@@@@@He knew a lot, that was obvious, but you
@@@@@He knew a lot, that was obvious, but you would have to ask him before he supplied any answersHearn flicked the map with his fingersAlready, he could feel the sand warming under his feet"It's only two miles through the jungle
Croft nodded dourly"You can't trust an aerial mapThat little ol' stream might take us where we want to go, but you can't depend on it He spat into the sand"Only damn thing to do is start out, and see jus' what happens
"That's right," Hearn said, making his voice sharp
Croft looked at the men"Okay, troopers, let's get goin'
The men slung their packs again and wiggled their arms to settle the burden and ease the bite of the pack straps across their shouldersIn a minute or two they formed a straggling column and began to shuffle through the sandWhen they reached the mouth of the stream, Hearn halted them"Give them an idea of what we're doin'," he said to Croft
Croft shrugged, then spoke for a minute"We're gonna head up this here river far as we can go, and you might just as well expect to get your asses wetSo if y'got any bitching to do, you might as well do it now He hitched his pack a little higher on his shoulders"They ain't supposed to be any Japs down this far, but that don' mean you're to walk like a bunch of goddam sheep looking at the groundLet's try to keep our eyes open He stared at them, examining each of their faces in turn, deriving a mild pleasure from the way most of them dropped their eyesHe paused for a moment, licking his tongue as if wondering whether there was something more to say"Anything y'want to tell them, Lootenant?"
Hearn fingered his carbine strap