The Cadet Corporal (13 page)

It was a mistake though because when Sgt Grenfell woke him up half an hour later he felt sweaty and even tireder. His mouth had a horrible taste and his eyes felt dry and scratchy. It was 1200 by then and the platoon had all completed the activity. CUO Masters led them back to their platoon area and they were fallen out to wait for lunch.

Lunch was cold meat and salad which Graham did not particularly like but he drank two big cups of cold lemon cordial as it was now very hot and he was very thirsty. After that he went and lay down in his hutchie to get some more rest. He did not succeed as Roger joined him and said, “You should go to sleep earlier at night.”

That really twitched Graham's guilty conscience. ‘Did Roger see me talking to Kirsty last night?' he wondered. But he did not dare ask so he just grunted and kept his eyes closed until they were called out for the afternoon training.

That was an individual observation and contact course along the creeks towards the Canning and 4 Platoon acted as the enemy. Graham suspected he might have a few problems but was unprepared for quite how many. The exercise developed into a major drama which he really regretted.

CHAPTER 13

OBSERVATION COURSE

The afternoon exercise was conducted in the creeks and gullies running north from Sandy Ridge to the Canning River. Both of the creeks used had their beginnings near the camp and came together down near the North Gravel Scrape. Two observation courses were laid out. One went down the creek which led off to the left from beside the Scrubby Creek track. This went all the way to the junction of the two creeks. From there the second course led back up the creek that ended near 1 Platoon's bivouac area.

Along each course cadets from 4 Platoon were positioned, along with trip wires and pretend land mines. Cadets were sent along each course singly, depending on their good observation to detect and avoid the problems. The time between each cadet was 5 minutes. 1 Platoon was sent to the junction of the two creeks via the Canning Road. They were to work their way up, then cross to the other creek and go down it. At the same time 2 Platoon and some of HQ were to start down the other creek and then come back up the first one.

Graham's section was led across to the start point on the Scrubby Creek track by CUO Masters and CUO Grey. His section was then told to sit in the shade. They were told they would be moving after HQ. Graham was surprised to find Peter there.

“I thought you were out on some sort of guard patrol,” Graham said.

“I was,” Peter replied. “Corporal Forman is out there now with two others.”

“See anything?”

“Not a sausage,” Peter replied.

Noting Carnes lying in the shade nearby Graham gestured with his head towards him. “How did Carnes go?”

“Just sat there feeling sorry for himself,” Peter answered.

“Do you know what his problem is?” Graham asked.

Peter shook his head. “No. Didn't ask him. I'm not pleased he got stuck in my section.”

At that moment CUO Grey called on the first HQ person. That was Peter. He stood up and moved off. “Good luck,” Graham called after him.

“I prefer to use skill,” Peter quipped. He gave a grin and added, “It is only Four Platoon we are fighting and they aren't nearly as good as they think they are.” With that he walked off and vanished into the head of the gully.

‘Four Platoon!' Graham thought. The idea made him feel distinctly anxious and he wished he didn't feel the need to go to the toilet. ‘It's just all that cordial reaching the bottom of the plumbing,' he tried to rationalise. However, after a moment's reflection, he decided that a nervous pee before action might be a good idea.

But where? He stood up and looked around. The vehicle track ran along the crest of a very gentle ridge covered with sparse grass and scattered ironbarks. The nearest privacy appeared to be about fifty metres away across the track, where several small gullies led down towards Scrubby Creek. These were the same gullies where he and Roger had been kicked by Pigsy and Co. ‘No chance of anyone being there now,' he decided. 1 Platoon was down near the North Gravel Scrape and 3 Platoon and the rest of HQ were doing the observation courses he had done during the morning.

With that in mind Graham started walking off through the bush. He had only gone twenty paces when he heard boots in the grass behind him. He glanced back and saw that it was Kirsty. ‘Oh blast!' he thought. That caused him to cast a guilty look back to where the platoon lay or sat in the grass. No-one seemed to be taking any notice.

“Where are you going Graham?” Kirsty called.

“You should call me Corporal Kirk,” he replied.

At that Kirsty poked her tongue. “Oh poo! No-one can hear. Where are you going?”

“To have a leak, so go back to the others please,” Graham replied.

“Oh! Do I have to? I want to be with you.”

At that Graham's heart rate shot up and he remembered previous conversations. “I don't want to offend you and I don't want to get into trouble. Please go back.”

