Even though the second soldier was closer, I fired at the man with the machete. I wanted to save Thomas. The bullet grazed his left arm, far from a mortal wound. The man turned to face me, his attack on Thomas delayed but not diverted.
Sir Gregory sprinted towards him, trying to grab the machete as he leaped upon him. They rolled on the ground, the soldier gaining the advantage. Too close to swing the blade, he started swinging his fist; the handle of the machete struck Sir Gregory’s face.
I approached the soldier near the tent with Lady Jane behind me. I fired her pistol but missed. He fumbled with his rifle, his face an angry scowl.
Lady Jane started throwing stones at him. Her aim was remarkable. She hit him in the face, the shoulder, and the head. He couldn’t focus or fire. I kept running towards him; I had three more shots before I had to reload.
I was six feet away when he raised his rifle. I pointed the pistol and fired, a split second faster than he was. The bullet caught his thigh, blood immediately oozing down his pant leg. He dropped to one knee, favoring the wounded leg, and tried to level his weapon. I fired again, hitting him in the throat. He fell, dead before he hit the ground.
I stopped and stared at him, then sank to my knees, struggling not to vomit. I coughed and gasped, turned my head away, and then ran towards Thomas.
Sir Gregory lay on the ground, unconscious. Thomas was on his back, wrestling with the bolt of his rifle. It was jammed. The Japanese soldier stood above him, the machete drawn over his head, prepared to swing the blade and sever Thomas’s head from his body.
I quickly fired the last shot I had. The bullet hit the back of the soldier’s head. He fell over dead.
I glanced at Sir Gregory, to check if he was all right, and saw Lady Jane helping him to his feet. With the battle over and victory assured, I dropped to my knees, fighting to overcome the nausea. The whole fight had lasted only two or three minutes. Five men were dead. I was again overwhelmed by how fragile life was, how only a few minutes can end it or alter it forever. I took a few seconds to ask God for forgiveness for the lives I had taken.
Thomas slowly got to his feet, breathless and pale. He came to my side, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “You saved my life,” he said. “How can I ever repay you?”
I hugged him. “You already have.”
CHAPTER 48
“Java Three, Java Three, come in.”
Thomas repositioned the switch, and his request was met with static and garbled noises.
"Java Three, Java Three, come in." Thomas continued working the dials.
Sir Gregory sat in a nearby chair. He had a large welt on the side of his head, bruised and purple. Lady Jane was beside him, dabbing a moist rag on the wound.
I sat next to Thomas, poring over maps. I ran to each telescope, observed our surroundings in all directions, struggling to see in the moonlight, and then returned to the charts.
“George, you have to figure out where we are,” Thomas said. “And you can’t be wrong. If you are, we’ll wither away and die here. Or more Japanese will come.”
I studied the maps. I had found land to our east with the telescope, larger than our present location but not a major island. A much bigger land mass spread beyond it to the east, extending northward. I looked at the sizes and shapes of the thousands of islands that comprised the Dutch East Indies and narrowed the search to where the ship had traveled. Then I focused on where we were cast adrift.
“Java Three, Java Three, come in.”
Again the reply was met with static.
“George, this could be our only chance,” Sir Gregory cautioned, repeating Thomas’s warning.
“This is Java Three, come in.”
We started cheering, and then Thomas hushed us quiet.
“Java Three, this is Java Two. In need of rescue. State location.”
“Current location is Timor. State location of rescue.”
Thomas turned to me. “This is it, George. Can you do it?”
I nodded my head.
He put the microphone in front of me.
“Come on, George,” Lady Jane said. “We have faith in you.”
I clicked on the microphone, studying the map before me. “Java Three, current location of Java Two, is latitude ten degrees and twenty point one minutes south; longitude is one hundred and twenty degrees, six point eight minutes east. Java Three copy?”
“Java Three copy. Latitude is ten degrees and twenty point one minutes south; longitude is one hundred and twenty degrees, six point eight minutes east. Java Two, describe?”
“What does he want?” I asked.
“He wants you to describe our location,” Thomas said. “Just like you were giving directions.”
I clicked on the microphone. Beads of sweat dotted my forehead. “Java Three, location is a small atoll due west southwest of Salura Island, which is west of the southern tip of Sumba. Pick up location on north shore. Java Three copy?”
There was no reply. We waited about thirty seconds.
“He must be figuring out where we are,” Thomas said.
“Java Three, copy?” I asked again.
“Java Two, we copy. Location is island due west southwest of Salura Island, which is west of southern tip of Sumba. Pick up location on north shore. Java Three will arrive in twenty-four hours. Copy?”
“Java Three arrives in twenty-four hours.”
“That’s correct.”
“Java Two signing off.”
Thomas and Sir Gregory put the bodies of the dead soldiers off to the side of the compound, hiding them in a gully and covering them with branches and leaves. They placed rocks over top of them.
“I hope this radio station isn’t too critical,” Sir Gregory said. “If it is, the Japanese will send someone to investigate when they get no response.”
“Hopefully, it’ll take them a few days to figure it out,” I added.
