Chapter 21 Chapter Twenty

The red beard stuck in Janice.On Henry's face, it made her very itchy.She hugged Byron tightly, thinking to herself that he had been sailing in that submarine for quite a long time, and it was a long time since we met again, so she couldn't help but hug him a little tighter than the usual measure of affection between uncle and sister-in-law.Besides, even though the idea of ​​incest never crossed her mind, just as disobedience never crossed her mind.But she really felt that there was an elusive beauty in Warren's brother, and she had always felt that in him.She didn't care that he smelled like alcohol, or that his rumpled khaki uniform was greasy and mottled, because she knew he would come straight from the Zhu Jieda who had finished the "Squid". Hanging around his tanned neck was a The double-wrapped frangipani garland exudes a strong fragrance.

"Ouch!" She stroked his beard. "Are you going to keep that beard?" "Why not?" He took off the wreath and hung it around her neck. Distraught, she sniffed the flowers and said, "Your phone confused me. To tell you the truth, you and his voice sound the same." When Janice heard his voice on the phone, she once blurted out a thoughtful remark from a wife to her husband. "Listen, I'm Byron," he asked her, and there was a moment of awkward silence, both of which burst out laughing. Byron grinned. "Looking forward to Warren's return, are you?"

"Oh, it's rumored that Halsey and his aircraft carrier are coming back." "I heard that a 'Lex' was lost." "Lost a 'Lex'." She shook her head sadly. "Sunk in the Coral Sea. That's right." "Where's my nephew?" "It's in the child's own room. After taking a bath, eating well and sleeping, it smells like a rose." "I think you can't say that about me." In fact, Byron really smelled all over his nostrils. "We had a party right off the boat—oh, Vic. Come on, Janice," Byron called from the children's room. "He's big."

"Don't wake him. He won't give us peace when he wakes up." After a while Byron slipped into the kitchen and sat down on a chair. "What a boy," he said dreamily.It sounds a little sad. Janice, wearing a shirt and shorts and an apron, was hunched over the stove cooking, pink garlands dangling in the air.She pushed back her thick blond hair that fell over her face. "Forgive me for being such a mess. I can't seem to get dressed up again. Warren's never coming home." "I'm going to make a call to Washington," said Byron, "but it's midnight there. I'll wait until morning. Natalie and my baby are detained in Italy, as you probably already know." Bar."

"Brani, they're gone." "What! They're gone?" Byron jumped up cheerfully. "Qin, how do you know?" "I spoke to my father in Washington—sad, he'd been asking the State Department about it just three or four days ago." "But is he sure?" "Of course there is a Swedish liner that took the detained Americans from Lisbon and is on its way. She is on board with the child." "Unexpected!" He grabbed Janice, hugged her tightly, and kissed her. "I think I'd better give him a call." "He left there. He's a brigadier general now, and he's going to Australia to serve as MacArthur's staff officer. You can talk to him when he passes by, maybe by Saturday."

"Oh, my God, how long have I been waiting for this good news!" "That's right. You're reunited soon, huh?" He let her go, and she grinned mischievously. "How many honeymoon days did you two spend together, three?" "It's not been three days yet. I don't know if we can be reunited." He sat down in the chair again. "Esther wants me to stay on the 'Squid'. Most of our squadron has been transferred back from patrol work. The situation is very unusual. The submarine base smells like something is brewing." She gave him a worried look. "Really? Even Pacific Fleet Command."

"Esther has heard that the Japanese are planning to take the Hawaiian Islands. The biggest battle of the Great War is about to take place. I can't leave the boat right now. That's his opinion." "Didn't you receive an order from the Atlantic Submarine Force?" "He'll have to let me go. If there's a battle going on, I can stay in the boat and fight. Maybe I should stay, I don't know." "So Esther is captain?" "No, it's Captain Este now, not 'ma'am' anymore." "I do not like him." "Why don't you like it?"

"Oh, he's a clown who hangs out with women, isn't he?" He grinned like a ghost in an opera house. Byron laughed out loud. "Ghosts in the opera house! That's a good way of saying it." He helped her carry food and wine to a glass-topped wrought-iron table on the verandah.Although the sun was still shining beyond the woods, she lit a candle.They drank California wine and ate her hastily whipped up meatloaf.Byron drank a few drinks while talking about Esther's first patrol command.They sank two enemy ships before they were ordered back to base, and Byron thought of Qatar.Esther is about to become one of the great submarine captains of the Great War.His eyes began to sparkle. "Hey Jean, can you keep a secret?"

