the equator the transition from night to day takes place quickly. There is no long drawn out dawning.
'What a relief,' said Corrie. 'I was very tired of night.'
'Gripes!' exclaimed Jerry. 'Look!' He cocked his rifle and stood still. Standing in the trail directly in front of them was a tiger.
'Don't shoot!' warned Corrie.
'I don't intend to if he'll just mind his own business. This dinky little .25 caliber Jap rifle wouldn't do anything more than irritate him, and I never did like to irritate tigers so early in the morning.'
'I wish he'd go away,' said Corrie. 'He looks hungry.'
'Maybe he hasn't heard of that theory of yours.'
The tiger, a large male, stood perfectly still for several seconds, watching them; then it turned and leaped into the underbrush.
'Whee-oo!' exclaimed Jerry with a long sigh of relief. 'My heart and my stomach were both trying to get into my mouth at the same time. Was I scared!'
'My knees feel weak,' said Corrie. 'I think I'll sit down.'
'Wait!' cautioned Jerry. 'Listen! Aren't those voices?'
'Yes. Just a little way ahead.'
They moved forward very cautiously. The forest ended at the edge of a shallow valley, and the two looked down upon a little kampong scarcely a hundred yards from them. They saw natives and Jap soldiers.
'This must be where the boys are,' said Jerry.
'There they are!' whispered Corrie. 'Oh, God! He's going to kill them!'
Tada swung his sword. Jerry's rifle spit, and Lt. Kumajiro Tada lunged forward, sprawling in front of the men he had been about to kill. Then Corrie fired, and a Jap soldier who was rushing toward the two prisoners died. The two kept up a fusillade that knocked over soldier after soldier and put the village into panic.
Tarzan, hurrying forward at the first shot, was soon at their side; and van der Bos joined them a moment later, adding another rifle and a pistol. Tarzan took the latter.
Bubonovitch and Rosetti, taking advantage of the confusion in the kampong, seized rifles and ammunition from two of the dead soldiers and backed toward the forest, firing as they went. Rosetti had also acquired a couple of hand grenades, which he stuffed into his pockets.
A Jap sergeant was trying to collect his men, forming them up behind a house. Suddenly they charged, screaming. Rosetti threw his grenades in quick succession among them; then he and Bubonovitch turned and ran for the forest.
The firing had ceased before the two sergeants reached the little group just within the forest. Rosetti's grenades had put an end to this part of World War II, at least temporarily. The Japs were definitely demoralized or dead.
'Geeze!' said Rosetti. 'They did hear us.'
'They sure did,' agreed Bubonovitch.
'Who heard you?' asked Jerry.
'God and the Blessed Mary,' explained Rosetti. The little party had been so intent upon the battle that they had scarcely looked at one another while it was progressing. Now they relaxed a little and looked around. When Corrie and Tak van der Bos faced one another they were speechless for a moment. Then they both exclaimed simultaneously: 'Corrie!'
'Tak!'
'Darling!' cried Corrie, throwing her arms around the young Dutchman. Jerry was not amused.
Then followed introductions and brief resumes of their various adventures. While the others talked, Tarzan watched the kampong. The Japs seemed utterly confused. They had lost their officer and their ranking non- commissioned officers. Without them, the ordinary private soldier was too stupid to think or plan for himself.
Tarzan turned to Jerry. 'I think we can take that village and wipe out the rest of the Japs if we rush them now while they are demoralized and without a leader. We have five rifles, and there aren't more than a dozen Japs left who are in any shape to fight.'
Jerry turned to the others. 'How about it?' he asked.
'Come on!' said Bubonovitch. 'What are we waiting for?'
Chapter 14
THE fight was short and sweet, and some of the Japs were helpful—they blew themselves up with their own grenades. Corrie had been left behind in the forest. But she hadn't stayed there. Jerry had no more than reached the center of the kampong when he saw her fighting at his side.
Bubonovitch and Rosetti went berserk, and their bayonets were dripping Jap blood when the fight was over. They had learned to hate.
The natives cowered in their houses. They had collobarated with the Japs and they expected the worst, but they were not molested. They were, however, required to furnish food and prepare it.
Tarzan and Jerry questioned several of them, Corrie and Tak acting as interpreters. They learned that this had been an advance post of a much larger force that was stationed about twenty-five kilometers down in the direction of the southwest coast. It had expected to be relieved in a day or two.
They also learned that there was a group of guerrillas farther along in the mountains toward the southeast. But none of the natives knew just where or how far. They seemed terribly afraid of the guerrillas.
Amat tried to curry favor with the newcomers. He was a confirmed opportunist, a natural born politician. He was wondering if it would advantage him to hurry to the main camp of the Japs and report the presence of these men and the havoc they had wreaked. But he abandoned the idea, as he would have had to travel through bad tiger country. It was well for Amat that neither Bubonovitch nor Rosetti knew the part he had played leading up to their capture.
But perhaps the two sergeants would have been inclined toward leniency, for they were very happy. Their prayers had wrought a miracle and they had been saved by the little margin of a split second. That was something to be happy about. In addition to this, they had indulged in a very successful orgy of revenge. In the blood of their enemies they had washed away the blows and insults and humiliation that had been heaped upon them.
'Geeze! Bum, we sure had a close shave.'
'I couldn't see; because I was looking at the ground,' said Bubonovitch, 'but Corrie said that Jap looie was swinging his sword when Jerry nicked him. It was that close. But we sure evened things up, eh, Shrimp?'
'How many did you get?'
'I don't know. Maybe three or four. I was just shooting at everything in sight. But you certainly hit the jack pot with those two grenades. Boy! was that something?'
'Say, did you see dat dame get right into the fightin'? She's keen.'
'Migawd! Shrimp, are you falling for a skirt?'
'I ain't fallin' for no skoit, but she's all to the good. I ain't never see a dame like her before. I didn't know they come like dat. I'll go to bat for her any old time.'
'The last of the misogynists,' said Bubonovitch. 'Jerry took the count a long while ago, and has he fallen hard!'
'But did you see her fall on dat Dutchman's neck? You should have saw Jerry's face. Dat's de trouble wit dames—even dis one. Dey just can't help causin' wot dem Hawaiians back on De Rock calls pilikia. We was just one happy family until her old boy friend blew into the pitcher.'
'Maybe he is just an old friend,' suggested Bubonovitch. 'I noticed that when the fight was on, she fought right at Jerry's side.'
Rosetti shook his head. He had 'already made a great concession, but his prejudice was too deep rooted to permit him to go all out for the ladies. He was for Corrie, but with mental reservations. 'Do you throw your arms around an old friend's neck and yell, 'Darling!'? I ask.'
'That all depends. You are an old friend of mine, Shrimp; but I can't imagine throwing my arms around your neck and calling you darling.'
