The Cadet Corporal (22 page)

“Yes sir,” Graham replied. ‘Eight Section,' he thought. ‘Poor old Harriet Harris.' Then he was ashamed of himself for thinking that it would help his chances of promotion if she had blotted her copybook.

The section was stood down and Andrews grumbled some more about being woken up. It was so close to midnight that Graham told Halyday to stay awake as it was his turn on duty next. He then sat with them till his time was up before thankfully making his way back to his pack. Even then he did not feel tired and really wanted more action. From past experience he knew that he could go for several nights without sleep and be still able to function efficiently so he was not worried about becoming too tired as he lay on his unrolled bedding staring at the stars.

What he did worry about was Kirsty and his own lack of self-control. The sound of another train crossing the rail bridge diverted these thoughts for a few minutes but then he went back to brooding. To his annoyance the thoughts of Kirsty got him aroused and he found himself hungering for more physical contact with her.

Eventually he dozed off, still thinking about Kirsty. Then he dreamed about her, waking up to the sound of her voice. For a minute he lay wondering where he was, staring up at the stars. It was still dark and he realized that Kirsty must be on sentry and that she was talking to the other sentry. A moment's listening told him it was Lucy.

Grumbling to himself he walked down to the sentry post. The girls heard him coming and stopped talking. He saw the pale blurs of their faces as they turned to look at him.

“Stop talking or the enemy will find us,” he hissed. ‘And I will get a bad report from CUO Masters,' he thought.

Feeling groggy and grumpy he made his way back to his bedroll and lay down. But then he could not go back to sleep. Feeling annoyed and frustrated he lay and fretted over his chances of being promoted to sergeant.

Movement and murmuring down at the sentry post again attracted his attention but he saw it was only the change of sentry. Two of the three settled down but the third person began making their way up towards him. Graham looked up. It was Kirsty. She knelt down beside him, then stretched out to snuggle up against him.

“Kirsty! You can't sleep here,” he hissed.

“But I will be the only girl over where I sleep because both Lucy and Di are on sentry,” she whispered back.

“But we will get into trouble,” he said, twisting to look around towards platoon HQ.

“Oh please! I am scared on my own,” she murmured, putting her arm across him and brushing her hair on his cheek. “Just for a few minutes.”

“No,” Graham replied.

“Oh please!” she responded, snuggling up to him and holding him tight.

As she did Graham was torn. “Stop that and go back to your bed,” he hissed desperately, knowing he was half defeated. But she didn't stop. That raised Graham's anxieties another notch. “Lucy and Di are just down there. They know you are here,” he whispered, trying to get her to stop and to obey.

“They won't tell,” Kirsty said.

“Yes they will. They will gossip to all their friends, and then the whole bloody company will know,” Graham replied peevishly. He felt deeply anxious but also feeling impotent. ‘How can I get her to obey?' he wondered.

To increase the pressure Kirsty leaned on him and began kissing him. Torn between fear and desire Graham kissed her in return. As he did he saw that a person was walking towards them from the sentry post. But Kirsty had not noticed and was still cuddling him. “Kirsty!” he croaked in panic.

CHAPTER 22

UNDER THE OC'S EYE

The moment Graham noticed the person walking towards them from the sentry post he experienced a panicky mixture of sensations. Fear was uppermost. He whipped his arms from around Kirsty, at the same time pushing her hands away. Then he rolled on his side to try to pretend he and Kirsty had not been doing anything. In the starlight he recognized the person as Lucy. Kirsty realised something was wrong and thankfully moved the other way into a sitting position. By then Lucy was only ten paces away.

“Hey Cpl Kirk, there are people moving down the ridge,” Lucy called quietly.

Graham grunted, too caught up by emotions of shame and fear to speak clearly. His body shuddered again as the passion left him. He moved into a sitting position.

“Thanks,” he managed to croak. He rolled onto his knees and grabbed his webbing, then stood up, swinging it on. Kirsty stood up as well and also picked up her webbing. Graham noted a significant exchange of glances between Kirsty and Lucy and that caused another surge of scorching shame to flood through him.

