Griffin W.E.B. - The Corps 08 - In Dangers Path

Williamson looked at the horizon. After a moment he was also able to make out what Pickering was seeing from Sea Gypsy Two, two hundred feet above him. It was dead ahead, no more than two degrees off the course they were flying.

Williamson dipped the wings of the Catalina to show Sea Gypsy Two that he had received the message, and decided that Pickering would know he, too, had seen the smoke when he changed course just slightly, but perceptibly, then lowered the nose just a tad and headed toward it.

Three minutes later, he saw two fires sending smoke into the air. A moment after that, he could see that the smoke was blowing directly toward him. He lowered the nose a tad more, retarded the throttles, and a moment later, ordered, «Gear down.»

Lieutenant Stevenson put the gear down.

«This will be a very low-and-slow approach,» Williamson announced.

«I can't see anything down there but snow,» Stevenson said. «Where's the people?»

«I don't know, but there's the wind sock, sort of, I was hoping to find,» Williamson said. «The trouble with this kind of snowy area is you can't tell how high off the ground you are.»

«Yeah,» Stevenson agreed.

Ninety seconds later, Stevenson said, «I can see what looks like snow-covered buildings down there. And there's some horses, and people. Off to the left.»

«If we run into a rock, remind me to cut switches,» Williamson said.

«Aye, aye, sir,» Stevenson said.

Twenty seconds later, the Catalina flew ten feet over the nearest fire. Three seconds after that, Williamson flared it out, and the wheels touched down.

«That was a greaser,» Lieutenant Stevenson said.

«It will have been a greaser if I can stop this thing before I run over the other fire,» Major Williamson said.

Lieutenant Stevenson was not at all surprised that the Catalina stopped smoothly and in a straight line well short of the second smoky fire.

Williamson turned the aircraft and very carefully taxied off the runway. When he was at right angles to it, he saw Sea Gypsy Two making its approach.

«Jesus, look at that,» Stevenson said. «Here comes a Chinese officer on a horse that's not much bigger than he is.»

Two minutes later, when he had shut the engines down, Williamson walked through the fuselage and pushed open the fairing that had replaced the Catalina's right bubble.

The Chinese officer on the horse saluted.

It looks like a very large, shaggy dog

, Williamson thought.

«Captain McCoy, sir. Welcome to Station Nowhere.»

So that is the legendary Killer McCoy, is it?

«Good afternoon, Captain,» Williamson said, snappily returning the salute. «It's very nice to be here.»

By then Sea Gypsy Two was on the ground and had taxied next to Sea Gypsy One.

The fairing that had replaced the right bubble of Sea Gypsy Two opened and a huge man wearing cold-weather gear and a chief petty officer's cap jumped out. He dropped to his knees and kissed the snowy ground. «Thank you, God!» he announced dramatically.

McCoy laughed.

«What was that all about?»

«That's Chief McGuire,» Major Williamson said dryly. «He was thrown over the side, so to speak, of the

Sunfish.'»

A second figure came through the opening.

«That's Captain James B. Weston,» Major Williamson said. «One hell of a man, one hell of a Marine. He was a guerrilla in the Philippines.»

«I know,» McCoy said, «What's he doing here?»

«He volunteered. You say you know him?»

«I met him briefly one time,» McCoy said. «In the Philippines.»

McCoy started to walk toward him.

A third figure came through the fairing and jumped to the ground.

In the instant McCoy recognized him, the third figure shouted furiously: «Don't try to get away from me, you sonofabitch!»

Captain Weston stopped and waited for Lieutenant Pickering to catch up with him. «What the hell is the matter with you, Pick?» he asked, confused, just before Lieutenant Pickering punched him in the mouth. Captain Weston fell over backward.

McCoy rushed to Pick and wrapped his arms around him. «What the hell is the matter with you?»

«That sonofabitch has not only been fucking my Martha,» Pick said, «but taking despicable advantage of her!»

«Oh, my God!» Captain Weston said. «You're the one she told me about!»

«Despicable advantage?» McCoy asked incredulously. «What the hell does that mean?»

«He's right,» Captain Weston said. «My behavior has been despicable.»

«I don't believe what I'm seeing,» Major Williamson said. «Pickering, you get your childish temper under control, or, so help me God, I'll have you placed in irons.»

«That might be a little difficult here, Major,» Captain McCoy said. «But I guess we could spread-eagle the crazy bastard on a wagon wheel.»

That was too much for Major Williamson. He could not control his laughter. That triggered the same reaction in Captain McCoy, making it very difficult to hold on to Pick.

«Lieutenant Pickering,» Major Williamson said, as sternly as he could, «you will consider yourself under arrest to quarters. And you, Weston, will stop your despicable behavior, whatever it is!»

These words triggered a further outburst of hysterical laughter from Major Williamson and Captain McCoy, and also served to dampen Lieutenant Pickering's fury.

McCoy, feeling him relax, let him go.

Pickering stood where he was, looking embarrassed.

But not before Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Frederick C. Brewer, USN, and Technical Sergeant Moses Abraham, with very confused looks on their faces, rode up to them on two very small ponies.

Only three people were in the ambulance now—Major Williamson, Chief Brewer, and McCoy—all that McCoy felt were needed to talk about what had to be done. This took no more than five minutes, including an explanation to Chief Brewer of the reasons why they had to immediately destroy the aircraft and move out of the area. Though Brewer seemed to accept all this calmly, McCoy wondered how successful Brewer would be in passing it on to the gypsies.

«The only question, as I see it,» McCoy said, «is whether we torch the airplanes now or in the morning. If we do it tonight, the light could be seen a long distance. In the morning, ditto for the smoke.»

«There is one more option, Captain, that you haven't considered,» Major Williamson said.

«Sir?»

«We had a tailwind coming in here,» Williamson said. «I think there may be enough fuel remaining between the Catalinas to fly one of them out of here.»

«I hadn't even considered that,» McCoy said. «From the beginning, this was supposed to be a one-way mission.»

«I'd like to try it,» Williamson said. «I've got a wife and kids waiting for me in Pensacola.»

«Do you have a map?» McCoy asked. «There's an airfield at Yümen. That's where we came from.»

«That's where I was thinking we might go,» Williamson said. He took a folded map from the side pocket of his leather jacket. «You will notice, Captain, that this is not your standard aeronautical navigation chart,» Williamson added. «So this proposed flight plan will not be up to my usual impeccable standards.» He took a pencil from the same pocket and used it as an improvised compass to compute the distance from where they were to Yümen. Then, on the back of an envelope bearing the return address of the Pensacola Yacht Club, he made some quick—but careful—calculations.

«Yeah,» he said. «I think it can be done. Between the two airplanes, I think we should have enough fuel. Weston is a better Cat driver than I am; he probably has more fuel remaining than I do. And I've got enough for two hundred miles, maybe a little more.»

«How many people could you take with you?» McCoy asked. «The problem there, Captain,» Chief Brewer said, «is who would go? We have two really sick men and one sick woman. But who else?»