Another Exhausting Mission
By: AliasCWN
Chapter 6
"They must have got caught!" Hitch paced the wadi next to his jeep.
"Maybe," Troy nodded.
"They would have been here by now if they got away!"
"We didn't have a meeting place set up," Troy argued. "If they got away they'll have to find us."
"We left tracks Sarge, all they had to do was follow them."
"Go to the top of the hill and see if you can see them," Troy ordered.
Hitch sighed and nodded. "Okay Sarge."
"He's right you know." Dietrich walked up behind Troy as Hitch walked away.
"Maybe," Troy answered again.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Troy replied, "I'm working on it."
Dietrich smiled.
"Tell me something…" Troy eyed the German officer.
"If I can; no military secrets," Dietrich answered.
"Why didn't you take one of the jeeps and make a run for it back at the Arab camp?"
Dietrich looked down at the ground before raising his head to smile at the sergeant. "I considered it."
"Why didn't you?"
"By the time the thought occurred to me your privates had reached the top of the hill and you were all returning to the vehicles. I missed my chance. I decided that if I tried it then you would shoot me before I could get away."
"You were right," Troy agreed. "And it would have been a shame to shoot you after pulling you out of that camp."
"Now you tell me something," Dietrich answered. "Why did you take me along? Why not leave me with the Arabs?"
Troy shrugged. "I wouldn't have left anyone behind in that camp if I had a choice. You and I both know that nothing good was going to happen to anyone they took as prisoner."
Dietrich nodded grimly. "Thank you."
Troy nodded in response and turned to look up at Hitch. "I guess we're going to have to go back and see if we can figure out what happened."
"If they aren't dead, then my men have them."
"Maybe, maybe not," Troy answered. "Don't forget, the Arabs from that camp were right behind us when we got out of there. Have you considered the possibility that the Arabs might have attacked your column again?"
Dietrich looked surprised at the suggestion. "Then they may all be dead. Do you really think it's possible?"
"It's not such a far-fetched idea," Troy replied. "They attacked it once, why not again?"
"Perhaps we should go see for ourselves," Dietrich suggested.
"Maybe we should," Troy agreed. "Hitch, come on down!"
Hitch dropped his rifle into the boot and took his seat. He waited until Dietrich and Troy were settled before he asked where they were going. "Are we going back to look for them Sarge?"
"Yeah Hitch, we are." Troy answered. "But first I want to take a look from a distance. I don't want to fall into any ambush because we got careless."
Hitch nodded. "That's what Doc said when we found the abandoned vehicles from the captain's column. Sarge….you don't think they ran into those Arabs again, do you?"
"That's what we need to find out," Troy answered.
"Okay, we're not that far from where we lost them." Hitch popped a bubble and looked back at Troy. "I'll bring us out through the same route we used to escape."
"Let's do it," Troy ordered.
When they reached the gap between the hills Hitch brought the jeep to a stop.
Troy jumped to the ground and plucked a rifle from the boot on the front fender. He reached over Dietrich to pick up the binoculars from between the seats. "Stay here Hitch, I'll go take a look. Keep a close eye on our guest."
"Right Sarge," Hitch nodded. He popped another bubble and twisted in his seat to watch the captain.
Troy took his rifle and binoculars and climbed to the top of the rocks to examine the site where the column had ambushed them. There was one abandoned car riddled with large caliber bullet holes. There was no sign of the other jeep. Troy could see the craters caused by the exploding shells but the wind was already filling them in and leveling the desert floor again. Soon the damaged patrol car would be the only remaining evidence that anything had happened there. Using the glasses, Troy continued to study the area. He didn't see any sign of Tully, Moffitt, or the Germans.
"Sarge!"
Troy spun in time to see the jeep charge out o the gap and onto the desert floor. As Troy watched Dietrich scooted over the seat to man the 50. Hitch turned his head to yell at the German. Dietrich lowered the barrel and Hitch reached up to remove the dust cover. Dietrich cleared the chamber and began to fire at the Arab horsemen chasing the jeep.
Dietrich continued to fire as a second group of horsemen joined the chase. Despite not having much experience with the big gun, Dietrich managed to hit half a dozen of the riders before they began to fall behind the speeding jeep.
Taking cover behind a rock Troy watched as the horsemen continued to chase after Hitch and Dietrich. When they began to pull their horses to a stop Troy ducked lower. The jeep disappeared around the hills as the Arabs turned back. He watched them ride off deeper into the hills before he resumed his place at the top of the hill. Using the glasses he tried to spot the jeep. He knew Hitch would come back for him but it might take a while. Hitch had no idea that the Arabs had gone. Troy kept an eye out in case they returned as he watched for Hitch. He didn't start to worry until the jeep had been gone for quite some time.
