Tuesday, January 29th 2002 - 11:39:10 PM
An Autumn Camp - Part 4
I have said earlier that Mike had planned a short hike that morning. He led us all out of the woods along a track leading along the coast for about 2 miles. We were mystified as to Mike's intentions but he quickly silenced speculation by explaining that he was taking us to the starting point for the "smugglers" (me and my three foolhardy companions). He had insisted we bring with us sandwiches and drinks for lunch so we were all carrying small packs.
The country proved to be ideal for our activities. Essentially deserted, it consisted of a mixture of rocky scrub with large patches of dense shrubbery interspersed with open woodland similar to the olive groves near our home. Some of the land was more open but here, there were rocky gullies and fissures, which would provide excellent cover for our activities. A road ran parallel to our course and about 400 yards from the coast (we were all familiar with this - it ran straight past our own woods). Mike set the road as a boundary for our game - the sea provided a natural boundary on the other side. Altogether, it seemed perfect for our game and Mike was heartily congratulated - we were all amazed that this strip of land had been ignored for so long and no one had considered extending our area of operations before.
We arrived at our destination - a small, secluded cove with a strip of sand, well hidden from view by a small cliff maybe 15 feet high which was easily negotiated. The foreshore sloped gently and the water was consequently shallow and therefore still remarkably warm and we all regretted not being equipped to swim. We gathered around Mike while he set out the rules for today's engagement, formulated the previous evening. The four "smugglers" would attempt to carry their contraband - he solemnly passed each of us four small packages, simply matchboxes wrapped in parcel paper - to their base. This would be one of our three patrol huts, which was situated on the further side of our "home woods". The other boys would attempt to "arrest" them and confiscate their contraband.
To be honest, winning one of these games was never a prime objective in itself - lets face it, we were all there with the intention of capturing a few of our friends before being made prisoner ourselves. For most of us, that was the great attraction so the scenario was merely "window dressing". Nevertheless, we always endeavoured to make it apparently possible for either team to be the victor, despite there frequently being a deliberate imbalance in teams, either numerically or physically. Today was no exception. Mike told his audience that "customs" would win if they succeeded in holding 50% of the smugglers prisoner at the time limit of 7.00pm. They would also have to recover 75% of the contraband. For our part, we would be deemed victorious if we could capture more than half of the "customs". Since there were twice as many of them we would probably have our work cut out.
As Mike finished his briefing, Matthew reminded everyone menacingly, "Naturally, if you are taken prisoner, we may use any means at our disposal to extract information regarding the whereabouts of your confederates. Don't expect any mercy!" As he uttered these words I saw him give his brother a malevolent glare, and I realised that Paul's presence was likely to cause us untold suffering!
Mike now turned to the four of us and said, "We are going to leave you here to have your lunch. We need to get back, have our own meal and deploy our forces. We will carry your packs back so you don't have anything to carry when you begin your assault". They began to gather their own equipment and move out when James suddenly exclaimed, "We have forgotten to bring any weapons or supplies with us!" We all looked glum but Mike turned round and said, "I nearly forgot!" He and Roger opened their own packs and handed us four water pistols (our usual weapons) and a large bundle of rope and cloth. "I doubt you'll need any of that but we can't have the opposition saying they were handicapped. Anyway, when we catch you we won't need to use up our own supplies! You should give us until 1.30pm before commencing your attack." With that he turned and led the other boys back on the trek home.
We now had about an hour and a half to relax, discuss the game in general and make our plans. Without more ado, we got down to the serious matter of eating our sandwiches, and when our initial hunger had been satisfied I said to Paul ruefully, "You really shouldn't have done this! Just being with us is bad news, but did you see the look your brother gave you before he left?" He shook his head - it appeared I was the only one to notice. "If Matthew catches you, you are for it big time. By association, I guess we will catch it too, but we are used to it. There's still time to change your mind you know!" Paul shook his head vigorously and exclaimed, "No way! Even if I wanted to back out, how do you think it would look to the others? Matthew is always stepping in to protect me. I'll not say I relish the prospect of being "tortured" unmercifully by that gang but I'd rather have that than be treated like a baby". He looked at me pointedly and added, "You are here, despite what happened to you at school, and as for the rest of you, you needn't think you can step into Matthews shoes!" I really had no answer. Matthew was really a kind and gentle boy who undoubtedly felt a big responsibility towards his brother. My own brother, Chris, usually behaved in much the same way towards me but this didn't stop him from launching attacks on me from time to time the ferocity of which would be appalling to outsiders. I feared Paul was heading for a debacle of his own making.
