Against the Sun Page #2

- and we have no food and no water?

- We were pretty busy not drowning.

How are we gonna survive

out here with no water?

Okay. Coming aft.

Listen up, lads.

This raft is a vessel of the United States

Navy, and I am her captain.

As such, I will be giving the orders

and you will be taking them. Are we clear?

- Aye-aye, Chief.

- Aldrich?

Crystal, Chief.

All right. Let's take an inventory.

Pockets, everything,

pile it on the shirt.

Got two magazines.

I got my pocket knife.

Keep that in your pocket. The last thing

we need is a hole in this raft.

Pair of pliers, bit of wire,

some cord, maybe about 20 feet.

Here's a whistle.

Aldrich.

Rubber cement fluid.

- Any patching material in there?

- Yeah.

Look at this.

We can use if we see another plane.

Wish we'd have found that earlier.

A water bag.

It's empty.

That's all she's got, Chief.

Little fold-up oars

under that thwart, Aldrich?

Negative.

Don't forget about the handrail.

- It's about 25 feet of nylon.

- Yeah. And we got these two life vests.

No oars, no flashlights...

no map, no food, no water.

Chronometers?

Negative.

- No.

- No.

But if she stays afloat, at least

I can figure her speed and distance.

She looks practically new. That's good.

Oh, here... "manufactured, 11/30/37."

It's four years old.

Plus some.

Boys, we should minimize

the wear on the fabric.

Shoes.

There's not much room.

On or off, they're liable to scuff.

I say we deep-six 'em.

They say it's five miles deep out here.

That's impossible.

Chief?

I'm thinking... maybe one

of us should keep them.

If we make land,

somebody's gonna need to walk.

Makes sense.

Hey, I still got this.

Pastula, for a boy who can't swim,

you were a fool to keep it.

Well, couldn't get the rawhide loose.

But you never know, might come in handy.

Youngstown, Ohio. You?

Sikeston, Missouri.

Sikeston, where is that?

Nowhere.

Pastula...

take another drift set. That's not

how I'm reading those wave tops.

Yes, Chief.

15 degrees.

Same read as the outbound, Chief.

If that's correct, then she's east.

I had her west.

- Aldrich?

- Not a peep on the Hayrake.

I reckon you've flown us to the middle

of nowhere, Chief. We're lost.

Say again, Aldrich?

Aldrich!

That's the craziest thing

I've ever heard.

How was it possible that you have

never had a Kentucky hot brown?

I'm from Ohio.

So you're not allowed to eat food

from neighboring states?

No.

Glad I don't live in Ohio.

Ham and cheese.

Now you're talking.

I must have made a thousand of those

in the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Cs? Me too. I cooked for 100 fellas.

Two cooks and no food.

So how'd you do end up Navy?

Well, a few too many mouths

to feed at home.

My mother thought

I could become more disciplined.

Imagine her disappointment.

And I was ready for an adventure.

So I enlist.

Well, you sure got an adventure.

If mother could see me now.

I want to make it a career

and see the world.

Career Navy, good for you, son.

In these troubled times,

there is no higher calling.

Do you think it's possible

we'll get seen at night, Chief?

Wouldn't rule it out.

This yellow raft, moonlight might...

Well, no full moon tonight.

We'll schedule a watch, anyway,

four on, eight off.

- Who wants first up?

- I'll take it.

I can't sleep anyhow.

All right. I'll take

second watch, Pastula.

Okay, Chief.

Told me to rouse you up.

Reckon it's been about four hours.

- You see anything?

- Just ocean.

You had anything to drink yet, Aldrich?

Drink what?

Oh, you got to be kidding me, Chief.

That's just wonderful.

- Watch?

- Nothing.

Pretty steady breeze, though.

Hen-Ry! I'm gonna put on the pot.

How long has the breeze been up?

- An hour, maybe.

- Same direction?

- Chief?

- Pastula.

Where are we?

1,900 miles to Hawaii.

Samoa's 1,000.

- South America, 6,000 at least.

- That's a lot of zeros.

But we are moving. Flat-bottom craft

like this will sail along smartly,

and we've been getting

some 12-knot winds.

Six-knot wind will give us

a drift of one.

I bet we can get a 2.5 out of 12.

She sure does like

to change her mind, though.

- So Hawaii?

- Yep.

How come you didn't point that way?

- Dead ahead?

- West?

That's right, the way

the wind's blowing us now.

The Phoenix Islands, the Gilberts,

Tarawa, 600 miles or less.

- Tarawa? Ain't there Jap subs out there?

- Great.

Not just subs. Jap army is crawling

all over those islands right now.

What happens if we land on a Jap island

or a sub finds us?

For all we know, there could be

a sub underneath us right now.

We would certainly be a prize.

But we have a chance. All we need is

some favorable winds to blow us south.

There are islands between us

and Samoa 600 miles away.

Two knots or so,

- I'd say a couple of weeks, give or take.

- Couple of weeks?

- Be lot more accurate if I had my chart.

- We'll starve to death first.

Well...

plenty of fish in the sea, right?

If only I had a hook and a line.

All right, Aldrich, there's your line.

Some braided cord in that pocket.

And here. Maybe if I can get

one of these magazines open,

we can use one of the springs as a hook.

- That could work just fine.

- All right.

You know what I could go for right now?

Fish fry, nice deep fried basket of cod,

side of slaw and some potato salad,

whole thing smothered in cheese.

Really? Cheese on fish?

Hey, there ain't nothing that can't

be improved with a good slab of cheese.

There we go.

All right.

That ain't half bad.

We need a sinker.

Kind of looks like a piece of meat.

- Well, let's cast 'er off.

- All right.

Watch your eyes. There she goes.

That was quick.

Give me a hand with this.

- All right.

- Come here.

That's the way, boys.

I guess something down there

is hungrier than us.

Sweet Mary.

Here, put this on your head.

Suit yourself.

- Hey.

- What is it?

It's nothing.

For a second there, I thought

we might be in line for a medal,

Navy Cross or something.

Then I realized there's not much heroic

about sitting in a raft

and starving to death.

Navy Cross.

We'll be lucky we don't get charged

the cost of a new plane.

Heck. Wasn't anybody's fault, right?

Perfectly good torpedo bomber

lying on the bottom of the ocean.

Sounds like it's gotta be

somebody's fault.

Damn fish aren't biting.

- Where are you going?

- There ain't no fish.

Which means there ain't no food.

I can't take the heat no more.

Come on in, boys! The water's fine!

- No, no, one at a time.

- That's 2,000 to Hawaii, you said?

Don't get too far!

This boat's moving, you know!

Hey, we got some real live bait

out there now, Chief?

- That's another problem.

- Sharks?

I don't know if they'd attack.

I've heard arguments both ways.

Gene! Chief's wondering about sharks!

Oh, jeez, where you going?

Just a few more strokes, Aldrich.

We need to stay with the raft.

I think if we hang on to the sides

we'll be safe. The others can stand guard.

That did get the blood pumping, though.

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