Chapter 19

Blair was still in shock at the turn of events.

His men had been hiding and fighting the Japanese for nearly six months. No one had ever surprised them like tonight. His people were at least happy that it was fellow Aussies and Allies that did it.

Jacky’s people got their own stools, a cuppa and introductions were made as the men sized each other up. A little mutual respect went a long way to making new friends.

After a little while and a general catchup of news from back home, Jacky said, “Since we are about an hour’s walk from your camp, you can bed down here for the rest of the night.”

“We can worry about shifting supplies to your camp first. Then getting the wounded back here tomorrow or the next day once we are happy, they are stable enough to shift.”

Blair looked at Jacky, Major James and then Captain Bisset. He was starting to get the idea that the little Corporal was more than he seemed. He had seen officers take on a lower rank to hide themselves, but the man seemed barely old enough to even be in the Army, let alone a ranking officer.

Even so, Blair was well aware that this squad all deferred to Jacky.

Blair’s men took the new blankets that were offered and the opportunity to crash around the fire for a couple of hours.

The new men awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs frying. They soon found three foldout tables were now set up with stools, and brand new white enamelled pannikins and plates with real cutlery were set at each place setting.

A fourth table had trays on it filled with all manner of delicacies - fried bacon, onions, mushrooms, pork bangers (sausages), fried tomatoes and lamb cutlets. There was a pile of fresh bread rolls, jars of honey, Peanut Paste and Vegemite, and pats of butter. Bottles of milk and jugs of orange juice accompanied the billies of tea and coffee.

As far as the commandos were concerned, it was a veritable feast in the forest, and they were more than happy to eat and drink their fill.

They were starting to clean up after their feast when Jacky hissed, “Shush.”

The men all went still. Then they heard a truck stop on the other side of the clearing. In Japanese, a voice said, “Where are they?”

A man answered in stilted Japanese, “I do not know. They must have disappeared along here. They didn’t make it to the next village.”

“Fan out and search,” the commanding voice snapped.

Blair watched as Jacky signalled her people. They quietly disappeared into the bush. He was shocked when he realised that they didn’t grab their rifles. He also realised they had not been holding them when they appeared in the clearing the night before.

Jacky came over to him and whispered, “Keep your men in this clearing. Do not, I repeat, do not leave it. If they do, they may not find it again. Also, do not shoot anyone who does enter here even if they look Japanese.”

“My men will call out a ‘cooee’. If the person who enters here doesn’t, and they shoot at you, you may retaliate. Keep the Major safe. He is not as well as he seems. Hopefully, I will be able to explain it all later. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” Captain Black said, bitting back the ‘sir’ he had felt he should say.

“Fan them out around the lorries. They will be safest there. If we don’t come back in an hour, whatever is here is yours to take. We have several crates that are filled with medical supplies for you. We will find you in that case. I wish you well.”

Jacky then hurried over to his pack and took something from it. He, and David, who had waited for him, disappeared into the jungle. Blair waited a few moments and then directed his men to get under the lorries.

Major James was also smart enough to join them. He has heard what Jacky had said to the Captain and wondered how Jacky knew that he was sick. With Jacky, one just never knew what the man knew.

It was a tense hour for the commandos. They heard lots of noises as if people were thrashing around in the bush and at least one terrifying scream. Just as the hour was nearly up, they heard the truck on the road start-up.

They listened as it drove away, but it went towards Dili and not Same.

Blair had his men stay put for another five minutes until they could no longer hear the truck.

He and his men started as they heard a ‘cooee’, then another and then quite a few more as Jacky’s team wandered back into the clearing as if they had just gone for a piss.