"of course." "We sank a hospital ship." "My God, Byron!" she gasped, stupefied. "Why, it's an outrage, it's—" "Please listen to me, will you? This is the worst experience of my life. I was on deck duty in the middle of the night when I spotted this ship with my own eyes. There were no escort ships, and the white hull was shining brightly. The lights on the ship are bright, and the ship's side is painted with a huge red cross. This is the Makassar Strait on the north side of Java Island. Este boarded the side; after observing it, he ordered to dive and approach it. Hey, I thought this was a drill. But he said: "Open the front cover of the torpedo tube," and I was terrified when I heard it.I said, "Captain, are you going to attack?" He ignored me and just kept coming. I worked on the computer. By about a thousand and five hundred yards, I had a complete answer, but I felt Feeling extremely guilty, the first officer just scratched his head and said nothing. I said, "Captain, this target is a hospital ship."In case the Supreme Military Tribunal opens, I'll just say it straight. ''Well, Blaney, say what you want, I'm going to fire at it now. ' he said, with the cool attitude of a Popsicle, smacking on his cigar. 'Ready for action!Go up the periscope.Determine the final target position and fire! ' So four torpedoes were released. "

"Byron, he's a madman!" "Janice, will you listen? That precious ship exploded into a ball of fire that you could see from a hundred miles away! It was a camouflaged munitions ship. No other ship would blow up like that. We came up to the surface and watched it burn. It kept blaring and booming, sparks flying. It burned for a long time before it sank. The ammunition kept exploding like flowers. But wait for the hull to sink, hey, sea All of a sudden it was full of strange looking black things. We stayed on the surface until dawn, and these black things turned out to be big chunks of raw rubber, ten or fifteen feet wide. These things were floating on the surface of the sea. Big stretch, all the way to the horizon. Honey, that ship was loaded with rubber from Java, and a load of munitions. Probably captured Dutch."

"How did he know the secret? If he got it wrong he would have drowned two thousand wounded." "He guessed right. Jean. Don't tell anybody about it." "Don't tell me, it's too scary." Doorbell rang.She left the table and came back in a moment. "Speak of him, and he's there." Qatar.Esther, clean-shaven in a white uniform with a military cap tucked under his arm, was lanky and erect, following her in. "Brani, the jeeps in the garage at the base are all gone. Can you take me down the mountain by ten o'clock? Taxis won't come up the mountain during curfew." "Where are you going?" "I'll come back here later." Esther smiled strangely at Janice, with the corners of her hard-lined lips pursed slightly. "If you don't mind." Janice said to Byron, "Don't you want to spend the night here?" "I haven't thought of that yet. A hot shower, a real bed, thanks, I'll definitely stay." We'll be out within twenty-four hours of the order, Byron," Esther said. "Captain, I will be back at eight o'clock in the morning." "Have you made up your mind to stay in the boat?" "I'll tell you in the morning." Janice could guess why Byron hadn't mentioned Natalie.Because Esther heard the news, he would only force him to stay on the "Squid". "The latest news is that the enemy is going to invade Alaska," Esther said to Janice. "Have you heard anything similar at Pacific Fleet Command?" Without smiling, she shook her head.He grins at her and walks away. "Which blessed lady is he coming here to visit?" Janice asked. Byron just shrugged his shoulders and avoided answering. "It's a disgrace to do such a thing, Braney. I'm suspicious of every wife on the hill." "Qin, you're thinking about this because you have a bad heart." It was getting darker, and Byron's attitude gradually struck Janice as odd as they moved into the house and drew the air-raid