"Yes, we really would, sir," Taylor said. "Will that be possible?"
"I've had a chance to think about that," Jones-Fortin said. "I believe it falls within my orders from Admiral Matthews to make Charity as useful as possible."
"Thank you, Captain," Taylor said. "That's a large weight off our shoulders."
"I made discreet inquiries," Jones-Fortin said. "There are apparently three Marines in addition to the one I spoke with."
"Let me see what's going on, sir," McCoy said, and started toward the terminal.
As he did, Technical Sergeant J. M. Jennings, USMC, came out and saluted.
"Well, I see you made it here," McCoy said.
"It was easy, Captain," Jennings replied. "There's a lot of transports leaving K-l empty that come here..."
"I know," McCoy said, smiling. "How'd you know about the Charity?"
"I went out to the wharfs," Jennings said. "And there was this Limey destroyer, and swabbies lashing a couple of lifeboats to her."
"You are a clever man, Sergeant Jennings," McCoy said. "And where're the other guys?"
"In the Metropole Hotel, sir. I thought it better to get them off the base."
"How'd you know about the hotel?"
"I was here before, sir, in `48. I was the gunny of the Marines on board the Midway."
"Okay. Come with me, I'll introduce you to the captain of the Charity. And don't use the word `Limey.'"
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Ah, yes," Lieutenant Commander Jones-Fortin said, "the Hotel Metropole. If I may make a suggestion, gentlemen?"
"Of course, sir," Taylor said.
"Your people here were kind enough to provide me with a lorry. A weapons carrier, I believe you call them?"
"Yes, sir."
"I propose that we load your materiel onto the lorry. I think it will hold it all. Then we will drop you gentlemen and the sergeant off at the Metropole. Then I will have the materiel loaded aboard Charity. When it is dark, I will have you picked up at the Metropole. I would be pleased if you were to join me for dinner at the Officers' Club, and after that, we can board Charity."
"That's fine, Captain, except that we insist you be our guest at dinner," Taylor said.
"We can argue that later," Jones-Fortin said. "Shall we deal with whatever it is?"
[THREE]
There was a neatly lettered sign mounted on the wall next to the reception desk in the Hotel Metropole.
IMPORTANT NOTICE !!!
ALL LADIES USED IN THE HOTEL
MUST BE
PROVIDED BY THE MANAGEMENT!!!
NO EXCEPTIONS
THANK YOU. THE MANAGEMENT
Technical Sergeant J. M. Jennings, USMC, opened the door to Room 215 and bellowed, "Ah-ten-hut on deck!" just before Captain McCoy and Lieutenant Taylor marched in.
There is something essentially ludicrous in the sight of three naked men standing rigidly at attention, especially when two of the three have naked Japanese women hang-ing from their necks, and Captain McCoy was not able to resist the temptation to smile.
"As you were," he managed to say, which caused the two Marines with the ladies dangling from their necks to disen-gage themselves and all three Marines to quickly attempt to cover their genital areas with their hands.
Captain McCoy found it necessary to cough; Lieutenant Taylor found it necessary to turn and look through the door.
"Lieutenant Taylor and I are pleased to see that you've taken advantage of your spare time to sample the cultural delights of Sasebo," McCoy said. "But all good things must come to an end."
The three Marines looked at him, stone-faced.
"Shortly after dark, a weapons carrier will be here to take-"
"I like the Marine," one of the ladies said to one of her sisters, speaking, of course, in Japanese.
"Thank you very much," McCoy replied, in Japanese. "And I like you, too, but I am a married man."
All three ladies tittered behind their hands.
"So what?" the first lady asked.
"My wife is much stronger and larger than I am, and when she is angry she beats me severely," McCoy said.
All three ladies tittered delightedly again, and Taylor laughed. The three Marines looked baffled and very curi-ous.
"... as I was saying before the lady asked me if all Marines have dongs the size of their little fingers, or whether you three were just shortchanged-"
"She didn't ask that," one of the Marines challenged, se-riously. "Did she, sir?"
"You don't think I made that up, do you, Sergeant?"
After a long moment, the sergeant said, "No, sir, I guess not."
He looked at his lady, then dropped his eyes to his geni-tals.
"As I was saying," McCoy went on, "a weapons carrier will be here shortly after dark to take us where we are go-ing. I don't think the chow there will be as good as the chow Sergeant Jennings tells me you can get here. Your choice. But you're finished with the booze, and in an hour, you will be all dressed and sober and with all the bills paid. Are there any questions?"
All three said, "No, sir."
"You have anything, Mr. Taylor?"
"I think you covered everything," Taylor said.
"Sergeant Jennings?"
"No, sir."
"In that case, men, carry on," McCoy said. "I will see you in an hour."
He did an about-face and marched out of the room, with Taylor and Jennings marching after him.
[FOUR]
ABOARD HMS CHARITT
33 DEGREES 10 MINUTES NORTH LATITUDE,
129 DEGREES 63 MINUTES EAST LONGITUDE
(THE EAST CHINA SEA)
0635 16 AUGUST 1950
Lieutenant Commander Darwin Jones-Fortin, RN, saw the face of Lieutenant David R. Taylor, USNR, peering through the round window in the interior bulkhead. He waved at him, then pointed first at the door in the bulk-head-Taylor nodded his understanding-and then at the sailor standing behind the helmsman, indicating that he should go to the door and help undog it.
Undogged and unlatched, the heavy steel door swung open as Charity buried her bow in the sea, and it was all the sailor could do to hold it. Taylor came onto the bridge and leaned against the bulkhead, then was followed by McCoy.
"Permission to come on the bridge, sir?" Taylor called out. "Permission granted," Jones-Fortin said. "Both of you." Taylor waited until the moment was right, then came quickly across the deck to where Jones-Fortin sat in his cap-tain's chair. McCoy followed him. The ship moved, and Mc-Coy half slid, half fell across the deck, ending up crashing into Taylor.
"Smooth as a millpond, what?" Jones-Fortin said. "Seri-ously, is this weather going to be a problem? I'm afraid we're in for a bit of it. Possibly, very possibly, worse than what we're getting now."
"Are we?" Taylor said.
"And Charity is of course a destroyer," Jones-Fortin added. "She doesn't ride as well as the Queen Mary, or, come to think of it, better than any other man-of-war that comes to mind."
"Try a destroyer escort sometime, Captain," Taylor said. "Or even better, an LST. Although calling an LST a man-of-war is stretching the term considerably."
"Is that the voice of experience speaking?"
"I had a DE during the war," Taylor said. "And LSTs since."
"I was the first lieutenant on a DE some time ago. I've always thought the RN assigned to DEs people they hoped would get washed over the side. I've never been aboard an LST in weather."