Stuart grinned and said, "Don't worry Paul. We are all in this together. We always accept what is handed out to us with out complaining so we will expect you to do the same! One more thing - the three of us have been in lots of scrapes together and we look out for one another. Despite our comments last night, you are one of us. If you decide by this evening that you would rather not be a party to our particular form of lunacy anymore we won't hold it against you, but you are part of our team today!" Paul looked a little embarrassed, but his grin told us he was really pleased to have been accepted by this crazy gang.
Now we got down to the serious business of considering our tactics. James was quick to point out two things that I had certainly missed. First, that there was no constraint on the way we operated either individually, or as one or more small groups. Second, we had each been given a small package - the contraband. These were very small and easily concealed. However, James's point was that at no time had Mike said we each had to carry one. If they were carried by one (or two) boys then, providing these individuals weren't captured, the odds in our favour were dramatically improved. We looked at James admiringly - the boy was a genius! Furthermore James suggested that if the contraband was to be carried to an agreed spot and then deposited, it would give an opportunity for reconnaissance without the risk of losing our precious goods. Since traditionally the losers would remain prisoners until bedtime, just keeping our packages out of the hands of the opposition could make all the difference. If any of us were captured while not in possession of the contraband, provided we could engineer our escape, we could recover the stash leaving the original carriers free to cover everyone's tracks. In reality, not much of a gameplan, you may rightly say, but to a bunch of twelve-year-olds it smacked of brilliance!
James and Stuart both felt that we would fair better individually and I was inclined to agree. Paul however looked crestfallen and I immediately found myself saying I would team up with him. Against my better judgement - I found myself thinking, "You have just agreed to share the same fate as him, unnecessarily!" James and Stuart would carry the packages as far as the woods, secreting them in the hideout we had established earlier in the year. They would then carry out a sweep and endeavour to link up with Paul and me for the final thrust. Neither boy said it, but it was quite clear both of them thought they would need to rescue us.
We felt certain that Mike's team would keep a couple of boys back to cover the approach to our destination, but they would still have at least six players in the field, looking for us. For much of the way there was plenty of cover in the form of trees and shrubs and in the more open territory we had noted several shallow gullies. Since there was much more country to cover it was likely they would operate singly, so we might have a reasonable chance of making some captures of our own!
Richard
UK
Wednesday, January 30th 2002 - 07:25:54 AM
An Autumn Camp - Part 5
The start time arrived at last; we shared out the pistols, rope and cloths for gags, secreting them in pockets or about our persons and moved out quickly. Stuart and James each headed towards the sea - there was good cover in the form of dense shrubbery and Paul and I made our way a little inland. We had the disadvantage of a couple of hundred yards of open scrub but then were in the shelter of trees interspersed with bushes - ideal for our purpose and it was unlikely that Mike's team would have bent the rules so far as to be close to us by this time. By my reckoning we should have perhaps half an hour before we were likely to make contact with the enemy. Nevertheless, it was no reason for slap-dash methods and we crept forward slowly making full use of the cover.
Twenty minutes later we had reached the edge of the trees and were looking out on rocky scree. We would now have to progress by making use of the rocky gullies and occasional bushes for protection. We decided to take a short rest, have a drink and take stock before proceeding. As we lay there, Paul asked if I really thought he was in trouble if he was caught. "You better believe it, chum," I replied. I saw a little of his colour drain - evidently he had lost some of his earlier bravado. "Look, it's probably best not to think about it too much. You've been tied up before and that doesn't worry you and even with Matthew looking out for you, you have been subjected to the dreaded tickle torture! It might have been better if you hadn't wound him up quite so much, but what's done is done so you had better make the best of it. If it's any consolation, if we are caught together Matthew is unlikely to be any gentler with me than with you, and if we are lucky we might even capture him!" This thought hadn't occurred to Paul and he brightened considerably.
