Chapter 12

At the morning formation, on the Monday following the rifle range, Corporal Gibson stood in front of us. “Trainees, now you begin the final phase of your training. This won’t be training, more of a test. We are about to find out if all the time and effort we have spent trying to keep you alive has been worthwhile.

“Each of you has been taught how to survive in the wild. This test will show if you were listening. You will carry the standard kit for a regular army infantryman in the field. Tomorrow morning you will be taken to a location in the wilderness. You will then be given a mission. You will have ten days to complete that mission and return to the Hacienda. During those ten days, you will be on your own. There will be no resupply, and you will have to depend upon your training and wits. How well you do is up to you and your mates.”

Turning to Corporal Macintyre, he said, “Take over, Corporal.”

Corporal Macintyre popped to attention and said, “Yes, Corporal Gibson” Corporal Gibson then turned and walked off towards the headquarters building.

Turning to us, Macintyre had an evil gleam in his eyes. “Alright, listen up. I’ll only say this once. DO NOT think that I care if you like or dislike this mission. I didn’t make the plans, and I can’t change them. And don’t think for one rosy red minute you can run to Gibson or the Captain to change it. They will not take kindly to you interfering with all their hard work coming up with these plans. Now fall out and start getting ready. 3 AM comes mighty early.”

For the rest of the day, we went over our equipment and made sure it was in good working order. We were also taken over to supply and drew additional gear. Rations, a spare canteen, things like that. At our evening meal we were treated to a fine meal of beef and beans. We still had to stand a guard, but it was a short schedule, and at 2:30, Corporal Macintyre came through and had the guards wake everybody up. He gave us 30 minutes to get ready.

At 3 AM, precisely, several wagons rolled up. We climbed into the wagons, and then the covers were drawn. “No peeking now,” The driver warned. “It’s probably best that you try to get some shut eye. We’ll be on the trail for a couple of hours.”

Try as I might, falling asleep while riding in a bouncing wagon wasn’t easy. Some of the others also had a hard time getting any sleep. It could have been the wagon or the anticipation of the coming events. We spent a good part of the morning talking. But gradually, the talk died down.

I was honestly startled when the wagon lurched to a stop, and the driver called out. “All right, everybody up and at em.” It seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere when we got out. Besides the cactus and sagebrush, there was nothing there. In the distance, there was a rock outcropping.

Waiting for us were Corporal Macintyre and the others. “OK, Trainees, I’ve got your mission orders here. Who’s the leader?”

We had decided that Hans would be our team leader. He was the best we had at planning things out. “I’m who you’re looking for, Corporal.” He said as he stepped forward.

“Great, here ya go, Shelton.” He handed an envelope over to Hans. Macintyre and the others mounted up and followed the wagon as it rolled away.

Hans opened the envelope and read the contents. When he was done, he handed the letter to Judith and then spoke to the rest of us. “Well, guys, it looks like that rock outcropping is our first destination. We are supposed to set up a camp there and practice our survival skills for the next three days. Then we start a forced march back to the Hacienda. According to the mission plan, we’ve got a 30-mile hike ahead of us.”

He looked over to Judith. “How about it. Any ideas on how to start?”

Judith pondered for a moment, then looking at the rock outcropping, she said, “That looks like a good place to set up camp. It’s a good defensive position, and we could set up some shade. I figure it’s going to get pretty hot before evening.”

For the next couple of hours, we learned a lesson about distances in the desert. That outcropping was not a mile or two away as we had thought. It was more like 10 or 15 miles. So, when we got there, we were definitely beat.

As soon as we arrived, Hans and Judith checked out the rocks. They found a small stream that was trickling a little water. Not a lot, but it was good water. We also found signs of small game. It looked like a pretty good place to fort up for a couple of days.

That evening just before sundown, we built a small fire, and Bart cooked up a communal meal. It was one of the better field stews I’d eaten. As the sun set, we were in a good mood, and life without screaming Corporals was good.

The following day Hans and Judith had their heads together discussing what was next on our schedule when Anne called out, “Hey, we’ve got company.” We had put Anne on the highest rock. She had the best eyes in the group and was our natural lookout.