Into Vietnam by Shaun Clarke

Author:Shaun Clarke
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008155438
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2015-10-20T09:17:59.568000+00:00

9

The first hundred yards or so were relatively easy, with the ground firm underfoot, the temperature lower because of the lack of sunlight, the foliage fairly light and the trees spaced well apart. Though still advancing at the crouch, weapons at the ready, and keeping their eyes peeled for booby-traps, the men were able to zigzag their way forward with little trouble.

But then, as Dead-eye had warned them, they came abruptly into secondary jungle, where the trees were much closer together and the undergrowth was an impenetrable tangle of thorny branches, gigantic, razor-sharp palm leaves, interwoven rattan, tall grass with vicious edges, and densely packed bamboo. Much of the overhanging foliage was covered in cobwebs that contained poisonous spiders and, as the men were uneasily aware, various kind of snake – some venomous, others not – were inclined to sleep curled around the branches and looked very much like them.

They could now hear the sounds of battle from up ahead, where the advance of Team 2 had been blocked by the VC bunker complex. That mile, they feared, would take several hours to traverse.

‘We don’t have any choice,’ Dead-eye said. ‘We’ll have to hack our way through with the machetes, and look out for booby-traps at the same time, so it won’t be easy.’

‘One man at a time,’ Shagger suggested. ‘One man takes the lead and cuts his way through with his machete while the others follow, giving him cover should the need arise. We all take turns with the machete, fifteen minutes each. I don’t think any of us could stick it for longer than that at one stretch. What do you think?’

Dead-eye and Jimbo nodded.

‘I agree,’ Red said.

‘Since it’s my bright idea,’ Shagger said generously, ‘I’ll be the first to go out front.’

‘Good on you,’ Red said sardonically.

Shagger slung his assault rifle over his shoulder then untied the machete from his belt. Without another word, he stepped out ahead of the others and began hacking his way through the dense, tangled undergrowth. The other men fell back into single file behind him, spaced well apart, scanning the jungle to the front and both sides. As Tail-end Charlie, Jimbo also had to turn round repeatedly to cover their rear, though he knew it was unlikely that any VC would now come from that direction.

Progress was painfully slow. After chopping through the undergrowth with his machete, Shagger often had to tear the shredded foliage away with his bare hands, or push it to the side, in order to create a passage. Each blow of the machete would cause dust to rise in clouds from the branches and leaves, which would themselves shake violently, causing gigantic, sharp-edged palm leaves to whip into Shagger’s face. Within minutes he was dripping with sweat, covered in bloody scratches, and being attacked by frenzied mosquitoes and midges. What slowed him down even more were the spiders and other insects that frequently fell on to him from the overhanging branches, making him stop to frantically slap them off his head, shoulders and arms.

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