BooksBarbecue
Back The Preserve
Chapters (56)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. 13.
  19. 14.
  20. 15.
  21. 16.
  22. 17.
  23. 18.
  24. 19.
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
  47. 42.
  48. 43.
  49. 44.
  50. 45.
  51. 46.
  52. 47.
  53. 48.
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. AFTERWORD
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

And he strode off, back where they had come, back toward his treasure finds, leaving Lett in the dark. Suddenly, Lett felt so cold, more chilled than in any midnight hole in December in the Ardennes.

***

Lett and the rest of the sentries took turns guarding the perimeter over the next two days while laborers and carabao arrived to do their work inside the tunnels and caverns. Lett never saw Kodama or Frankie after they did their work on Reuben, and Lansdale only showed once or twice to reenter the caves and reemerge smirking. He had the laborers burn away foliage around the entrance, to make room. A few large items came out. A giant gold Buddha required two carabao and ten men moving it along cut logs. Apart from that, Lett heard the occasional booms and cracks, saw the engineers coming and going with their clipboards and briefcases. But most of the find did not come out.

On the third day, a captain Lett had never seen before—a spiffy command-staff type—came and left them new uniforms and gear, still without insignia or even markings but neat and tidy. Lett didn’t have to be told to clean his weapon and make things shiny all around, and neither did the others. None of them wanted to catch a holy wrath from a staffer or worse yet, his master. Lansdale made the rounds, telling them to “look sharp, boys,” and spewing another of his cheery homilies: “Act the part you play and become the part and the man, too!”

Lett knew why all along, but he hadn’t figured on brass as high and as shiny as they got. He heard the roar of the new command car coming up the road. The burnt foliage opening was trimmed back to resemble an arched gateway. They stood at attention along the way. The command car pulled in close enough to brush leaves and fronds.

Army General Douglas MacArthur rose from the backseat followed by two staffers, including that spiffy captain. The general had his pipe in his mouth now, and his mouth scowled slightly like in that famous photo of him wading ashore at Leyte, returning to retake the Philippines just south of here. Or, Lett wondered, was that just a smile the grand leader was stifling? Lett, for one, would have bet that gold Buddha alone on the latter.

Before he strode inside that cave the general slowed half a step, just enough to give Lett a most honorable and respectful nod.

19.