Wims was now on the platform and had taken hold of the screen cylinder.
One of the corporals was tugging at the other end, trying to get it away from him.
"Let go of that screen," the lieutenant roared at the corporal. Wims, misunderstanding, released the cylinder a fraction of a second before the corporal did and the corporal went tumbling backwards, knocking the lieutenant off the platform and demolishing the loud-speaker.
The top sergeant raced outside and found one of the company lieutenants.
"Sir, you"d better move the company out of the building right away!"
"Why?"
"It"s Wims. He"s being helpful again."
The lieutenant paled and dashed inside. He took no time to determine the specific nature of the commotion which was shaking the building. He managed to evacuate the company in time to prevent serious casualties when the structure collapsed.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
Captain Aronsen, the company commander, faced two of his lieutenants.
"You"re not telling me anything new," he said wearily. "I know all about Wims. I"ve tried everything to get him discharged, honorably and otherwise. I"ve spent a lot of time setting things up so he could hardly help but foul up and we could bounce him, but what happens? Everybody else fouls up and he stays clean. And as if that isn"t enough to worry about, headquarters has notified me that General Harmon B. Fyfe of the General Staff will come down from Washington tomorrow for a tour of this post. He"ll visit the bivouac area and observe the tactical exercises. As you know, gentlemen, tomorrow is the final day of the two-week bivouac for this company which completes their sixteen-week basic training program. We"ll have the usual company combat exercise which will involve the attack, capture and defense against counterattack of Hill Ninety-three."
"The same as always," said one of the lieutenants.
"It won"t be the same as always!" the captain said, banging his fist on his desk. "The area of action, the battle plan may be the same but this time we"ve got General Fyfe as an observer and Dolliver Wims as a partic.i.p.ant and, if I can manage to squeeze the day successfully past that Scylla and Charybdis, I"ll promise not to devour any more second lieutenants between meals."
"Sir," offered one of the lieutenants, "why don"t we put Wims in the hospital just for tomorrow. It would be simple to arrange--say, an upset stomach."
The captain looked sadly at his junior officer. "It"s the only hospital we have," he said. "Besides, I have a better idea. I"m detaching Wims from his platoon and will keep him with me at the company command post as a messenger and I"ll shoot the first man who attempts to use him as a messenger or anything else."
"Hah! No need to worry about that, sir. Wims may have us a little shook up but he hasn"t flipped us yet."
"I hope we can all say that when tomorrow ends," the captain said fervently.
The company command post had been set up under a cl.u.s.ter of dispirited pines obviously suffering from tired sap but in spite of the ragged shade they provided against the mild, mid-morning sun, Captain Aronsen was perspiring excessively and becoming increasingly unsettled. He glanced uneasily over at the somewhat planetary bulk of General Fyfe surrounded by his satellite colonels and other aides, and muttered to his lieutenant, "If Old Bra.s.sbottom came down here to observe the exercise, then why the devil doesn"t he go over to the hill and observe instead of hanging around here like a sword of Demosthenes?"
"I think you mean Damocles, captain," the lieutenant corrected.
"Demosthenes was the orator."
Aronsen looked sourly at the lieutenant. "I know what I"m talking about.
Fyfe has only to say the word and off come our heads."
The lieutenant lowered his voice. "I don"t like the way he keeps looking at Wims. Do you think he"s heard about him?"
"In Washington?"
"You know how rumors travel in the Army."
"Rumors, yes," the captain said, "but the truth can"t even limp out of the orderly room." He wiped his brow and shot a venomous glance at Wims.
He said to the lieutenant, "I don"t like Wims sitting there in full view of the general. Go tell him to take his comic book and sit on the other side of the tree."
At that moment one of the young trainees stumbled into the headquarters area bleeding profusely from a deep gash on his cheek. Between lung-tearing gasps he told how the machine gun, intended to serve as the base of fire for the attacking platoons, had been captured by a Red patrol before it could be set up. They were being led off under the supervision of a referee when he tumbled into a ravine and in the confusion made good his escape.
"Get the jeep and rush this man to the hospital," the captain instructed the lieutenant.
"What about the attack?" the lieutenant inquired. "Someone will have to get word to the forward platoons to hold up until we can move up a new gun."
"I"ll send a messenger."
"But they"re all out."
"One of them is bound to return soon. If not, I"ll--"
"What is the matter with that man sulking behind that tree?" boomed General Fyfe who had been listening since the trainee had blurted his story.
The lieutenant s.n.a.t.c.hed the bleeding recruit"s arm and bolted for the jeep.
"Hey, lieutenant, take it easy," the trainee complained, "you"re pulling my arm off!"
Ignoring him, the lieutenant was absorbed in desperate calculation. "The base hospital is about twelve miles from here," he muttered as they ran.
"We should be safe enough there."
"But, general," the captain was protesting, "that man is the company snafu. He means well but he was designed by nature to foul things up."
"I won"t buy that, captain," the general said forcefully. "If a man has the right att.i.tude and still doesn"t measure up then it"s the fault of the people who are training him." There was a mark of menace in the general"s voice as he said, "Do you read me?"
"Like the handwriting on the wall," the captain said resignedly. He glanced at the tree behind which, he knew, doom sat reading a comic book.
"Give the man a chance to redeem himself and I"m certain he"ll come through with flying colors. I"ll give you the opportunity to prove it to yourself." The general turned and bellowed at the tree, "Soldier! You!
Private Wims! Come over here!"
Wims scurried over to the general and snapped a salute. The general flicked his hand in return. "Wims, your commanding officer has an important mission for you."
Wims turned to his captain, his face alight. He braced and saluted smartly.
"Wims," the captain said, "I want you to take a message to the lieutenant in command of the first, third and fourth platoons now in the jump-off area. Do you understand so far?" Wims nodded. "Tell the lieutenant there"s been a delay in the attack plan. He"s not to move out until he sees a white signal flare fired from the spur of woods on his left. Have you got that?"
Wims nodded emphatically, "Yes, suh!"
"Repeat the message."
"Ah"m to tell the lieutenant there"s been a change in plans an" he"s not supposed to move until a white flare is shot outta the woods on his left flank."
The captain exploded. "Delay, not change! And I didn"t say anything about a left flank! The woods on his left flank and the spur of woods on his left that stick out a hundred yards beyond his present position are two different things! So help me, Wims, if you get this message fouled up, I"ll use you as a dummy for bayonet practice."
Wims squirmed unhappily. "Couldn"t you write it down, suh?"