Too Late the Hero Page #2

Gentlemen, objection sustained!

This bloody horse has been doped.

What the hell do you think

you're playing at?

Don't argue with the steward, laddie.

I've a mind to report you to the Jockey Club.

Leave him be.

I think his brains have come loose.

Yeah, you better watch it, Thornton.

All right, let's have you!

Cpl. McLean, get those men fell in.

Scott, right marker here.

One straight line, come on.

- Corporal.

- Sir.

Away and find Pvts. Rogers,

Currie, Rafferty, and Pvt. Riddle.

What's up then, Sarge?

Nothing to worry you.

- Good morning, sir!

- Howdy.

Commanding Officer apologizes.

He would have greeted you personally.

- It's okay.

- He's just come back from a reconnaissance.

Col. Thompson is waiting, sir.

If you'll come with me.

- Lf you'll come with me, sir.

- Right.

I'm excused duties, Sergeant.

Is that right?

Listen, laddie, we've had your stripes.

You make it necessary,

and I will personally crucify you.

You're on that list

because I put you there myself.

If you want a personal interview,

you can have it.

And you'll likely find yourself

facing a court-martial...

for self-inflicted wounds.

Do you hear me all right, laddie?

Yes, Sergeant.

Tosh, what's that then?

It's a bleeding Yank, isn't it?

No, Connolly, that's not a Yank.

That's Snow White.

And very pretty she is, too.

All right!

You've got bugger all to laugh about.

- You there, Hearne!

- Sir.

You're supposed to be

standing to attention!

This way, sir!

Col. Thompson will join you

in a moment, sir.

All right, attention!

Fall in!

One, two, three, four...

Good afternoon, Lieutenant.

Welcome to the New Hebrides.

Lt. J.G. Sam Lawson reporting...

as ordered.

I think we can let the Sergeant Major

deal with those.

Yes, rather an imaginative location

for a military headquarters, don't you think?

Yeah.

I sometimes wonder what kind of an artist

Gauguin woult've become...

if he'd had the misfortune

to choose this place instead of Tahiti.

Yes, I think there would have been

a certain lack of inspiration.

Mind you, I don't know

what the natives were like here...

but there are none anymore.

I'm sure he woult've found the current crop

of inhabitants singularly unappealing.

This part up here is all Japanese.

Not at all jolly.

And down here, we have our own group...

which I imagine he woult've found

only marginally more agreeable.

Now, what we really have is the remainder

of a Brigade HQ Company...

consisting largely

of chaps from my regiment...

brought up to strength by

a rather bizarre variety of odds and sods...

who joined us

when we scrambled out of Singapore.

A lot of them were just as anxious to escape

the Army as they were the Japanese.

But I've no doubt

your chaps have told you about all this.

No, sir, my chaps didn't tell me anything.

Recently, though, the casualty rates

have been alarmingly high.

However, I'm afraid this little jaunt

we've organized now...

is going to change all that

because, amongst other things...

it's going to make it necessary for us

to penetrate all the way to their main base.

Sounds great. When do you leave?

As soon as we've briefed the men.

You'll be leaving

in about half an hour or so.

I'll be leaving in half an hour?

It doesn't do to let the men

brood about these things, you know.

Come in.

I believe you sent for me, sir.

Yes, Freddie. I wanted to have a chat

with you before I talk to the men.

- How are you feeling?

- First rate.

Good. Freddie's been on the sick list

the last few days.

I'm so sorry, I don't think you have met yet.

This is Lt. Lawson

of the United States Navy.

Lt. Lawson, this is Capt. Hornsby,

who'll be leading this patrol.

How do you do?

Glad you'll be coming along.

That makes one of us.

I guess this trip's unavoidable.

I shall be briefing the men in a few minutes.

Perhaps you'd like to get changed?

I take it you did bring some other gear?

This is all I got. What kind of gear?

It doesn't have to be

anything terribly formal.

- Sergeant Major!

- Sir!

Take the Lieutenant down to the stores...

and help him sort out something

appropriate for the occasion, would you?

Sir.

I'm afraid our laundry service

is a little bit primitive.

We've been reduced to using seawater

for everything but drinking...

so don't be alarmed if the kit you get

is a little bit manky.

"Manky"?

How's the grub?

It's a little bit manky, too.

See you later.

If you'll come with me, sir?

- You did say half an hour?

- Yes.

Yeah, I thought you said that.

What an extraordinary fellow.

He is an American.

Yes, but he does actually speak Japanese,

does he?

He says so, and I certainly

don't feel qualified to put him to the test.

You wanted to talk to me, sir?

- You said...

- Yes, of course. It's nothing really.

I wanted to be sure you feel up to it.

Good heavens, yes.

I mean, if you don't feel entirely fit yet,

I can equally send O'Neill.

No, sir, I'm fine.

Anyway, it seems to me

to be a marvelous opportunity...

to really hurt them, for a change.

Yes. Let's hope

they're not entertaining similar ambitions.

Stand to!

What the hell's that?

All guns and crews!

All guns stand to!

All guns commence fire!

Keep the men out of range

of the enemy, Captain.

You men, keep back. Stay in the safety zone.

Keep back in the safety zone.

Trevor's patrol?

Make sure they don't hit our lads!

They'll never make it.

Fire!

They'll be out of enemy rifle range soon, sir.

Are they out of range yet, sir?

They're out of range now, sir.

Keep your guns at ready.

Keep your eyes on that jungle.

Bloody mess.

Terrible bloody mess.

Medical Orderly!

Stretcher bearers!

A week from today...

the American Navy proposes

sending a convoy up through these straits.

We know that the Japanese

have no air reconnaissance in this area...

so barring any unfortunate encounters

with surface craft...

the Americans' presence in these waters

should remain undetected.

Undetected, that is, until...

early on Thursday morning...

when they will come within sight

of the Japanese coast up here.

In the normal course of events...

the Japanese

would communicate this information...

to their air and naval forces up here.

And within 24 hours, this convoy

would be pretty much at their mercy.

Is that clear so far?

Yes, sir.

Hearne!

Tosh.

- What?

- Him.

The movements and major policy decisions

of the United States Navy...

may be of limited interest to you...

but if you will bear with me

for just a moment or two...

I think you will find that it may be

worth your while to pay some attention.

- I am, sir.

- Good.

The object of our own operation

is simply to prevent news...

of the Americans' presence in these waters

from reaching the enemy's main base.

The Japanese transmit situation reports...

to their bases at Rabaul and Truk

on Wednesdays and Sundays.

If we were to destroy their radio...

before the transmission

on Wednesday night...

that is to say

before the convoy comes within sight...

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