curtains, chatting about domestic affairs and the war.He rambled and often looked at her with embarrassment and gloom.Too much alcohol?Lust on the rise?In the case of her brother-in-law the situation seemed unbelievable.However, after all, he is a young sailor returning from sea.When he went to take a shower, she decided not to change her clothes, keep the lights on, and hide the wine away. "My God, that's wonderful." He showed up in Warren's pajamas and bathrobe, toweling his hair. "I haven't had a bath since I left Albany." "Al. Barney?" "Albany, Australia." He slammed down on the rattan couch, the muscles in his limbs relaxed. "Lovely town, as far away as you want to be, still in this green place God made. The local people are wonderful. That's where our supply ship is moored. Jean, do you have any bourbon?" "His manner was quite serious. Janice couldn't help feeling ashamed of what she had just been thinking.She brought two glasses of wine.He lay straight on the rattan couch, drank a big sip of wine, then shook his head dejectedly. "My God, to see Natalie again! And the doll. It's unbelievable." "You don't sound that happy." "There's a girl in Albany. Maybe I feel guilty." "Okay." She fell into an armchair as if acting. "I met her in the church. She sang hymns in the choir, which was a small choir. Albany, everything was small. There were only three singers in the group, plus this girl. She Plays the organ. It's a fun little harbour, Albany - just three streets, a church, and a town hall. Clean, lovely, lots of meadows, flower beds, fine old houses and old oaks, very English and very Ninth century scenery. It's a world of its own." "Who is she?" "Her name is Ursula Cotton, and her father owns the bank in town. She's very sweet and generous. Her husband is an officer in the tank regiment, in North Africa. We've had two major overhauls on our submarine, There were two months apart. Both times, as long as I had the opportunity to go ashore, we were inseparable every minute." "and after?" Byron spread his arms and made a desperate gesture. "Then? Then we set sail, and here I am." "Byron, I don't understand something. What's the matter?" "What happened?" He frowned angrily. "You mean did I take off her panties?" "Oh, how ugly you say that." "Oh my God! You, think the same way? Every time I go back to the submarine, Qatar. Esther always says, "Hey, did you take off her panties? ' At last I couldn't help but say that if he would go ashore and give up his captaincy for a while, I'd settle the account of Ursula with him once and for all.With that said, he gave up. " "Honey, it's a big deal—" "Look, I said her man was fighting in North Africa. What did you take me for? It's a hell of a thing, but then again, it's pretty nice. It made life easier for me. I Never write to her. It's no fun. But God, I'll never forget Ursula." Janice rose from her chair, put her hands on his shoulders, and leaned toward him, her fragrant blond hair cascading over him.She kissed him on the mouth.She wiped his mouth seriously with her thumb and said, "Blessed is Natalie. The two brothers can be so different. How hard Warren has put me through!" "Come on, you married a troublemaker, you don't know that." "Exactly, I know." Byron yawned and shook his head. "Oddly enough, during that time, I became more and more infatuated with Natalie. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Ursula was lovely, but compared to Natalie! Natalie was a lively woman. No one in the world can compare to her!" "Speaking of which, I'm really jealous of Natalie. I'm jealous of little Ursula too. Natalie will forgive you and Ursula. That's how I see it." There was a wry smile on the corner of her mouth. "Even if you did take off her panties, as 'Mrs.' Esther said. You know, this is war time. Good night, Byron. Vic will wake me up at five o'clock in the morning of." The next morning, she was feeding the baby in the kitchen when she heard a jeep creak and then went silent.Warren