Going After Cacciato

Oscar says they should just blow the tunnels, but Lieutenant Sidney Martin refuses to violate the SOPs, even after what happened to Frenchie and Bernie. He asks each man to go down, and as each refuses, Lieutenant Martin writes his name down. Then he goes into the tunnel himself.

Paul sits a ways off and contemplates the lack of birds. He can see Cacciato in the distance, fishing. Oscar lifts a grenade from his belt, saying that Lieutenant Martin “don’ grasp facts” (234), and that it would be “self-fuckin-preservation” (234). He asks everyone to touch the grenade, so it will be unanimous. He sends Paul with the grenade to talk to Cacciato, but then Lieutenant Martin comes out of the hole.

They close the tunnel, and Lieutenant Martin reiterates that this is the procedure they’ll follow. Oscar says he understands.

Paul tries to tell Cacciato that there aren’t any fish, that the name Lake Country is just a joke. But Cacciato has created a fishing pole out of a paperclip, string, and an empty aerosol can for a bobber, and he just holds his finger to his lips when Paul speaks. Cacciato has been out there all day, and the other soldiers are worried he’ll get ill.