Then he saw several nets that looked as if they had been woven from some local vine. They had two- or three-inch squares, and he figured they were used for carrying things, like the coconuts that the Negritos had come to harvest. At one side he saw two dozen coconuts that had been husked out of their fibrous shell. The brown inner shell remained.
Blackie picked up one of the coconuts, pierced the eyes with a sharp-pointed stick, and drank the milk. Then he broke it on a rock and dug out the white meat.
“Take just meat when walk home,” he said.
Lam thought Blackie and the others might even dry the coconut meat before they carried it back to their main camp. They were efficient, self-sufficient, answering to nobody, beholden to no one, man or government. Now there was a lifestyle.
A curious monkey swung from trees high overhead. Blackie looked at him, judged the distance, and put down his spear.
“Eat monkey too,” he said. “Monkey taste good.”
“How old are you, Blackie?” Juan asked.
The short man built furrows in his forehead and twisted up his face. “At Subic Bay, Navy Chief Chief call me twenty-five. Not know for sure. Now, maybe fifty, fifty-five. Blackie no count good now.”
The women shouted at the children, and three of them ran into the rain forest and came back quickly with a dozen green shiny leaves as big as dinner plates. They laid them on a log that had been flattened somewhat by cutting with a knife. The pork slabs were placed on each of the leaves, and topped with a mixture of fruits that one of the women had been preparing.
“Chow,” Blackie said. He grinned. “Blackie remember chow call good from Navy.”
They sat in front of the log and ate. The pork was well done and different from anything Lam had ever tasted. It wasn’t like pork, or beef. It had been butchered and cooked before most of the blood had been drained out of the animal and while it was still warm. That made a difference in the taste. It was good, but Lam didn’t think he’d want to make it a permanent part of his diet. The fruit was marvelous. He recognized the bananas, but that was all. Whatever it was, he liked it.
Lam checked his watch. “Chogie time. We need to get back to the LZ.” Lam looked around for a minute. “Be damned if I’m certain how we got here.”
Juan chuckled. “I made a small wager with Blackie that he’d have to take us back partway and point us down to the river. He said no problem. As soon as you finish your pork. It’s not polite in a primitive society to leave any food that has been given to you.”
Lam looked down at his leaf and scooped up the last of the pork and chewed it down.
It was a little over an hour later that they settled in at their former hideout three miles from the river. The time was almost 1400. Plenty of time. Lam set up the radio, and this time he showed Juan how to do it.
“Home Plate, this is Scout.”
A response came back immediately. “Yes, Scout. We’re in our final prep here for our jump over there. A little longer flight this time, but still well within the range of the forty-six. We’re going to leave the bird on the ground this time with six Army security guards while we make our hike.”
“Good thinking, Home Plate. We’re at our safe spot and will move down to the LZ in about two hours. Any changes?”
“None right now. We’ll talk later just before we pull out. Take care and we’ll see you soon.”
Juan closed down the radio, folded the antenna, and put it in its pouch on the SATCOM.
Lam leaned back on the soft greenery and looked at Juan. “I better say it, Juan. I’ve been thinking about Colonel Alvarez. He did pick you to come on this mission, you and the sergeant.”
Juan nodded. “I know where you’re going with that. But you can rest easy. I was rammed down Alvarez’s throat. He didn’t want me to come. He had a captain from his headquarters he had picked and primed. Then somebody said it should be a man who had been in contact and combat with the rebels. My CO pushed me for the spot and I won out. I have no loyalty to the colonel. I didn’t even like him. He’s getting what he deserved. No, I won’t sabotage the fight tonight. I could have done that yesterday on my recon. If I was his man, I’d have acted before now. I’m not. I’m clean.”
“I believe you, Juan. I just had to ask, in case Murdock nails me.”
“No problem, Lam. Hey, I’ve been in the Army for eight years, I know how the military works. Cover your ass. Hell, yes. When are we heading for the river?”
13
The big CH-46 let down easily on the harvested rice field to the west of the river and settled on its wheels. The six Filipino Army guards stormed out the side doors and took up positions to protect the ship. The SEALs raced out behind them and charged forward along the river until they hit the jungle growth and cover.
“About time you blokes got here,” Lam said after he stepped from behind a large mahogany tree.
“Got stuck in a beauty of a traffic jam on the freeway,” Jaybird cracked.
Murdock called the men around him. “Any changes in the plans, Lam?”
“No, sir. All about the same. We haven’t been any closer to the town than this since we left yesterday. Don’t see what they could do even if they think there is some opposition out here.”
“Good. Our timing is a little off. Won’t be full dark for another half hour, but we can move down toward the town. Lieutenant Ejercito, how do you feel about a 2100 attack time, or should we push it back to 2400?”
“Would be fewer civilians out at midnight, Commander, and fewer rebels on guard duty. Still, it’s going to take us some time to hit all the targets. If we get pinned down on one…”
“Okay, then let’s keep the sked we have. Five miles to target, Lam?”
“Right, Skipper.”
“Time now is 1934. Let’s take a hike and get in position, then decide on our attack time. Juan, can we split into two teams for the hits? Can Lam point out some of the targets to us?”
“He knows where they are on the map, Commander. He has seen only two of them. But he’s a smart man, I think he could do it.”
“Lam?”
“We have eight separate targets. I know three and can find the other one. Juan gets four.”
“Good. Lam, you’ll be with Alpha Squad, and Juan, you go with Bravo. Let’s take a hike.”
Moving down the trail beside the river with Lam out in front by three hundred yards, they took almost an hour to cover the five miles. They headed up the slope of the ridge to the left near the town to take a good look. They could spot some of the targets by the lights.
“Must have a generator for some of the troops,” Murdock said. “You didn’t see any power poles or lines in there, did you, Juan?”
“No, sir. Before we saw some lamps, but no electric ones like this. Maybe new, maybe they just use them for defense.”
“Any limits on type of arms?” Jaybird asked.
“No EAR unless absolutely necessary. We want to punish these guys. We don’t even need to occupy the buildings. Just waste them with the twenties and anybody who comes running out or to the defense. We should be able to take down each site and move on to the next one. We’ll all keep in touch with the Motorolas. If one squad runs into trouble, tell us where you are and how we can help. The twenties should do the job on most buildings. Shoot through doors and windows. If the door isn’t open, one contact round will blow it halfway across the building. Questions?”
“Targets are only the green-uniformed guys?” Ostercamp asked.
“You may return fire at anyone shooting at you no matter what clothes he’s wearing. The uniformed rebels are our main targets.”
“What kind of return fire?” Senior Chief Sadler asked.
“After the first attack, they will be ready. We expect some machine-gun fire, and automatic rifles and sub guns. We don’t think they have anything heavier. We’ll have to wait and find out.”