enters in a neat khaki uniform.She hadn't seen him for almost a month.He was an astonishingly larger and heavier figure than Byron, very tanned, with a piercing eye. "Janice, what's the matter, there's a jeep parked outside the door? There's a wild man hiding in the closet, suffocating?" He hugged her fiercely in his arms, and she blocked his mouth with a finger. "Byron is sleeping in the guest room." "What? Byron is back? Wow!" Janice pressed her mouth against his, unable to speak clearly. "Honey, Vic is sitting in the high chair—" Warren strode into the kitchen, and the doll turned his face towards him, and saw that his face was covered with egg yolk, and he looked at him seriously with two big eyes, and then he smiled broadly.Warren kissed him. "He smells good. He grows half a foot every time I go out. Come on, little one." "Where did you take him?" The pilot wiped his son's face, carried him into the nursery, put him on a crib with a railing, and handed him a teddy bear. "Listen, dear," Janice whispered after him. "Byron's going to break out any minute, looking for eggs and coffee—" He stretched out a strong arm, hooked her waist, led her into the bedroom, and quietly locked the door. She was lying prone on the bed, naked, half asleep, when she suddenly heard the sound of a match being struck, she couldn't help opening her eyes, with heavy eyelids and dim eyes, looking mischievously at her husband.I saw him sitting up on the bed. "Honestly," she said, in a surprisingly manly voice, and they both laughed.The sun cast streaks of gold on Warren's copper chest, and the smoke from his cigarette was blue in the sun. "I say, you're a sailor's wife." "My God. Don't be a Magellan sailor orbiting the Earth." "Jean, I hear Byron moving." "Oh, never mind, the coffee is already brewed. I see he can find it." "I love you," he said gruffly, and she leaned on one elbow and looked at him.He smoked heavily, exhaling a cloud of gray smoke. "This last time, it was a real drill. That is to say, it was a waste of time. Two aircraft carriers formed a task force and rumbled 3,500 miles to the Coral Sea and back again, Arrived three days late for the naval battle. Had we arrived in time we would have beaten the Japs without losing the Lex. The Yorktown was also badly damaged. Six thousand miles It's a mile away. Halsey's lucky he doesn't have to pay the oil bill." Janice said, "What's going on right now? You know?" "Oh, you've heard the grapevine. There's always something important, you can't be wrong. We're going out again in two days." "Two days!" "Yeah, the logisticians are refueling the ship day and night." He yawned and put a brown arm around her. "This combat operation must be something new. Our seven thousand miles were just patrols, baby. Patrols, patrols! Two hundred miles out, two hundred miles back, for hours, after hours A few days, above the clouds, rumbling over the sea. I saw nothing but whales. I had a lot of leisure time to think. My thinking time was getting more and more precious. I shouldn't hang around like this anymore. You're sad. I've hurt you so much in the past. I'm sorry. Never again. Okay? I'm going to take a shower and talk to Blaney. How does he look?" "Oh, oh, a little haggard, a little thin." Janice, gaping with delight at hearing his regretful words, tried to make her voice as casual as he had. "A thick red beard, just like Daddy told us." She stroked his face. "I don't know what you look like with a beard?" "No! It'll be white when it grows out. Damn it. Come on, Daddy'll be happy to see Braney and let him grow his beard and all. The Northampton came in after us." "Byron said the 'Squid' took out two Japanese ships." "Oh, now Dad is very happy to hear it!" Pug.Henry was on the sunny side of the bridge of the "Northampton", commanding his men to lean towards the buoy amid the strong ebb tide, and he saw Spruance pacing up and down on the main deck below.The special launch waiting to take them to the Enterprise, where