"That's it, you're a good boy, Japbait Martinez...
"That's it, you're a good boy, Japbait
Martinez smiled lazilyIn three minutes he was asleep



8

HEARN woke up feeling quite rested the next morningHe twisted around in his blankets and watched the sun rising over the eastern hills, which were becoming distinct now, seeming to rise like rocks from waterEverywhere the dawn mists were settling in the hollows and valleys, and he felt as if he could see a great distance, almost to the eastern end of the island a hundred miles away
About him the others also were awakening; Croft and Goldstein were rolling their blankets, and one or two of them were returning from the weedsHearn sat up, stretched his toes inside his shoes, and debated idly for a minute or two whether to change his socksHe had taken cheap gucci bags another pair, which now also were soiled, and he shrugged and then decided it was not worth the troubleInstead, he began putting on his leggings
Red was muttering near him"When is the goddam Army gonna learn another way to make leggings?" He was struggling with a lace which had shrunk during the night
"I've heard they've got a high shoe coming in soon like a paratrooper's bootIt'll do away with leggings
Red rubbed his chinHe had not shaved since the patrol had begun and his beard was blond and rather splotchy"We'll never see any of them," Red told him, "the fuggin quartermaster'll keep 'em allOf all the men in the platoon, Red was the one worth buddying with, the wise oneOnly you couldn't approach him
On an impulse, Hearn said, "Listen, rolex swiss watches Valsen
"Yeah?"
"We're short a corporal; two, now that Stanley's with WilsonYou want to be acting jack for the rest of the patrol? And we can make it permanent when we get back It was a good choiceRed was popular with the men, could certainly handle the thing
But he felt slightly embarrassed by the expressionless cast Red's face assumed"Are you ordering me, Lootenant?" Red's voice was flat, a little harsh
Now, what had set him off? "No, of course not
Red scratched his arm slowlyHe felt suddenly and disproportionately enraged, even noticed it himself by the indirect worry it caused him for an instant
"I don't want no favors," he muttered
"I'm not offering you any
He hated this lieutenant, this big guy with the phony grin who was always trying to buddyWhy didn't he leave omega replica him alone?
For an instant he was tempted, knew he was tempted, by the outrageous pang in his chestIf he took something like that, the whole thing fell apartThey got you in the trap and then you worried about doing the job right and started fighting with the men and sucking the officers
"You better pick another sucker, Lootenant
Hearn was furious for an instant"All right, forget it," he mutteredThey hated him, they had to hate him, and it was the thing he had to accept until the patrol was overHe stared back at Red, his anger ebbing as he took in all of Red's gaunt body, his emaciated tired face with the battered red skin
Croft passed by and called out to the men, "Don't forget to fill up your canteens, troopers, before we take off A few of them headed cartier ballon bleu price toward a little brook on the other side of the knoll
Hearn looked around, saw Martinez stirring in his blanketsHe had forgotten all about him, didn't even know the information he had brought back
"Yes, Lootenant?" Croft was opening a breakfast ration, and now he threw away the cardboard wrapper he had been holding in his hand, and strode over toward him
"Why didn't you wake me up when Martinez came back last night?"
"Couldn't do anythin' about it till the morning," Croft drawled
"Yeah, well, in the future you can let me decide that He returned Croft's stare, looked into his impenetrable blue eyes"What did Martinez see?"
Croft slit the top off the inner waxed carton of the ration and spilled out the contentsHis back tingled with a nervous flush as he chloe spoke