Blood Gold in the Congo

by Peter Ralph

  Knowing white would stand out, Joseph took his T-shirt off and crammed it into the pocket of his jeans. Then they were running, charging toward the forest with hundreds of others. Bullets zinged around their heads, and some unlucky villagers were killed or wounded before their very eyes. Joseph heard the helicopter and looked up expecting to see the Sikorsky. Instead, he saw soldiers hanging out the sides of a chopper shooting at the villagers. He half dragged, half carried Maya to the edge of the forest. When they entered, he slowed to a fast jog. “Are you all right?”

  Tears ran down Maya’s face, and she choked on her words. “Where-where are Grace and Roland?”

  “I’m sure they’ll be all right. How did you become separated?”

  “I went to visit an old friend for a few minutes, and then the shooting started. When I got back to their hut, they were gone.”

  As they got closer to the baobab tree, they could hear voices. Joseph pushed the foliage away. There were at least thirty men, women, children, and babies hiding inside the trunk. “I heard you from fifty yards away,” he said. “We’ll all be dead if the soldiers hear us. You have to be quiet. So quiet you can hear a fly breathe.”

  A few of the children laughed nervously before their wooden cavern became silent.

  Yannick whispered, “The soldiers are too scared to go into the depths of the forest. Perhaps we should have kept on going.”

  “Providing we don’t make any noise, they’ll never find us here,” Joseph replied, pushing his way to the front of the trunk so he could look out of one of the tiny boreholes.

  CHAPTER 18

  ..................

  JOSEPH SAW A YOUNG BOY around six or seven hiding under a large fern about eighty yards away. He was tempted to go get him but knew the soldiers were nearby. If the boy didn’t move or make a sound, they’d never find him. As he stared at the boy, he felt his cellphone vibrate. “Are you safe? Are you hiding?” Bennett asked.

  “Yes,” Joseph whispered.

  “Turn your cell off. They may be able to trace it from the chopper they’ve got flying over the jungle. Turn it on when you’re sure they’ve gone. Good luck.”

  “Okay.”

  There was no response. “Hello,” Joseph whispered before turning his cellphone off.

  Two huge soldiers carrying machine guns came into sight about twenty yards from the young boy. They were laughing, and one had a cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth. Then the laughing stopped, and one put his finger to his lips. Joseph watched, knowing they had heard something. They skirted around the area, prodding the barrels of their guns into the surrounding palm fronds and ferns. Then one reached down and lifted the struggling, screaming boy up by the neck. The other backhanded him and shouted, “Shut up!”

  “Don’t knock him out,” the other said. “It’s more fun when they’re moving and struggling.”

  The boy’s screaming was replaced with whimpering as the two soldiers laughed and joked about their prize. One of them walked forty yards away to stand guard before turning and shouting, “Don’t be long. Then it’s my turn.”

  The boy, who knew what was going to happen, struggled frantically as the soldier spat his cigarette out and started to undo his belt.

  Yannick was watching from an adjacent borehole when Joseph whispered, “Spear.”

  “What?”

  “Give me a spear. I need a knife too. Does anyone have a knife?”

  “Wha-what are you going to do?” Maya asked.

  “Shoosh. No noise. I’m going out there,” Joseph whispered, grasping the knife. The handle was attached with a piece of duct tape, but the blade was sharp.

  Maya and Yannick had their eyes glued to boreholes as they watched Joseph creep slowly toward the soldier and the boy. Moving from tree trunk to tree trunk, he was like a ninja, but they knew the sound of a twig cracking would see him dead. An animal roared in the distance, and the soldier looked directly at a dense clump of vines where Joseph was hiding. Maya gasped and said a prayer. Then the soldier, whose pants were down around his ankles, turned his attention back to the boy and tore his shorts off in one brutal movement. As he seized the boy’s hips, Joseph stepped out from behind a tree and hurled the spear. It drove through the soldier’s chest with ferocious velocity. He crumbled onto the foliage without a sound. In an instant, Joseph was next to the boy with his finger up to his lips. “What’s your name?”