the Rear Admiral was going to see Halsey, stood beside the ship.Then they would walk the five miles to Warren's house.This is their old rule.Wet sailors were fiddling with the shackles on the thick anchor chains on the bumpy buoys below, and Pug was talking to Lieutenant Commander Gregg about some urgent dockyard overhaul that needed to be done before going out to sea again.The last time I went to the Coral Sea in vain, there was still enough ammunition in the depot, but there was not enough food and fuel.After 7,000 miles at high speed, it's time to turn around in forty-eight hours!There's going to be a big scene in the Pacific quasi-guaranteed; as to what the hell is going on, Pug.Henry had no idea. When the "Enterprise" was moored in the harbor, it usually looked bleak and deserted; the iron bird on the ship took off a hundred miles outside the harbor before dawn, and now there is only an empty bird's nest.But this time the lack of life on board was frightening: there was no whistle as Spruance's private motorboat approached; Not even the officer on duty could see it.On the cavernous hangar deck, there is the eerie atmosphere of a ghost ship.The Vice Admiral's Communications Adjutant trotted toward them, his footsteps rumbling in the hollow steel hangar.The communications adjutant took Raymond informally.Spruance's elbow, pulled him aside, and at the same time turned his pale unshaven face and said, "I'm sorry, Colonel Henry. Remember, your son was with me before we took off at three o'clock in the morning. Had coffee." Pug nodded, feeling relieved, but not showing it.Off the coast of the New Hebrides he had seen a Dreadnought dive-bomber somersault off the Enterprise and plunged into the sea; Bored, worried. "Now, Henry, let's go," said Spruance, after a few words in a low voice.The special motorboat sailed through the wind and waves all the way to the submarine base.Spruance said nothing, and Pug asked nothing.The rear admiral's face was composed and almost expressionless.He only broke the silence when they came ashore. "Henry, I still have something to do at the Pacific Fleet Command. I think you want to go back to reunite with your family right away?" From the tone of his voice, he obviously didn't want to give up the opportunity to take a walk together. "As you please, General." "Come with me. It won't be long." Pug waited in a hard chair outside the gold star-studded door of Nimitz's office, twirling his cap in his hand, noticing the hustle and bustle; the typewriter rattled, the phone rang. Ling ding ling, clerical sergeants, members of the women's reserve force of the Navy, and junior officers came and went in a hurry.The hustle and bustle in the Pacific Fleet Headquarters building was as eerie as the silence aboard the Enterprise.Judging by the situation, something important is about to happen, you can't go wrong.Pug hoped there would be no more Dolittle raids.He was a conventional military thinker, and he had been skeptical of Dolittle's move ever since the task force set sail. He read Halsey's telegram over the Northampton's loudspeaker. "Our fleet is sailing to Tokyo", and I can't help but feel a chill running down my spine as I read it.He suddenly wondered in his heart, how could the two aircraft carriers take the risk of sailing into the jaws of the ground-based Japanese Air Force?He shook his head suspiciously at Spruance amidst the cheers and whoops of the crew.The next day, when the "Hornet" came to join forces, the ship's deck was full of Army B-25 bombers, which naturally solved the mystery.Spruance looked at the oncoming aircraft carrier and said, "How is it, Colonel?" "I salute these Army Airmen, General." "Me too. They've had months of training. They're only going to be flying all the way to China, you understand? There's no way the deck of the ship will let them fly back and land." "I see. What a brave man." "Isn't that good fighting against the enemy, Colonel?" "Your Excellency, I have poor understanding