CHAPTER SIXTEEN
BEACH LANDING
The convoy in which they moved out into the Pacific again was quitedifferent from that in which they had come across. There were beachlanding boats of many kinds in the great fleet. Though this indicatedthat they were to go ashore on some beach, Nancy's unit had no ideawhat island that would be. To most it was a matter of indifference, butto Nancy it was immensely important in which direction their convoymoved.
In her musette bag she had tucked away the little map Bruce had drawnfor her, with the names of Tommy's bomber crew. She would never give uphope of learning more from some of them as to Tommy's fate.
The crowded transport on which they traveled could not supply all withsleeping quarters. Nancy and Mabel were among the women who volunteeredto sleep on deck the first night. The second night they took a turnbelow, but found it so crowded, and the air so bad they preferred theirbed rolls on deck. Bathing was practically taboo, as their water supplyhad to be conserved for drinking. The second day out Jap fliersdiscovered them, so that helmets and Mae Wests were their inseparablecompanions. Their voyage across from home seemed like a pleasure cruiseby comparison.
"I'll surely have more sympathy with the dirty men we have to clean uphereafter," said Mabel, trying to reach under her "Mae West" to do abit of scratching.
"I've been wondering if I've gotten fleas or something," said Nancy. "Iremind myself of old Bozo back home. He's always clawing at some partof his anatomy."
When the Jap planes came over they had their first real chance todiscover of what stuff they were made. To Nancy's consternation she wasalmost paralysed with fear. She glanced at the few possessions she hadwith her, wondering which she ought to take to the lifeboat. It wasawful to see those busters sending up great waterspouts where theyfell, and never to know if the next would land in their midst. What arelief it was when their own planes went into action, and the Japsturned tail.
But the aggravating Zeros came over again in the night. Decks had beencleared and Nancy and Mabel huddled side by side on a bunk, listeningto attackers and defenders roaring overhead. Nancy had been in aFlorida hurricane once that made her feel like this. All night long theoncoming gusts of wind had threatened to level the beach cottage. Shewondered how she had ever survived that night when almost momentarilyshe had expected death. But tonight she lived the horrible experienceall over again. No one could tell as a plane zoomed low over their shipwhether it was a Jap or American. Time and again they braced themselvesfor the explosion they were certain must come. She and Mabel clutchedeach other's hands till their fingers ached.
"It's beginning to look as though Major Reed has over-estimated mycourage," she whispered ruefully to Mabel.
"I never before realized how wicked I am," groaned Mabel. "All my sinsseem rising up to slap me in the face now."
Suddenly Nancy laughed hysterically, "You're the limit, Mabel."
Mabel giggled and their tension was broken. "Let's put on our helmetsand go out in the hall where we can keep up with what's happening,"Mabel suggested. "I always feel better in a thunderstorm when I'mstanding where I can see the lightning strike."
They went out to the passage nearest their lifeboat, and felt morecomfortable. Almost immediately after they stationed themselves there,however, the attackers were driven off and peace descended once more onthe dark flotilla.
Not until next morning did they learn that a ship some distance behindthem had been struck and sent to the bottom. She was a tanker, and onlyabout half her crew were picked up by neighboring vessels.
"But for the grace of God that might have been us," said Nancy sadly.
When they were approaching the end of their dangerous voyage, thenurses learned some details of the situation they were to face. Theirdestination was Koshu Island, half of which had already been taken fromthe Japs. The prolonged struggle to gain complete possession of thearea had caused many casualties, making a hospital unit imperative.
There would be many more casualties they knew from this reinforcingarmada of which they were a part, to replace those being sent out fromthe island by plane.
Excitement rippled over the transport when the troops and nursessighted their destination, a fluted outline of ragged palms silhouettedagainst a white-hot tropical sky. The beach-head which they were tooccupy had been taken weeks ago, so the landing would not be asdangerous as it had been for the earlier force.
About a mile offshore the flotilla came to anchor. All morning Nancyand her companions watched the landing craft of many types push inclose against the beach, putting men and munitions ashore. Much of theinfantry had come all the way from Australia aboard the larger landingcraft. When these boats had discharged their passengers they returnedto the transports, and filled up again. On one of these landing craftfor infantry, Nancy's unit went ashore.
While they waited their turn, watching the maneuvers over the widetheater of action, Major Reed proffered Nancy his field glasses. Sheshared them with Mabel, who stood at her side.
"Do look yonder," she said, pointing to the eastern end of the island.
Mabel whistled softly when she adjusted the glasses. "That must havebeen where they took the beach-head!" she said. "Our artillery surelydid riddle that piece of coconut jungle."