“It would probably be better if we stayed here for the night,” Thomas said. “That way we can watch the ocean around the island. We can go get our baggage in the morning.”
We went through the crates of supplies, finding hand grenades, bullets, cans of fish, crackers, rice, and tofu. We sat at the table, gorging on food, knowing in twenty- four hours we would be bound for Australia.
We slept restlessly, not in the tents that served the Japanese but sprawled on the moss on the mountain’s peak. Thomas, Sir Gregory, and I took turns standing watch, gazing through the telescopes to ensure no one approached, and maintaining a constant vigil in case any enemy remained on the island.
As I stood guard, my thoughts drifted to the faces of the two men I had killed. I had taken their lives to save ours, so the cause was justified, but that didn’t make it any easier. They had died in agony, twisted in pain, their bodies deformed and damaged. Maggie had died quietly in my arms, telling me she loved me.
We woke just past dawn and ate some fruit for breakfast. We then glanced through the telescopes again, and, when satisfied no danger existed, we started down the hillside, destined for the cave where we had left our belongings.
We moved quickly, perhaps a bit carelessly, but we were buoyed by our recent victory and looked forward to our rendezvous with Bennie. When we reached the wharf, we checked the crates contained in the hut. There were boxes of bullets and hand grenades, tins of fish and meat, bananas, and rice.
“When Bennie arrives, we should take these supplies,” I said. “I’m sure we can use them.”
“Let’s take some bullets and grenades now,” Thomas suggested. “Just in case we see more Japanese on our way to the cave.”
We continued through the jungle, looking forward to the future while forgetting the past. I tried to erase the events of the prior evening, and the last few weeks for that matter, and enjoy the scenery. We truly were stranded in paradise.
“This island seems to be a natural habitat for swallow-tailed butterflies,” I said as we wandered back to the cave. “They are also known as papilio weiskel,
and they come in various colors: emerald green, sapphire blue, and golden yellow.”
“Are the butterflies common?” Lady Jane asked.
“They are to this part of the world,” I said. “And they are beautiful. But other species found here are very rare. Yesterday, I thought I saw a Queen Alexandra’s bird-winged butterfly, supposedly native to New Guinea. It’s the world’s largest butterfly and has a ten-inch wing span. But I haven’t seen it since.”
“We’ll keep looking,” Thomas said. “It can offer you another story to write. This one can be about beauty and perfection. You can describe how fabulous these creatures are, how rare and exquisite. And you can let the people of the world know that somewhere in this living hell there’s a symbol of what the future can be. I think they would like that.”
We went back to the cave, feasted on fruit, berries, and a few tins of Japanese fish, and then spent some time at the pond, bathing and relaxing and enjoying our temporary paradise. For the first time since Singapore, there were no dangers lurking in the shadows, no darkness hiding the dawn, and no threats, fears, or anxieties. We knew Australia was a short trip, a day or day and a half, and once there we would be safe and secure. After I reached Australia, I needed to decide what path to follow: continued coverage of the war from the southwest Pacific or a return to London, hoping the memories of Maggie would no longer haunt me.
I thought about my parents, my sister Angie and her husband Tom, and my friends and coworkers. I wondered what had happened to them in the last five weeks. Had they continued the routine that life demands, muddling through each day with no time to enjoy it or savor its simple pleasures: flowers blooming, the smile of a child, a bird singing, a snowflake, the wrinkled wisdom of an octogenarian, or the purity of the color white? Probably, because that’s what life was all about. It was a hectic race for survival -- financial, emotional, spiritual, physical and mental. But it wouldn’t be like that for me. I had seen death in so many faces, from Maggie’s to General Hakkan’s, that I vowed to celebrate and enjoy every single minute I was privileged enough to experience.
I looked at Thomas, floating on his back and staring at the clouds, and Lady Jane and Sir Gregory, whispering in a corner of the pond. It seemed as if she couldn’t decide whether she loved Thomas or Sir Gregory or me. Balraj was a distant memory, barely mentioned since the day he’d walked out of her life. Was that my fate, an interesting diversion, pleasant but temporary? I suspected I would be forgotten as quickly as he’d been.
But I would never forget her.
Early that afternoon we collected our belongings along with some bananas and tins of fish and started our trek around the island destined for the dock on the north shore where our rendezvous with Bennie was scheduled.
“What do we do if George miscalculated our position?” Sir Gregory asked. “We’ll miss Bennie and be stuck here forever.”
“George did the best he could,” Lady Jane said. “I’m sure he’s right.”
“And what would be so bad if he wasn’t?” Thomas asked. “The whole world is at war. We have found a tropical paradise. There’s plenty of food, perfect weather, beautiful scenery, the company of good friends. Who could ask for more?”
“There’s also the Japanese,” Sir Gregory reminded us. “We may have killed those here, but if the island was important enough to use as a base, I’m sure more will be sent.”
I listened to the conversation but didn’t comment. I may have made a mistake and chosen the wrong location. We might wait on the dock for days for a rescue that would never come. I could be off by hundreds of miles and never know by just how much. The only solace I had was knowing that I’d done my best.
