"

The captain dispatched his last runner with additional tactical
revisions and then took time to consider the odd fact that the general
had one of his colonels delay his messengers. Was he only testing his
ability to improvise? Yet he seemed unduly anxious to have him use Wims.
Why? Suddenly, into his mind flashed the scene of the general calling
Wims from behind the tree and he knew what it was that had been
screaming for attention at the back of his mind these last hectic
minutes. _No one had mentioned Wims' name within earshot of the general
and yet Fyfe had called Wims by name!_

* * * * *

Wims had not been included in the company briefing and he wished he had
had the courage to ask the captain where the jump-off area was, but the
captain had been so angry with him he had not wanted to provoke him
further. After a while of wandering he came upon two of his own
company's flank pickets nested in a deadfall a short distance beyond the
edge of the woods. They greeted him with hearty hostility. "Git outta
here, Wims. You ain't got no business here."

"But Ah'm lookin' fer the lieutenant. Ah got a message fer 'im from the
captain."

"He's over there on that hill," one of them replied, spitefully
indicating the hill occupied by the Red force.

"Thanks," Wims said gratefully and in all innocence headed for the enemy
hill. He lost his bearings in the woods and when he finally came upon
the hill he had made a wide swing around the left flank and was
approaching its rear slope. Immediately he was spotted by several
trainees of the defending force foxholed on the lower slope. Since he
came so openly from their rear area and alone, they assumed he was one
of their own men.

As they let him come within challenging distance, they saw, pinned to
his tunic, the green cardboard bar that identified him as a messenger.
The bars were worn so that noncoms wouldn't be snatching for other
duties, messengers idling between missions. As had always been done,
both sides in this exercise were using the same device to identify their
messengers, never expecting them to be delivering messages behind enemy
lines.

The challenged Wims explained his mission and he was passed through with
the information that most of the junior officers were on the forward
slope. Wims climbed up the hill, inconspicuous among others scurrying
about on various missions, many of whom did not wear the identifying red
armband o