The Cadet Corporal by Christopher Cummings Page A

stay here!”
    â€œOh, what for!” cried Andrews in exasperation.
    â€œYeah hurry up, I’m busting for a leak,” added Halyday.
    Graham was too but he managed to suppress the surge of annoyance at their grumbling. “I just wanted to say well done. You did a great job. It was a great team effort. Thanks. That’s all, off you go.” he said.
    That mollified them. As they dispersed with an outburst of chatter Graham walked beside Andrews. “Particularly you Cadet Andrews. Because you had the guts to try you helped the whole section.”
    Andrews made no reply but Graham could tell he was pleased. Graham walked to his hutchie and dropped his webbing with a sigh of relief.
    â€œWhat about a cup of coffee?” Roger suggested.
    â€œGood idea,” Graham agreed. “We still have fifteen minutes.”
    He dragged his pack out and sat on it beside Roger. As he dug out his hexamine stove he heard a below from Sgt Grenfell and saw a torch beam light up two boy’s backs. Graham recognized Andrews and Halyday.
    Sgt Grenfell roared angrily, “Hoy! You dirty little toads! Don’t you do a pee there! You walk to the latrine.”
    Graham blushed with shame. ‘Little buggers!’ he thought in exasperation. He watched to see that they did actually walk off towards the latrine. He was annoyed they had been caught as he had often been guilty of just using the nearest bit of dark bush himself.
    Stephen came and joined them as Roger lit his hexamine. Gwen and Barbara then sat opposite and also began organizing their ‘supper’. As they lit stoves and began heating water the two Land Rovers drove off out to the Canning Road and a group of CUOs led by Capt Conkey went past heading out into the night. Every few minutes the OC called Dimbo on the radio but got no response.
    â€œDimbo won’t be very popular,” Graham commented.
    â€œAgain!” Stephen added.
    They all laughed but as Graham looked up he met Barbara’s eyes and he could tell she was reliving that ghastly experience. She said softly, “He saved my life, so don’t tease him please.”
    Graham felt embarrassed and nodded. Barbara held his gaze for a second longer, making him wonder if she was sending him some sort of invitation. ‘She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl,’ he thought, watching the firelight shimmer on her copper red hair. When he had rescued her she had been naked and he had been granted more than a good eyeful. Now images of her nude shape flooded his mind and fired his thoughts. ‘I wonder?’ He began to speculate. It went no further. Deep down he sensed she probably wasn’t the girl for him. ‘A bit too much strong will and fire there I think,’ he thought.
    That got him thinking about girls and girl friends and his thoughts wandered onto Kirsty. ‘Might be possibilities in that direction,’ he mused. But that gave him twinges of guilt. Not only was Kirsty one of his cadets but he knew that there was a girl back in Cairns who loved him deeply. That was Margaret Lake, a Year 8 student at his school. She was also his sister Kylie’s best friend. Margaret had openly adored him for years and he wavered between loving her and being attracted to other, prettier girls.
    â€˜Poor little Margaret. She’s a nice kid but she can’t compare with Barbara, or Lucy,’ he thought, picturing Margaret’s cheerful, freckled face and chubby build.
    At that moment a piercing scream of pure terror sounded. It came from the darkness over beyond 4 Platoon.

CHAPTER 5
    â€˜HUTCHIE MEN !’
    â€œBloody hell!” cried Stephen in alarm. His head jerked up so that the firelight reflected on his glasses.
    â€œAt the boy’s latrine,” Graham said, scrambling to his feet.
    More distant screams sounded, almost lost in the babble of voices that arose around the company area. Then quite distinctly Graham heard Halyday’s