At last we decided it was time to move on and Paul rose to make his dash to the first ditch, but as he did so I caught a faint sound and grabbing his arm, hauled him back under the bushes. He made no sound, but looked enquiringly at me. I didn't answer but pointed off to the left, at the same time raising a finger to my lips. If I was right and there was someone close by, Mike had been devious in the deployment of his team - there was no way they could have got here from the woods in this time!
We hadn't long to wait. After a short pause Roger appeared followed by David. They were creeping along the edge of the trees, keeping well covered but clearly intending to cut off this approach. My two close friends and I prided ourselves on our ability to advance under cover in complete silence (we were scouts, after all!) but while these two boys were taking great care, they nevertheless could be heard a long distance away. I had to stifle a chuckle.
Placing my mouth close to Paul's ear, I whispered "First blood to us, I think". At the same time I silently withdrew my pistol from the elastic waistband of my shorts and watched as Paul did the same.
The two boys were evidently not carrying out a thorough search. They appeared more interested in finding a spot where they could remain hidden but have a good view of the terrain. If their search had been more thorough they would undoubtedly have spotted us but after a few minutes patient wait they strolled right past us. We crept from our hiding place and the first that either knew of our presence was when they felt the jet of water on the backs of their necks. They both spun round to find themselves face to face with our levelled pistols. "You two make enough noise for six boys together," I laughed. "Throw down your weapons and raise your hands". Our rules required surrender if shot with a water pistol and both boys complied, raising their hands above their heads and exchanging glances. Paul stepped forward and searched them briskly while I kept them covered. We were still standing on the edge of the trees so as soon as Paul had finished I ordered them to take the few steps into more satisfactory cover - I really didn't want to be observed at this stage. A few paces were sufficient, "OK, that's far enough, "I instructed. "What are you going to do with us?" David enquired. "Wait and see!" was my unequivocal response.
Actually, it was a good question. We certainly couldn't take them with us, even if we wanted to and much as I would have liked to subject them to a little tickle torture (especially David - I owed him for various indignities over the last few months) I doubted they would have any useful information. A quick glance around showed me what I wanted - two pine trees, each with a trunk about 12 inches or so in diameter. With my pistol, I motioned David towards one of the trees. He immediately realised his fate and groaned. With his hands still above his head I ordered him to back up to the tree. This he did, and while Paul kept both boys covered, I said, "OK, you can lower your hands now and put them behind your back". David grasped what was intended and reached his arms around the tree, though in a half-hearted manner. I stepped behind him and seizing his arms, pulled them rather roughly together crossing his wrists. At the same time I pulled out a length of rope and moments later I had tightly bound my prisoner's hands, leaving him virtually no movement at all. He struggled for a moment, ineffectually, and then stood still. Roger was dealt with similarly, being made to stand facing his confederate.
With our prisoners secure we could relax slightly. I searched them quickly, replacing the rope I had used with similar pieces from their own pockets and then we added a further binding to the two boys' elbows, pulling them as tightly as we could behind the trunks of the trees. We stood back and admired our work - they were going no place fast. Finally, I said, "I'm really sorry about this, guys, but we can't risk your attracting attention so I'm afraid we are going to have to gag you!" They can hardly have been surprised but they each protested mildly. This was quickly cut short however as Paul and I thrust a cloth between each boy's teeth and tied it off tightly behind their heads, leaving them cleave gagged. We had decided against stuffing a second cloth in their mouths as was our usual practice since they might have to wait a long time for rescue (I was satisfied they would not regain their freedom without help). I looked at Paul and said, "The odds have just got a whole lot better!" He laughed in response but Roger mmpppfhed behind his gag, looking angrily at us. I was quite clear where we stood if he regained his freedom and we fell into his clutches! No matter, we left them to brood and dream up schemes for our destruction. Conversation was out of the question and they would have precious little else to do for the rest of the afternoon, all being well.
