The Honored Dead by Robert N. Macomber

Author:Robert N. Macomber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Naval Fiction, Historical Fiction, Robert Macomber, Honor Series, Office of Naval Intelligence, Cambodia, Mekong River, Vietnam
Publisher: Pineapple Press
Published: 2012-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

***

When the sea breeze came late in the afternoon of the twenty-fifth, Rork was too exhausted to make a sail, or move at all. None of us did, instead letting that river of air wash over us and cool our blackened skin a bit, reveling in the delusions our minds created.

But the wind continued through to the next day, strengthening at sunrise. We realized it wasn’t a dream, it was real. Because of that moment, when the reality of that wind set in, for the rest of my life I will know that the limits of my endurance are far beyond what I had always believed. We thought—knew—we were dead men and were struggling to try to die with a shred of dignity, but the wind that morning reminded us we were alive and needed to set a different goal. To live.

Rork was the first to smile. I could see that it hurt his cracked lips, but the smile enlarged to a laugh. Soon Norodom joined him, and the sound of hysterical men laughing at sea filled the air. It was impossible to resist, and I let out a shout and giggled like the rest. Even Petrusky chuckled. We, who couldn’t even move an hour earlier, rolled in mirth on the decks at the absurdity of it all.

And then the king saw something that made us cry with joy. To windward, over the distant Gulf of Siam, he pointed out a dark cloud. Within an hour, it was one of a line of clouds, pregnant with rain, approaching us. By noon, we were lying there, soaking up water from heaven.

It was incredible. I could actually feel my skin expanding as it moisturized. We let it rinse away the salt that had solidified in our clothes—which were little more than rags now—and had crusted in our crotch and armpits and hair, producing terrible boils. Leaning back, we opened our mouths and drank it in, filling our bellies with life-giving water. Letting it soothe our skin and bathe our eyes. More than one of us cried at how decayed our bodies had become and how wretchedly thankful we were for the most basic of nature’s gifts—rain.

Sitting there in the downpour, the wind pushing us east past the great cape and out into the South China Sea, each man thanked God through his own faith. I have known danger—imminent death—at the hands of men who were desperately trying to kill me in my life. But that slow death from hunger and thirst and exposure to the elements, of feeling your body inexorably shrivel away, and your mind lazily fade into nothingness, was the worst foe I have ever faced. I had reached the edge of the eternal abyss and am sorry to admit that I’d given up, ready to plunge over. Until that rain.

Then it all changed. Our bodies, our minds, our outlook—all improved. Within an hour we were talking about our location and possibilities for rescue. By that nightfall optimism had taken root once more.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.