The Ely miner., 1943-06-24
CHAPTER XII


trip for Quezon and the damage to
the 35 boat, which he had towed
into Cebu for repairs. He was still
out hunting for the 80 boat, which
hadn't been seen since he left II
to rendezvous with the submarine on
the Macarthur trip, and he had one
third of the entire American air
force Of the southern Philippines out
combing the island channels for her.
One-third of this American southern
Philippine air force consisted Of ex-
actly one Beechcraft commercial
pleasure plane, which when war
started had been Communicated
from a civilian, and an army major
who few Bulkeley around In it. The
other two-thirds were wheezy P-40
and a very tired P-35. Bulkeley
risked his neck for days In this
search, not knowing, of course, that
the 80 boat had been sunk and her
commander was now safely en- route
to Australia.
THE skipper was frantic to get
some of our little feet back into
commission so we could finish out
the fight. We'd started the war with
six boats. Two were lost of Ba-
taan. One was lost on the escape
trip south. That left only three, and
two Of these were wrecks, fit only
for the dry dock, Bulkeley's being
the only craft left IN fighting condi-
ton. But he was bound to get the
others back into shape Did I think
! could get mine to Cebu? It was
the second largest city in the Philip
pines and they had real machine
shop-no dry dock but a marine
railway, one of those contraptions
where a track goes down the beach
into the sea. You load the boat onto
a small car and winch it up the
track.
We'll, we could try, and we start
ed off, my poor old boat with her
earthquake making twelve knots,
her back end wiggling like a ship
wrecked sailors dream of a French
musical-comedy star. Whatever she
was good for now, it wasn't fighting,
ard was glad we didn't meet any
Japs.
The machine shop was run by
Dad Cleland, a seventy-one-year-
old American who'd been IN the is
lands since 1914, and swell gent he
was-originally from Minnesota and
q typical hulking frontiersman.
Didn't look a day over fifty and
was kind of patriarch in those
parts. His native name meant the
old man or the headman' in Tagalog.
He was great gourmet, too.
Had BuIkeley and me out to dinner
and we had bottled beer Ga great
rarity, a big crab-meat cocktail,
and then lobster Newburg, which
was delicious, but Dad kept warn
ing US to hold back, because then
he broke out couple of roast ducks.
Dad and divided the biggest duck
between US and had all we could
hold. The skipper here, on account
OF his rank, rated duck all to him
self, but he foundered and couldn't
finish II. On the side there were
canned asparagus and corn, pickles
and sweet potatoes.
Dessert was simple, like the last
bars of a symphony. Just delicious
chilled mangoes and Chase & San
born's coffee. It was a magnificent
feed after the native chow I'd been
eating. We talked about the war
People In Cebu felt the show was
about up, unless miraculous help ar
rived soon.
What are you going to do when
the Japs Gomez we asked Dad
He Strengthened up-an six feet two
Of him.
Have my dignity to think
about, he said. I'm not going to
the hills. III stay right here and
face them. They can get me if they
can, but they'll have fight on
their hands first
Dad was working for the gov
eminent for dollar year. When
he finally finished with our repairs
they took many days-we asked
him how much the bill was. We'll
forget about it, he said. You fight
'em and III fix 'em. It's the least
! can do
He clenched his big fist, and it
was about the size Of a nail keg.
Since I've come back here I've
read about some outfits working on
war contracts who were paying their
stenographers fifty thousand dollars
q year and charging it to the gov
ernment as expenses until they were
na.-n-~ TT'S 1E =
dict them. Just get old Dad Gle
land back here and let him 90 in
and reason with them in their swiv-
el chairs. With those big fists of
his, he'd know how to expostulate
with racketeers like that.
Until we got to Cebu we hadn't
been paid since the war started.
Well, In Cebu the men all got paid
and 1t was quite a spectacle. The
dozen on my boat, going from bar
to bar, got rid of two thousand dol
lars In three days. If il had been
two million instead, they would have
got rid Of it Just as quick, although
il might have strained them some.
Then they settled back to their
routine means of livelihood, which
was playing poker with the army.
But things were moving In Cebu.
and very secretly we began to hear
hints of a big American offensive
which was coming rolling Up from
the south through the islands in time
TO save Bataan, which was almost
out of food and ammunition. Word
came that two submarines were ar
irving In Cebu, where they would
be loaded with food and returned to
Bataan-we brought the first one
IN through the channel.
at was big secret-the area was
cleared for two miles around. The
loading was done at night and by
officers nulv-ue haIrel ,n-i1 49,