We peered out again from the edge of the trees but all was quiet and Paul made the dash to a well-concealed gully (in reality, no more than a ditch) without drama. A few moments later I was alongside him. From this position of safety we surveyed the route we would need to take. On the hike in the morning I had spotted a long trench running across our path and which now lay maybe fifty yards away. After running to our right for some way it took a sharp turn and then led in our general direction for almost two hundred yards before petering out. Before it did this, it entered an area of dense shrubs and bushes, which would give us excellent cover and take us well on the way. The only difficulty would be getting across to the ditch. The ground was completely open and rocky, covered only in wild thyme and thorny, low growing shrubs. We would simply have to make a run for it and pray we weren't spotted. This time I led the way.
Concealed once more, I held my breath while Paul joined me but now we were jubilant - I could hardly believe our luck had held this far. After one more look around which confirmed that nothing was moving, we set out on all fours, following the trench until it was surrounded on all sides by the covering foliage. Here we relaxed and once more congratulated ourselves...
Richard
UK
Wednesday, January 30th 2002 - 07:28:58 AM
An Autumn Camp - Part 6
Time to move on - we climbed out of the ditch into the nearest bushes but as we did so a silky voice said quietly, "One move and you are both dead! Place your pistols on the ground at your feet then put your hands behind your heads very slowly". It was impossible to tell where the voice was coming from and we looked at each other trying to decide what to do. I detected a gleam of fear in Paul's eyes but it was clear that resistance was useless (we had no target to shoot at in any case). I pulled my pistol from the waistband of my shorts and complied with the mystery voice's instructions. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Paul do the same.
The voice spoke again: "Now step away from the weapons to your left. Don't look round!" We did so and after 3 steps we were ordered to stop. We did so, remaining standing with our heads bowed and hands clasped behind our necks. "Now kneel down, side by side. Keep your hands where they are!" Feeling a little foolish I did as I was instructed and sensed rather than saw Paul do the same. As he squatted beside me, I leant across and whispered, "This is one fine mess you got us into Ollie!" Despite the tension, Paul couldn't help bursting into a fit of giggles but these were silenced by an imperious order not to talk. At the same time I heard a rustle of bushes behind us.
With our hands behind our heads it was impossible to turn and identify our captors but we were not kept in suspense for long - a moment later Andrew and Matthew appeared before us. This was my worst nightmare - the latter was grinning like the cat that got the cream. To say that Matthew was ecstatic would not be paying justice to the situation. He gloated over his brother, reminding him of all he had said the day before. I swear the poor boy was trembling as he knelt beside me although in reality he had a fair idea of what to expect and none of it was really new to him. It was simply that, in the past, Matthew had always been there to "get him off the hook" much earlier than the rest of us could reasonably expect. I came in for some attention too, as Matthew advised me of the wisdom of not getting involved with recidivists like his brother! It was obvious we were about to be tied up, and Matthew would ensure it was carried out with clinical precision. I was certain we would be unable to escape and he would go out of his way to make us as uncomfortable as possible.
The big question was whether we would be left where we were, or marched back to be held at their base. I suspected the latter. I was grateful that our captors could not possibly know of our own prisoners - it would be better to keep it that way - but would they torture us for information on Stuart and James when they discovered we hadn't got our packages?
Andrew was talking again, ordering us down on our stomachs and still refusing to allow us to move our hands. When at last he relented, it was to tell us to assume the familiar position with our hands behind our backs. I crossed my wrists and waited, but a moment later I felt my hands pulled gently but firmly apart and placed palm to palm. No time for thought - my captor pulled some of the rope from my pocket and moments later my hands were well and truly tied behind my back. I guessed they hadn't finished and sure enough a loop of rope was pulled up above my elbows, they were pulled together until they touched behind me, more loops followed and when the knots were finally tied off I lay quite still. Having a gymnast's flexibility it wasn't particularly painful, although uncomfortable but I knew it was futile to struggle - without outside assistance it was just not possible to get free.
