hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第96章
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They went on and the channel narrowed but he could see it opening wider ahead。 Maybe I just had the jitters； he thought。 Then he saw a crab come sliding out fast from the high mangrove roots and plop into the water。 He looked hard into the mangroves but he could see nothing beyond the trunks and branches。 Another crab came out very fast and went into the water。
Just then they opened on him。 He did not see the blinking flash and he was hit before he heard the stutter of the gun and Gil was on his feet beside him。 Antonio was firing tracers where he had seen the gun flash。
¨Where the tracers are going；〃 Thomas Hudson said to Gil。 Thomas Hudson felt as though someone had clubbed him three times with a baseball bat and his left leg was wet。
Gil lobbed the bomb with a high overhand motion and Thomas Hudson saw its long brass cylinder and conic nose shining in the sun。 It was spinning； not going end over end。
¨Down； Gil；〃 he said and thought he ought to drop himself。 Then he knew he shouldnˇt but should hold the ship as she was。 The twin 。50ˇs had opened up and he could hear them pounding and he felt the jolt of them through his bare feet。 Very noisy； he thought。 That will keep the bastards down。
He saw the blinding burst of the bomb before the roar came and the smoke started to rise。 He smelled the smoke and the smell of broken branches and burned green leaves。
¨Get up； Gil； and throw two frags。 One on each side of the smoke。〃
Gil did not lob the frags。 He threw them like the long throw from third base to first and in the air they looked like gray iron artichokes with a thin trickle of smoke coming from them。
Before they burst cracking white in the mangroves Thomas Hudson said into the tube； ¨Shoot the shit out of it； Henry。 They canˇt run in there。〃
The smoke from the frags smelled differently from the bomb and Thomas Hudson said to Gil； ¨Throw two more frags。 One beyond the bomb and one in this side close。〃
He watched the frags go and then hit the deck。 He did not know whether he hit the deck or the deck hit him because the deck was very slippery from the blood that had been running down his leg and he fell hard。 At the second burst he heard two fragments tear through the canvas。 Others hit the hull。
¨Help me up；〃 he said to Gil。 ¨You threw that last one close enough。〃
¨Where are you hit； Tom？〃
¨A couple of places。〃
Ahead he saw Willie and Ara coming up the channel in the dinghy。
He spoke in the tube to Antonio and asked him to hand up a first aid kit to Gil。
Just then he saw Willie drop flat in the bow of the dinghy and start firing into the mangroves on the right。 He could hear the dat…dat…dat of his Thompson gun。 Then there was a longer burst。 He put in both his motors and headed for them with all the speed the channel would allow。 His idea of this speed was not completely accurate because he felt very sick。 He felt sick into his bones and through his chest and his bowels and the ache went into his testicles。 He did not feel weak yet but he could feel the first onslaught of weakness。
¨Get your guns to bear on the right bank；〃 he said to Henry。 ¨Willieˇs found more of them。〃
¨Yes； Tom。 Are you all right？〃
¨Iˇm hit but Iˇm all right。 What about you and George？〃
¨Weˇre fine。〃
¨Open up any time you see anything。〃
¨Yes； Tom。〃
Thomas Hudson stopped his engines and commenced to go astern again slowly to hold the ship outside the angle where Willie was firing。 Willie had a clip in now with tracers in it and he was trying to spot the target for the ship。
¨You got it； Henry？〃 he asked through the tube。 ¨Yes； Tom。〃
¨Work on it and around it with short bursts。〃
He heard the 。50ˇs start slamming and he waved Ara and Willie in。 They came in as fast as the little motor would bring them。 Willie was firing all the time until they were under the lee of the ship。
Willie jumped aboard and came up on the flying bridge while Ara made the dinghy fast。
He looked at Tom and at Gil who was putting a tourniquet on his left leg as close to the crotch as he could tighten it。
¨Jesus Christ；〃 he said。 ¨What you got； Tommy？〃
¨I donˇt know；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 He did not know； either。 He could not see any of the wounds。 All he saw was the color of the blood and it was dark so he did not worry。 But there was too much of it and he felt very sick。
¨Whatˇs in there； Willie？〃
¨I donˇt know。 There was a guy with a burp gun fired on us and I got him。 Or Iˇm pretty sure I did。〃
¨I didnˇt hear it with the noise you made。〃
¨You guys sounded like an ammunition dump going up。 Do you think thereˇs anything still back there？〃
¨Still； maybe。 We gave it the treatment。〃
¨Weˇll have to work it out；〃 Willie said。
¨We can let these sons of bitches hang and rattle；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Or we can go in now and finish it。〃
¨Iˇd rather take care of you。〃
Henry was probing with the 。50ˇs。 He was as delicate as he was rough with a machine gun and with a pair of them all his qualities were doubled。
¨Do you know where they are； Willie？〃
¨Thereˇs only one place they can be。〃
¨Then letˇs go in blasting and blow the shit out of them。〃
¨Spoken like an officer and a gentleman；〃 Willie said。 ¨We sunk their skiff。〃
¨Oh。 We didnˇt hear that either；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨It didnˇt make much noise；〃 Willie said。 ¨Ara chopped her open with a machete and cut the sail up。 Christ couldnˇt repair her in a month the best day he was in that carpenter shop。〃
¨You get up forward with Henry and George and have Ara and Antonio on the starboard side and letˇs go in；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 He felt very sick and strange； although there was no dizziness yet。 The dressings Gil had put on contained the bleeding too easily and he knew it was internal。 ¨Put lots of fire on and you signal me how to go。 How close are they？〃
¨Right up against the shore behind the little rise of ground。〃
¨Can Gil reach it all right with the big ones？〃
¨Iˇll shoot tracers to show him the target。〃
¨Theyˇll still be there？〃
¨They got no place to go。 They saw us break up the skiff。 Theyˇre fighting Custerˇs Last Stand in the mangroves。 Christ； I wish I had some Anheuser Busch。〃
¨Ice cold in cans；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Letˇs get in。〃
¨Youˇre awfully white； Tommy；〃 Willie said。 ¨And youˇve lost a lot of blood。〃
¨Letˇs take her in fast then；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Iˇm still all right。〃
They closed fast with Willie with his head up over the starboard bow sometimes waving a correction。
Henry was traversing before and behind the rise that showed by the higher trees and George was working on what should be the lip of the rise。
¨How is it； Willie？〃 Thomas Hudson said into the tube。
¨You got enough hulls up here to start a brass foundry；〃 Willie answered。 ¨Lay her goddam bow up against the bank and swing her broadside so Ara and Antonio can bear。〃
Gil thought he saw something and fired。 But it was the low branch of a tree that Henry had cut loose。
Thomas Hudson watched the bank come closer and closer until he could see individual leaves again。 Then he swung her broadside until he heard Antonio firing and saw his tracers going in a little to the right of Willieˇs。 Ara was firing now； too。 Then he came a little astern on his motors and swung her close to the bank but not so close that Gil could not throw。
¨Throw an extinguisher；〃 he said。 ¨Where Willieˇs been shooting。〃
Gil threw and again Thomas Hudson marvelled at the throw and at the shine of the brass cylinder whirling high through the air to drop almost exactly where it should。 There was the flash and the roar and then the rising smoke and then Thomas Hudson saw a man walking toward them out of the smoke with his hands clasped over his head。
¨Hold up the fire；〃 he said as rapidly as he could into two tubes。
But Ara had already fired and he saw the man slump forward into the mangroves on his knees with his head forward。
He spoke again and said； ¨Resume fire。〃 Then he said to Gil； very tiredly； ¨Put in another one about the same place if you can。 Then put in a co
