the site,” Colonel Supo said, “the better. As Tomas has set it up, there would be six people in the L-20. The two trackers, myself, yourself, Tomas, and the pilot.”
“You’re going to the site, sir?”
“Yes,” Supo said simply. “The question then is can we all go in the L-20, with two L-19s available for reconnaissance, or will it be necessary to make three trips in L-19s, which will then not be immediately available for reconnaissance?”
“I can put the Beaver in there,” Jack Portet said. “Getting it out again with six people on it will be a little hairy.”
“The trackers and Major Tomas will stay at George,” Colonel Supo said. “Major Tomas leads me to believe he has some tracking experience himself.”
“Yes, sir, he does,” Lunsford agreed. “Sir, with respect, you don’t think the Simbas will be at George, knowing we’ll land there to see what happened?”
“They are neither sophisticated nor courageous,” Supo said flatly. “As, apparently, neither were the soldiers I left with Captain Withers.”
Lunsford didn’t reply directly.
“What time’s first light?”
“I figure we can get off the ground from the airstrip at five minutes to six,” Doubting Tomas said. “I’d give my left nut for a D-model Huey for this.”
“It will take us fifteen minutes to get to the airstrip,” Lunsford said. “That means we’ll have to leave the hotel no later than 0530. Order breakfast at 0500. Sound reveille accordingly.”
Without really thinking about it, Jack and Doubting Thomas understood this to be an order; both said, “Yes, sir.”
“I could bring the H13 out there,” Geoff Craig said. “Once we’re sure the landing zone isn’t hot.”
“Don’t send it anywhere else,” Lunsford ordered. “But don’t start out there until you get the word.” He paused and looked at Colonel Supo. “I am presuming, sir, that all of this meets with your approval?”
Supo nodded, indicating he approved.
“There is one other thing,” he said. “The reaction force.”
“Yes, sir?”
“I think it unlikely that there are Simbas in sufficient numbers in the area to give them the courage to attack the convoy,” he said. “But the possibility exists. Would it be possible to provide some degree of aerial surveillance of the Force while it is en route to Site George?”
Lunsford nodded.
“Work it out, Aunt Jemima,” he ordered, switching to English. “Either you take one of the L-19s, or Craig does.”
“Sir,” Major Smythe said, flustered. “I haven’t understood a word of this conversation. You’ve all been speaking French.”
“In that case, Geoff, you take it,” Lunsford ordered in English. “You keep the H-13 hot to trot, Jemima, in case we need it.”
“Yes, sir,” Smythe said. “May I respectfully remind you, Sir, that it is the aviation officer who normally makes flight assignments? ”
"In other words, you want to fly the L-19?”
“Yes, sir, that would be my recommendation.”
“Okay. Geoff, you keep the H-13 hot to trot.”
[ FOUR ]
The Hotel du Lac
Costermansville, Kivu Province
Republic of the Congo
2125 6 April 1965
The mess of the military commandant of Kivu, Oriental, Equator, and Kasai Provinces was organized according to the customs of the Force Publique, which in turn was closely patterned after that of the Royal Belgian Army. Seating, in other words, was by rank. Seating was under the control of Colonel Supo’s sergeant major, who shuffled people around until protocol was satisfied, and only then sent Colonel Supo’s orderly to find the colonel and tell him his officers were assembled for dinner.
Colonel Supo sat in the middle of a long table, from the ends of which two other tables formed a U. Unless there was a distinguished guest, the seat to Colonel Supo’s right was reserved for the next senior officer present. To Supo’s left was the next junior officer. Seating by rank moved from right to left across the head table, and then down the tables forming the legs of the U.
Mrs. Marjorie Bellmon Portet was considered a distinguished guest, and sat at Colonel Supo’s right. Her husband, in his role as acting general manager of Air Simba, was similarly considered a distinguished guest, but tonight, since he had elected to dress for dinner in the uniform of a first lieutenant of the U.S. Army, he found himself far down the right leg of the table. Lieutenant Colonel Dahdi found himself seated where Colonel Supo’s Chef de Cabinet normally sat, to Colonel Supo’s left. The Chef de Cabinet had personally assumed command of the relief column headed for Outpost George.
Next to him sat Major Tomas. He usually sat in that chair, in defiance of protocol, because Colonel Supo’s sergeant major