The Cadet Sergeant Major (28 page)

As he did, yelling from around the bend behind them attracted their attention. Cpl ‘Big Charlie' Cox's voice reached them. “Hodgins you silly bastard, come back here!”

There were muffled shouts and someone yelled, “Bang! Bang!” The rubber vines on top of the bank heaved and Hodgins appeared. He looked down at them and gaped, then turned and crashed his way back into the vines yelling loudly. Capt Conkey called to Cpl Cox, who had appeared at the bend.

Cox explained that Hodgins had gone up to attack on his own without waiting for the section. There were more distant shouts and bangs. Capt Conkey sent Cpl Cox back to collect his section.

He chuckled. “Hodgins, the one-man army!” Turning to Graham he asked, “Would you make him a corporal?”

“No sir. He's too much of a cheeky ratbag.”

“Hmmm. I've seen others come good,” Capt Conkey replied, giving Graham a penetrating look. Graham blushed. He had certainly been a trouble maker when Capt Conkey had rescued him by giving him a second chance. ‘And a third, and a fourth!'

They watched Barbara's attack and Graham could not fault it, considering she only commanded partly trained cadets. Cpl Cox did a good job too. Then they waited to watch the sections from 1 Platoon come through. CUO Sherry joined them and she had many pertinent observations to make.

As soon as the last section was past Capt Conkey led Lt Standish and Graham at a fast walk to catch up with, and by-pass the ones ahead. This gave Graham a chance to look at every cadet as he passed them. They caught up with the lead section in time to watch it cope with ‘The body and the sniper' in the grassy flood channel where Pancho had been ambushed.

CUO White joined them and they stood and watched. The OC then instructed Graham to show CUO White where his platoon was to bivouac. This took ten minutes. They walked over the big dune to the river and along it to where HQ was resting.

Graham pointed out the area under the trees allocated to 3 Platoon, noted Peter was asleep, rebuked Denton for walking around barefoot, then returned to the officers.

The exercise had been planned to last four hours. The distance was 2 km and each section took about two hours. The CUOs had instructions to keep the sections moving along as it was only a practice. Even so, when 1700 came round all of 1 Platoon still had to arrive. The OC sent Graham to prepare the remainder of the company for a swim while he sent Cpl Bax to hurry 1 Platoon along.

Graham walked with Lt Standish to the bivouac site. He was feeling really fit and healthy and even enjoyed plodding along the sandy track. In his imagination he saw the company at grips with a desperate force of real enemy. Once he arrived at the HQ bivouac site he woke Peter, called in Sgt Rankin and Sgt Copeland and sent Cpl Jones to give 4 Platoon the message.

To the platoon sergeants Graham said, “I want one lance corporal, plus a male and a female cadet from each platoon for latrine digging. They will only get a swim if they dig fast. Send them to me at once.”

As Graham strode off to select sites for male and female latrines he passed 1 Platoon plodding in. They were sweating under the weight of their packs. The Control Group followed. After quick instructions to Stephen and Sgt Crane Graham continued on with his task.

There were three flood channels in all, with the long parallel sand ridges in between them. Beyond the third were the high sandy bluffs which marked the bank of the river. Above that Graham knew the country changed dramatically to open savannah which undulated away to the north. Only one obvious cattle pad led through the rubber vines and up the steep bank to where the safety vehicle was parked.

Graham selected sites among the vines and scrub on the third dune then marched briskly back to collect his work parties. He was conscious now of physical fatigue, of sore feet and of chafing from his webbing. The sight of cadets preparing for a swim made him impatient to join them. He bellowed angrily for the sergeants to send their work parties.

When they arrived he had to hide a smile. From 1 Pl: Hodgins; from 2 Pl: LCpl Leroy and Cadets Arthur and Reid; from 3 Pl: Clayfield plus a girl and the 2ic of Goltz's section. 4 Pl provided LCpl Melchert, Cadet Smart and Cadet Bragg. Peter sent over LCpl Parnell and Cadet Ramsey. Graham's first reaction was that Clayfield should not be there. ‘This poor bugger is having enough of a hard time as it is,' he thought. ‘He doesn't need this sort of humiliation.' The worry that it might be some sort of harassment floated across his mind and he had vivid flashbacks to the previous year when a cadet who had been bullied had tried to commit suicide.

He pointed to one side. “Cadet Clayfield, just wait there. I need a message taken to HQ. You others come with me.”