Kirsty pouted but stopped. But Graham was now both interested and aroused. By then they were well down the slope and out of sight of the others. He said, “Wait there. I will be back in a minute.” With that he continued walking for another twenty paces and went down into the head of a gully so that he was sure Kirsty could only see his head. Graham stopped and looked back towards the track and then scanned the open country out between where he was and Scrubby Creek. There was no-one in sight. His heart was now hammering fast and he was amazed at how dry his mouth felt and at the sweat which had broken out on his hands. After another quick glance around he undid his fly and began to pee.

Footsteps behind him made him glance back. It was Kirsty. She was walking closer and out to one side. “Kirsty! Stay back,” he cried.

“But I've never seen it,” Kirsty answered, but she stopped walking.

Graham was astonished. “You must have,” he answered.

“Oh only little boys,” Kirsty answered. “I've never seen a man do it.”

‘Man!' thought Graham. It was balm to his male ego and he was sorely tempted to let her look. But fear of getting into trouble joined to anxiety at not being able to physically perform and he shook his head.“No.”

“I won't tell,” Kirsty replied. Her face was now alive with interest.

“That's what they all say!” Graham answered.

Kirsty took a few more paces towards him and Graham felt a surge of anxiety that all but dried up the flow. “I won't tell, truly,” she said, her voice earnest.

“Promise?”

“Yes, promise,” Kirsty said with a nod.

It was that word that decided Graham. Already he was being torn by savage memories of how just such a situation as this had gotten him into terrible trouble a year earlier. He had been in trouble with his parents, her parents and the school. One consequence was him being given the choice of joining the cadets or being expelled from the school. ‘Capt Conkey had faith in me and has saved me,' he thought. ‘And I promised to behave.'

So he stopped and shook his head. “No, please go back,” he said as firmly as he could. Kirsty pouted and looked unhappy and tried to argue. “Oh please,” she said. She increased the pressure by stepping closer and craning to look. Graham felt his determination waver and he was about to say yes when a movement in the gully twenty metres away caught his eye.

‘Oh hell! Who is that?' he wondered as near panic surged through him. It had been a face- a camouflaged face under a scrim net- but a face all the same. ‘Yowie men,' was his first thought. That brought waves of scorching shame as he imagined the teasing and blackmail he would have to endure from his enemies as the word inevitably spread.

“There's someone in that creek bed,” Graham cried, his voice hoarse with lust and fear. He quickly did up his trousers. At the same time he stepped behind a tree. As he did he distinctly saw another camouflaged head move up behind a clump of grass.

Kirsty gasped and went pale. Graham walked five paces sideways up the slope so he could get a better view down the gully. That brought into his view four shaggy bundles of scrim but also some details such as legs and army boots- cadets in camouflage and Yowie Suits. By then Graham felt so ill he wanted to just faint. Then his eyes detected a yellow epaulet. ‘Not ours! Heatley or St Michaels,' he thought.

That changed things a bit. ‘Maybe they didn't see?' he thought in desperation. He grabbed Kirsty's arm. “An enemy patrol, from Heatley. Quick, back up the slope before they capture us.”

They turned and ran. As they did Graham got another shock. Walking along the vehicle track down from camp were Capt Conkey and Lt Maclaren! And even as Graham noted them both officers turned their heads to look. Graham's heart turned over with a sickening lurch but he tried to act as though nothing unusual was going on.

“Sir! Sir! There's a recon patrol from Townsville just down there in the gully,” he cried.

Capt Conkey frowned. “What are you two doing down there?” he asked.

‘What do I say?' Graham wondered, flustering in panic. Instead of answering he called, “Four enemy Sir, in the little creek just there.”

Capt Conkey frowned even more. “Where is your platoon?”

‘Oh bloody hell! I'm sunk!' Graham thought. He pointed, “Just there sir.”

And to his relief they were. He could see their heads above the grass. As he spoke CUO Masters and Sgt Grenfell stood up and looked towards them. By then Graham and Kirsty had reached Capt Conkey. To Graham's intense relief Capt Conkey called CUO Masters over. “Quickly CUO Masters, get your platoon lined up in extended line along the track and sweep east towards Scrubby Creek,” he ordered. “There is a Heatley recon patrol in the gully just there.”

In the rush of orders Graham took the opportunity to run off and get 4 Section lined up as far from Capt Conkey as he could. While he was still urging the section to spread out in extended line he heard a shout from Stephen. “There they go!”

