Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-07
THE COMPLETE BEST SELLER
No Time for Sergeants
By MAC LYMAN
copyrisht. 1854, b Mac LYMAN
CHAPTER xxi

one Of the engines going out; so they dis
cussed that a good while too until Lieutenant
Kendall said, well, there's not any sense
u arguing about it: I'm going to feather
toe thing" And after a little bit. they
changed positions, and Lieutenant Bridges
come up front and looked out and seen that
one Of the engines warnt working, and went
back to see Lieutenant Kendall and they
had q long talk over the engine being
feathered too. Lieutenant Bridges said
You are not supposed to go around feather
ing engines like that. I'm the one that's
supposed to feather the engine. I'm the
pilot amt -"
Yeah. but you was too busy trying to
navigate the plane when you're supposed
to be up there flying it and -
"An right" Lieutenant Bridges said, "but
at least you could have told me we had lost
an engine. I am the pilot amt r."
So they talked about that good while
too, and set back and watched and listened,
only I must have dozed of again because
when I woke up we was coming in for
landing. We hit and bounced once pretty
hard so that I got throwed halfway across
the plane, and then bounced again so that
1t throwed me back where I started from,
but then grabbed on and didn't get throwed
no more on the rest of the bounceS. We
TAXED up the runway with the wheels squeak
ing and finally stopped and started getting
out, nut NOBODY was talking much by then
except Lieutenant Gardella-he kept telling
Lieutenant Bridges that he thought the third
bounce was the smoothest of all, but
Lieutenant Bridges didn't seem TO care about
talking about 1t none, and noticed In
minute that none of the others did either
Anyhow. we got out and they had this
truck waiting for us and we got on that, and
nobody was discussing nothing by this time,
and was right sorry for that because I
wanted Ben to hear them because they was
right interesting to listen to. But everybody
just set there and then Lieutenant Cover
come out with all his maps and everything
folded up, and he got in and didn't say word
to nobody either. The truck finally started
up and we headed across the ramp with
everybody real quiet until finally Lieutenant
Bridges leaned over and tapped Lieutenant
Cover on the shoulder and said. Look, Cover,
don't mean to run this thing into the ground,
but would appreciate it If you would try to
flnd out where this place Is. / mean II 1t Is
in the middle Of the Gulf of Mexico, we've
damn well discovered something"
And then Lieutenant Cover said "Well,
the way you fly. it's wonder we didn't end
up there anyhow
Ask Where We Are
So we drove up and got of and everybody
stood around for while hemming and haw-
ing. and Lieutenant Bridges went over and
asked Lieutenant Cover again If he had fig
ured out where we was and Lieutenant Cover
said. II thought you was the one who knew
80 much about 1t. II you want to find out,
why don't you ask the driver?"
But then Lieutenant Bridges said, "Ask
the driver? You expect me to land q plane
and then go over and ask truck driver
where landed it?" and got right stubborn
about 1t. But then he turned to me and said,
IA W
"Stockdale," said.
Look. Stockdale," he said. "How about
scouting around here somewhere and see If
you cant find out what place this is, will you?
Be kind Of casual about it, you know
So went down the way and asked
fellow and he told me Houston, Texas, and
come back and told Lieutenant Bridges and
he seemed to feel much better about things
then. WELL Houston amt such bad town
after ALL" he said. by gosh, Cover, you're
getting better every day. You didn't miss the
field but about four hundred and fifty miles
this time"
Then Lieutenant Cover said. "Well. what
I fingered was that you would bounce the
rest of the way-it looked like it from the
way we landed -
And then Lieutenant Bridges had some
thing to say to that and after while they
begun squabbling little bit, which I didn't
like to hear. Me and Ben stood around watt
ing while they went at it and Ben said to me,
II never heerd bunch Of officers argue so
much in my life!"
Yeah, Ben, they do now, but you ought
to have been in the front Of that plane and
seen the way they worked. That was some
thing else. If you could have seen that, you
would have thought a lot more of them. Why.
I'll bet they are about as good crew as you
can find, when they're sober like that"
(Which amt often" Ben said
They Finally Finished
Anyhow, hated for Ben to hear the
squabbling and kept on talking to him until
they had finished up with it because he got
80 disguised about things. like that But they
was finally finished: all of them heading
across the ramp except Lieutenant Cover who
had lost the argument because they had all
jumped on him together before 1t was over
he was getting all his charts and stuff up and
mumblng to himself. And felt right sorry
for him the way he had lost out on the argu-
n1ent and everything; went over to him and
said, We'll wouldn't worry about it none
I don't see how it amounts to too much I
had just as soon land at this field as any other
one, and we amt going to be here but one day
nohow :.
But he was right down on things and
turned around and looked at me like he was
almost mad with me- and said Look do you
want to check my figures? Do you want to
check them and see for yourself? I got them
all right here!"
well, don't know nothing about it,"
said. IT you say they're right. guess they is
II can show you my DIR position ne
said 1T shows us right out In the Gulf"
well, 1 wouldn't know about that"
said. IF you say your DIR position is out in
the Gulf, reckon that's where it is all right.
How long do you expect 1t to be out there?"
But he was pretty much down on things
he turned away and stomped off without
even answering me-nothing you could say
would make him feel any better
Everything is Fine
But after supper, it looked like things
might work out some better. Me and Ben
went over to see Lieutenant Bridges and