching to his feet and had reached a crouching position before he realized that the gun crews were holding firing pr practice atice he sank back down again seeing other men following suit the guns kept on chattering sending up shells to burst high in the a air ir at different levels from the 0 ther other ships they could see the same practice going on it was fascinating to watch and the noise ind and smell of burning gunpowder added to their sense of security in the midst ot of the racket mr winkle was startled to hear his name being called ill HI popl looking up he saw freddie tindall in back of 0 mm harn were jack and several moie more of the original spring ville contingent hello mr winkle jack greeted him the boys eyes twinkled and he spoke as if they were meeting casually on maple avenue this said mr winkle gling to his feet is quite a place placa to have a reunion they held it nevertheless in the middle of the pacific ocean pumping one an others hands and yelling above the noise of the guns freddie cried weve got more than hey Alpha alphabet betl Alpha alphabet bett in a moment the wizened little sergeant pushed his way down the deck the first thing he saw was mr winkles stripes with the T below them without raising hla his votee voice but still making himself heard he lectured 1 I been in the army eighteen years you been in eight months and you rate with me we aint going to win na no war that way and look what I 1 got in my machine g gun un crew rini him he pointed at jack and him he indicated freddie all they can do Is outshoot any ol of them guys working them pump guns 4 the convoy stretched into the distance far as you could se see up there where do you think wert were headed beaded for or pop mr winkles reply was lost ir the blast of the antiaircraft guns A australia u stra lial 1 jack yelled N new ew Zea zealand landl freddie shouted 1 I told you it was india the at al chabet said 1 I had bad it straight an officer as the onea one A lowdown mr winkle saw that sergeant Serge ani atil had become one u 0 them and what was more they had bad become one onedith with him he was warmed by this and that tha the others were on the ship with him it seemed to make it still safer and the seal sea smoother and even mor peaceful yet still it quite the thins thing a bout about war he sensed and tor for whick he be continued to search there was a stir among the 0 of f the convoy me messages ss ages were exchanged 03 blinker and flags mr winkles ship and five cuppl vessels began to take erratic errati courses it seemed as if 11 something was going to happen after all that a sub marine had been detected the men lining the rails watched and held their breaths maneuvering smoothly the sij ships detached themselves from th thi main body of the convoy setting oll at an angle to it at at the same timi three destroyers rode in the sann direction herding them deep throated whistles said goodby it was clear now that they weri wen going on a mission of their own ru mor or rah like fire through the ship they were a special task force an urgent call had bad come fOit tor then hert from some harassed point plans had been changed land was soon to be sighted they would see action at iny any mo 1 ment ian nf |