really notice the difference. Now rations: to survive when patrolling in the jungle you must eat at least seven thousand calories a day but it’s almost impossible to carry that amount of rations on a long patrol, so we rely mainly on lots of sugar, sweets, dark chocolate, biscuits, nuts and raisins. The good news for those of you carrying an extra pound or two,’ he gave Jimbo a meaningful look, ‘is that you’ll be coming back from patrol a lot lighter than when you set out.
Shepherd grinned – Jimbo was carrying a few extra pounds around the waist.
‘You carry your weapon at all times, you don’t have it slung over your shoulder, because it’s always got to be ready for use,’ continued Pilgrim. There are no long-range views, no early warnings in the jungle. The lead scout has a split second to respond to danger. Any slower than that and we’ll be looking for a new lead scout.’
He took out a tube of insect repellent and rubbed some on his neck. ‘Watch out for the mosquitoes,’ he said. ‘If you catch malaria it’s game over, you’re Returned To Unit, no ifs or buts. Malaria is totally preventable.’ He put away his mosquito repellent and pointed at Liam’s shirtsleeves which were rolled up to the elbow. ‘That’s an amateur mistake right there,’ he said, and Liam’s cheeks flushed red. ‘You’ll never see anyone from a Sabre squadron with his sleeves rolled up. Out in the field, it’s long sleeves, end of. It become such a habit that we tend to keep it that way back in Hereford. So, keep your cuffs buttoned, wear long trousers, never shorts, and use insect repellent on all exposed skin. Use it on your clothing and on your boots as well. Keeps the mossies away but leeches and anything else that might want to sink its teeth into you will also be put off. But that’s no reason to forget your anti-malarials – paludrine and chloroquine. Don’t get RTU’d because of forgetfulness, got that?’
The four men nodded and Liam rolled down his sleeves. ‘Any questions?’ asked Pilgrim. He was faced with a wall of shaking heads. ‘Okay, we’ll move out at first light and we’re doing this as if it’s a real operational patrol, so from now on, you’re going to be more silent than Trappist monks. If we need to communicate, it’ll be done by signs or whispers.’ He turned and walked back to his basha.
‘Impressive,’ Shepherd said to Liam as Jimbo and Geordie ambled away. ‘Walks the walk and talks the talk.’
Liam nodded. ‘Looks like you got your wish, that’s for sure.’
The next morning they woke before first light, as soon as the insect dawn chorus began. Following Pilgrim’s example, Shepherd and the others broke down their bashas, packed their bergens and then sat motionless, listening and scenting the air. As soon as it was light enough to move, Pilgrim led them out of the clearing and into the jungle. As they moved on, the undergrowth grew dense and almost impenetrable. Thickets of understory palm formed fearsome barriers, spines bristling at all angles from the trunks. Above them, the succeeding layers of trees were bound together in the stifling embrace of lianas. However, Pilgrim led the way, following animal tracks so faint that at first Shepherd and the others could barely detect them at all. They continued their painstaking progress through the jungle for about fifty minutes, then stopped, sat and listened again. They brewed up a mug of tea, ate some hard tack biscuits and moved off again for another fifty minutes, then stopped for another ten.
As they went along, Pilgrim would occasionally stop and ask one of them where they thought they were, making them use the fine point of a leaf to indicate the exact place on the map. Liam, Jimbo and Geordie were generally wrong but Shepherd was more often than not correct to a few dozen metres. Whenever Shepherd did correctly pinpoint their location, Pilgrim would reward him with a grunt of acknowledgement which he took
Shepherd grinned – Jimbo was carrying a few extra pounds around the waist.
‘You carry your weapon at all times, you don’t have it slung over your shoulder, because it’s always got to be ready for use,’ continued Pilgrim. There are no long-range views, no early warnings in the jungle. The lead scout has a split second to respond to danger. Any slower than that and we’ll be looking for a new lead scout.’
He took out a tube of insect repellent and rubbed some on his neck. ‘Watch out for the mosquitoes,’ he said. ‘If you catch malaria it’s game over, you’re Returned To Unit, no ifs or buts. Malaria is totally preventable.’ He put away his mosquito repellent and pointed at Liam’s shirtsleeves which were rolled up to the elbow. ‘That’s an amateur mistake right there,’ he said, and Liam’s cheeks flushed red. ‘You’ll never see anyone from a Sabre squadron with his sleeves rolled up. Out in the field, it’s long sleeves, end of. It become such a habit that we tend to keep it that way back in Hereford. So, keep your cuffs buttoned, wear long trousers, never shorts, and use insect repellent on all exposed skin. Use it on your clothing and on your boots as well. Keeps the mossies away but leeches and anything else that might want to sink its teeth into you will also be put off. But that’s no reason to forget your anti-malarials – paludrine and chloroquine. Don’t get RTU’d because of forgetfulness, got that?’
The four men nodded and Liam rolled down his sleeves. ‘Any questions?’ asked Pilgrim. He was faced with a wall of shaking heads. ‘Okay, we’ll move out at first light and we’re doing this as if it’s a real operational patrol, so from now on, you’re going to be more silent than Trappist monks. If we need to communicate, it’ll be done by signs or whispers.’ He turned and walked back to his basha.
‘Impressive,’ Shepherd said to Liam as Jimbo and Geordie ambled away. ‘Walks the walk and talks the talk.’
Liam nodded. ‘Looks like you got your wish, that’s for sure.’
The next morning they woke before first light, as soon as the insect dawn chorus began. Following Pilgrim’s example, Shepherd and the others broke down their bashas, packed their bergens and then sat motionless, listening and scenting the air. As soon as it was light enough to move, Pilgrim led them out of the clearing and into the jungle. As they moved on, the undergrowth grew dense and almost impenetrable. Thickets of understory palm formed fearsome barriers, spines bristling at all angles from the trunks. Above them, the succeeding layers of trees were bound together in the stifling embrace of lianas. However, Pilgrim led the way, following animal tracks so faint that at first Shepherd and the others could barely detect them at all. They continued their painstaking progress through the jungle for about fifty minutes, then stopped, sat and listened again. They brewed up a mug of tea, ate some hard tack biscuits and moved off again for another fifty minutes, then stopped for another ten.
As they went along, Pilgrim would occasionally stop and ask one of them where they thought they were, making them use the fine point of a leaf to indicate the exact place on the map. Liam, Jimbo and Geordie were generally wrong but Shepherd was more often than not correct to a few dozen metres. Whenever Shepherd did correctly pinpoint their location, Pilgrim would reward him with a grunt of acknowledgement which he took
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