niepeicai78

@@@@@With ease he could imagine the scene in which Cummings had given the idea to DallesonAnd the patrol was quite likely an extension of the General's motives in assigning him to recon But that seemed a little extravagantHe had discovered the hatred Cummings was capable of bearing, but he could not imagine Cummings expending a platoon for a week in order to work out a minor vengeanceThere were other and easier ways; besides, Cummings was too much of a military craftsman to be wastefulConsciously, he must have considered the patrol as an effective maneuverWhat bothered Hearn was that the General might not be aware of his own motives Certainly, it seemed a little unbelievable that they could march for thirty or forty miles through unexplored jungle and hills, go through a mountain pass, scout the Japanese rear and return; the more carefully he considered it the more difficult it becameHe was inexperienced, of course, and the mission might actually be easier to accomplish than he estimated, but at best it was a doubtful business It softened the edge of his satisfaction at being given a platoonWhatever Cummings's reasons, there was no assignment Hearn preferred moreHe foresaw the annoyances, the dangers, the inevitable disillusionments, but at least this was a positive actionFor the first time in many months there were a few things he wanted again, simply and honestlyIf he could manage it, if it turned out the way he wanted, he could establish some kind of liaison with the men It rather surprised himIt was a little too na?ve, too ideal an attitude for himselfThe moment it was established in another frame it became ridiculousto do what, to work a little better in an institution he despised, whose ligaments Cummings had exposed to him? Or perhaps because it was his platoon, his baby? The private property conceptAnd he could detect elements of that in himselfPaternalism! The truth was, he grinned, he wasn't ready for Cummings's brand-new society in which everything was issued and never owned In any case he would discover his own motives laterNow he knew intuitively that it was better for himselfHe had liked most of the men in the platoon, quickly and instinctively, and quite astonishing to himself, he had wanted them to like himHe had even made efforts, given little hints that he was a good guy, employing the tricks he had unconsciously absorbed from certain officers, his own fatherThere was a particular kind of buddying you could get away with when you dealt with Americans; it was close but not dangerously so, and you never let it get out of ha