and cannot understand the absolute correctness of this mission." It was the first time Pug had heard Spruance laugh out loud since he had known him.They didn't talk about the airstrike again until a few days ago.At dinner that day at Spruance's apartment, Spruance lamented that they hadn't been in time for the Battle of the Coral Sea.For the first time in history, the opposing warships did not meet each other; it was a decisive battle fought entirely by aircraft over seventy-five miles apart. "It's still new in the history of naval warfare, Henry. The conventional wisdom of many military schools has been overturned. Maybe you are right about the air raid on Tokyo. Maybe we should have stayed in the South long ago instead of sailing over the Pacific. In the past, a lot of publicity. Then again, we don't know to what extent Dolittle messed up the Japanese deployment." Spruance spent about half an hour this time in the back room of Pacific Fleet Headquarters.He came out with a strange look on his face. "We're about to hit the road, Henry." As they came out of the Navy Yard and trudged up an asphalt road through grassy, ​​dusty cane fields, he said abruptly, "Well, I'm leaving The Sampton' is dead." "Oh? I'm sorry to hear that, sir." "I am also very sorry, because I am going back to work on land. Ask me to be the chief of staff of Admiral Nimitz." "Oh, that's excellent. Congratulations, General." "Thank you," said Spruance coldly, "but when I asked you to be a staff officer, I don't remember you accepting the assignment right away." That's the end of the topic.They shuffled around a bend.The base loomed before us, far down the mountain, beyond the flowering groves and the green vegetable fields of the vegetable farms; there were piers, anchorages and dry docks full of warships, and channels crowded with small boats The damaged battleships have temporarily set up scaffolding, densely packed with workers, and the most spectacular thing is that along the overturned hull of the "Oklahoma", there is a long row of cables that reset the hull all the way to A winch on Ford Island. "Henry, you have seen the official document of the 'Yorktown' injury report. How long do you think it will take to repair it?" "Three to five months, sir." "Harry, isn't Captain Warrendorf a classmate of yours? The director of the shipyard?" "Oh, I know Harry very well." "Can he get the ship back at sea within seventy-two hours? Because he must. Admiral Nimitz gave the order." "If anyone could do it, it's Harry," replied Pug, secretly surprised. "But this can only be tinkering with it." "Yes, but three aircraft carriers will increase the striking power by 50% compared to two aircraft carriers. We will need this power soon." Byron and Warren were eating steak and eggs on the back porch, and he was telling Warren how he had salvaged a torpedo in Cavite.The two brothers, both barefoot and wearing shorts and Hong Kong shirts, had been talking for an hour. "Twenty-six torpedoes!" Warren exclaimed. "No wonder you were transferred to the Atlantic Ocean." Byron felt quite happy talking like this, and to tell the truth, was elated.Warren had warned him many months ago, back in peacetime, that if he wanted the Dolphin medal he had to deal with Branch.Hu Ban lowered his head and narrowed his eyes.Now Warren knew that Huban was broken, and that the dolphin medal was pinned to the sweat-soaked khaki shirt hanging in the guest room. "Warren, Esther insisted that I stay on the Squid." "Do you have a choice?" "I have received a transfer order, but there is always a way to think about it." "Isn't that the old administrative system on the submarine?" "Almost." Warren had no ready words of advice.His self-confidence had always been ingrained in him; he had kept Byron on his knees since he was a child, but he had always felt in Blaney that there was something peculiar about him that he did not have.He could not have fallen in love with a brilliant Jewish woman, the niece of a famous