I saw Paul receiving the same treatment alongside me. He let out a slight yelp as his arms were drawn behind him but otherwise remained silent and kept still when his bonds were complete. Gags followed but we were not allowed the luxury of a simple cleave gag - loosely folded rags were stuffed firmly into our mouths and then secured with a second cloth forced well back between our teeth. As Matthew was completing tying mine he said to Andrew conversationally, "Strange that we haven't seen or heard Roger and David. They were coming this way so our friends here would have had to pass them".
I remained completely passive but I was shocked to hear Paul utter a faint gasp. His gag had not yet been tied in place or perhaps it would have been stifled but I was sure our captors wouldn't miss it. Sure enough, Matthew whipped round, even as Andrew completed knotting the gag and exclaimed, "Are you two keeping something back?" There was an evil glint in his eye. I was not that easily intimidated and I remained silent and still, making no sign that I might have the least idea what was being hinted at, but we lived in an age of truthfulness. Paul had never lied in his life, certainly not to his family. "Economy with the truth" had yet to be invented. He made no reply but guilt fairly oozed out of every pore while he blushed to the very roots of his hair. We were lost!
Matthew was like a hound on the trail of a fox. "So what little secret would you rather keep from your big brother?" he asked Paul jovially. He might have saved his breath - Paul had recovered himself and made no indication of having understood and in any case, we had been so efficiently gagged that it was impossible for either of us to respond. Nevertheless, I knew that we would not be let off that lightly. Matthew was itching for an opportunity to show Paul what he had given up and I was caught in the crossfire. With a feeling of impending doom, I awaited developments anxiously.
Andrew and Matthew had moved away a few paces leaving us lying bound on the ground and sufficiently far that we could not hear their whispered conversation. When they returned we were hauled to our feet and pushed unceremoniously further into the shrubs. In a few moments we stumbled into a more open patch where a few trees were also growing, mainly young saplings but quite sturdy, tall and straight. Paul was shoved to the ground, face down once more, and ordered not to move - not desperately easy in any case with his elbows tied - and I was dragged towards one of the trees and forced to my knees, my back to the trunk.
A moment later I felt hands grasp my ankles, my feet were pulled backwards until my knees were either side of the small tree, and then, with my ankles crossed behind the trunk, I felt a lashing being applied to them. My trainers and socks were pulled off. Our captors had exchanged no words and the eerie silence was almost menacing. Now I was pushed forward and my arms and wrists were freed. I had no opportunity to struggle as my sweatshirt was pulled off, and naked apart from my shorts my arms were pulled above my head, wrists forced behind the tree, crossed and tied together as carefully as before. I had been tied like this before and knew I was powerless to avoid anything that might be done to me. In normal circumstances I was desperately ticklish - a fact well known to all my mates - but stretched as I was with my back arched like a bow and the bare skin taut on my skinny ribs I felt unbelievably vulnerable.
Our tormentors left me for the moment to deal with my buddy. He had been left lying facing away from me so until he was hauled to his feet he had no notion of how I had been trussed. When he saw me, a look of horror passed across his face and, despite his bound elbows he began to struggle. It was a waste of energy. A few minutes sufficed to see him stripped and trussed to another tree facing me, in exactly the same way. Without taking our gags off Matthew now asked us if we had anything to tell them. I was quite content to play this game to the end - I knew that one or other of us would crack fairly quickly but all the time these boys were toying with us there were fewer people out looking for Stuart and James. I shook my head vigorously. Paul's eyes were full of doubt - the way we were trussed was not very comfortable and it was a whole new experience for him - but after a moment he shook his head gamely.
Without more ado, Matthew launched his first attack. It took me completely by surprise - I had expected him to go for his brother but it was on me! First he ran a finger tip gently down my ribs, tracing a meandering path as far as my belly button before following upwards to my armpits. I was almost hysterical. I squirmed desperately to try to avoid the searching fingers, although in truth our bonds left us precious little room for movement of any sort. His assault lasted only a short time - probably less than two minutes - but at the end I was a wreck. Tears were streaming down my face and I was gasping for breath as I tried to control my giggling.