  “Moise,” the boy sniffled.

  “Listen to me, Moise,” Joseph whispered, as he dragged the soldier’s body into the bush. “When I get behind that tree, I want you to start screaming. When the other soldier asks where his friend is, say he’s having a shit. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

  A few minutes later, the other soldier made his way over to the boy, as Joseph watched from behind a nearby tree. Finding his companion gone, he yelled, “Henri, Henri, where are you?”

  When the boy replied, the soldier laughed. “You little fool. You should’ve run when you had the chance. Now it’s my turn.”

  As the soldier started to undo his belt, Joseph moved, slicing deep into his jugular vein. Blood gushed from the soldier’s neck, and he gave a last gurgle as he died. Joseph dragged him deep into the bush before picking up both men’s Kalashnikovs and spare magazines. “Let’s go, Moise,” he said.

  The shooting had died down, but Joseph could still hear the helicopter as he held the foliage back so Moise could enter the hideaway. There was stark silence but not the silence of fear – the silence of awe. Some of the villagers reached out to touch and congratulate Joseph while others were speechless. “Boss,” Maya choked, fighting back the tears, “you were so brave.”

  “I should have done it,” Yannick said, hanging his head.

  “My friend,” Joseph said, resting his hand on Yannick’s. “You are brave, but you are not strong. It’s not your fault. You’ve been malnourished for years. Those soldiers are far too big and powerful for you. The next time they come into the forest, you will have machine guns. It will even up the fight.”

  Maya was still in shock. “How long are we going to have to stay here?” she sniffled.

  “It’ll be nightfall soon,” Yannick said. “The soldiers would never dare come in here at night. We’ll be safe then.”

  It was dusk when they left the safety of their hideaway, and congregated with hundreds of other villagers on the edge of the forest to check on the village they loved. It was in flames, they could hear soldiers shouting, and the villagers who hadn’t been lucky enough to get away, screaming. Joseph turned on his cellphone and started taking photos. A few minutes later, it vibrated. “Yes,” he said.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Is it safe to talk?”

  “You’re on a secure frequency. Don’t worry.”

  “Okay, I’m okay.”

  “Good. We want you to head north through the jungle. It’s going to be at least two days before we can pick you up. Someone goofed up in Katanga. It seems no one knew you were going to be in the village when they attacked. The Congolese have rushed out a media release claiming you’ve been kidnapped by the rebels. It’s all face-saving because the U.S. government is going ballistic. It’s a major international incident.”

  “And so it should be. The army’s slaughtered the villagers and burned down their huts for no reason.”

  There was a long pause before Bennett said, “You don’t understand, Joseph. No one cares what happened to them. Your disappearance is the international incident. The mine and village haven’t rated a mention. If it were up to us, we’d pick you up now. It’s not, though, and until the respective governments come up with a diplomatic solution, there’s nothing we can do.”

  “How did you get my cellphone number before? Who are you working for? Who are you?”

  “Sorry, I can’t answer those questions. Turn your cellphone on at noon and six o’clock in the evening each day for five minutes. Don’t worry, we’re gonna get you out. Head north. The army’s not going to g
ive up on finding you. We just want to make sure you don’t get killed when they do. You need to put as much distance between you and the village as you can.”

  “How many workers were killed at the mine?”

  “More than fifty. Two white guys returned with the troops. We think they’re the bosses.”

  “Fifty! And how many at the village?”

  “We don’t know.”

  “Someone’s going to pay for this.”

  “You can worry about that after. Are you going to be all right in the jungle for the next few days?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. We’ll talk at midday tomorrow.”

  Across the Congo, drums beat frenetically through the night, sending a message of hope: A great leader has returned to deliver us from poverty and oppression.

  CHAPTER 19

  ..................