Most of the trees had been topped, and reminded Nancy of blackenedchimneys she had seen once when several city blocks burned. The openbeach lying between the jungle and the sea was strewn with the wreckageof a campsite.
No nurse had been allowed to bring more than she could carry in her ownhands, so Nancy's suitcase and musette bag were packed to heavytightness. For two hours they waited with their baggage around them.But at last they went aboard the landing craft. Nancy was relieved whenfinally the boat moved toward shore to see that they were not headedfor that battle-scarred point to the east. Buzzards still circled aboveit, and she surmised they had not yet completed their ghastly task ofcleaning up the remains of battle.
It was exciting to see landing ramps go down on each side of thecraft's bow, like stairs descending into the shallow surf. The nurseswatched while the first men went ashore, their helmets on, their bodiespadded with their packs, their guns held high above the lapping waves.
Then a line of men formed from the long ramps to the sandy beach asguard while the women went ashore. Nancy, Mabel and fifty others, tookoff their G.I. shoes, stuffed their stockings inside, tied their shoestogether by the laces and hung them around their necks. They rolled thelegs of their coveralls high above their knees, and with many excitedsqueals and giggles hurried down the ramps and into the cool waterbreaking on the shore.
As soon as she reached the beach Nancy sat down to put on her shoes forthe sands were burning hot. Before she rose she paused to say a silentprayer of thanksgiving that at last she was on one of the Pacificislands, the goal of her dreams these many months.
"Surely looks as though we're in for tropical living here," remarkedMabel, glancing at the jungle wall not far from the lapping tide.
"Look farther down the beach," Nancy pointed out. "Isn't that amarvelous sight?"
As far as they could see along the beach, landing craft of every sortwere pushing up to shore. The one next their own infantry craft was ahuge affair, and even while they looked its large doors opened towardland. A tank rumbled forth into shallow water, and rolled up to dryland. It was followed by several others.
"Gosh, doesn't it thrill you to think how fast and efficiently ourcountry works," said Mabel. "They tell me it wasn't till the fall of1942 that the first models of these landing ships were made--and lookat this already."
"Surely the Japs can't beat a country like ours!" said Nancy proudly.
But even while she spoke there came a rumbling of heavy guns far beyondthat jungle wall. Mabel had taken off her helmet to let the wind playthrough her red hair, that was like a nimbus around her face in thesunshine. Suddenly at the sound of firing she slapped the helmet backon her head.
"Say, but that doesn't sound as if it's going to be so easy to whipthem!" she groaned.
Farther out in the deep water they could see troops still beingtransferred from the great transports to the landing craft. Anotherlanding boat pushed up to the beach close to where they stood. Itdidn't look to be longer than about a hundred feet. When its ramp waslowered it disgorged so many trucks and small tanks they wondered howthey had all been stored inside.
As far as they could see along the beach, troops, equipment and boxesof supplies filled almost every available foot of space. The earlierinvading army had cleared a road with tractors through the heart of thejungle. The leveled trees had been used on the most swampy ground tomake corduroy roads. But the hospital unit was not to follow themarching troops into the interior.
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_Landing Craft Pushed up to Shore_]
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A small detachment of men set up camp east of the road, while thewestern side was cleared for the hospital site. A small streammeandered through the grounds to supply them with water for bathing andlaundry. They had brought their own drinking water against thepossibility of not finding pure water.
A squad of negroes cleared underbrush from under the towering palms,cut a few trees here and there, and with almost magic swiftness thetent hospital went up. Those men took care of the long tents that wereto serve as hospital wards and mess hall, but the nurses put up theirown sleeping quarters.
The first night they had to sleep on their bedding rolls on the beach,for their campsite had not been entirely cleared. Before the secondnight, however, Nancy, Mabel, Shorty and Ida were prepared to sleep intheir own tent.
"I never dreamed we could be so cozily settled in so short a time,"said Nancy.
Even their mosquito bars were up, and they had the prospect of a decentnight's sleep, for the previous one had been a nightmare. Only bycovering up completely could they be free of the torturing pricks ofmosquitoes, and then they sweltered.
At intervals during the first twenty-four hours there had come therumble of heavy firing in the distance, like an approachingthunderstorm. No doubt those troops and tanks that had moved on beyondthe jungle wall were already in the thick of the fight.
An hour before sunset of their second day ashore the thunderingreverberations were increased ten-fold. Before dark, their tenthospital, not yet ready for patients, was precipitated into action.Ambulances began rolling in from the north. Those first patients had tobe stretchered on the sands of the beach. To Nancy's amazement shefound that some were not bloody, wounded men.
