pick up the radio and shrug into its harness, but one of the paratroops made it clear he was going to carry it for him.
Thomas gave in, although the idea of having the Congolese paratrooper carrying his radio made him nervous.
They took off on Withers when they thought they were in trouble. What are the chances I’m going to find myself alone out here, surrounded by cannibals, while the sergeant here lopes off into the bush carrying my radio?
He walked up to Lieutenant Colonel Coizi, who was standing with Sergeant First Jette.
“Anytime you’re ready, Colonel,” Thomas said. “With your permission, I’ll take the point.”
“And I will bring up the rear,” Coizi said.
“Yes, sir.”
“In the Force Publique, and now in the Armée Congolaise, I learned that when you order a commander to give you so many men, the men you get are the ones he thinks he can best spare,” Coizi said. “Is it thus in the Special Forces?”
“I think it was probably that way in the Roman Legions, Colonel,” Thomas said, smiling.
“Under those circumstances, I think it is wise that one of us bring up the rear, to make sure that if we start out with four people, we will have four people when we reach our objective. Do I make my point?”
“Yes, sir.”
Coizi motioned one of the radio bearers to him and relieved him of his automatic rifle. He examined it carefully, then charged the action and put the sling around his neck, which allowed him to carry the weapon with his hand near the trigger.
“You two follow Major Tomas,” he said. “I will bring up the rear.”
He gestured toward the bush.
“Whenever you are ready, Major Tomas,” he said.
Thomas checked both his Colt Car-16 and his .45 pistol to make sure they were loaded and on SAFE, then started back through the bush to the trail.
There had been no indication the previous night that establishing a perimeter guard was in the Simba field manual, and when they were what Thomas guessed was half a klick from their encampment, he waited for Colonel Coizi to catch up with him and told him so. He finished up:
“Last night, there was one man sleeping by the side of the trail, around the next curve. That was all. We just went around him, and the encampment itself was maybe four hundred meters from where he was.”
“I’ll have a look,” Coizi said. “There is really no reason for you to go. One man makes less noise than two.”
He handed Thomas his FN automatic rifle.
“I think it’s best that you keep this,” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
Coizi left the trail and entered the bush to the left. He was gone fifteen minutes, and came back through the bush so quietly that he startled Thomas.
“About half are still asleep,” he said. “I think we should move a little back down the trail, order my troops up, and wait for them, and then conduct our operation.”
“Yes, sir,” Thomas said. “Sir, may I ask what your plan is?”
“Of course,” Coizi said. He squatted, and swept the leaves and twigs clear from a two-foot-square area, revealing moist earth. He took a twig and drew a rough map of the area.
“Here’s the encampment, on both sides of the trail. I will send a half-dozen men to deploy the far side of it.”
He drew an arc facing away from the lake.
“I was thinking you and Sergeant First Jette might wish to do this. The rest of the force will be here.”
He drew another arc, longer and deeper.
“When the troops are in place, I will call for their surrender. That will not happen. I think their first reaction will be to retreat east, toward the lake. This force will (a) allow the women to pass; (b) shoot the men; and (c) ensure that the cattle do not remain in the Simbas’ hands.”
I don’t think, Thomas thought, that allowing the women to pass reflects some Congolese notion of chivalry toward the gentle sex.
“If I am correct, and their first reaction is to flee eastward, when the first fire they receive is from the east, they will go in the other direction, most probably right down the path, where my force will take them under fire, which will probably send them back in an easterly direction, where, again, you will kill the men and allow the women to pass.”
“Sir, why are you going to allow the women to pass? As opposed to taking them prisoner?”
“If we take them prisoner, we will have to feed them,” Coizi