"Message One will be transmitted from the Sunfish? Is that what you're saying?" Pickering asked, as he read the second sheet of paper.
Message Two Hour 0200
THEYWILLFINDTHESTREETSAREGUARDEDBYUNITEDSTATESMARINES
12345678901234567890123456789012346678901234567890123
1 2 3 4 5
K I L L E KILLE
06 07 06 08 03
R A N D E RANDE
18 23 36 40 45
R N Y W I RNYWI
49 51 04 05 06
L L E A T LLEAT
07 08 15 23 38
B E A N S BEANS
33 39 43 51 53
T H I R T THIRT
01 O2 06 18 21
Y M I L E YMILE
34 47 50 07 15
S S U U T SSUUT
22 46 27 27 38
H I S M 0 HISMO
O2 06 53 47 27
R N I N G RNING
49 51 06 11 26
"Lieutenant Lewis suggested, Sir, and we're agreed it's a good idea, that Message One will first be transmitted from the Sunfish, and then, when the radio stations here and at Pearl hear it (they will be alerted to listen for it), it will be repeated by them. The greater strength of their signals will more or less guarantee reception by Fertig."
"If Fertig happens to be listening," McCoy said.
"The possibility of course exists, Ken, that they will not be listening," Pluto said. "But I think they will be."
"And if not?" Pickering asked, handing Stecker Message Two. "If you don't get acknowledgment?"
"We'll keep trying-the stations at Pearl Harbor and here, not the Sunfish-on an hourly basis, until midnight," Pluto said. "I really think we'll get through."
"And if you do?" Pickering asked.
"Two hours after we get acknowledgment, we send Message Two. That gives them two hours to figure out what the Marine Hymn substitution is."
"Speaking of which," Stecker said. "Will somebody please translate this for me?"
"This is where it really gets far out, Colonel," McCoy said.
"Who is 'Lille'? What is this?" Stecker asked.
"The Marine Hymn substitution code doesn't have a 'K' or an 'O,' Colo-nel," Moore said. "We are using an 'L' when a 'K' is needed-it's the next letter, and a consonant. Where an 'O' is required, we are using a 'U' We think the substitution will be self-evident."
"Right," McCoy said sarcastically. "The substitution will be self-evident. These guys are hiding out in the boondocks, and we want to play word games with them."
"If you can't handle the whiskey, McCoy, leave it alone," Pickering snapped. "What we're trying to do here is keep you alive."
He was immediately sorry, not because of his own words (they needed to be said), but because of the look of approval on Captain Macklin's face.
"Message Two, Colonel," Moore said, "reads 'Killer And Erny Will Eat Beans Thirty Miles South This Morning.' "
" 'Eat Beans'? What does that mean? South of what?" Stecker asked. "This doesn't make any sense to me."
"You weren't here, Jack, when Lewis and I went over the charts," Picker-ing said. "Where's that chart, Pluto?"
"Right here, Sir," Pluto said, and pushed the chart across the table.
"Show him, Lewis," Pickering said.
"Aye, aye, Sir," Lewis said. "Colonel, I suggested to General Pickering that the best place to try to land McCoy and party would be on the east coast of Mindanao."
"I've sailed those interior waters, Jack," Pickering said. "They are not among the best-charted waters in the world. We don't want the Sunfish run-ning-submerged-into an uncharted reef or shoal. The waters to the east of Mindanao are safest."
"You'll notice, Colonel," Lewis said, pointing, "the subsurface terrain here. The Philippine Trench, with depths to about 9,000 fathoms, is only about seventy-five miles offshore. The 6,000-fathom curve is sixty miles offshore; the 4,000 curve thirty-five miles offshore; the 2,000 twenty miles offshore; and the 200-fathom curve runs almost along the shoreline."
"I don't know what that means," Stecker said.
"According to Lewis, Jack, a submarine skipper is perfectly happy when he has a hundred fathoms under his keel," Pickering said. "That's six hundred feet. In my experience, and from what Lewis tells me, in the Navy's, when you have fathom curve lines like these, there is little chance of encountering an underwater obstacle."
"Even in a submerged submarine?" Stecker asked.
"We have a two-hundred-fathom depth all along here," Pickering replied. "Twelve hundred feet. If a sub runs at three hundred feet, he's got nine hun-dred feet under his keel."
"OK," Stecker said.
"Sir, if you will look here," Lewis said, pointing at the chart again, "you will see the two-hundred-fathom curve just about touches the shore at this point, which is thirty miles south of a village fortunately called 'Boston.' "
"Boston? Beans, right?" Stecker asked.
"That's the idea, Sir," Lewis said. "The Sunfish can sail, submerged, to within a couple of hundred yards of the coastline and still have at least a hun-dred fathoms under her keel."
"A couple of hundred yards?" Stecker asked doubtfully. "How are you going to keep from running into the shoreline?"
"SONAR, Sir," Lewis said. "It stands for Sound Navigation and Rang-ing. The Sunfish has it aboard, Sir. She'll know when she's getting in close."
"And you think Fertig will understand this Boston-beans connection?" Stecker asked dubiously.
"We tested that, too, Sir," Pluto replied.
"How?" Pickering asked.
"McCoy and I went to the SWPOA Officers' Club," Sessions said. "We asked ten officers at the bar the first thing that came to mind when they heard the word 'beans.' We got six 'Boston' or 'Boston baked'; and one each 'lima,' 'snap,' and 'navy.' "
"You really did your research, didn't you?" Pickering said, chuckling.
"That's nine," Stecker said. "You said you asked ten officers."
"Now that you mention it, Colonel," McCoy said, "we also got one 'fart.' "
"Six out often responses with a Boston connection, Sir," Pluto said, very quickly, "seems more than reasonable. I mean, I think we can presume Fertig will immediately discount `lima,' `snap,' and 'navy.' "
"One fart, huh?" Pickering said, and laughed.
"What if you can't get an acknowledgment from Fertig?" Stecker asked.
"There's some argument about that, Sir," Pluto said. "One being that the Sunfish should repeat the operation the next day, and the day after that, if nec-essary. The other argument is to put McCoy and party ashore just before day-light anyway, and attempt to contact Fertig by other means."
"Argument Two came from McCoy, right?" Pickering said.
"Yes, Sir," McCoy said.
"All right, McCoy," Pickering said. "Tell us why you're not happy with this."
"The more complicated something is, the more things can go wrong," McCoy said. "There's too much 'if, `if,' and 'if' in this for me. I'd much prefer to do this simply. The four of us go ashore without doing anything to make the Japanese nervous. We find Fertig..."
"How are you going to do that?"
"Zimmerman says that the Filipinos will know where he is, and I agree with him. And they will know we've come ashore."