Savage Sniper

Despite Yamagata’s apparent skill with the bow and arrow, the bird made a difficult target. It was some distance away and high up in the tree, roughly the size of a large crow. Deke knew for a fact that there were plenty of GIs who couldn’t have hit the bird with their rifles, much less a bow and arrow.

Deke figured the bird’s chances were good, and that at best the colonel’s arrow would just pass nearby and startle the creature. He caught himself holding his breath.

The colonel released the arrow with an audible twang. The arrow sang through the air, straight and true, so fast that it was hardly more than a streak.

The arrow struck the bird with an explosion of bright feathers. The bird dropped through the tree branches and disappeared. There was no doubt that the arrow had found its mark.

Deke had to admit that he was impressed by the colonel’s ability. He was also disgusted. What was the point of killing a beautiful bird for no good reason? Deke’s rule always had been that you ate what you killed. The colonel turned away, clearly without any intention of retrieving the bird or his arrow. He wore a satisfied smile.

The prisoners, however, were disappointed. It was as if the bird had been a symbol of freedom, the kind of freedom that they were not allowed, and the colonel had snuffed it out as if to deny them hope. The death of the bird had been symbolic in that regard.

Deke thought about the stories he’d heard claiming that the colonel had offered prisoners a chance to escape — or forced them to try — only to shoot them down with his bow. Until that moment, Deke had doubted that the stories were true. He now had no doubt that Colonel Yamagata possessed a wanton cruelty that made Deke hate him all the more.

The colonel returned up the trail, leaving the work crew under the direction of his subordinate officer. Eyeglasses appeared relieved once Yamagata had left — at least, he eased some of the ramrod posture that he had adopted in the colonel’s presence. As for the sergeant, Deke did his best to stay out of his way.

It wasn’t easy. Although the rest of the day passed quietly enough, it felt like they were all walking on eggshells around the volatile Mr. Suey. Again, he was like a storm waiting to break, and he kept casting venomous side glances at Deke. From time to time Faraday traded looks with Deke and gave him a quick, reassuring nod that was too subtle for their Japanese captors to notice. Both men knew that the hours ahead were crucial to the escape plan.

The incident with the commandant skewering the parrot with an arrow had also been unsettling in a different way. Once or twice Deke could have sworn that he heard the cry of the wounded bird from the trees, as if the arrow hadn’t killed the poor creature outright and it was lingering somewhere in the forest shadows. An hour or two passed, and he did not hear the bird cry out again, but only the stillness of the jungle interrupted by the cacophony of insects and the rushing stream.

It was getting near dark when they finally brought in their last load of stones. Deke felt exhausted. He was still sore from the beating yesterday, and the fresh blows he had received today. He knew that as soon as he sat down or stopped moving, his body was going to register every ache. He was so soggy from all the heat that he felt like he could be wrung out like a washcloth. With each step that he took, his feet felt heavy as concrete blocks.

To make matters worse, his rumbling belly reminded him that he had not been fed yet today. Deke almost welcomed the thought of whatever thin soup the Japanese intended to serve up. It was a wonder that the prisoners were able to labor like this, day in and day out, without any real nourishment. No surprise that so many were just withering away to the point where they couldn’t leave their bunks.

Deke was looking forward to whatever grub was served up and perhaps a few hours of rest before their escape plan was set in motion. However, that was not to be the case.

As the POWs reentered the prison compound and made their way toward the barracks, Mr. Suey was there to block Deke’s path.

Here we go again. This is the last damn thing we need.

Trying to avoid another confrontation, Deke did the smart thing and kept his head down.

It did him no good. The Japanese sergeant shouted something that Deke couldn’t understand, other than the angry tone.

But Eyeglasses was there to explain. With a sinking heart, Deke realized that what he had mistaken for humanity in the officer might only have been a difference of opinion about the methods used to discipline prisoners.

“You,” he said. “You are going back in isolation. You have a bad attitude that must be corrected.”

Nearby, Faraday had overheard. He and Deke exchanged a look. This had not been part of the plan. If Deke returned to the hot box, it might spoil their entire plan. Once again, Deke feared that his stubborn pride had gotten in the way.