writer, and married her; Almost bridged the gap. "Well, Byron, I'll tell you something. I suppose you know that Halsey sent Doolittle and his crew to take-off." "The submarine base has this legend." "It's true. When these Army bombers took off from the USS Hornet, I stood on the flight deck of our own aircraft carrier and watched their formation head west to Tokyo. I couldn't help my tears, Byron .I burst into tears." "I believe you are right." "Yes. This is a very brave action, but what's the point? It's just a campaign to inspire the rear It's just symbolic bombing.At present, there is only one arm in the Pacific Ocean that really inflicts heavy damage on the enemy, and that is submarines.like this It's rare for you to come across a second chance in your life.If you go to the Atlantic Submarine Force, you're missing out.Since you asked for my opinion, I will tell you.You know Natalie's okay now, and—" Janice poked her head out of the kitchen. "Boys, your father and Major General Spruance are rounding the Smith house up the hill and going full speed." Byron glanced down at his shirt and shorts and stroked his beard. "Spruance?" Warren yawned and scratched a dirty bare foot. "If he doesn't come to drink a glass of water, he will go down the mountain." The doorbell rang, and Janice answered it.The rear admiral in a snow-white uniform, sweating on his face, accompanied by their father, walked to the balcony, and the two brothers jumped up immediately. "Byron!" Pug grabbed his son's hand, and the father and son embraced. "Oh, General, this is my submariner. I haven't seen him since Thanksgiving." "My submariner is out on the 'Tambor'." Spruance wiped his red face with a square handkerchief. "How did the hunt go, Lieutenant?" "Two sunk confirmed, General. Eleven thousand tons." Victor.Henry’s eyes were beaming.Spruance grinned. "Really? You beat the Tambor. How about the Mark XIV?" "Too bad, General. What a disgrace. Our captain's triple hits all depended on triggering the detonator. Although it violated the order, it was sure to hit." Pug's joy faded when his son's answer was so presumptuous. "Brani, you can't help but blame the detonator for a torpedo miss." "Sorry, Dad. I know you had something to do with the magnetic detonator thing." In peacetime, Victor.Henry once received a letter acknowledging his accomplishments for this work. "All I can tell you is that something went wrong in the production process. Even with the trigger detonator, the Mark XIV torpedo still didn't work. All the captains of the Pacific Submarine Force tried their best to object, but the Ordnance Bureau would not listen. Really Nasty. Seriously, sailing 5,000 miles for a torpedo strike only to make a thud when it hits the target." Spruance commented, "My son said the same thing about it, and Admiral Nimitz has raised the issue with the Ordnance Bureau." Pug was relieved.Spruance took a cup of iced black tea from Janice, turned to Warren and said, "By the way, Captain, what's the range of the Dreadnought?" "We usually measure in hours, General. About three and a half hours of flying time." The Rear Admiral's face was a little dazed. "You were designed with a range of seven hundred and fifty miles." Warren smiled bitterly. "Your Excellency, the formation alone consumes a lot of gasoline. By the time we fly over the target, the fuel has been used up, as if there is a hole in the fuel tank. Most of us will fly to the target two hundred miles away and never come back. " "And what about fighter jets and torpedo bombers?" Spruance asked as he sipped his tea. "Same speed and same range?" "Almost, Your Excellency." Warren was puzzled by these questions, but did not show it, and replied lively, "But the speed of the TBD torpedo bomber is much slower." "Okay!" Spruance drank his drink and stood up. "That's thirst quenching, Janice. I'm going down now." Everyone stood in silence.Pug said, "General, you can ask the boy to drive you back." "why?" "If you are in a hurry, sir." "No