see Wims, tell him to get backhere. All right, move out!
"You! Get over to the second platoon in the reserve area and tell themto rush a replacement machine gun with support riflemen to the tip ofthe spur; base of fire to be maintained twenty minutes. Signal end offiring with white flare."
The captain dispatched his last runner with additional tacticalrevisions and then took time to consider the odd fact that the generalhad one of his colonels delay his messengers. Was he only testing hisability to improvise? Yet he seemed unduly anxious to have him use Wims.Why? Suddenly, into his mind flashed the scene of the general callingWims from behind the tree and he knew what it was that had beenscreaming for attention at the back of his mind these last hecticminutes. _No one had mentioned Wims' name within earshot of the generaland yet Fyfe had called Wims by name!_
* * * * *
Wims had not been included in the company briefing and he wished he hadhad the courage to ask the captain where the jump-off area was, but thecaptain had been so angry with him he had not wanted to provoke himfurther. After a while of wandering he came upon two of his owncompany's flank pickets nested in a deadfall a short distance beyond theedge of the woods. They greeted him with hearty hostility. "Git outtahere, Wims. You ain't got no business here."
"But Ah'm lookin' fer the lieutenant. Ah got a message fer 'im from thecaptain."
"He's over there on that hill," one of them replied, spitefullyindicating the hill occupied by the Red force.
"Thanks," Wims said gratefully and in all innocence headed for the enemyhill. He lost his bearings in the woods and when he finally came uponthe hill he had made a wide swing around the left flank and wasapproaching its rear slope. Immediately he was spotted by severaltrainees of the defending force foxholed on the lower slope. Since hecame so openly from their rear area and alone, they assumed he was oneof their own men.
As they let him come within challenging distance, they saw, pinned tohis tunic, the green cardboard bar that identified him as a messenger.The bars were worn so that noncoms wouldn't be snatching for otherduties, messengers idling between missions. As had always been done,both sides in this exercise were using the same device to identify theirmessengers, never expecting them to be delivering messages behind enemylines.
The challenged Wims explained his mission and he was passed through withthe information that most of the junior officers were on the forwardslope. Wims climbed up the hill, inconspicuous among others scurryingabout on various missions, many of whom did not wear the identifying redarmband of the defenders.
He reached the crown of the wooded hill without finding a secondlieutenant who was not a referee. He had almost reached the bottom ofthe forward slope when a small bush jumped up and yelled, "Hey, jerk!Why'n't ya watch where ya goin'?"
Wims pulled back just in time to avoid falling into a well camouflagedmachine-gun nest. One of the foliage-covered gunners, thinking Wims wasabout to topple on him, jumped aside. His ankle twisted under him and hefell, catching the barrel of the machine gun just under the edge of hishelmet and sagging into unconsciousness.
A platoon sergeant heard the steely clatter and rushed over. "That'sfunny," he growled ominously, "I coulda sworn I set up a machine-gunemplacement here but it's makin' noises like a boiler factory."
The assistant gunner pointed to the unconscious gunner. "He fell an' hithis head. He's breathin' but he ain't movin'."
The chattering of a machine gun from the woods opposite the hill wasnoted by the sergeant and he knew the Blues would be coming soon. Heturned to the gunner. "Get up the hill an' snag one of our looeys or areferee. Tell 'im we got a man hurt here, needs lookin' at."
The gunner dashed off and the sergeant jerked his thumb at Wims. "You!Get on that gun!"
"But Ah got an important message fer the lieutenant," Wims protested.
The sergeant, annoyed, glanced at the green bar. "What lieutenant?"
"The captain said the lieutenant in charge."
"Gimmee the message. I'll tell 'im."
Wims started to protest but the sergeant's eyes crackled. "Well, thecaptain said fer the lieutenant not to move out 'til he saw the whiteflare fired outta the woods on his left."
"Not to move out?" the sergeant echoed doubtfully. "That don't soundright. Are ya sure he didn't say not ta _fire_ until we saw the whiteflare?"
