by STEPHEN HILL
When they had dragged them all into the brush, the camp was as quiet as if nothing had happened. The balance of the rebel group, eighteen of them, were huddled in a patch of shade near the back part of the clearing, in a narrow part of the trail. Once again, silence and swiftness were called, they could bring reinforcement from the adjacent trail, not more than a half mile away.
Kelly’s heart really wasn’t into this obvious massacre, especially since they had no idea if this was the trail that would lead them to the camp.
The odds in favor of them succeeding in killing all seventy men without running into a fatal snag somewhere along the line was so scant that he knew they were flirting with disaster, as well as the clock. He signaled for a council of war and they met far down the trail beside a meandering stream.
After he had put forth his reservation and doubts, and his aversion to such a wholesale bloodbath in the trail, it was agreed that they must devise an alternative plan. Kelly turned to the taciturn Pawan.
“Do you or your men know of any other trail up, one that circles around these other trails and come out nearer the base?”
He studied the question, then spoke tersely with his men. Kelly didn’t understand the language, but there was a great deal of grunting and nodding. Finally Pawan stood and gazed up the trail to the right.
“Come. We try old trail.”
They found an old and nearly closed trail that hadn’t been used in so many years that it was little better than cutting their way through the thickest part of the jungle. If there was indeed a camp at the end of the trail, they failed to find a trace of it. The trail led them nowhere.
There were defeated and they all knew it as they started back along the old trail that had brought them here. Even the men walked with a sullen gait as they started back down the mountain. Kelly’s mind raced with thoughts and ideas, none of them worth a damn. As they trudged along, disconsolate, not only were their sprits at low ebb, their vigilance was non-existence.
They had no idea that danger lurked until one of the men, heading their small procession and walking far out ahead of Pawan, suddenly fell in his tracks. Pawan might have been silent, but he made up for it in swiftness. Even before the man was flat on the ground, Pawan was off in the bushes.
The rest of them scattered, plunging into the wall of jungle on either side of the trail. Kelly had his Browning in his hand and lay still in the bushes, studying the trail. He could see the man on his back, a huge throwing knife protruding from his chest.
They waited, patient, expecting an all-out attack, not even knowing who their attackers might be. In the stillness, they heard someone move in the brush far down the trail. A man in peasant garb and carrying a rifle over his shoulder stepped into the trail and walked boldly up to the dead villager. He looked around, saw nothing threatening, then bent to pull his knife out of the villager’s chest.
Kelly armed his crossbow with an arrow and let fly from out of the jungle and caught the man in the throat. He fell back, clutching his wound and the arrow with both hands. His eyes bulged and he kept coughing like a consumptive. Soon, though, he gave up the struggle and fell across the body of the dead villager.
The jungle was quiet again. Kelly waited perhaps five minutes, then went down to check the dead bodies. He turned the peasant over and saw that he was one of the rebels they had seen at the camp at the mouth of the first trail.
Danger bells jangled all through Kelly’s head. The others were coming out of their hiding places, but he waved them back and plunged once again into the jungle. Not a moment too soon. He had just turned to peer back at the trail when he saw six more rebels, their automatic rifles at the ready, creep up the trail. They stopped when they saw the two dead men and Kelly knew they were about to open fire on the surrounding jungle. He opened his mouth and let out a single word, loud, raucous and anxious:
“Attack.”
Anand and he opened fire at the same time. A split second behind them, Pawan and his men let go with their lethal weapons. Pawan himself leaped into the trail and started after the rebels, knife in hand. Anand and he stopped firing, to avoid hitting him.
The remaining rebels, seeing the tall strong apparition coming down on them with teeth bared and knife flashing, took off running. A new volley of bullets sailed accurately past Pawan and found marks on the backs of the fleeing rebels.
Only one of them remained alive, none got away. It wasn’t necessary to torture the poor devil to get information. He looked around at his massacred friends and talked as willingly and as profusely as a chattering monkey.
He said rebels at the mouth of the trail had quickly missed their sentries. Rather than send for help from the adjacent trail, they had split up in squads and had set out to find out what had happened to their sentries. They had been searching for two hours, finally locating this old trail but not expecting to find anyone. One of the rebels had run ahead . He was the one who had spotted and killed the villager by throwing his knife at him. The others hadn’t known what was happening up ahead and had walked into their trap.
They dragged all the dead bodies off the trail and, with the sole surviving rebel securely tied, they started off down the trail again.
VENOMOUS VENGEANCE
The Close Call.
They were near the mouth of the trail when Pawan suddenly stopped and held up his hand. They all took to the brush, weapons ready. They could all hear it then. Someone was thrashing his way up the hill, ignoring stealth, coming hell bent for election.
Kelly crouched in the brush, his hand gripped tightly around the Browning’s butt. The thrashing became louder and it sounded as though a whole troop of rebels was making its way up the faint trail, knocking aside trees, vines and brush, kicking fallen logs and sticks.
Captain Kelly, saw a flash of cloth and raised the gun. He was sighting down the barrel, tightening his finger on the trigger, ready to fire as soon as he had a clear shot at the target. He would get the first in line and let the others concentrate on those behind.
