Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-07-30
CHAPTER x

IT had an idea where they would
be, and I explained. Bulkeley, I
was sure, would take no chances
with women and child aboard. Of
course he'd seen the Japanese. sig
nal fire the night before. Planes
might be out spotting us for de-
stroyers, and as soon as dawn broke
Bulkeley undoubtedly had made for
the nearest of those other Cuyos-
picking one from his chart (we'd
never been here before) which was
surrounded by reefs and water so
shallow that no destroyer could VEN
ture within gun range or even
within sight. There he would wait
all day, if not until dusk, at least
until he thought the danger of spot
ting planes was past, before COM
ing to join us here.
$50 at 1897 we dropped a hook
in the cove and I sent two men
ashore with semaphore flags to
climb the islands single five-hun-
dred-foot hill and stand continuous
watch-for the other three boats of
course, but particularly for Japs.
cat $50, when we figured any
spotting planes would have had to
head back for home, was about to
pull our lookouts from the hill and
get under way when they wig
wagged down that they saw a ship
apparently friendly, maybe an
NTH. I picked it up with my BIZ
noculars and presently made out the
80 boat, which soon tied up along
side US.
at was this boat, remember,
which had been repaired after its
explosion. The cook had been blown
into Sisiman Cove. During the night
its struts started coming loose, so
they could use only one or two of
their three engines, and they, like
US, had lost touch with the other
boats in the night. But instead of
falling far behind the flagship, they
had somehow managed, in the dark
ness, to get out in front of it.
"In the first gray light of dawn,
their stern lookout reported
strange ship-gaining on them.
Looked like Jap destroyer. Now an
NTH in good condition can outrun
any warship afloat. But the 80 boat
was hobbling on two engines, so al
though he was running full throttle,
its commander wasn't surprised that
the strange craft kept gaining. In or
der to tighten his boat and pull
away, he dumped six hundred gall
Ions of gasoline in drums over the
side, but still the enemy was clos
ing on him. There seemed nothing
to do now but fight before the de-
stroyer opened with its 3-inch guns.
They readied two torpedoes and
turned dauntlessly for the attack,
to discover just in time that the
strange pursuing craft was the al
boat-their own flagship with Gen
eral Macarthur aboard
$50 here they were-loaded down
to the water line with seasck and
puzzled generals. Just at this point
there was a rising roar from sea-
ward, and the Al boat came around
the point, Buckley and General
MacArthur'S party"
t"We'd lost sight of you few
hours before dawn" said Buckley,
"when you stopped to clean your
strainers. I went on ahead because
I wanted to get as deep as possible
into the, Cuyo Islands before sun
rise.
LAS the sky pinkened l headed
for the nearest and best-it was one
of the prearranged crosses on the
map. 1t wasn't much of an island
only a quarter of mile wide-but
it had plenty of shallow water to
keep off Jap destroyers.
Lying at anchor, some of the
crew picked off little sleep as we
rolled gently in the sunshine. Pres
emily the General came on deck;
he was a fine figure in his camers-
hair coat and gold hat, frowning a
little as he squinted in the sunshine
at the water and white sand. Then
Mrs. Macarthur and the little boy
and his Chinese amah came up to
sit in wicker chairs in the sun
shine. 1t was too bad little Arthur
couldn't have played on the beach,
but I told the General no one should
go ashore. Because if dive bomb
ers came over and spotted US, we
would have to get the hel: out of
that cove quick, leaving even the
lookout behind, and out into open
water where we could dodge and
twist.
Il figured the morning would be
the dangerous time for bombers, if
they knew we had slipped out, so
by two o'clock I felt it was safe to
get under way, and we threaded.
down through the little shoaly chan
nelS between the islands which
would defy destroyer or cruiser
to follow, approaching the last one,
which was our general rendezvous.
In the distance could see the other
two boats also heading for it, and
when we arrived, Kelly in the "a
boat was already there and waiting.
"Then there was the problem of
what to do about the 80 boat. which