Turning to Paul, Matthew said, "So what do you think of it so far?" Without another word my friend was subjected to an assault of identical ferocity. When it stopped he was gasping for air while he writhed ineffectually in his bonds. No information had been discovered as we had remained securely gagged throughout but this was a clever ploy on our inquisitor's part. They were well aware we would be more than talkative soon enough. As Paul's gasping lessened I felt hands reach behind me and my mouth was once more free. Matthew did the same for his brother and we knelt there, hot sweaty and relieved to be able to breathe freely again.
Richard
UK
Thursday, January 31st 2002 - 03:42:08 AM
An Autumn Camp - Part 7
Matthew looked at me and asked if I was prepared to tell them what they wanted to know. This was a poser - I wasn't certain what it was they were after. They had surmised that we knew something of their team-mates but without any corroborative evidence. On the other hand, we knew nothing of the whereabouts of Stuart and James and I doubted if they were interested, in any case. Another worrying thought passed through my mind - Matthew (and any of his buddies who happened to be around) was going to be one furious boy when he discovered we did not have our packages. Freedom for us would remain an illusion unless we were taken back to the woods and either Stuart or James managed to penetrate the enemy camp. This looked like being one long afternoon!
I made as if I was giving Matthew's question some serious thought and then, with a wicked grin, shook my head vigorously. I would put my trust in Paul to get us out of this. I must have been mad - Paul took his cue from me and shook his head too. "Oh my god, no!" I thought. "The boy wants to be a martyr!" Without putting our gags back the attack was renewed with as much vigour as before, this time with us suffering simultaneously. When at last the tickling stopped I was wet with perspiration and gasping for breath from laughing. I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn't actually wet myself. I looked at Paul and he was no better off. His head was drooping, his face wet with tears and his hair hung down lank from the sweat. Clearly I would have to end this. Before either of our tormentors could speak I raised my head, begged them to stop and told them what they wanted to know. Paul looked up in shocked surprise - maybe he wasn't as ticklish as me! As soon as I had finished telling them about Roger and David, Andrew and Matthew dashed off to search for them, not even bothering to replace our gags, which left us with a few minutes to discuss our predicament. I tried to stretch to ease my aching arms and legs - it was useless. We had both been tied in such a way that we had no freedom of movement at all. Until our captors deigned to release us we would remain exactly as we were.
I looked at Paul and grinned - he was obviously attempting to do exactly the same and having the same amount of success. After a moment he spoke and said, "Our situation is going to be a whole lot worse when they find Andrew and Roger". Never was a truer word spoken - Roger certainly wasn't going to welcome us as long lost cousins after leaving him tied to a tree. With Matthew already on the warpath, we were in for a bad time! After asking him if he was all right and being assured that apart from his aching arms and legs he was fine, I asked Paul, "Why did you hold out so long?" He grinned, looked a little sheepish and replied, "I think I forgot to tell you, but I am not nearly as ticklish as you! Even so, that last attack really got me going. If you hadn't given in I couldn't have faced another session". I looked at the boy again and understood rather better than perhaps he had intended what he meant - with only a thin pair of cotton shorts on and arched backwards to his stake the bulge was obvious for all to see. I grinned inwardly but couldn't embarrass him by drawing attention to it. Instead I said, "As for me, a few moments longer and I would have wet myself! I think they will take us back to their base rather than leave us here" - Paul tried to stretch again to bring some relief to his limbs - "But you realise we are really for it when they find out we haven't got our packages?" Paul looked shocked, "Do you know, I had completely forgotten about them. Well, Matthew intends to make me suffer as much as possible for my rejecting him and there is nothing I can do about it now. I suggest we do all we can to keep these four occupied, which will give Stuart and James a better chance. If we are taken back to the woods and Stuart and James make it that far, they may even get an opportunity to set us free. In any case, all the time this lot have to look after us, there are only four of them out there to catch our mates and no one is better at moving over rough country secretly than those two!" All he said was true but further discussion was out of the question as we heard movements in the bushes and Andrew and Matthew reappeared, closely followed by our two erstwhile prisoners.
Roger and David congratulated our captors on the way they had trussed us up and then - horror of horrors - proceeded to search us. It didn't take long. Dressed only in our shorts they had minimal pockets to examine and in a moment realised we did not have the all-important packages (remember, they would need 75% of the contraband as well as several bodies to win!). It was clear that, if we had thought they were mad before we had seen nothing.