He had just about reached the point of no return on the Browning’s trigger when he saw who was coming. He damned near threw the Browning away then.
In another fraction of a second, he would have killed Gomari. It was really a very close call.
She was alone and in a hurry. She had forgotten all he’d taught her about traveling in the jungle when there were enemy troops about. She had been in such a hurry to find them, to be with them, she had ignored danger. And she had almost paid for that ignoring with her life. Kelly was trembling when he came out of the brush and saw her still plunging up the trail.
“Captain Kelly,” she cried. “O, Captain, I thought you were dead. I thought you were all dead.”
She was crying as she lunged into his arms and began to shower his face, grizzly now with several days’ growth of beard, with sweet, wet kisses. He held her loosely and glanced back over his shoulder at Pawan, who had been smiling at her arrival.
He was now scowling At them both. Jealousy. It can work wonders, even among the best of friends.
Gomati saw him, too, but her response was quite different, she leaped back out of Kelly’s arms and suddenly turned darker in a blush. She glanced at Pawan’s eyes, then her eyes fell and she looked at the ground near her feet.
“I was fearful for you as well,” she said. “It gives me pleasure to see you healthy and well.”
That was all the bull shit Pawan needed. His eyes gazed at the ground near Gomari’s feet and he made the longest speech of his brief life.
“It gives me pleasure that you are pleased that I am well. I fear for you, also, and am delighted to find you healthy and well.”
Kelly stood back and watched Gomari turn into a rose in that moment, budding, blossoming, flowering….more than Pawan knew. He had to break up the unusual courtship, though.
“Why did you come looking for us, Gomari?”
She tore her eyes away from the ground near Pawan’s feet and looked at Kelly, steadily
, without her usual shyness. “A man came to the village to warn Mahasen,” she said. “The leader from the LTTE base camp has given his assent to an attack. The attack is to begin at nightfall. No one else knows this agreement has been reached. Once the signal has been given from the base camp, a special contingent of rebels, part of the rebel leader’s elite corps, is to attack the villages and kill every man, woman and child.”
“How does this man know all this?” By then, Anand and the others had formed a circle around them, all listening with keen ears and wide eyes.
“He has a radio,” Gomari said. “He says he lives in the mountain to live away from man. He makes periodic trips to the villages disguised as a priest.
Thoughts began to tumble through Kelly’s brain. He thought his head would explode trying to sort things out. They were a jumble of thoughts, leading everywhere and nowhere. In that jumble of thoughts was the answer he had been seeking. He grabbed Comari by her slender arms.
“Gomari, where is this man now? Where is this priest?”
“With Chief Mahasen. He will stay there and help fight the elite corps when they come to kill the villagers.”
“Does he know where we are, what we’re trying to do?”
“I don’t know. I only know what he told the chief. After that, they sat down to a big dinner, planning to discuss strategy later.”
It figured. Mahasen’s stomach came before everything. The priest didn’t know that they were looking for the trail entrance. If he did…..
“Let’s go,” He said to Anand and Pawan. Gomari, you stay with the others and come back to the village. We’ll go on ahead. I have to talk with this priest.”
“Why?....”
“Just do as I say. There isn’t a minute to spare.” As Anand, Pawan and he hurried down the trail, heading for the village, he explained what he hoped to learn from the priest.
If he could tap the priest for further information, there was a slim chance of saving the people of the villages. If not? He wouldn’t think of that just yet.
Kelly had a faint idea as to how important the so called was. A man who had been roaming in the jungle should definitely know the jungle like the back of his hand.
They were in the square of the village. The hot midday sun blazed down on the mixture of white and brown bodies. Flies the size of beetles buzzed around them. Some of them even attacked the bandages on Kelly’s injury.
Anand and Pawan flanked the fat chief on one side of the circle. A little behind them were Gomari and the villagers. The body of the dead villager was in a special burial hut, being prepared for burial by the few remaining women of the village.
Kelly sat beside the priest on the other side of the circle.
“Now, what is it you wish of me Captain?” he asked after the introduction. “What is the purpose of such hurrying back here to talk to me?”
“I was told that you are a man who lives in the jungle away from the rebels and the villagers… which means that you know a lot about the jungle, perhaps like the back of your hand.” Kelly said.
The priest grinned. It was all the acceptance He would receive “I have reliable information that the rebels are using a certain large cave in the jungle to store all their arms and ammunitions, could you lead us to that cave or at least tell us how to reach it.” Kelly said with a lot of hope.
“ I’m sorry, I ‘m too old for action, I will tell you but you must promise never to tell another living soul how you got the information.” The priest said.
“I want to know everything you have seen and heard about the cave,” he told the old man. “I know It’s painful remembering, but this is important. I want to know as much as you can possibly remember; it’s something of great importance.”
The old man looked puzzled. So did all the others. But everyone remained silent while the old man considered the request.
