The Cadet Corporal (10 page)

Graham reached the tree and stopped, looking down in surprise. It was Carnes. The boy was huddled in a ball against the tree, staring up at him with a look of fear. He wore uniform but no hat and next to him was his kitbag.

“What are you doing here Cadet Carnes?” Graham asked, still looking around.

“Nothing,” Carnes mumbled.

“You haven't seen Halyday and Andrews have you?” Graham asked.

“No.”

“Have those bullies been giving you a hard time again?”

“Yes. And Corporal Brown,” Carnes sniffled. He appeared to relax slightly and lowered his head.

Graham looked around in the gathering gloom. ‘Where have those little buggers got to?' he wondered. Then he turned back to Carnes. “You should tell your platoon commander.”

Carnes shook his head. “Then the bullies will just wait and get back at me later,” he replied, his voice heavy with misery.

“You must. Anyway, it is nearly time to start training. You had better get back to your platoon.”

Carnes shook his head. “No. I'm not going.”

“You have to. You can't stay here,” Graham replied. He didn't really want to get involved with Carnes' problems. His priority was to get his own section ready in time.

“Not going,” Carnes replied stubbornly.

“You have to. Now get up and go!” Graham snapped testily. He was annoyed by the boy's manner and attitude.

“No! You can't make me. I want to go home,” Carnes replied defiantly.

“Then tell Capt Conkey,” Graham replied. “Now get up and get back to your platoon.”

As he said this the possible significance of the kitbag dawned on him. He said, “Are you planning to run away?”

Carnes said nothing but hunched into a tighter ball and looked down. That got Graham even more exasperated and annoyed. “Don't be so unfair. That would cause a lot of other people a lot of trouble. Now go back to your platoon.”

“Don't care!”

“Don't be so selfish! Get up and go! I am giving you an order!”

“No!”

Graham felt his anger surge. His next impulse was to threaten the miserable boy. He had to restrain himself from reaching down to physically drag him to his feet. For half a minute he seethed with impotent rage while trying to decide what to do. He knew he couldn't just walk away. ‘Should I go and tell Capt Conkey?' he wondered. Whatever else he was determined that Carnes would not cause Capt Conkey a lot of grief by sneaking away.

To gain time he asked, “Were you going to hitch hike along the highway?”

Carnes made no answer but Graham deduced by the way he hunched that his guess was correct. “That would be very dangerous and cause the officers a lot of trouble,” he said.

“I don't care. They don't help me,” Carnes replied.

“They probably don't know you need it,” Graham replied. “If you don't tell them they can't help.”

Again Carnes made no reply. Graham again cast around for an argument to get him to obey. To his dismay he heard CSM Cleland start calling for the sergeants to move the platoons in for the night exercise. ‘Damn! Now I will be late,' he thought angrily. It was quite dark by this so Graham could only hear the company stirring into activity.

“Come on please,” he asked. “If my section is late I will get into trouble.”

“You can go,” Carnes replied.

“No I can't. I can't leave you and you aren't running away,” Graham answered. He reached down and grabbed the kitbag.

“No!” Carnes shrieked. He scrambled to his feet. “Let it go! Let go!”

“Don't be stupid!” Graham snapped. He could now hear Sgt Grenfell calling his name.

“Let go! Let go!” Carnes yelled. He began to hit at Graham.

The blows weren't very skilful or well directed but they enraged Graham. He had to step back so as not to retaliate, but he kept hold of the bag. “Stop it Cadet Carnes. Don't get yourself into trouble by hitting a corporal.”

Carnes hit him several more times but Graham now just felt sorry for him and ignored the blows. Suddenly Carnes let go and turned to run off into the night. At that Graham lost his temper as he could still hear Sgt Grenfell's angry voice calling his name. He tossed the bag aside and sprinted after the boy. Carnes didn't get far. He was no runner and not used to the bush in the dark. Within twenty paces he had tripped on something and fallen.

Graham stopped and stood over him then realized Carnes was sobbing. “Are you alright Cadet Carnes? Did you hurt yourself?”

Carnes made no reply. All he did was lie there and howl. Graham felt his anger evaporate. “Oh you poor bugger!” he muttered. Instead of reefing Carnes to his feet he reached down and patted his shoulder.