‘Did she see what we were doing?' he wondered fearfully. However he did not dare ask or even hint, so he set off down to the sentry post, buckling his webbing on as he did. When he got there he knelt down to whisper to Dianne. Lucy and Kirsty followed him down and also crouched.

“There,” Dianne whispered in reply, pointing down the ridge.

Graham stared in the darkness then remembered his training. With a conscious effort of willpower he looked away from the area and tried to use his peripheral vision. It sort of worked and he detected a flicker among the shadows. Then he saw them clearly; three dark figures. A glance at his watch told him it was not a friendly patrol. They were all supposed to be home by this.

“Wake the boys,” he hissed to Kirsty and Lucy, pointing each way. “I will tell CUO Masters.”

As quickly and quietly as he could Graham set off back up the gentle slope. By then his heart had slowed down but he still had a dry throat and was sweating with anxiety. ‘Oh bloody hell! I hope Lucy doesn't say anything,' he thought He cursed himself for being a weakling and a bloody fool for not being able to resist Kirsty.

CUO Masters was awake in seconds. Sgt Grenfell also stirred and both got up. As they tugged on webbing and hats Graham whispered his news. CUO Masters turned to Sgt Grenfell, “You wake the other two section commanders and have them stand-to. I will check, then wake the OC.”

Graham led CUO Masters back down to his sentry post. When he got there he found all three girls seated with Andrews and Halyday. “Back to your packs,” he hissed.

“There are six of them,” Dianne replied, pointing down the ridge to the right. Graham strained his eyes and noted dark shapes flitting from rock to rock or from tree to tree. The Heatley patrol had come up out of the reentrant and was angling across the ridge towards the top of the bluffs along the river.

CUO Masters looked then whispered, “Well done. Just lie still and don't open fire without my orders. I'm going to tell the OC.” He turned and ghosted back up the slope towards Coy HQ.

Graham moved with the girls and made sure they were lying down before hurrying on to check Roger and Pat. They were both awake and watching. After repeating the platoon commander's instructions Graham lay down beside them. He was fairly sure that the enemy had seen all the movement. ‘If we can see them they must have been able to see us,' he reasoned.

By then his heart was beating rapidly and he had all but forgotten his close shave a few minutes earlier. Now he lay tense and quivering with excitement. The Heatley patrol came slowly up the slope, sometimes crawling, sometimes walking slowly. For several minutes at a time they would stop. To right and left Graham heard noises as cadets were roused and a few of the whispered exchanges were loud and angry enough for the enemy to hear.

There was evident confusion on his left and he could hear Cpl Rankine trying to get Magda and Erika out of their sleeping bags. The enemy must also have noted the noise as they began moving at a fast walk up across the slope towards 1 Platoon. Graham tensed and hoped none of his cadets would fire as the enemy drew closer: 75 metres, 65, 50. It was obvious that the clash must come at any second. It would be just in front of Graham and the next section. Then he heard noises behind him and risked a glance over his shoulder.

Three large, shaggy, black shapes flitted across the crest to the edge of the bluff and out of sight. Just as they did Cadet Grey, a cheeky little Year 8 in 1 Section, called out, “Halt! Hands up!”

At that the Heatley patrol ‘opened fire' with much shouting. In response all of Rankine's section began yelling. To Graham's intense annoyance he heard Halyday and Andrews join in from over to his right.

“Stop firing Four Section!” he called angrily.

Dianne had also just started yelling ‘bang! bang!' but she now stopped. It took another shout from Graham to stop Andrews. ‘Bloody drongo!' Graham thought angrily.

The Heatley patrol changed direction and began working its way directly up the ridge but they were clearly visible as there was little cover. As the nearest enemy reached a position only about 25 metres away Graham wondered if he was going to have to order his section to open fire on his own initiative.

As two Heatley cadets scuttled even closer, now angling towards 2 Platoon's centre Graham was relieved to hear CUO Masters call, “Open fire Four Section.”

