Enemy in Sight! by Alexander Kent

Author:Alexander Kent [Kent, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: cookie429, Kat, Extratorrents
ISBN: 9781590132739
Publisher: McBooks Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

11 DAWN ATTACK

THROUGHOUT the following day the nightmare passage across the swamp continued with the sun always there to add to the slow torture. Poling from the boats, or wading through shallows to pull them bodily from the clinging mud, it now made little difference to anyone. They had lost count of time, or the number of occa- sions they had left or re-entered the boats, and their bodies and torn clothes were thick with filth, their faces cracked from fatigue and strain.

They had now found a more open stretch of swamp where there was no apparent current at all to break the surface. It was covered in a thick layer of green slime, while the rushes were in separate, isolated clumps, like strange creatures from another planet.

In the late afternoon, when it had become necessary to tow the boats across a half-submerged island of soft sand, one of the men had let go the line and had fallen thrashing and screaming, and because of the mud and slime on his body it was difficult at first to see what had happened. While the others had clustered apprehensively around the boat Bolitho and Allday had hoisted the writhing man aboard, and using a shirt dipped in fresh water Bolitho had cleaned away some of the mud from around a small droplet of blood deep in the man’s groin. He must have trodden on some sort of snake, for the bright punctures were easy to see. While Allday had stayed with the seaman Bolitho had ordered the rest back to the towing lines, knowing that the snake’s poison was already beyond cure, and to let his men stand by and watch their companion’s wretched end would do nothing but harm.

As they had struggled on through the swamp they had been followed by the man’s awful cries, and once when Bolitho had glanced across his shoulder he had seen the other seamen watch- ing him, their eyes red-rimmed through the filth on their stubbled faces, their expressions filled with more hatred than pity.

Mercifully the poison took little more than an hour to com- plete its work, and the lifeless body had been pushed clear of the boat, a grim warning to the others who were following close behind.

Most of the men could no longer face their rations of beef and hard biscuit, and lived rather than waited for the meagre issue of water from the barricoes. Bolitho had watched them during the brief rests, conscious of their jerky movements and dull-eyed faces. Of the way they watched each pannikin of water, with expressions more of animals than men.

Yet in spite of everything they had managed to keep moving. Bolitho knew their forbearance had changed to hatred towards him, that it only needed some small spark to turn the mission into a bloody mutiny.

During the night he let all the men sleep, taking turns to keep watch with Allday and Shambler alone. But in the second boat the vigilance was not enough. Or perhaps Lieutenant Lang had misjudged his own ability to control his men.

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