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At first light Rio is up and oncefor Beebee—who the day before had been trapped into doing some paperwork for their prisoners She resents it in the extrereen kid instead of getting back to the squad and doing her job

The beach is still aLCU with its bow doors open disgorges a tank; planes roar overhead; a ed and pushed out of the surf; crates and pallets lie open, disgorging their contents of a squared away at a pu under a tent

From farther inland come the occasional sounds of artillery or German bombs Rio wonders idly where the A the Krauts? But just then she spots a high forines Strand up there in the cockpit of one She i whether Rio is so beach

Then, finally, she spots Beebee She has to blink twice to , and even then she can’t quite believe it Beebee is leading a donkey cart The donkey is sy, and minus half of one ear, which looks to have been chewed off The cart is s on what can only be bicycle tire rims As she draws close she sees that the cart is nearly full There is a forty-pound wooden crate of rations and a half dozen small metal ae, piled strategically to conceal the true treasure behind the number-ten cans of peaches, four bottles of Sicilian wine, and dozens of tiny packs of Old Gold cigarettes

“Hey, Rio,” he says

“You’ve been busy,” Rio says

Beebee shrugs, but he’s obviously pleased with hi from his pocket and hands it to her It’s heavy for its size “It’s a whetstone for your kouhteenth”

“Wellthat is very kind of you,” Rio says, and uess we’d best head back to the platoon”

The donkey is reluctant to move and no threat or entreaty seems able tosalvo after salvo over their heads, and the donkey seenal to advance

It is soon clear that a serious battle is taking place a coupleabout the Her vaguely rings a bell for Rio—a chubby, se—but the word tanks conjures up apicture and adds hesitation to her next few steps A Spitfire goes tearing away toward the action, flying just above treetop level And thousands of feet above them fly three more B-17s

Rio and Beebee (and the donkey, now named General Patton) reach the barn they’d shot up earlier They are stopped by an MP, a thirtyish wohtly predatory look of a shopkeeper who thinks she’s spotted a shoplifter She warns the up ahead

“I think our unit’s up there We’re part of the 119th”

“The one-one-nine?” The MP looks perfectly blank, aside froives her two of the small packs of Old Golds and the MP’s memory suddenly improves “The 119th have been pulled east, other side of Niscemi”

“Aren’t the Canadians over that way?” Beebee asks “I heard so”

The MP lights one of her new cigarettes, takes a deep drag, and says, “Kid, in case you haven’t noticed, no one knohat the hell is going on”