In reply to her inquiry about them Captain Crawford said, "They tell methey're prisoners--our men, freed when they took over a native village."
Some had evidently been in line of the attacking fire Nancy discoveredas she bent over a chap with a shredded arm.
"Were you a prisoner of the Japs?" she asked.
"Not me."
Even as he replied Nancy realized from his well-fed look that he musthave been one of the attackers.
"I got this as we took the village. Those poor creatures in thatambulance yonder were prisoners."
"Many of them?" asked Nancy, wishing she could look after them.
"A dozen or so, I suppose. More had been there, but had passed beyondour help."
"Who are they? Did you hear any of their names?"
"Sister, we didn't stop for that. They were Americans and that wasenough for us."
Nancy had been cutting away the boy's bloody shirt as she talked, andnow she began to clean his wound. Captain Crawford came to probe forlead. Nancy gave the soldier a hypo and the doctor went back to hisfirst patient while it took effect.
"You nurses and doctors got here just in time," said the young corporalgratefully.
"Then you were here before?" she asked.
"Three weeks we've been driving 'em north."
"You were lucky to escape so far."
"Glad they waited till you got here," he said, beginning to look drowsy.
A few minutes later the boy was sleeping, his wound dressed, and Nancyrose to go to the next cot. She sent a fleeting glance along the beachand under the towering palms where men with all manner of wounds werelying. Here was work enough for a hundred nurses. She saw there wouldbe no sleep for any of the fifty who were here tonight. A doctor nearby was amputating an arm, working fast while the daylight lasted.
Mabel worked with the released prisoners. She was giving plasma to one,evidently at the point of death. Nancy paused to give her a hand. Shewas amazed to see that the man's hair was snow white.
"Wonder how anyone this old got into the service?" she whispered toMabel.
The man's face was brown and creased as cracked leather. Only a loincloth hung about his waist, while every rib could be counted in hisshriveled body. His limbs were mere skin-covered bones, making thejoints seem abnormally large. In spite of all this they could see hehad once been a powerful, tall man.
"He looks too dark to be an American," said Nancy dubiously.
"This sun can cook anybody's skin that brown. Look, his dog tag's stillon. That gives his data," said Mabel, for she had already referred toit to get his blood type.
The man was in a coma. There seemed slight chance they could bring himaround, yet there was life still in his pulse, and they did everythingwhich modern science knew to strengthen that feeble spark.
Nancy picked up the tag from the bony chest and read, "Vernon Goodwin."
"Yep. I noticed that when I looked for his blood type," said Mabel.
"Nearest relative, V. P. Goodwin, Graceville, S. C. Not only anAmerican, but a southerner!" exclaimed Nancy. "Protestant religion.Vernon Goodwin--Vernon Goodwin," she repeated softly.
To her surprise the sick man's eyelids fluttered, and Nancy thought thelight of consciousness welled up as he looked at her a moment. The lipstried to move, but no words came.
"There's something familiar in that name, Mabel."
"Common enough name back home--Goodwin."
"Could he be one of Tommy's bomber crew?"
Again the eyelids fluttered, and again the lips tried to move.
"Mabel, I've got to know!" exclaimed Nancy. "I'm going to run up to ourtent to get that list Bruce wrote for me."
Nancy was back in five minutes, but Mabel had moved to the next man.Her face was shining with an inner light when she went up to her friendand said, "It is one of them, Mabel. Vernon Goodwin, Tommy's gunner."
"Well of all things!" burst forth Mabel. "It's a little world afterall."
"But he may die, poor soul!"
"He has only a slim chance I'd say, even to realize he's been rescued,much less to tell you about the disaster."
"But Mabel, we've got to bring him through--somehow! Surely he can tellus about Tommy. Why Tommy may even be among these prisoners."
As the idea seized her Nancy hurried off to search the faces of thoseprisoners. She looked at each emaciated face with hope, only to turnaway with a heavy heart. Then the idea came to her that Tommy'ssuffering might have changed him beyond recognition, so she went backamong the prisoners, this time examining their dog tags.
When she passed Mabel a second time her friend gave her a sharp lookand said, "Snap out of it, Nancy! You'd better get back on the job orthey'll be jacking you up for shirking duty."
Nancy flushed and came to herself with a start. She had never receiveda reprimand of that sort and would have felt disgraced to merit it inthis first real testing hour.
Several times during the night, however, she returned to see aboutVernon Goodwin. At last as she turned her light on his face to watchhis breathing she thought she saw a faint color in his dry lips. Hemust live, he must! She kept saying the words to herself. If he diedshe might never know what had really become of Tommy. Vernon seemed herlast hope of gaining some clue that might lead to rescuing him.
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