We listened to a short discussion, the result of which was that it was decided to take us back to the woods. Matthew and Andrew had clearly had some discussion on this topic before rescuing their buddies and the former made it clear that his brother had not yet paid his penance. He looked at Paul with a sickly grin and said, "We can't have you exhausting yourself so we are going to carry you." Paul looked a little blank but I felt myself shiver involuntarily - I had a premonition of what was to follow.
Sure enough, Andrew began to explain how I had been carried slung to a pole by my bound hands and feet, following my capture by my own brother during our last game in the summer (of the present company, Andrew was the only one present apart from the reluctant victim - me - and I wasn't given a say in the matter). Paul looked mystified by the explanation while I thought to myself, "You really don't want to find out about this!" Our mouths were still free but Paul made no comment. Instead, he glared truculently at his brother and I found myself thinking, not for the first time, "Boy, you really do know how to wind someone up. I guess you do deserve what's coming!" I shrugged my shoulders - no that's a lie; I would have liked to shrug my shoulders but given the way we were bound that was impossible - if Paul was determined upon self destruction the least I could do was bear it manfully without complaining, because it was quite clear I would be sharing his fate.
Matthew disappeared in the direction whence we had first been apprehended. When he returned he was carrying two small back packs and two staves (six-foot long ash poles about 1½ inches in diameter). The thought went through my mind that these lads were ready for any eventuality.
I now watched as the four boys set about freeing Paul's hands and saw him briefly stretch luxuriously. Alas, he wasn't given long to enjoy his freedom as David stepped forward and deftly bound his wrists in front of him, palm to palm. This done his ankles were freed briefly, he was dragged away from the tree, stretched out on the ground face down, his arms above his head, his ankles were retied and finally a rope was tied between his wrists and ankles, pulling the former behind his head and the latter well up behind his butt, and rolled over onto his side. Paul's eyes were blank - he still had no notion of what was about to happen.
Now it was my turn. My hands were untied and like Paul before me, I revelled in the brief moment of freedom, as my muscles were able to relax. Again, the moment was all too short, but to my surprise I was pushed forward and my hands were retied behind my back before my ankles were freed from the tree. Without any assistance from the others I sank forward thankfully, bending my knees as I lay full stretch on the ground and let out a deep sigh. At the same time, I was puzzled by my treatment and looked up into Matthew's grinning face. He must have understood my enquiring look because he said, "No need to carry you, Richard. You can walk!"
My mind raced. I was only too well aware of what Paul was about to experience (thankfully, he was still blissfully unaware). That I was being let off meant one of two things. First, that our captors were still anxious for me after my recent experiences or second, that by making me walk one of them would be released to join the search for our chums. It would take four to carry us both. For The benefit of Stuart and James, if for no other reason I couldn't let these guys get away with this. Furthermore, Paul had brought much of this down on his own head but we had all told him earlier we were in this together and I wasn't going to let him suffer on his own now. Finally, if the truth were known, I was fed up with being treated like an invalid too. I glared at Matthew and said, "If you think I am walking back with you, you can forget it" (Thank heaven our mouths were still free!).
Poor Matthew was completely devastated by my unexpected response. He almost whined, "but you've got to!" but this was met with a vigorous shaking of my head. Finally, he accepted the inevitable and told his colleagues to bind my ankles and then retie me as Paul was already. I let out a sigh and relaxed as the other boys reworked my bonds, all the while thinking "Well you can hardly blame Paul for the mess you're in now!"
Matthew had just one last card to play. He approached his younger brother, trussed on the floor, crouched down and said, "We don't need to do this, littl'un. You only have to apologise, you know". He could hardly have made a worse attempt at reconciliation. Paul raised his head and almost spat out the words, "Apologise to you? You must be out of your tree. I have nothing to apologise for!" Matthew turned away nonplussed - he had backed himself into a corner with his silly argument, although I still suspected his motives were not entirely altruistic but aimed at getting an extra team member back in the field. Paul on the other hand was clearly so headstrong that nothing would make him climb down - he was determined to accept anything that was done to him without a murmur.
Richard
UK