need." Spruance beckoned Pug to follow him as he went out.He closed the front door, took a breath, and squinted at Victor in the midday sun.Henry.Now that he was wearing a large snow-white cap, he looked much more serious. "Although your two children have different personalities, they are the same." "Byron should speak with a sense of proportion." "As far as I know, the submariners are individualists. Fortunately, they are both back. You just try to accompany them as much as possible." "General, there are a lot of things to do on my ship." Spruance's face suddenly darkened. "Henry, this is for you alone. The Japanese are going to invade the East. They're out to sea. Their aim is to take Midway. How about a Japanese base a thousand miles from Hawaii? So Admiral Nimitz is sending all of our forces there. We're about to fight the biggest battle of the Great War." Pug listened to the stunned words and pondered for a fitting answer that sounded neither defeatist, fussy, bravado, nor silly. The Hornet, the Enterprise, and possibly the patched Yorktown, and their insufficient number of escort ships against the Japanese Grand Fleet!They have at least eight aircraft carriers, maybe ten battleships, and God knows how many more cruisers, destroyers and submarines!As a matter of fleet strength, the difference is too great. In peacetime, any exercise referee would not propose such a disparity in strength between the two sides for exercises.He couldn't help blurting out hoarsely: "Now I understand why you don't want to go back to work on land." "I won't go back yet." When he said it, his eyes were calm and piercing, which was Victor's expression.Henry will never forget. “海尔赛海军中将上太平洋舰队司令部医院去了。不巧他皮肤病发作，不能参加这场战役。他向尼米兹海军上将推荐我指挥第十六特混舰队，所以今天下午我就要把我的行李用具搬到海尔赛的旗舰上去了。要等这场战役结束后，我才到 新的岗位去上任。 " 这句话就象起先泄露战役一样叫他听得目瞪口呆。斯普鲁恩斯，不是飞行员出身，居然指挥“企业号”和“大黄蜂号”投入战斗！帕格竭力保持一种平稳的声调问：“这么说，情报是当真完全可靠的啦？” “我们认为如此。如果一切顺利，我们可能出奇制胜。顺便说一句，我打算请你参加作战会议。”他伸出手来。“好，就照我的话，好歹陪陪你的孩子们吧。” Pug.亨利回到后阳台上，在门洞子背阴处停下步来。两个儿子现在到草地上交谈了，折迭椅拉得很近，每人手里都拿了一罐啤酒。一块料！他们看上去真是这样。他们如此起劲，到底在讨论些什么？他不忙着去打扰他们。他靠在门洞子里，一面尽量多看看这幕也许要有好久看不见的情景，一面竭力盘算着斯普鲁恩斯那凶讯的意思。他自己已经准备好在这些实在悬殊的条件下驾驶薄装甲的“诺思安普敦号”出航。他吃了三十年俸禄，早已作好打这场遭遇战的准备。可是华伦和拜伦都只二十来岁，还刚开始尝到人生的滋味。然而他呆在“诺思安普敦号”上，还算是父子三个中处境最安全的一个。 这两个年轻人穿着花哨的衬衫和棕色的短裤，一个是痞子，满脸红胡子，一个是大个子，身材结实，头发斑白。他在他俩的身上还看得到当年小时候的朦胧影子。拜伦在五岁时就是这么微笑来着。华伦两手使劲向外一推的动作，正是他在海军学院参加辩论时常做的手势。帕格想起了华伦生命中那个重大的时刻，他从海军学院毕业，成了营级指挥官，还得了现代史的优等奖；还想起了可怜的拜伦在哥伦比亚学院那次糟心的毕业典礼，因为学期论文迟交，当时差点不能毕业；他想起了一九三九年三月那个雨天，他接到调往德国的命令，当时华伦刚打完网球，满身大汗地跑进来说他已申请参加飞行训练，那时也收到了拜伦从锡耶纳寄来的信，第一次提到娜塔丽。杰斯特罗。帕格心想，他尽快插进他们的谈话，问问她的情况。可是不忙。他还要对他们再多看一会儿。 帕格心里想，关于华伦嘛，他原是不必帮什么忙的。华伦一向向往着当海军。当上了海军航空兵，他已经胜过了他努力想赶超的父亲。侥幸活下来的航空兵有天会当上海军下一代的将官。这已经是明摆着的事了。至于拜伦嘛，帕格想起当初正是自己逼他去学潜艇，害得他跟犹太妻子分居两地。每当他们父子俩在一起时，这问题总是象一块暗礁，不得不回避。要知道拜伦反正会被征入伍的，而且很可能他自己也会挑上潜艇这一行。可是，尽管帕格也为“乌贼号”击沉了敌船感到骄傲，他还是不能原谅自己打乱了拜伦的生活，把他推进了危险的境地。 他深切感到岁月流逝，一去不回，谁要作出轻率的决定，凭一时冲动犯了点小错误，都能铸成大错，影响一个人的命运。他陷入了这一股深切的感觉不能自拔。这两个他曾经严格加以训导、在心坎里默默疼爱的小孩子，已经变成了海军军官和战斗经验丰富的老兵了，如今他们就坐在那儿。真好象是个魔术大师施展的魔法，他要是高兴的话，还可以同样轻而易举地扭转时光，把这个红胡子的潜艇兵和这个阔胸脯的飞行员变回去，成为两个坐在马尼拉草坪上吵架的小孩子。不过帕格也明白这两个小孩子一去不回了。他本人已变成一个严肃的老家伙，他们呢，也会不断朝特定的方向转变。拜伦会终于在外形和性格方面都成为一个大人，这是他如今还做不到的。华伦嘛——说也奇怪，维克多。亨利竟然无法想象华伦还会怎样变。华伦如今坐在那边太阳底下，拿着一罐啤酒，薄薄的嘴角叼着烟卷儿，发育完美，肌肉丰满，孔武有力，脸上深刻的线条充分流露出自信和果断；一双蓝眼睛里闪现出不大外露的幽默感，华伦将会永远是这副样子吧。做父亲的情不自禁地这样想，这想法在心头一扎下根，他就不由浑身感到一阵寒颤。他从门洞子里走出来，嘴里大声叫道：“喂，还有啤酒吗？还是全给你们两个叫人伤脑筋的酒鬼喝光了？” 拜伦赶紧跳起身，给他父亲端来一大杯冰镇啤酒。 “爹，娜塔丽乘一艘瑞典船回国啦！至少杰妮丝的父亲是听人家这么说来着。怎么样？” “哦，那倒是惊人的好消息，勃拉尼。” “是啊，我还是想打个电话到国务院去证实一下。可是华伦认为我不应当调动，因为太平洋舰队潜艇部队是最光荣的地方。” “我可没提到过光荣，”华伦说，“难道我说到过光荣吗？我才不管他娘的什么光荣呢——请原谅，爹——我是说潜艇在太平洋的战斗中挑大梁，你总算捞到这毕生难逢的好机会来参加永垂史册的行动了。” “还有什么好算光荣呢？”他父亲说。 拜伦说：“你怎么说呢，爹？” 帕格心里想，又碰到暗礁啦。他立即答道：“接受调令就走吧。这场太平洋战争将是一场长期战争。你还来得及赶回来，尽量做出永垂史册的事情。你还没见过自己的儿子呢——哦，干嘛调皮地笑嘻嘻呀？” “我真没料到你会这么说，就是这么回事。” 屋子里电话响个不停。 “上帝啊，”帕格说，“这是值得庆祝的大事，娜塔丽回国啦！好歹说来，咱们上回象这样团聚是多咱的事啦？是不是华伦的婚礼？看来早该举行一次结婚周年宴会了。” “对，”华伦说，“我没忘记这日于，可是当时我正在萨摩亚群岛那一带巡逻飞行。” 电话铃不响了。 “得，我主张明天晚上在莫亚那饭店举行一次香槟酒会。”帕格说，“怎么样？” “哦，这主意杰妮丝准喜欢，爹，下山去，也许跳跳舞——” “我也参加，”拜伦说，说着站起身，朝厨房门走去。“我来买酒。也许那是我打到华盛顿的电话接通了。” 杰妮丝从屋里奔到凉台上来，脸蛋涨得通红，两眼睁得大大的。“爹，您的电话，猜猜是谁打来的？埃里斯特。塔茨伯利。他从莫亚那饭店打来的。”