Carnes kept crying but the sobs eased after a few minutes. All that while Graham could hear sergeants shouting as they moved their platoons in to join the company. When Graham heard CSM Cleland call for silence and then for reports his distress mounted. ‘Now I am in trouble,' he thought.

He patted Carnes again then said, “Please Cadet Carnes. I am now late for parade and I will get into trouble. I'm not leaving you so you may as well come with me.”

Carnes sniffled but then struggled to his feet. Graham helped him up and then heaved a silent sigh of relief when Carnes turned and began walking back towards the camp.

CHAPTER 10

LANTERN STALK

As they walked back towards where the company was now seated in the dark Carnes began to deviate towards the 1 Platoon bivouac area.

“Not that way Cadet Carnes. The CSM knows we aren't there. We must report to him.”

“No. You do it. I'm not going near them,” Carnes replied.

‘Blast!' Graham thought. He did not feel like another battle of wills. “Alright then, go to the officer's fire and sit there and I will tell the CSM,” he said.

To Graham's relief Carnes turned and headed for the fire. Satisfied that he was actually going there Graham walked across to where the company waited in a murmuring dark mass. CSM Cleland was standing out the front. “Who is that?” the CSM asked.

“Cpl Kirk CSM.”

“Where the devil have you been? We have had people searching high and low for you! Have you seen Cadet Carnes?”

“Yes CSM. There he is over there.” Graham pointed to where Carnes could just be seen against the glow of the fire. “He is going to the fire.”

“Why? Is he sick?”

“It's a long story CSM.”

“Then tell me later. We are already ten minutes late and Capt Conkey will be spitting chips,” CSM Cleland replied. “Now join your platoon.”

“I was looking for Halyday and Andrews CSM. That is how I found Carnes. Are those two here?” Graham asked.

“Yes they are, now sit down,” CSM Cleland replied.

“Can I dump Carnes' gear and get my webbing sir?” Graham asked, indicating the kitbag slung on his shoulder.

“Gear? What? Oh blast your webbing. You go to the fire as well. We can't wait.”

At that Graham felt quite hurt. He had been looking forward to the lantern stalk and to be excluded and not be with his section really stung. However he sensed that the CSM was in no mood to argue so he quickly moved away. As he did CSM Cleland told Sgt Sherry to start 1 Platoon moving. There was a stir as the cadets all stood up and adjusted their webbing and dusted themselves.

First Graham hurried to his hutchie to collect his webbing. By then the whole company had started moving off, walking west along the track towards the Canning Road. Graham found his throat was very dry so he had a big drink. A strong temptation to disobey the CSM and to just follow the company and quietly find his section caused him to pause. Then he shook his head. ‘I'd better check that Carnes actually did go to the fire,' he thought. So he walked towards the fire, feeling distinctly annoyed and dejected. As he did two Land Rovers started up and drove off in the wake of the company.

At the fire Graham was relieved to see Carnes sitting staring into the flames. Lt Standish was there as well, plus five other cadets including Beverly Berry from Stephen's section. Mrs Standish looked surprised when Graham walked into the firelight. “Are you sick Graham?” she asked.

“No Miss. I was just bringing Cadet Carnes' gear over,” he replied.

“His gear?” Mrs Standish queried, giving Carnes a quizzical glance.

“Can I explain in private please Ma'am?” Graham asked.

Mrs Standish stood up and walked away from the fire into the darkness. Once they were out of earshot of the cadets she asked Graham what the problem was. Graham told her the story and handed her the kitbag. “I don't think he will run off now Ma'am, but he is a miserable poor bugger. Something must be done to help him.”

Mrs Standish was very thoughtful then nodded. “Yes, you are right. Thank you for that.”

“Can I catch up with the company now please Ma'am?” Graham asked. He had noted one of the vehicles stop out at the junction with the Canning Road where it turned its lights off. What made him anxious was the unit rule that nobody should be walking around the bush on their own, particularly at night.

“Do you know where to go?”

Graham nodded. “Out on the Canning Road Ma'am.”

“What if you get lost? Or hurt yourself?” she asked.

“Oh Miss! I can see one safety vehicle from here and I will just walk along the road to the other one. And I've got my radio,” Graham replied. His pride in bushcraft and navigation were both slighted by the comment and he could not keep the annoyance out of his tone.

