The convoy in which they moved out into the Pacific again was quite different from that in which they had come across. There were beach landing boats of many kinds in the great fleet. Though this indicated that they were to go ashore on some beach, Nancy’s unit had no idea what island that would be. To most it was a matter of indifference, but to Nancy it was immensely important in which direction their convoy moved.

In her musette bag she had tucked away the little map Bruce had drawn for her, with the names of Tommy’s bomber crew. She would never give up hope of learning more from some of them as to Tommy’s fate.

The crowded transport on which they traveled could not supply all with sleeping quarters. Nancy and Mabel were among the women who volunteered to sleep on deck the first night. The second night they took a turn below, but found it so crowded, and the air so bad they preferred their bed rolls on deck. Bathing was practically taboo, as their water supply had to be conserved for drinking. The second day out Jap fliers discovered them, so that helmets and Mae Wests were their inseparable companions. Their voyage across from home seemed like a pleasure cruise by comparison.

“I’ll surely have more sympathy with the dirty men we have to clean up hereafter,” said Mabel, trying to reach under her “Mae West” to do a bit of scratching.

“I’ve been wondering if I’ve gotten fleas or something,” said Nancy. “I remind myself of old Bozo back home. He’s always clawing at some part of his anatomy.”

When the Jap planes came over they had their first real chance to discover of what stuff they were made. To Nancy’s consternation she was almost paralysed with fear. She glanced at the few possessions she had with her, wondering which she ought to take to the lifeboat. It was awful to see those busters sending up great waterspouts where they fell, and never to know if the next would land in their midst. What a relief it was when their own planes went into action, and the Japs turned tail.

But the aggravating Zeros came over again in the night. Decks had been cleared and Nancy and Mabel huddled side by side on a bunk, listening to attackers and defenders roaring overhead. Nancy had been in a Florida hurricane once that made her feel like this. All night long the oncoming gusts of wind had threatened to level the beach cottage. She wondered how she had ever survived that night when almost momentarily she had expected death. But tonight she lived the horrible experience all over again. No one could tell as a plane zoomed low over their ship whether it was a Jap or American. Time and again they braced themselves for the explosion they were certain must come. She and Mabel clutched each other’s hands till their fingers ached.

“It’s beginning to look as though Major Reed has over-estimated my courage,” she whispered ruefully to Mabel.

“I never before realized how wicked I am,” groaned Mabel. “All my sins seem rising up to slap me in the face now.”

Suddenly Nancy laughed hysterically, “You’re the limit, Mabel.”

Mabel giggled and their tension was broken. “Let’s put on our helmets and go out in the hall where we can keep up with what’s happening,” Mabel suggested. “I always feel better in a thunderstorm when I’m standing where I can see the lightning strike.”

They went out to the passage nearest their lifeboat, and felt more comfortable. Almost immediately after they stationed themselves there, however, the attackers were driven off and peace descended once more on the dark flotilla.

Not until next morning did they learn that a ship some distance behind them had been struck and sent to the bottom. She was a tanker, and only about half her crew were picked up by neighboring vessels.

“But for the grace of God that might have been us,” said Nancy sadly.

When they were approaching the end of their dangerous voyage, the nurses learned some details of the situation they were to face. Their destination was Koshu Island, half of which had already been taken from the Japs. The prolonged struggle to gain complete possession of the area had caused many casualties, making a hospital unit imperative.

There would be many more casualties they knew from this reinforcing armada of which they were a part, to replace those being sent out from the island by plane.

Excitement rippled over the transport when the troops and nurses sighted their destination, a fluted outline of ragged palms silhouetted against a white-hot tropical sky. The beach-head which they were to occupy had been taken weeks ago, so the landing would not be as dangerous as it had been for the earlier force.

About a mile offshore the flotilla came to anchor. All morning Nancy and her companions watched the landing craft of many types push in close against the beach, putting men and munitions ashore. Much of the infantry had come all the way from Australia aboard the larger landing craft. When these boats had discharged their passengers they returned to the transports, and filled up again. On one of these landing craft for infantry, Nancy’s unit went ashore.

While they waited their turn, watching the maneuvers over the wide theater of action, Major Reed proffered Nancy his field glasses. She shared them with Mabel, who stood at her side.

“Do look yonder,” she said, pointing to the eastern end of the island.

Mabel whistled softly when she adjusted the glasses. “That must have been where they took the beach-head!” she said. “Our artillery surely did riddle that piece of coconut jungle.”

Most of the trees had been topped, and reminded Nancy of blackened chimneys she had seen once when several city blocks burned. The open beach lying between the jungle and the sea was strewn with the wreckage of a campsite.

No nurse had been allowed to bring more than she could carry in her own hands, so Nancy’s suitcase and musette bag were packed to heavy tightness. For two hours they waited with their baggage around them. But at last they went aboard the landing craft. Nancy was relieved when finally the boat moved toward shore to see that they were not headed for that battle-scarred point to the east. Buzzards still circled above it, and she surmised they had not yet completed their ghastly task of cleaning up the remains of battle.

It was exciting to see landing ramps go down on each side of the craft’s bow, like stairs descending into the shallow surf. The nurses watched while the first men went ashore, their helmets on, their bodies padded with their packs, their guns held high above the lapping waves.

Then a line of men formed from the long ramps to the sandy beach as guard while the women went ashore. Nancy, Mabel and fifty others, took off their G.I. shoes, stuffed their stockings inside, tied their shoes together by the laces and hung them around their necks. They rolled the legs of their coveralls high above their knees, and with many excited squeals and giggles hurried down the ramps and into the cool water breaking on the shore.

As soon as she reached the beach Nancy sat down to put on her shoes for the sands were burning hot. Before she rose she paused to say a silent prayer of thanksgiving that at last she was on one of the Pacific islands, the goal of her dreams these many months.

“Surely looks as though we’re in for tropical living here,” remarked Mabel, glancing at the jungle wall not far from the lapping tide.

“Look farther down the beach,” Nancy pointed out. “Isn’t that a marvelous sight?”

As far as they could see along the beach, landing craft of every sort were pushing up to shore. The one next their own infantry craft was a huge affair, and even while they looked its large doors opened toward land. A tank rumbled forth into shallow water, and rolled up to dry land. It was followed by several others.

“Gosh, doesn’t it thrill you to think how fast and efficiently our country works,” said Mabel. “They tell me it wasn’t till the fall of 1942 that the first models of these landing ships were made—and look at this already.”

“Surely the Japs can’t beat a country like ours!” said Nancy proudly.

But even while she spoke there came a rumbling of heavy guns far beyond that jungle wall. Mabel had taken off her helmet to let the wind play through her red hair, that was like a nimbus around her face in the sunshine. Suddenly at the sound of firing she slapped the helmet back on her head.

“Say, but that doesn’t sound as if it’s going to be so easy to whip them!” she groaned.

Farther out in the deep water they could see troops still being transferred from the great transports to the landing craft. Another landing boat pushed up to the beach close to where they stood. It didn’t look to be longer than about a hundred feet. When its ramp was lowered it disgorged so many trucks and small tanks they wondered how they had all been stored inside.

As far as they could see along the beach, troops, equipment and boxes of supplies filled almost every available foot of space. The earlier invading army had cleared a road with tractors through the heart of the jungle. The leveled trees had been used on the most swampy ground to make corduroy roads. But the hospital unit was not to follow the marching troops into the interior.