“I have seen the cave several times,” his voice cracked then and Kelly wanted him to continue. I was necessary to let him recall every detail of the cave. But he knew enough to let him ramble in his opwn way, as time slipped past, minute by minute.
But he was finished with his grim recollections. He looked at him blankly, puzzled over what he was seeking. He didn’t want to lead him. “Do you recall any details of the number of rebels guarding the cave?” he asked.
He spent some time thinking. Precious time. His anxiety grew. Kelly turned to Anand “Would you get the map and show it to the priest.”
The old man nodded. “You have a map? What kind of map?” he asked, “may I see it?” he asked.
Anand handed the fragile parchment over to the old man. He studied it for more time than Kelly would have liked him to spend on it. The old man finally looked up and saw the worried looks on all their faces. He grinned at Kelly.
“Don’t worry so much about the time, Captain,” he said. “I have good news about that; the signal to attack the village will not be given before sundown. At this time of the year, sundown will come only after 8:30 to this part of the Island. You have ample time.”
“What about the guards at the …..”
“Yes I know, the cave is not guarded by more than a handful of men, obviously the rebel leaders have no intension of advertising the existence of an arms store in the jungle, by posting too many guards.”
“Let’s go,” the captain said to Anand and Pawan. “Pick out your fastest men, we will have to reach the cave and somehow destroy the rebel arsenal, it’s the only way to distract them from attacking the village.”
There were seven of them in the party heading out to find the entrance to the cave and hopefully, destroy it. They left the village at 1: 32 in the afternoon.
As the old priest had said, strangely, there were only five rebels guarding the cave entrance. Anand was going crazy near Kelly. He wanted to fire and get the job done with. The captain kept holding him back.
“Wait, Anand,” he said watching the guards. “Our only chance is surprise. They don’t know we’re here. If you fire now it could be heard at the base camp let me handle it silently.” Kelly hissed.
Using his sniper rifle with the silencer, kneeling, he singled out a rebel and took careful aim. The rifle spat and seemed to shake the trees around the clearing. But a rebel went down. One by one, captain ‘Killer’ Kelly picked off five rebels and made a quick count in his head. They waited another half an hour to break cover and move towards the cave entrance.
Once inside, captain rigged the whole place with hidden detonators very cautiously and signaled everybody to retreat back into the jungle. He was now anticipating a big bang, which was sure to take place very soon.
Kelly looked at his watch, a digital creation. And the numbers read 11:20 He breathed a small sigh of relief. As they all got back to the village in one piece.
His next target would be the base camp. But he felt that he was committed to defend the innocent villagers.
Instead of waiting for the rebels to come to their village, Kelly decided to take the fight to the rebels. Before doing so he got all the available males on a war footing with whatever primitive weapon they carried with them.
Having posted them at strategic positions, Kelly set about setting booby traps on the trail leading to the village. He then got back to the village to wait for the final assault of the rebels.
The old man looked from face to face, then returned to a study of the map. More minutes passed. Kelly was anxious to end the confab and set up his defense against the rebels. He knew the old chief was considering moving the village deep into the jungle. That would give the villagers more time, but they all knew that the elite corps of the rebels would soon find that location. In a matter of days, perhaps even hours.
By tomorrow at this time, there would be no more villagers. And, unless another miracle occurred, no more Captain Kelly. After his killing of Raaki, he could count on the fact that his name was high on the list of kills, probably higher than the names of the villagers.
A part of Kelly accepted what the
old man said; that part of him wanted to rest, to let the tension and the fatigue drain away. Another part, the part that has made him the top ‘Killer’ for the army, wanted to continue to push, to be in on action, all the action. The first part won.
VENOMOUS VENGEANCE
The Last Lay.
Kelly lay there and felt the hopelessness, the desolation, of their plight settle down over his mind. It was hopeless, and he knew it. If they were to die in a matter of hours….days at the most….let them retain hope as long as possible. The death of hope has always signaled the death of the cause. But hope, he was convinced, was all that they had to go on now. With that unhappy thought, he began to drift into sleep.
A soft, pleasant dream was already starting. He was in the Grand Hotel dining room in Colombo. Across from him was a voluptuous young actress, a woman he had loved in an earlier time. She was smiling, sipping from a glass of wine. The band was playing their favorite song. The actress leaned forward to kiss him and he heard a familiar voice, loose by, sweet, bell-like and melodic:
“When my love is near me, I am like a rose; Budding, flowering, blossoming, More than my love knows.”
Still half asleep, He couldn’t believe that he would mix the actress and Gomari in the same dream. He couldn’t imagine Gomari in the dining room of the very proper Grand Hotel in Colombo, any more than he could imagine the actress here in this hot hut in the middle of a rural village in the jungle.
Something crept up along his chest. Something even softer, and smelling of orange blossoms, pressed against his shoulder. And then naked legs touched his, slipped up over him and began to move gently back and forth.
He came fully awake, out of a pleasant dream into a far more pleasant reality.
Gomari was beside him on the pallet. She was naked and he hair was still damp from having bathed in the stream below the village. Once again, she had found orange blossoms and had crushed them against her skin, from head to toe.