Chapter 58

"This is what hell must be like."

Max agreed with Ronnie's observation.

"It's hot, the food is terrible and I'm bored. Well, bored or running around with a bloody pack on my back. What we need is a bit of adventure. Let's go out exploring tomorrow instead of sitting around all day again." Max had a cheeky grin as he made the suggestion.

They were close to the rain forest with the other 5,000 troops who had been shipped in ready to tackle the group who had claimed the oil field. They were privates in the OWG army and had been plucked from their base in the old Germany where they guarded the government building. It was not permitted to leave the camp without authorisation from a senior officer. It would not be a proper adventure if they had permission, Max said.

They stuffed bread and cheese into their packs at breakfast and filled their canteens with water. Clutching a compass, machetes and their usual arms, guns and knives, they headed out by taking a route behind the latrines. No one would be there unless they had to and they would not be concerned with a couple of passing soldiers.

"Where are we going?" Ronnie asked.

"To the jungle." Max replied.

Ronnie was thinking that it was a bad idea after half an hour. Where Max led he would follow. It was often a bad idea, but he did it anyway. He had got into a number of scrapes, but it was never dull with Max around. He was sweating as he slashed at the ferns and creeper. He wasn't examining the beauty of the flora and fauna he was only wondering when they were going to stop for a breather.

"Have you got a map or anything?" Ronnie enquired.

"I had a look at the big map in the Captain's tent. There's a river in this direction. I thought we could go there, have a look, eat our sandwiches and then head back. It's a mini adventure."

"I hope it's not too far."

Another half hour had passed. Max was blazing the trail hacking the greenery and whistling as he went. He stopped occasionally, took a swig from his canteen and then carried on. He glanced back over his shoulder every now and then to check that Ronnie was still with him. His encouraging smile was not well received.

They saw birds and heard small animals scampering about them. Flashes of red and blue were provided by the macaws. Ronnie and Max had actually stopped to look around them rather than trudge doggedly towards where they thought the river was.

"Look at that." Ronnie whispered as they watched the blue coloured macaw watching them.

The pause and the sights around them signalled a change of attitude. The rainforest was fascinating. They began to really look at the plants and then they noticed the insects. Ants, spiders and beetles were everywhere. The word "look" rang out as they pointed out the weird and wonderful creatures to each other.

A bright green shade stood out amongst the duller green foliage.

"It's a bloody snake." Ronnie was taking a step back. The shade was spectacular but he didn't want to be within striking range of it. Max moved alongside him and peered at the reptile.

"You'd think that the animals would want to be dark, but everything is really bright. Or really big." Max said as he spotted a huge beetle.

They edged away from the snake to take a closer look at the, reddish brown beetle which was nearly 6 inches long. Max broke off a twig and poked the beetle with it. The insect barely moved.

"He's a hard bastard." Ronnie noted.

The soldiers moved on more slowly now. Their heads were turning this way and that as they heard a noise or something caught their eye. Even the plants provoked comments from the pair. Peering closely at some flowers Max saw something else. He moved back cautiously before beckoning Ronnie to him.

"Can you see that spider? It's the size of a saucer."

Ronnie shuddered. "I'm not mad for little spiders let alone that great big thing."

As Max prepared to jab it with the stick Ronnie made a rapid retreat. Ronnie had been going along with his mate's expedition, but the sight of the hairy spider had unnerved him. He was heading back in the direction from where they had come. Max gave up trying to prod the insect and called to his friend.

"Ronnie."

He was about to tell his pal to man up and carry on. He could hear running water so they must be near their destination. At that moment he saw a massive khaki coloured snake. His eyes met those of the anaconda and both of them paused.

"Wait for me mate. We might as well head back, eh. If we set a good pace we'll be in time for lunch."

It had been good fun up to that point, but a giant staring snake. Fuck that.

The conditions in South America were worse than unpleasant. The heat and the bugs were making the soldiers lives miserable and morale was low. The generals were billeted miles from the regular troops. They enjoyed prefab buildings with all the amenities whilst the men dug latrines and roughed it.

The army top brass had not had to actually direct any type of battle. They were mostly dealing with logistics and small skirmishes which were easy to cope with. There was no fear that their force would be defeated. They had huge numbers on their side. It was definitely a case of too many chiefs as they debated tactics, but never came to a conclusion.

The OWG had waited for news from the front, but thus far nothing of any consequence had been reported.

"Are they having a vacation down there? Sitting in the sun and sipping gin and tonic." Nicholas Salter was losing patience with his army. "Tell them to get on with it."

The request was backed up with threats about their positions.

The inability to formulate any sort of plan had meant that the troops had succumbed to a number of ailments whilst they waited for action. Most of the problems had been caused by insect bites with malaria being one of the diseases that the soldiers were suffering from. Cases of diarrhoea from the unsanitary conditions had laid many men low too.

There was still a sizeable army ready to be deployed, but most of them were thoroughly fed up of being in Venezuela. They wanted to attack, beat the opposition and then get back home. The appearance of The Military Times was unexpected. The soldiers scanned the usual propaganda pieces and found that there were other items which they could really enjoy.

The messages from loved ones were very popular. News of births and marriages, birthday wishes and simple greetings were pored over when the paper arrived. Super Sergeant was an instant hit and a number of soldiers made their own headbands like the one which he wore. It wasn't regulation uniform but the officers let it go. It brought a welcome levity and positivity to the camps.

The generals were galvanised into action at the thought of losing their luxurious lifestyles. Scouts were sent to the area and details of the rudimentary defences of the rebels were reported back. They had some weapons and about 500 men. The guns and grenades of the OWG army would make short work of them.

There was an attempt at a design for the assault. In reality it was little more than sending large numbers in from all sides and slaughtering anyone who got in their way. There were heavy casualties on the rebel side. They stood no chance and even a number of those who tried to surrender were killed.

The army suffered deaths and injuries too. Very few of these were the result of enemy action. Friendly fire in the chaos of the attack accounted for the vast majority of the damage. The bullet holes were testimony to what had happened. Reports of this were not included in the despatches sent back to the OWG.

The generals were not going to admit that they had made mistakes. They sent memos saying that more of the rebels had been armed than they had anticipated. This was the reason for the fatalities and wounded. They had learned valuable lessons about what not to do in an attack. It had come too late for a number of soldiers.

It was reported as a glorious victory for the OWG and their army. The valuable oil had been secured for the people of the world. The rebels, who had tried to keep this resource for themselves, had been defeated and punished for their heinous acts. The summary execution of the ringleaders was not described. The government were trying to maintain the higher ground and that would make them appear barbaric. The generals had revelled in the shooting of the rebels, who had been lined up against a wall.