“Four Section, fire!” Graham screamed. He was further annoyed to hear that Andrews and Halyday hadn't waited for his order. They all began shouting and that stopped the Heatley patrol. They went to ground and yelled back.

Suddenly the right hand Heatley cadet sprang up and bolted back across the ridge. “Hutchie Men! Hutchie Men!” he screamed in a panicky voice.

Out of the dead ground on the top of the bluff about 50 metres down the slope emerged the Hutchie Men. In the starlight they appeared as huge shaggy monsters and their shouts of “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” echoed along the river valley and across to Sandy Ridge. The three Hutchie Men charged the Heatley patrol. They sprang to their feet and fled.

As they ran the Heatley cadets yelled in fear, “Hutchie Men! Hutchie Men!”

Graham counted eight in the Heatley patrol and their panicked flight before three Hutchie Men looked so funny to him that he started to laugh. Others joined in and soon a barrage of jeers and mocking laughter pursued the enemy patrol down the slope. One of the Heatley cadets was too slow and was caught by a Hutchie Man. The unfortunate captive uttered a terror-stricken shriek which caused renewed laughter from the defenders. A second Heatley cadet tripped on the rocks and cried out in pain.

Capt Conkey's voice now bellowed out above the uproar, “Hutchie Men! Stop there! Stop there!” He came hurrying past, ordering the platoon commanders to silence their troops as he did. It took some effort to stop the chattering and laughter. Because Andrews kept snickering and talking Graham got up and hurried along, arriving at his position at the same time as Sgt Grenfell.

Relative silence settled. Graham crouched beside Halyday and Andrews and listened. Voices indicated that Capt Conkey was talking and a few minutes later the murmur of voices receded down the hill. A shaggy figure came walking back towards them and Graham challenged him. It was Ziggy.

In answer to Graham's query Ziggy explained, “One of them has sprained his ankle. I have to get the CP to radio Heatley and get them to send a vehicle to get him.” He hurried on past up to Coy HQ.

“Can we go back to bed now?” whined Andrews.

Graham checked his watch. It was 0330 and he was rostered back on sentry at 0400. “No,” he said. “We wait till the platoon commander orders it.”

Andrews grumbled and muttered under his breath but Graham ignored him. He had really enjoyed the little battle but now anxiety about Kirsty was seeping back in, along with the early morning chill.

A few minutes later Sgt Grenfell came along with the order to stand down. Graham walked along and organized this. Lucy and Dianne were still rostered on duty so he paused and said well done to them. They made their way back to the sentry post. Kirsty gave him a look but then lay down on her own bedding.

“Thanks,” he whispered before moving quickly on.

She made a face in reply but he could not tell what she meant by it. That increased his anxiety and he went back to his own bedding and sat with it wrapped around him while he brooded over the events of the night.

While he sat there he heard a vehicle start up on Sandy Ridge. It drove down along the road past the shed to the causeway across the Canning. A few minutes later it went back the same way. Five minutes after that the noise of boots on rocks indicated people coming up the ridge. Just in case, Graham moved down to the sentry post. It was Capt Conkey and the other two Hutchie Men.

As Porno went past Graham asked, “What happened to your prisoner?”

“Captain he make me let him go. Spoil sport I tink,” Porno replied with an evil grin.

By then it was almost 0400 so Graham told Lucy to go to bed. As she walked over to where her bedding was Graham experienced another bout of anxiety over what she might have seen and what she might say. He knew he was thoroughly ashamed of himself for giving in to Kirsty. But, to his disgust, he also knew he had a driving urge to be with her (or with any girl, the truth be known!).

The next hour crawled slowly by. The bright sickle of a new moon rose above the trees to the east, making it quite hard to see down the ridge but all remained silent. Just once a dog barked and some animal went grunting among the bushes down in the river bed. Dianne said nothing and Graham did not want to talk to her anyway. Instead he worried whether Lucy had told her about him and Kirsty. It became cooler but still not cold enough to really need a pullover or jacket. At about 0500 a gentle breeze began, blowing from the South.

