At dawn the men land on the beach and watch their boat leave. Hearn consults with Croft about their route, and they decide to follow the river. Croft relays instructions to the men and decides he doesn’t like Hearn’s attempts to buddy up with them. The men find the march fatiguing. The air is damp and their gear heavy; with rations, blankets, and weapons, they are each carrying around 60 pounds of equipment. At some points they need to slog through the water. Brown complains to Martinez, whom they have nicknamed Japbait, and confides that his nerves are shot. Martinez feels contemptuous of Brown. Polack is eavesdropping on the conversation and nods along as Brown explains how he wants to treat his men right.

The river turns into a cascade of rapids that they have to climb, and there comes a point where it will be difficult to cross. Croft ties several vines together to make a rope. Hearn offers to wade across with the vines and is almost taken by the current. He anchors the vine on the other side of the river, and one by one, the men cross. Martinez helps them get their bearings, pleased to be proficient at his job, and starts leading them through the jungle to the foothills of the Watamai range.

The men have to take turns cutting trail, and it is physically exhausting work. Roth and Minetta weary quickly, and Croft scolds them. He continues to worry that Hearn will take over the patrol. Goldstein and Minetta discuss what they will do when they’re done with their Army service. Minetta thinks of the village in Italy where his father was born, and wonders if it has been destroyed by the war.

The Time Machine segment focuses on Joey Goldstein and is called “The Cove of Brooklyn” (480). Goldstein’s parents ran a candy store that failed several times, but they simply moved to a new location and opened another business. His grandfather lectures him that the Jewish people are made to suffer and endure. He wishes to go to college but gets a job in a warehouse. He meets a girl, Natalie, and they marry. He goes to welding school so he can earn more money. Their son is born, and they are happy together. Goldstein doesn’t protest when he is drafted, as he understands that Jewish people in Europe are being persecuted.

After they ford the stream, Hearn orders the platoon to march on. They are weary and grumbling. They walk through a valley full of kunai grass that grows over the heads, Martinez leading the way. When they halt for the night, they are beyond exhaustion. They set up their bivouac and a guard rotation.

From the top of a hill, Croft regards Mount Anaka and longs to climb it. Hearn hears the artillery firing on the other side of the range as Cummings launches his attack on the Toyaku Line. A Chorus on the subject of rotation has Brown, Red, Minetta, and Martinez discussing the rumor that some of them will be rotated to headquarters.

Hearn and Croft survey the mountain pass again, and Croft says it’s likely the Japanese will have it guarded. Croft would rather climb over the mountain, but Hearn is his commanding officer.

They set out on the day’s march, and Hearn enjoys chatting with the men. He senses they are still distant with him, and he worries that Croft resents him, and that their whole mission will benefit Cummings. Nevertheless, he enjoys the activity as they hike through the foothills, even though the other men grow tired. Wilson complains about his illness. The sun is hot; the insects annoy them; they grow leaden with fatigue. The men curse at Hearn when he keeps them moving.

When they come to the pass in the afternoon, they split into two companies, one to approach the pass, one to stand guard. Hearn tells Croft he will take the squad through the pass, and he feels excited and alive as they move forward.

Shots are fired, and the men take cover. Hearn is astonished to find himself hiding. He rises and fires back, shouting for the men to retreat. They withdraw to the rock shelf and look around to take stock. Wilson is missing.

Wilson is wounded in the stomach and lies still in the grass. He hears Japanese soldiers approach, then leave. He drifts in and out of consciousness.

Croft is furious. The Japanese know they are there, and they have to recover Wilson. Several of the men go back into the field to look for him. They make a stretcher and drag him to their makeshift camp. Brown wonders why it had to be Wilson, and Martinez says his number was up. Hearn selects litter bearers to take Wilson back to the beach.

While some men are cutting poles for a litter, Roth finds a small bird with an injured wing. Other men gather around to look at the bird as well. Roth is moved with tenderness as he strokes the feathers. Croft, who is angry and sweaty from making the stretcher, takes the bird and crushes it in his hand. Several of the men are upset. Red confronts Croft, feeling that it’s time he stood up to him, but Croft knows he can’t back down. Hearn makes Croft apologize to Roth, and Croft is furious and humiliated.

Brown, Stanley, Ridges, and Goldstein are appointed to bear Wilson back to the beach. He is in pain and, when he is conscious, he complains incessantly. He is heavy and the men struggle to carry him. For Brown, who grows fatigued, he feels like he has become a raw nerve, upset by every sound. He is afraid, if he breaks up, he will lose his position as sergeant. Goldstein and Stanley talk about their marriages, and Goldstein hopes Stanley likes him. Wilson continues to complain.

The Time Machine section, titled “No Apple Pie Today” (546), looks at William Brown. As a child, he is good friends with his sister, and he is part of the cheerleading team at his high school. He tries to talk his girlfriend into having sex with him. He flunks out of college, gets a job, and marries Beverly. He is shocked when his sister, Patty, gets a divorce due to her infidelity. He goes into sales and takes colleagues out for dinners and often pays women for sex, though he feels guilty for cheating on Beverly.

Cummings tours his attack lines and feels optimistic. He is glad to see the men in action and feels things are going better than he expected. He is bothered by the slight sense that things might be going equally well without his involvement, and he worries he might yet be relieved of his command. He plans to visit his superiors the next day and ask for naval support for his invasion of Botoi Bay.

He overhears men conversing in their squad tents and thinks about how he has to do everything alone. He asks to fire one of the cannons and is exhilarated by the experience, thinking, “All the deep dark urges of man, the sacrifices on the hilltop, and the churning lusts of the night and sleep, weren’t all of them contained in the shattering screaming burst of a shell, the man-made thunder and light?” (566). Back in his tent, he philosophizes in his journal but feels he cannot entirely put the experience into words. He hears the sound of artillery firing and shudders.