  MAYA HAD BEEN CERTAIN THAT Grace and Roland had been killed. She was overjoyed when she saw them standing on the edge of the forest. Once the shooting started, they had been sure she and her friend would run for the forest and headed that way. When they found out she had been looking for them, they were overcome with emotion. Maya was overjoyed and immediately smothered them in kisses and hugs. After the hugging and kissing was over, Joseph outlined his plans, saying they should travel as a group. Grace and Roland thanked him for his offer but said there was nothing for them in Kinshasa; they would prefer instead to stay and help rebuild the village.

  “I’m the same,” Yannick said. “It was my idea to go out on strike. Many of my friends are dead because of me. I cannot leave. What will the people think?”

  “But you can’t go back to the mine. How are you going to live?” Joseph asked.

  “There is always something to eat in the forest.”

  Joseph reached for his wallet and took out all the notes. There was more than $1,000 in U.S. currency. “I’m not going to be able to buy anything in the forest, am I?” he said, pressing the money into Yannick’s hands.

  “Tha-that’s what I earn in a year,” Yannick said, unable to adequately express his gratitude.

  “Give me details of your bank account,” Joseph said. “I’ll see you never go hungry again.”

  “Thank you, Boss.” Yannick grinned.

  “It looks like it’s you and me, Maya. Are you going to be able to rough it in the jungle for two days?”

  “Far better than you. I’m not a soft American boy.” She giggled.

  “What about Moise?” Yannick asked. “Who will look after him?”

  “His family, of course,” Joseph responded.

  “His family is dead. Mother, father, and siblings. He was the only one who got away.”

  “My God,” Joseph said, squatting down. “Moise, come over here.”

  The sad little boy threw his arms around Joseph’s neck, and he felt Moise’s warm tears running down his back. Joseph patted him on the head and whispered soothingly, “Would you like to come to America and live with me?”

  “Yes, yes,” the little boy whimpered.

  “Then it’s resolved,” Joseph said, standing up with Moise still clinging to his neck. “Moise will come with Maya and me tomorrow.”

  At daylight the following morning, thanks to Yannick, Joseph, Maya, and Moise ate a small meal of dry fufu bread.

  “Do you want to take a machine gun?” Yannick asked.

  “Too noisy,” Joseph said. “If I had to use it, it would mean we were about to die. Two spears, a knife, and a machete would be far more useful.”

  “That’s easy,” Yannick said. “I also have two canteens of water, two cigarettes, and a box of matches. I’ve put the matches in a plastic bag so they won’t get wet.”

  “Thank you, but I don’t understand. I don’t smoke,” Joseph said, looking puzzled.

  “You’ve forgotten. Your feet, legs, and body are going to be covered in leeches. The safest way to get them off is by using a cigarette.”

  “Of course. Where did you get them from?”

  “See, Boss, you’re not the only one who can perform miracles. I crept back into the village last night.”

  “What is left of it?”

  “They looted nearly everything before destroying half the huts and burning four houses.”

  “Bastards,” Joseph said. “They will pay.”

  “You don’t understand the ways of the Congo,” Yannick said. “You’ve been away for too long. The scorpion now only kills when it’s sure it won’t be killed.”

  Joseph shook Yannick’s hand, hoping destiny would one day unite their vastly different worlds. “Let’s go,” he called and headed off deeper into the jungle with Maya and Moise close behind.

  Even though the sun couldn’t penetrate the canopy, the forest was as hot as a sauna. The foliage was dense, and the ground, while springy under their feet, was laced with massive tree roots. Thick vines hung from the trees, and drops of water fell from the leaves. The brilliant greens of huge ferns and palms blended with the stark browns of tree trunks. Joseph set a punishing pace, and within two hours, Maya said, “Slow down, we can’t keep up with you, and little Moise’s feet are bleeding.”

  Joseph knelt down, looked at Moise’s feet and wiped the blood away. They were covered in tiny cuts, but he hadn’t said a word. “You’re a brave little boy. From now on, you’ll ride on my shoulders.”

  “I need to sit down for a few minutes,” Maya said, sipping from her canteen. “We’re miles away now. I don’t know why we’re still rushing.”

  “They’re still looking, and we don’t know what they’ll do if they find us. Come on,” he said, throwing Moise up onto his shoulders.