Hitch drove until he was sure that they had lost the horsemen. He was circling to go back for Troy when the jeep began to steer funny. He could feel the front wheel starting to wobble. Slowing the vehicle, he began to look for a place to stop so he could check it out.
"Keep driving Private."
Hitch looked over his shoulder and into the barrel of the 50. Dietrich had a tight grip on the handles next to the trigger and a determined look on his face. "We are going to go look for my column."
"We're not going anywhere," Hitch answered.
"I think I hold the deciding factor in my hands Private."
"That gun won't keep this jeep running," Hitch answered.
Dietrich frowned. "What do you mean? If this is some kind of trick..."
"The wheel is starting to wobble," Hitch replied with a nod toward his front wheel. "If I don't stop and fix it we won't be going anywhere."
"I don't believe you," Dietrich answered. "Keep driving."
"I'm telling you Captain," Hitch argued, "if I don't fix it we'll both be walking."
The officer nodded reluctantly. "All right, fix it."
"I'm not sure I can," Hitch answered. "We already fixed it once and we used up most of our spare parts. I'm not sure we have the parts to fix it again. All I can do is take a look."
"In that case, keep driving until it stops. Perhaps we can find my column before it quits."
"What about Sarge?
"We will go back and pick him up after we find my column."
"What about the Arabs?"
"What about them?"
"What if they find Sarge first?"
"Fortunes of war Private. I'm certain that Sergeant Troy will manage to stay free until we can go back. After all, the Arabs were chasing us, not him."
"But they might find him!"
Dietrich sighed. "Then perhaps you should hurry and find my column so that we can go back for your sergeant."
"We should have left you in that Arab camp," Hitch muttered under his breath.
"What was that Private?"
"Nothing," Hitch answered.
"Then drive."
Hitch drove without looking back at Dietrich. He could feel the officer watching him from behind the 50. His mind was racing for a solution to his problem when the solution presented itself. The jeep lurched to one side and the front wheel tipped oddly.
"What happened?" Dietrich demanded.
"I told you I needed to stop and fix it," Hitch growled. "Something broke."
"Get out and fix it."
"Sure," Hitch agreed. "I don't want to be on foot out here with those Arabs running around."
Dietrich had Hitch walk away from the jeep before he jumped to the ground. Hurrying to the front of the vehicle he removed the rifle on the fender before he allowed the private to return. Waving the gun at the jeep he ordered Hitch to fix it.
Hitch started toward the jeep with a nod. "Just keep an eye out for those Arabs."
"You fix the jeep and let me worry about the Arabs."
Hitch crawled under the jeep and examined the problem. The new parts looked okay and the rod they had straightened was fine. It only took a minute to realize that the pin had fallen out.
"What is wrong?" Dietrich asked.
"A rod broke," Hitch lied. "I'm not sure I have the parts to fix it."
"Do your best private, your life depends on it."
"Both of our lives," Hitch corrected. "If I walk, you walk."
"I'll stand guard."
"I may need your help," Hitch lied again. "Once I jack it up I may need your help to get it lined up so I can fix it."
Hitch got the jack, another pin, and a long rod. He grabbed some wire and tape to hold the pin once he got it in place. He positioned the jack under the front corner of the jeep and slid underneath.
"Can you fix it?"
"Maybe," Hitch answered honestly. "But I am going to need help to get everything lined up," he lied again.
"I'm afraid I'm not much of a mechanic," the German admitted.
"That's okay," Hitch answered. "I just need you to help move the wheel into position. I need to fit the rod through this small hole right here." He pointed at the underside of the frame.
Dietrich glanced at the jeep and then at Hitch. "Put the wrench down Private."
Hitch tossed the wrench out into the sand in front of the jeep.
With a smile Dietrich stuck his head under the frame to see what needed to be done. Once he had his head under the jeep Hitch kicked the jack. The jack slid in the sand and let the frame drop. When the frame dropped it hit Dietrich's head. The German dropped to the sand unconscious.
Hitch wiggled out from under the jeep and retrieved a rope. He tied the German hand and foot before replacing the jack. He crawled back under the jeep. With a little pull here and a little push there he soon had the parts aligned. He replaced the pin and fastened it. To keep it from coming loose again he wrapped wire around the end and taped the wire in place.
"Gee Captain, it looks like I didn't need your help after all." He loaded the still unconscious officer into the jeep and headed back toward Troy.