It was time for the sentries to change so Dianne went and woke Roger then went to bed. Roger joined Graham and sat down and rubbed his eyes, then had a drink from his waterbottle. The two friends sat in silence. Shame again scourged Graham as he thought of how he had let down his own friend, and his section. ‘I must stop misbehaving,' he vowed.

The new moon rose above the far ridge and a faint streak of lightness appeared below it. That told Graham that dawn was not far off. A check of his watch told him they were to start getting ready to ‘stand-to' in five minutes.

It took twenty minutes of cajoling and persuading to get the section awake and packed up. Andrews was his usual self but, to Graham's dismay, Kirsty was also surly and unco-operative.

“What's wrong?” he asked anxiously.

“I'm just tired, that's all,” she replied shortly.

Not at all re-assured Graham moved on, his stomach churning with foreboding.

Even so 4 Section was the first ready. CUO Masters came along and checked they were all packed and had their webbing on. Satisfied he said, “Good,” and moved along to Gwen's Section, where voices and muttering could still be heard.

As he did a distant uproar of voices over on Sandy Ridge shattered the dawn calm. For an instant there was alarm, followed by grins. “Four Platoon attacking Heatley,” Graham explained. For many kilometres around the cockatoos and kookaburras broke into alarmed shrieking and squawking and many flew off.

The battle was a source of satisfaction but also a warning and Sgt Grenfell came along telling them to stay alert, just in case. The distant ‘battle' died down and silence settled again. The birds changed to their normal dawn chorus. The breeze increased until it could almost be described as a cold wind. Capt Conkey, CSM Cleland and CUO Masters came along checking every section was ready. Seeing the OC caused Graham severe twinges of guilt. Once again he vowed to try to behave.

Daylight crept over them, the grey giving place to colours. The word went around to ‘stand down'. That meant the exercise was over and they could relax without sentries. Having issued the order to stand down and eat Graham hurried down the ridge to ease his straining bladder. Having found a convenient clump of bushes and rocks a hundred metres down he proceeded to pee, only to discover to his horror that a whole line of cadets was filing into view from down near the road.

Unable to stop Graham could only turn his back and finish as quickly as he could. Burning with embarrassment he then hurried back up the slope ahead of the cadets, who he recognized as 4 Platoon. They trudged into the company area through Graham's section and he again experienced a sharp stab of jealousy to see their ‘veteran's' swagger. They were all camouflaged and had their packs and webbing and really did look the part.

As they trudged past him both Pigsy and Waters gave Graham sneering looks but they were too tired to cause any mischief. HQ Platoon followed them and Graham gave Peter a cheerful ‘g'day' as he passed. Peter smiled and said that it had been great fun. Following behind Peter, bowed down under his pack and an army radio, was Carnes. The sight of his miserable face made Graham wonder how he had got on. ‘I must ask Pete,' he thought.

But he didn't get time. The usual morning routines claimed him. A work party of half the section was called for by Sgt Grenfell and went off over to the vehicles, returning with two Combat Ration Packs (One man 24 hour) for each person. Andrews and Halyday lugged a jerry can of water back as well. The section settled to eating, washing and filling water bottles. Graham shaved and polished his boots, then badgered the others to do likewise.

That gave him a few twinges as he did not want to annoy Kirsty, for fear she might complain or say something. The old army saying for leaders to be, ‘fair, firm, friendly, but not familiar' kept flitting through his head. ‘Serves me bloody right!' Graham thought bitterly.

In spite of his misery Graham pretended to be happy and kept hoping he could somehow retrieve the situation. A few glances by Lucy and Dianne which might mean they were discussing him added to his discomfort. Feelings for despair, guilt and anger, became so strong he had to walk away down the ridge for a while. He used the time to do his morning crap, this time ensuring he wasn't going to be surprised in the middle of it. As he relieved himself he again noted that there wasn't a cloud in the sky. By the time he finished the sun was above the trees and shining full in his face.