“Oh, alright. But you stay on the road,” she replied.

“Thank you Miss,” Graham said. He turned and started walking as fast as he could.

It took him five minutes to reach the vehicle at the Canning Road. Lt Maclaren was there and shone a powerful torch on him, then directed him left along the road on Bare Ridge. Another five minutes of fast walking had Graham at the company. They were easy to find. He could hear them talking and Lt Hamilton's Land Rover was again parked near the big tree.

Instead of reporting to CSM Cleland Graham sought out Sgt Grenfell and told him he was there. By the time he had found his section CSM Cleland had called for silence and Capt Conkey had started briefing them. Graham found Roger at the head of 4 Section and quietly squeezed in next to him.

Capt Conkey explained that they were now going to practise what they had been taught during the day. “This is a fieldcraft exercise,” he said. “It is individual training and you may do it on your own, or in groups. It is to get you ready for a major inter-unit exercise in four days time.”

That sounded very interesting to Graham and he wanted to know more but Capt Conkey went on to explain that the lantern (dimly visible through the trees) was both the objective and a navigation aid. The lantern was located on the gentle ridge running down from 2 Platoon's camp to the highway. To reach it they had to cross the shallow valley and the two small dry creeks.

“The guards are there to make you do the right thing,” Capt Conkey explained. “If you are trying to use proper fieldcraft and they see you they have been told to let you go past. If not they will send you back. There are no guards within fifty metres of the lantern. Good creeping and crawling is what is needed for this exercise. I will now show you where the guards are.”

Capt Conkey turned and called on his radio. Immediately about twenty torches came on across the valley. They flashed back and forth. There seemed to be an awful lot but Graham noted they were in three quiet distinct lines, the first near the bottom of the valley, the next beyond the second creek and the last back near the lantern.

Capt Conkey then explained the safety rules and the fact that there was to be no running in the dark and no physical contact or throwing things. He also pointed out the boundaries: the Flinders Highway, Canning Road, Sandy Ridge vehicle track and the 2 Platoon ridge. He then sent CSM Cleland off to join the ‘defenders'.

During the short wait Graham had another drink. As he was putting his waterbottle away Roger nudged him. “What happened?” he asked. “Where did you get to?”

“I went looking for Halyday and Andrews and found Carnes hiding in a gully,” Graham whispered back. “I'll tell you the details later.”

Capt Conkey then gave the order to start. There was an immediate rush of running figures which drew an angry bellow from Capt Conkey. “This isn't a bloody race! There's no need to have a stampede! Slow down and creep. You have an hour and a half.”

The running stopped but not the talking. As the cadets moved away there was continual discussion on which was the best way to go and whether to move in groups or not. Graham would have preferred to do the exercise on his own but he found Roger beside him and three others trailing along behind. Lucy and Dianne vanished with Pat. Kirsty moved up to walk on Graham's other side. That both pleased and peeved him.

The other two were Halyday and Andrews. Graham stopped and hissed at them, “Where did you two get to after tea?”

“Just over to Four Platoon,” Halyday answered, but to Graham he sounded defensive.

“You weren't smoking I hope,” he said.

“No. We were just telling jokes and listening to the Hutchie Men,” Andrews replied.

“What were they doing?” Graham asked.

“They had just come back from their patrol to watch the other units arrive,” Halyday replied.

Roger asked, “Did they see them?”

“Yeah. They are camped over the other side of the army camp in the bush. Ziggy thinks one lot went further over to some airfield,” Halyday replied. He began to embellish the tale with the exploits of the Hutchie Men. Graham cut him short as a torch was flashed in their direction from the first creek.

“OK, tell me about it later. Let's see if we can creep right up to the lantern without being caught.”

Having said that Graham continued on. The others followed in a bunch till he hissed at them to spread out. Now he was sweating with anxiety. On his own he would have enjoyed the exercise but with most of the section following he felt real pressure. ‘I'd better pick the best covered route,' he thought. Thinking about that slowed him down and he soon stopped and lay down to try to detect the weakest part of the defenders line.

The others lay down with him. There was almost no grass or cover of any sort and Graham could see the black silhouettes of dozens of cadets crawling forward ahead of him. There were more on both sides. The defenders were now starting to shine their torches on the faster, less careful ones.