We made our way through the vegetation, following the same path we had taken the day before in route to the wharf on the north shore of the island. We were not quite as cautious as we should have been, straying from the protective canopy of the foliage and talking louder than a whisper.
As we approached the northern side of the island, to where the wharf was located, Thomas suddenly stopped and held up his hand.
“Quiet!” he hissed.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
He pointed to the water. A Japanese patrol boat was docked at the wharf.
CHAPTER 49
The ship was some type of supply vessel outfitted with guns and manned by over a dozen men. It looked like they had just arrived; a line of sailors were strung across the deck, handing wooden crates to two more on the ground. An officer and another sailor stood near the path that led to the summit and stared skyward, shielding their eyes from the setting sun. I knew what they were thinking: why hadn’t the soldiers come down to greet them?
We hid in the bushes, watching. They took about twenty minutes to unload, methodically stacking crates in the outbuilding and placing others at the foot of the path. When they’d finished, three sailors gathered around the officer while the rest lounged on the deck of the boat. They were engaged in a discussion, pointing up the hill.
“How many do you think there are?” Sir Gregory asked.
Thomas peeked from behind a shrub and studied the ship. “I don’t know for sure. I count fifteen. But there may be more.”
“Too many to attack,” Sir Gregory said.
Lady Jane watched the enemy, her lips taut. “Maybe they’ll drop off their supplies and leave.”
“That’s probably their normal routine,” I said. “But they’re wondering where the soldiers are. If they find the bodies they’ll never leave.”
As if he had heard me, the officer waved his hand forward and the three sailors started scampering up the hill, each carrying a crate. It would take ten or fifteen minutes to reach the top, some time to find the bodies, and then maybe ten minutes to return to the dock. We had little time to develop a plan.
“We have to think of something,” Thomas said. “When they return from the summit, the others will search the island.”
Sir Gregory eyed the enemy warily. “I have a half box of hand grenades. I could disable the ship.”
“But we would still have fifteen Japanese to deal with.” Thomas said. “We need a better plan. And we have to do it soon. Bennie will be here at dusk.”
I thought for a moment, considering our options. It would be suicide to attack a force four times as large as ours, especially when they were better equipped. One shot from their canon would kill us all, and any attempt to attack the sailors would meet with disaster.
“We need a diversion,” I said.
“What do you mean by that?” Sir Gregory asked. “We need to make them leave, either because they think they are in danger or to launch an attack,” I said. “And we have to get them to go long enough for Bennie to rescue us.”
“Once they find the dead soldiers at the top of the hill, they’ll radio for help,” Thomas warned.
“I know,” I said. “That’s why the timing is so critical.”
I realized that all eyes had suddenly turned to me. Somehow I had become the leader of this mismatched band of adventurers, although I’m not sure when or how. It was probably after I saved Thomas’s life, or maybe it was my ability to use my mind to master muscle, and that’s what I had to do; I didn’t have the strength that others did. They now waited anxiously, wondering what plan I had created. They were ready to follow blindly, having developed a faith and trust in me that I couldn’t explain, somehow knowing that any action I suggested would hold their safety paramount.
“Our best chance is to confuse them when they get to the top of the hill,” I advised. “Then they won’t think to look for their companions.”
“I don’t follow you,” Sir Gregory said.
“We have to make them think that the soldiers left the summit,” I explained. “And for a good reason.”
“How do we do that?” Thomas asked.
My plan was formulating, I only had to refine it. “How many hand grenades do we have?”
Sir Gregory shrugged and grabbed the crate. “I don’t kn
ow. Maybe twenty.”
“Here’s what I think we should do,” I said.
Ten minutes later the first grenade exploded. It was followed by silence, and then two distinct rifle shots, spaced ten seconds apart. The sailors at the dock all turned, looking first at each other, and then towards the island’s interior. They were confused and, even though they were probably well-trained and seasoned, some faces showed fright.
A sailor was dispatched up the path. He yelled for those on their way to the summit, trying to direct them back to the wharf. The officer then issued a command to the remaining men, and they boarded the boat, manning the two guns that sat on deck and standing by the railing with their rifles at the ready.
The second grenade exploded a few minutes later. It was followed by a third. The sailors responded to the apparent attack, prepared to retaliate. Some sought cover, crouching behind the gun deck and behind the bridge.
“Thomas and Sir Gregory are very convincing,” I said. “They’re certainly making it sound like there’s a battle on the far side of the island.”
Lady Jane pointed at a disappearing sun. “I just hope they make it back in the darkness. Do you think this will work?”
“First we have to get the sailors off the summit before they find the dead bodies. Hopefully, that was successful. Then they have to all get on the boat and go to the south side.”
“What if the Japanese try to find them on foot?”
“I don’t think they will,” I said. “They’ve probably never explored the island before. They just deliver supplies. They don’t know where to go. Especially in the dark. And they have their guns on the ship.”
Five minutes passed before another grenade exploded. Then a series of staggered shots arrived, some in rapid succession. The sailors remained vigilant.
It took a while before the sailors came running down the hill. There were four, three that had gone up the path to investigate and the fourth that was sent to get them. If they had reached the summit, they were only there a matter of minutes, not enough time to find the dead soldiers.
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