It was a sensual isle, a Biblical land of ruby... It was a sensual isle, a Biblical land of ruby wines and golden sands and indigo treesThe men stared and staredThe island hovered before them like an Oriental monarch's conception of heaven, and they responded to it with an acute and terrible longingIt was a vision of all the beauty for which they had ever yearned, all the ecstasy they had ever soughtFor a few minutes it dissolved the long dreary passage of the mute months in the jungle, without hope, without prideIf they had been alone they might have stretched out their arms to itSlowly, inevitably, the beach began to dissolve in the encompassing nightThe golden sands grew faint, became gray-green, and darkenedThe island sank into the water, and the tide of night washed over the rose and lavender hillsAfter a little while, there was only the
chanel jewelry gray-black ocean, the darkened sky, and the evil churning of the gray-white wakeBits of phosphorescence swirled in the foamThe black dead ocean looked like a mirror of the night; it was cold, implicit with dread and deathThe men felt it absorb them in a silent pervasive terrorThey turned back to their cots, settled down for the night, and shuddered for a long while in their blanketsThe boat churned and pushed through the darkness, wallowing only a hundred yards offshoreOver them all hung the quick fearful anticipation of the patrol aheadThe water washed mournfully against the sides of the boat
2
THE PLATOON landed early the next morning on the back shore of AnopopeiThe rain had halted during the night, and in the dawn the air was fresh and cool, the sunlight pleasant on the beachThe men lolled
montre cartier ronde about on the sand for a few minutes, watching the assault craft back off from shore and start on its return journeyIn five minutes the boat was a half mile away, but it seemed like much less, an easy swim across the bright glittering tropic waterThe men stared at it wistfully, envying the pilots who by nightfall would return to a safe bivouac and hot foodThat's the job to have, Minetta was thinking
The morning still possessed the new shining quality of a minted coinThe men were thrilled only slightly by the idea that they were on an unexplored shoreThe jungle behind them looked essentially familiar; the beach, covered with fine delicate shells, was barren and isolated and would shimmer later in the heat, but now it seemed like every beach upon which they had ever landedThey sprawled about, smoking and
black chanel quilted bag laughing, waiting for the patrol to begin, perfectly content for the sun to dry their clothes
Hearn was feeling a little tenseIn a few minutes they would begin a march over forty miles of strange country, the last ten through the Japanese rearHe turned to Croft and pointed again at the aerial map they had spread out between them on the sand"It seems to me, Sergeant, the best way is to work up that river" -- he pointed to the mouth of a stream which debouched from the jungle a few hundred yards farther down the beach -- "as far as we can, and then cut trail till we reach the kunai grass
"Ain't no other way to do it far as I see," Croft saidHearn was right, which annoyed him slightly"It's gonna take a lot more time than you figure, Lootenant Croft made him the least bit uneasyHe knew a lot, that was
dior replica handbags 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
discount hermes them