Graham led the grumbling band back to the third dune. On the way they passed Lt Maclaren, Lt McEwen, Staff Costigan and Bert coming the other way, laden with packs and ‘Eskis'. That meant water parties were needed too. Graham told his work party to wait for him at the third dune and stopped to talk to Lt McEwen. Seeing the look on his face she gave him a quizzical glance but he did not speak until the others were out of earshot.

“It's Cadet Clayfield Ma'am,” he said. “I think he needs a break from 3 Platoon or he might crack.”

“What do you suggest?” Lt McEwen asked.

“Move him to HQ for a while to take him out of the social situation to begin with,” Graham answered. He described his thoughts and concerns and Lt McEwen nodded. “I will see the OC and discuss it with him CSM.”

“Thanks Ma'am. He is waiting back there. Would you keep him with you please?”

Lt McEwen said yes so, feeling considerably better, Graham hurried on to catch up with the work party. As soon as he reached them he divided them into teams, allocated tasks to the lance corporals and set them to work. Once he was satisfied that work was well under way Graham hurried back to the river, hoping for a swim.

He knew he had to be quick so when he arrived at the river bank he just pulled off his boots, emptied his pockets into them and waded in fully dressed. The river was only knee deep, the water clear and cold. The whole company was splashing around under the eagle eye of the OC, Lt McEwen and Lt Hamilton. As well a corporal from each platoon stood on the bank as ‘lifeguards', and to mark the limits of the swimming area.

“Stop running you drongos!” Graham snapped as Walsh and Anderson came splashing past. For a few moments Graham just stood in the water and observed. He rinsed his face and felt instantly refreshed. Several people came splashing over to him: Allison, Kellie Jones and Marcia Denton. Allison was fully dressed but Kellie Jones and Marcia Denton had removed their trousers but were still wearing their camouflage shirts. Leah Allen followed, wearing a very skimpy bikini.

The girls began to splash Graham. He cried out as the cold drops hit him. Then he began to splash back. Laughing and whooping Allison rushed over and tried to push him over. Using his left arm he fended her off but she grabbed the arm and tried to pull him off balance.

“Help me duck Graham!” Allison cried. Too late Graham reacted. Laughing gleefully the three girls pushed at him from different directions. Graham tried to fend them off but became quite anxious as he tried to avoid touching them in the wrong place. He managed to push Kellie Jones away and she went over backwards with a splash. Then Allison and Kate both rushed in and shoved while Denton splashed water in his eyes. He lost his balance and was pushed right under water.

The water was cold but he recovered quickly and heaved himself upright. As he surfaced he grabbed at Allison and tried to push her over. In this he was unsuccessful but it led to a lot of splashing and a good natured tussle, all four girls joining in and shrieking with laughter.

During this Graham's mind raced. Part of his consciousness told him they were indulging in horseplay- exactly what he had just told others not to do. ‘And is all this inappropriate because of the ‘No touching' rule?' he worried.

But then Graham became aware that the officers were watching from the bank only ten metres away. Thankful that he hadn't done anything silly he quickly broke free and stood up. Capt Conkey was standing in the shallows only a few metres away talking to CUO Grenfell. Allison grabbed Graham again and wrestled with him. They fell over with a splash. There were more shrieks and laughter.

Graham managed to break free and call, “Stop! Stop..glug.. cough! Stop!” Now he was worried things had gone too far.

He was rescued from the situation by Sgt Crane and his Control Group team. They came racing over to try to duck the girls. The girls shrieked and turned to flee. As they went splashing and skittering off the Control Group boys suddenly turned on Graham. “Get him!” Crane yelled.

The unexpected attack took Graham by surprise and he felt several hands shove hard at him. He was immediately tumbled over. As he fell he felt a sharp blow to his side but by the time it registered he was underwater and struggling to turn the right way up as water went up his nose. As he rolled over he was conscious of real pain in his side. ‘That was a punch,' he thought. But who did it? It might have been Crane or possibly Brown. Graham rose to the surface, spluttering and coughing. For a few seconds he crouched on his knees with his head just above water, bracing for another assault. But the boys had dashed on in pursuit of the girls. They caught up with them in a deeper channel twenty metres off.

Graham stood and wiped water from his eyes. Anger and irritation mingled with the physical hurt. ‘Do I try to make an issue of being punched?' he wondered. A quick glance showed Capt Conkey and Lt Hamilton smiling and talking while they watched the water fights. ‘No. No point,' Graham decided. ‘I'd never be able to prove it.' But it hurt to have enemies!

He was still trying to recover his breath when he suffered a third onslaught. Barbara led this one. She and Margaret, plus Lofty Ward, Wendy Werribee and Roger came skittering through the shallows to splash him.

