The Ely miner., 1943-06-03
CHAPTER TX

| then she said, sure, she realized that
she always had known it might
happen. But there was no use talk
ing about it before it came-talking
didn't make anything easier. But
if I did have to leave suddenly,
without telling her good-by, where
would I go?
Almost anywhere, I said, try
ing to sound vague and careless.
don't know whether it fooled her or
not. But she was smart and may
have guessed that either really
didn't know, or if I had orders,
should not talk about them. Any
way, after that we both sat looking
out over the water in the dusk, and it
was a long time before I could look
at her or she looked at me-"
''On March 10 Bulkeley made his
usual trip to see Macarthur; this
time he brought along all his plans
and charts for the trip. The General
went over and approved them, and
also told Admiral Rockwell and his
chief of staff that they were going
along, which was the first they had
known of the trip-they had thought
we were going to China. There was
also an ominouS bit of news-Some
big Jap formation was reported COM
ing down the west coast of LuZon
in our direction. If it was true, it
could only be the convoy bringing
General Yamashita and his rein
forcements. General Macarthur told
Bulkeley we might be leaving very
soon, and to come back the next
day.
THAT would be the eleventh of
March. BulkeIey went over early
in the morning and returned to us at
noon. He called in not only me but
the other officers, Akers, Cox, and
Schumacher, and for the first time
showed them copies of our secret or
ders and the charts he had worked
out for our route. He made the
point that we should all keep to-
gether, but if one broke down, the
rest would go on, leaving it to make
it's way the best it could"
''If we met the enemy, we were
to avoid them if possible. But if
they gave chase and were gaining
on us so that an attack was nee
essary, the II boat, in which he
would carry the General, his wife,
and his son, would turn and run,
and my boat, since I was second in
command, would lead the attack to
give the others time to escape.
1.-THE last thing he told us was
that we were leaving that very
night. He left us hard at work on
last-minute preparations but would
return soon to complete his own.
''We didn't tell the men what we
were UP to or where we were leav-
ing Corregidor," continued Lieuten-
ant Kelly, but they got their orders
to dump that landing-force equip
ment, to load all spare parts on the
boats, move the crews mess gear
back into the ships galley, and pile
the decks with drums of gas.
"And while we were doing it,
who should walk in but Nat Floyd
of the New York Times, exactly the
last guy in the world we wanted to
see. Sure, we liked him. He said
he'd been up to the lines with the
army, and then on a hunch, no
particular reason, thought he'd drop
In on us and see if we had any
news. Then he kind of glanced
around. What were those pIanks on
the deck for? And all that gasoline
on the wharf? Somehow the place
looked little torn up. When did
we think we'd get off for China? Not
for quite while? Oh, he just asked
for no particular reason, maybe be-
cause it almost looked like we were
packing up-and so on. I tried ev-
cry way IN the world to get rid of
him before Bulkeley got back, but
it was no use; he stuck like glue.
"Then Bulkeley and I went into a
huddle. Here Nat was. And bound
to get suspicious of the activity.
After we'd gone, the story would be
almost sure to get out.
He's pretty nice guy I said.
Don't suppose we could take him
with us, do your
Well said Bulkeley. I've got
to go along now. But if Nat should
happen to stow away in the lazaret,
and we didn't find him until we were
out to sea, why then the story GER
tainly wouldn't get out, would it?'
"And do you know, that's just
what happened. But in the mean
time there were other things on my
mind. Mostly it was how I was 60
ing to get hold of Peggy. There
was no telephone at the hospital.
She'd said she would phone me
sometime between six and seven
o'clock today about that date of ours
on the fifteenth.
But there was a lot of traffic
over the signal-corps field telephone,
and she might not get to use it un-
til almost seven. And I was due
to pick up my passengers and be
gone forever by $50 tonight. And
I'd never get to say how much I
liked her and what a swell, brave
kid she was, and good-by.
$50 I sat down and tried to write
1t IN letter, which ! could leave at
Corregldor on my way out, and
which she would get when she got
back from duty IN the lines, and then
at least would understand.
st had just finished it about 2:30
and put it in my pocket when they
came paging me for telephone call
on that signal-corps phone. It was
Peggy-her duty hours had been
changed, and she was afraid if she
waited until seven to call I might
be out on patrol, and she might
miss me. She Just wanted to tell
me she'd been able to fix everything
for our date on the fifteenth, and
was that date all rinf,t -uri+t, -