"Maybe that's it," Wims said agreeably.
"Maybe!" the sergeant roared, "whaddaya mean, maybe?" He grabbed Wims bythe collar and pushed his face against the boy's as if he were about todevour him. "Is it YES or NO?"
"Y-yes," Wims agreed nervously.
"What's your name, soldier?" the sergeant asked.
"Dolliver Wims."
"You don't happen to be a gen'ral do ya?"
Wims looked confused. "No," he ventured.
"Well then say so!" the sergeant screamed.
"Ah'm not a gen'ral," Wims said, desperately trying to please.
"Are ya tryin' ta get wise with me? WHAT IS YOUR RANK?"
"Private."
"Now, what's your name, soldier."
Wims finally understood. "Private Wims, Dolliver."
"That's better." The sergeant's eyes narrowed as he searched his memory."I don't r'member seein' ya 'round this company before."
"Ah don't recall seein' you 'roun' here either," Wims said in suicidalinnocence.
"Y'ARE GETTIN' WISE WITH ME!" the sergeant roared. "I'll take care of yalater." He thrust Wims into the pit with the machine gun. "Now staythere on that gun 'til I get back. I'm goin' ta find the lieutenant."
Wims squatted behind the gun, squinting experimentally through thesights and swinging the barrel to and fro.
The sergeant returned shortly with the lieutenant. "That's him," hesaid, pointing to Wims.
The lieutenant glanced at the green bar. "Are you sure you got thatmessage straight?"
Wims looked at the menacing sergeant. "Yes, suh," he said, swallowing.
"Somebody is crazy," the lieutenant muttered. "Sergeant, tell LieutenantHaas to cover my platoon. I'm going back to the CP to see Captain Blairabout this message. I'll try to be back before the attack starts toeither confirm or cancel the order, but, if not, Haas is to hold hisfire until he spots the white flare, or the Blues are right on top ofus; whichever happens first."
* * * * *
The lieutenant hustled up the hill and the sergeant went off to findLieutenant Haas, leaving Wims alone with the machine gun and the stillunconscious gunner. The distant machine-gun firing had stopped and thewhite smoke of a screen laid down by the Blue attackers started scuddingthickly across the face of the hill, hiding them as they charged.
"Pickets are back," the sergeant yelled at Lieutenant Haas. "TheBlues've crossed the road an' are in the gully at the bottom of thehill."
"How the devil can I possibly see a signal flare through these trees andall this smoke?" Haas muttered to the sergeant. "I think we've got afirst-class snafu. Let's go check the machine-gun position; if it'sstill there."
A whistle sounded and the Blue company surged up out of the ditch andswarmed up the hill. As had been ordered, not a defending shot had yetbeen fired. Wims opened the breech of the machine gun to see if theammunition belt was properly engaged. He had a difficult time forcing itopen and when he succeeded he found the webbing twisted and a couple ofcartridges jammed in at impossible angles. As he was trying to clear it,the unconscious gunner revived, glanced at the advancing Blues and madefor the gun which Wims had already commenced to take apart.
"Whaddaya doin'?" the gunner yelled. He pushed Wims aside, causing himto release his hold on the powerful spring. The bolt shot out of theback of the gun and struck the approaching Lieutenant Haas above theleft ear just as he was opening his mouth to give the order to returnfire. He fell to the ground with the command unspoken and the sergeantknelt to his aid. At the same moment Wims recognized some members of hisplatoon charging up the hill and realized for the first time he wasbeh
ind enemy lines. In sheer embarrassment he slunk away, hoping none ofhis comrades would notice.
* * * * *
The lieutenant who had gone to confirm Wims' message now came runningdown the hill shouting at his men to return fire. He had his captainwith a lieutenant aide in tow and when they reached the machine-gun nestand the fallen Haas the lieutenant looked for Wims.
"I tell you he was here," the