“You spoke about machine guns. Are there soldiers, Japanese soldiers?” Stan asked.
“Yes, many of them,” Niva answered. “Here, hidden in the jungle is a big base of shells and planes and war materials.” She looked up at him wide-eyed.
“And Te Nuwa is in command of the Japanese forces?” Stan asked.
“Te Nuwa is in command until the general comes. When the general is here, Te Nuwa is just the fat one.” She spread her hands and smiled.
“Is the general a little man with a scar over his right eye?” Stan asked.
“Oh, you know our general?” Niva asked, surprised.
“I have met him,” Stan replied and grinned as he remembered how the little general had ordered Allison and himself shot the day they had flown the Martin on a false alarm flight. “I owe a great deal to the general,” he said as he dipped into the bowl of chicken.
Niva looked at Stan questioningly. It was clear the talk was not going the way it was supposed to go. The big American had asked all the questions so far. Not that giving him information mattered, for he would never be able to take it to the enemy, but she was supposed to learn something from him.
“Tell me about yourself and your friends. You have many friends who fly with you?” Niva spoke eagerly.
“I wouldn’t lie to a nice girl like you, so I won’t tell you anything about our forces,” Stan evaded. “But I’ll tell you the truth about what is going on in America.”