Motu’s eyes were shining. He looked about as happy as I’ve ever seen anybody look.
“It was a great battle,” says he. “My father has told me stories of the battles of ancient warriors of Japan. This was like them. When I come again to my country this day shall be spoken of with pride by my family, and in after-years my descendants shall tell their children of it.”
“Wait a bit,” says Mark, “and your decendants’ll have m-m-more to brag about. This day’s battle ain’t over yet by several shots.”
“The more fighting the more glory,” says Motu.
Now I didn’t feel that way about it. The more fighting the more bother, was my notion. I’d had plenty. My appetite was fed up, and I didn’t have any use for a second helping. But I didn’t come of a race of warriors. I expect my way of looking at it is the American way. We don’t fight for glory, but only when it’s necessary, and then we want it over with and done as soon as possible, just as we do any other disagreeable job that may come along.
“Look,” says Binney.
Around the corner of the hotel came four Japanese, carrying a sort of fence made of an old strip of carpet nailed on posts. They took it down to the boat and The Man showed them how to set it up and nail it in place so that the front and both sides of the craft were sheltered. With that armor a fellow couldn’t see the rowers at all; in fact, the whole five of them could sit in the boat and we couldn’t get a crack at them.
“Here’s where we get it,” says I to Mark.
“Maybe,” says he, “but you f-f-fellows fend off with your pike-poles, and, Tallow and Binney, you ’tend to anybody that reaches over to meddle with the poles while they’re holdin’ the boat. Get the idea? So long as we can hold off the boat n-nobody can land, and we can hold off the boat as l-long as our pike-poles are left alone.”
Well, sir, you’ll have to admit Mark was some general. That pike-pole idea was a dandy, and, in spite of their new armor, our slingshots would be useful a heap. And then, there was Mark up on the balcony of the third floor, and he could shoot right down on top of the Japs.