  Moise was light, but Maya was glad Joseph had to slow down for overhanging branches and vines. Even so, she still found it hard to keep up. Joseph paused and said, “We’re making good time. You take the lead, Maya. We’ll go at your pace.”

  She was saturated with perspiration and moisture from the drops falling off the leaves. “I feel yucky,” she said. “I’d kill for a cold shower.”

  Her clothes clung to her like polyethylene and left little to the imagination. For so long, Joseph had only known her as a little girl, and her transformation confused him. Fourteen years ago, he had never seen her as his girlfriend, and his feelings for her had been the same as his feelings for Yannick. Now as he watched her shapely butt bouncing from side to side with every stride, he smiled to himself. His memory was of a gawky ten-year-old, but now she was a woman – all woman.

  An hour later, he turned his cellphone on and said, “We have to stop. It’s nearly midday, and I have to take a call. Let’s take fifteen minutes.”

  “I’d love something to eat,” Maya said.

  “Later,” Joseph said. “I’ll find something for dinner.”

  Right on cue, his cellphone vibrated, and Chuck Bennett said, “You’re making spectacular time. You’ve done nearly sixteen miles today. You can take your foot off the accelerator. The army has no idea where you are. They’ve left a dozen men and a chopper here. The rest have gone back to Lubumbashi. The government’s official line with the media is that they suspect the rebels have captured you. Oh, and they carted two of their men away in body bags. You wouldn’t know how they were killed, would you?”

  Joseph ignored the question. “What’s the unofficial line?”

  “Do you know Colonel Gizenga?”

  “Yes, he’s a pig and a bully.”

  “Well, he led the troops yesterday. He thinks you panicked, ran into the jungle, and got lost. Lucky he doesn’t know the capabilities of your cellphone.”

  “He thinks I’m a coward?”

  “Yes.”

  “Chuck, before you go on, who do you work for?”

  “We’re freelancers for the government. We help out in tight situations. If we get into trouble, we’re on our own. In this case, Jack Costigan told the Congolese we’re assisting the State Department, and know roughly where you are. It’s blown our cover in the Congo, but it also
means they won’t try to blow us out of the sky.”

  “When are you going to get us out?”

  “I don’t know. Hopefully in the morning. It’s still being arranged. The Congolese government can’t be seen with egg on its face. The diplomats are working it out. With luck, I’ll have something when I call you this evening.”

  Before Joseph turned his cellphone off, he called his father on his direct line. “Dad, it’s me. I can’t talk for long. No matter what you hear, I’m okay. I’m not in any danger. Tell Mom not to worry.”

  “We were told you were in the middle of a shootout between rebels and the army, and no one knows what happened to you.”

  “That’s not true. I’m unharmed and safe.”

  “Why didn’t you take George with you?”

  “I have to go, Dad. Love you.”

  The call had been as clear as if his father was standing next to him.

  CHAPTER 20

  ..................

  JOSEPH KNEW THEY WERE IN no danger, so he slowed the pace to a walk in the afternoon. Moise told them his four siblings were teenagers, and he had come along as an accident. He had been out playing when one of the first shells hit his family’s hut. The old woman next door saw it explode and told Moise it had killed everyone, and he should run for it. “What’s going to happen to me?” he sobbed.

  “I’m going to take care of you,” Joseph said.

  Maya turned and frowned. “How are you going to look after him?”

  “I don’t know, but if he wants, he can come back to the U.S. with me.”

  “How?”

  “I’m sure I can arrange it.”

  “He must have uncles, cousins, and other relations. Don’t you think they will want to care for him?”

  “I don’t have anyone else,” Moise whimpered. “Only the woman who lives in the next hut.”

  Joseph was about to respond when a clap of thunder shook the forest. The canopy became transparent as bolts of lightning lit up the sky. He had noticed it getting darker but wasn’t surprised when he felt Moise flinch on his shoulders. Maya also looked shaken. “A little rainstorm,” he said, “let’s find some big palm fronds to shelter under.”