“The sergeants are the front line of defenders,” Roger whispered.

Graham nodded He could tell that by their voices. He watched the pattern for another two minutes then decided. “Down closer to the road I reckon,” he replied.

Roger nodded so Graham got up and began to ghost walk forward, aiming for a gap in the groups of torches. ‘Yeldham and White,' Graham identified, ‘and Bates and Brookes down near the highway.'

Several times he dropped flat as torches came closer but the group was able to reach the first creek and drop into its dry bed without being detected. Graham then began a process of crawling and walking to get across the flat to the second creek. Luckily there were a couple of big trees, some bushes and a log which he could use for cover. The others followed one at a time, moving from cover to cover as the guards moved away, then hiding as they came back.

The gap was just big enough and Graham reached the second creek without being seen, although dozens of other cadets on either side were spotted and ordered back. As soon as Roger joined him Graham headed up a small dry gully which led up into the next ridge. They were well past the first line of defenders by then and Graham began watching the torches ahead through the trees, trying to pick out who it was and what patrol pattern they were using. ‘Headquarters,' he decided. Then he heard Lt McEwen call out to his right front. ‘And some of the officers.'

Someone crawled up beside him: Kirsty. Graham didn't know whether to be annoyed or pleased. Halyday and Anderson followed. “Spread out more and don't make so much noise,” Graham ordered.

“Isn't this near where we saw that big golden snake today?” Halyday asked.

A chill of fear gripped Graham. He had quite forgotten about snakes and he was crouched in the dry gully near some tree roots which could easily harbour one of the reptiles. However he tried to reassure them. “No. That was in another gully a hundred metres over to our left,” he replied.

With that he continued on. Much of the time he walked at a crouch until they got closer to the head of the gully. Then they used a monkey run. As they moved closer to the next line of defenders Graham saw torches moving to cross their front and told those with him to get down and wait. He lay flat in a small washout and felt Kirsty squash in against him. That got him anxious and he raised his head to see where the others had gone but could only just make out a huddle in a small side washout to his left.

Kirsty pressed so close that her hair touched Graham's face. It felt very nice but was also quite alarming. ‘If that is Lt McEwen coming she might get the wrong idea,' he thought. But he didn't know how to ask Kirsty to move away. By then it was too late. The torch beam swept over them and settled on a group of figures Graham had not seen about twenty paces ahead. It was Cpl Rankin and the two notorious unit tarts: Magda Mollwitz and Erika Goltz.

They were ordered back and came grumbling past to vanish somewhere near the second dry creek. Lt McEwen and Sgt Gayney then turned and headed back towards the highway. Even so Graham remained under cover as two other torches were now heading across from the left. There was a scuffling of people hurrying up the gully behind Graham and the new arrivals dropped down beside them.

It was Pigsy, Waters and Moynihan. “Who's that?” Pigsy hissed. “Oh it's you Kirk. Who's that with ya? Kirsty Weldon eh? Is she well done yet?”

Graham flushed with anger and embarrassment and felt Kirsty stiffen and press closer. He made no answer, which annoyed Pigsy. “What's wrong sook? Did we interrupt your little cuddle session? Move aside you useless dork and let us have a go. She might appreciate real men.”

“Don't be crude!” Graham retorted angrily. As he did a torch beam from the left began questing about the area.

“Move over and let us into that gully,” Waters snarled. He was too late. The torch beam swept over them. Graham and Kirsty lay flat while Pigsy and his mates got up and started running.

“Stop that running!” shouted CSM Cleland. His torch beam transfixed the trio, who reluctantly stopped. “Go back to the creek and try again,”CSM Cleland ordered.

Pigsy and his mates all grumbled and swore but CSM Cleland was adamant. The three bullies came walking back. As the got close Graham braced himself in case they deliberately stepped on him or kicked him. Instead they just called crude insults.

“Sniveller Kirk! We'll get ya, and we'll tell the officers we seen ya pashin' your little girlfriend too,” Waters said.

Anger seethed in Graham at the unjust accusation and he flamed with embarrassment. He was about to speak to Kirsty when there was a thud and Moynihan cried out in pain.

“Hoy! That hurt!”