Graham looked and saw four shaggy creatures running off across the flat to the right. They vanished around the end of a low spur while CUO Masters shouted for 2 Platoon to run. It was good fun but they had no hope of catching the four intruders. The platoon had to change direction and the sections became mixed up. The less fit and the unenthusiastic fell quickly behind and after a hundred metres CUO Masters called a halt. Graham had to shout three times to get Halyday to stop. By then the four intruders had vanished into the thick cover along Scrubby Creek.

Capt Conkey called the platoon to come back. By then he was busy on the radio directing the HQ OP to move to watch the way the intruders had been last seen. The platoon walked slowly back, most talking rapidly with excitement and discussing the incident. Not so Graham. He walked in a sick fog of apprehension wondering what story to tell. ‘I will have to lie to protect Kirsty,' he thought miserably.

But he was spared that. Capt Conkey was taken up with directing the Hutchie Men to try to intercept their opposite numbers and appeared to have forgotten about him and Kirsty. Perspiring from effort and anxiety Graham sat in the shade and had a big drink. Kirsty moved to sit with him but he gave her a shake of the head and she nodded and sat well away from him. Minutes dragged by and still Capt Conkey did not come and ask what they had been doing. He seemed to be engrossed in directing the patrols.

The fieldcraft exercise went on. The last of HQ went down the gully, a reluctant Carnes, then CUO Masters. Graham was next as the section commanders were to go first and 2ics last. He found it a relief of sorts to move into the gully out of sight of Capt Conkey, but that was tempered by anxiety about how he might fare at the hands of 4 Platoon.

He soon found out.

The first problem was a trip wire, which he spotted, then four dummy land mines. Ahead on the right was a clump of rocks that looked like a probable sniper position, and it was. Cpl Bannister suddenly shouted, “Bang! Gotya Kirk! Ha ha!”

Graham had been expecting it but was too slow. That hurt his pride and he blushed with shame and gritted his teeth with determination to beat the next one. He did. It was Cadet Norris and he was easy to spot and too slow.

Feeling better Graham crept on down the dry gully, which was getting slowly deeper all the time. Another trip wire was avoided and he kept switching his gaze from side to side, then ahead. He found it stressful but enjoyable, until a rock came hurtling out of a side gully he had already looked up and started to pass. The rock struck him a glancing blow on the right side and went skittering off.

Graham dived for cover and saw Moynihan's grinning face. “Bang!” he shouted. Moynihan just jeered back. “Ya drongo Kirk! I just blew you up with a grenade.”

Graham knew that Moynihan was well aware that unit standing safety orders banned throwing things. Equally he knew it was pointless to say anything. ‘I wouldn't be able to prove it,' he thought.

Angered and even more on guard he moved on, crouched and ready. Somewhere ahead were Waters and Pigsy and he expected worse from them. He got it. First he negotiated a trip wire at a fallen tree, then spotted movement up on the bank to his left. He dashed for cover and pretended to fire up the side gully. It was Waters and Graham's move caught him off-guard.

“Bang!” Graham shouted, then, “Ouch!”

A rock had slammed into the small of his back. As he spun round he saw Pigsy with his arm raised to toss another stone. Graham was able to dodge this but then Waters threw one from the other side and it struck him a painful blow on the hip. Anxious that his eyes did not get injured Graham shouted back and dived into the creek bed out of sight.

“Stop it you buggers!” he shouted.

“Don't call me a bugger Kirk!” Pigsy yelled. He ran down and threw another stone This struck Graham on the webbing. Waters also threw more but kept back. One of these grazed Graham's cheek. “Stop throwing stones you bloody idiots!” he shouted. He realised that trying to take cover in the creek bed had just made him more of a target. Fear and anger both forced his adrenaline to surge.

Without really thinking about it he sprang up and charged at Pigsy. Pigsy threw the stone he had in his hand, which struck Graham a glancing blow on the shoulder, then bent to pick up another. By then Graham was very close so Pigsy gave that up and straightened up. For a fleeting second fear flitted across his face and he ran back a few paces. Pigsy then stopped and raised his fists. Waters meanwhile had thrown two more stones, one of which hit Graham on the back.

Ignoring Waters Graham confronted Pigsy. “Stop it Pigsy or I'll smash you to pulp!” he shouted angrily.

“You ain't good enough!” Pigsy replied with a sneer but Graham thought he detected anxiety in the bully's eyes. ‘He's all bluff and bluster,' he thought. He stepped closer and raised his fists.

At that moment Lt Hamilton's voice cut across his consciousness. “What's going on here?”

Graham turned his head and saw Lt Hamilton and Lt Standish on top of the bank. He pointed at Pigsy and said, “Sir, they are throwing stones at me!”