The Twilight World by Werner Herzog

Author:Werner Herzog [Herzog, Werner]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-14T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Back now—back to Onoda’s men, now cautiously approaching Ten House. The few huts are all set on poles. Evening quiet prevails, with the murmur of voices. Hens scratch around in the sand unafraid, right in front of Onoda. A dog appears from somewhere, and half-heartedly barks at the intruders from a safe distance. Onoda jumps up and fires a shot into one of the palm frond roofs, makes it spurt up. The hens scatter. Two or three more shots in rapid succession. Cries from the villagers.

“Hold your fire!” calls Onoda. “Let them flee.” When they have all disappeared in a cloud of dust in the direction of Tilik, Onoda’s men go through the huts. Onoda will not permit looting. Kozuka is on the point of stashing a tin can full of sugar in his rucksack when Onoda rebukes him: they were soldiers, not thieves. The only things the troop picks up are a screwdriver, some wire, a sewing needle, matches, and some basic provisions, for instance rice. Shimada takes a couple of pieces off a washing line: a towel, some cloth with which they could patch perhaps their uniforms. Akatsu finds a large bolo knife. Suddenly the sound of a truck alarms him. Before the enemy is even in sight, he is already firing away. Akatsu fires back blindly; Shimada, too, is shooting in the direction of the unseen foe.

“Cease-fire!” calls Onoda.

But Shimada carries on. “They’re shooting at us!”

Onoda grabs him by the arm. “They are afraid. They can’t even see us. They are just making noise.”

A bullet rips through a tree branch over Shimada. A Filipino country policeman takes cover behind a loaded cart. Onoda fires at him. He and his men retreat rapidly. Once back in the jungle, Onoda’s small force hastens forward. Akatsu falls behind. When Kozuka offers to take his rucksack, Onoda forbids it. Every man must carry his own load. He leaves the clay path and plunges into the steeply rising jungle.

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