Sand in the Wind by Robert Roth Read Free Book Online Page A

Too bad they don’t have many tanks.    .   .   . The guys in mortars usually keep a few around with the chutes cut off. They drop real fast, but they don’t telephone ahead. When you want to use a hand illume and you don’t want the pop, use a star cluster. They shoot five small flares that drop without a chute, still make a swoosh though.”
    “You’d think they’d be able to develop one that wouldn’t give any warning.”
    “Sure they could, but some retired general’s probably got the patent on this type.”
    While Forsythe was talking, Chalice heard a sharp, grating sound in the distance. “What was that?”
    “Oh, that’s Puff the Magic Dragon.” Forsythe leaned across the counter and pointed to their left. “Look over there. See those four big illumes? They’re the four comers of his grid square. He drops them and then fills the square with rounds.”
    “Puff the Magic Dragon?”
    “It’s some old prop plane they stripped down and filled with fifty-caliber machine guns. They say he can put a round in every square foot of a football field in less than a minute. Keep watching over there. Every fifth round is a tracer. It’s a beautiful show.”
    Chalice was still leaning across the counter. “Is that the Arizona Territory?”
    “Yeah, he works out over the Arizona practically every night.”
    Chalice saw a bright red dotted line dart down to the ground. “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like that. Looks like a mile-high neon sign. This is quite a show.”
    “Yeah, and just—” Forsythe stopped talking as the grating sound reached them again. “Did you hear it?”
    “Yeah, it’s hard to believe he’s so far away.”
    “Just think, a new and different show every night. Did you see that?”
    “Yeah, he did it again.”
    “No, I mean in the mountains.” Forsythe pointed straight in front of the bunker. “There it is again.”
    Chalice saw it this time. Within a few seconds there had been about twenty bright white flashes on the mountainside across the valley. “Is that what you meant?”
    “Yeah, those are mortars. They probably came from up there.” He pointed back to the right side of the hill.
    “How do you know they were ours? I didn’t hear anything.”
    “I didn’t either, but we probably could have if we’d been listening. They’re ours because there were so many in such a short time. The Gooks are more careful — they don’t have enough to waste. See what I mean about the show?”
    “Yeah, it’s outa sight.    .   .   . Were you drinking this afternoon?”
    “No,” Forsythe laughed. “I don’t drink much. Where’d you get that idea?”
    “I heard you say something to Payne about partying.”
    Forsythe became suspicious. “We were just kidding around.. I better crash.” He walked towards the threshold.
    “Wait a minute. Which of these hand illumes are star clusters?”
    Forsythe turned around and walked over to the ammo crate. “I can’t see the labels now. Wait till an illume goes off.”
    While they stood waiting, Chalice spotted four purple and orange balls of fire shoot across the valley. “What was that?”
    “What was what?”
    “Looked like four big tracer rounds.”
    “Flying level?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Rockets then.”
    “There it is again.”
    “Yeah, rockets, incoming at An Hoa.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “They were VC rockets heading for An Hoa, could of hit our company area. Maybe one landed on top of the rack you were sleeping in last night.”
    “Nice thought.”
    “You’ll have nicer ones before you get out of here.” As Forsythe was talking, an illumination flare popped over the bunker. “Here,” he said, handing Chalice a foot-long aluminum tube about an inch in diameter. “Star cluster.”
    “Can we shoot it off now for the hell of it?”
    “Naw, you’re not supposed to unless you’ve got a reason.    .   .   . Ah, okay, why not?” Forsythe took the top off the tube and placed it on the bottom. He then raised