Against that number Graham had no chance. He tried to tell them to stop but they ignored him. Seeing Capt Conkey laughing at his predicament Graham set about defending himself. He held them off by furious splashing for a few moments but they surrounded him and he was grabbed and pushed under. As he rose spluttering to his knees Margaret sprang forward and grabbed his left arm and clung on tight. Then Barbara rushed in and grabbed his other arm and over he went again.

Spluttering and gasping he struggled free and was pushed under again. Margaret grabbed him again and they stood there trying to push each other over, her eyes looking into his with a mixture of worry and laughter in them. Over they both went as Roger and Lofty rushed in and shoved. Graham swallowed water and came up gasping and coughing.

“That's enough!” he spluttered. “Give me a break! Calm down you lot.”

As he gasped for breath Graham looked at the circle of grinning faces. Actually he felt wonderful. He was refreshed and felt very happy. ‘If they didn't like me they wouldn't have done that,' he thought. It made him feel warm and comforted. He smiled back. His eyes met Margaret's and she gave him a worried little smile.

‘Poor kid. She's scared she can't compete with the older girls,' he thought. He smiled at her again and then stood up and pulled her to her feet. She smiled and he answered with a grin and then, without thinking, moved to hug her. With a shock he realized what he was doing and stopped just in time.

‘No touching! No displays of intimacy or favouritism,' he reminded himself, casting an anxious glance at the officers as he did. ‘I'm right beside the OC,' he noted.

After that it was easy to resist the impulse and he released her. Margaret stepped back but kept smiling. ‘She understands,' he thought with relief. “Not now,” he whispered. She nodded and smiled in reply. Graham glanced at Capt Conkey. He saw that the OC was looking but nothing on his face indicated displeasure.

Graham gestured and said, “Sorry Marg, I've got to go and see how my dunny-digging detail is going.” Margaret nodded again and gave him a dazzling smile and her eyes sparkled. With something of a surprise he realized he really did want to hug her and kiss her. That thought made him look around to check on the HQ girls. He saw that were chatting and clowning with a dozen of the older boys.

Graham waded to the bank, very aware that he was in an aroused state. ‘Hmmm. If I feel urges like that so will some of the others. I'd better be on guard tonight,' he told himself.

When Graham had nudged him awake Peter had a splitting headache. His mouth tasted foul and he was sticky with perspiration. Peter groaned and sat up, glancing at his watch. 1720hrs. He had slept for at least five hours. But he did not feel refreshed by it.

With an effort he joined the other sergeants and listened to Graham's instructions. At the word ‘swim' he had picked up, but when he had returned to HQ and used it his eyes had met Kate's and he was torn. He could not decide what she felt.

As they waited in a group on the bank of the river for permission from the OC to go in Kate had come to stand next to him and had given him a smile. She began chattering away, including Peter in her conversation.

‘Maybe I am forgiven?' Peter wondered. ‘Perhaps there is still hope?' His heart leapt. Then he remembered their previous swim. Memories fired his blood and he quickly became aroused, glad that his clothes concealed the fact. For that reason alone he would have worn his uniform into the water but in fact most cadets did this as the simplest way of washing them. Once in the water Peter stayed aroused despite the chill.

To his surprise and pleasure Kate stayed with him. They both lay in the shallows to one side of the splashing throng and talked. The conversation was a bit stilted and forced, as though both were gingerly testing the thickness of the ice. It was enough for Peter. He had no desire to rush headlong into another perilous situation.

‘I'll just feel my way very quietly,' he thought.

Kate's face suddenly lit up. “Ooh! Ooo! Look at that!” she squealed. “Oooh no! Don't look.”

Peter did look. He saw the girls all pushing Graham over and ducking him. Good old Graham. He would be loving that. “What?” he asked.

“Kellie Jones. She hasn't got any trousers on!” Kate replied in a scandalized whisper. “What a tease!”

Peter looked and saw Kellie's shirt flick up, revealing that she had a bikini bottom underneath. “She's wearing a bikini underneath,” he replied. But it was very alluring and he watched her splashing Graham. He eyed Leah, who was wearing a very skimpy bikini, and felt a surge of sheer desire. Then he blushed. ‘I shouldn't be watching.' He turned back to Kate but found he was tongue-tied.

Kate continued to watch, her face alive with interest. “I think Denton is only wearing her knickers under her shirt!” she hissed.

“I won't look,” Peter replied.

Kate laughed. “Great fat trollop! She looks like a bloody whale.”

As they watched Graham being pushed over again Peter felt a distinct twinge of jealousy. Nobody ever played games like that with him.

Then he watched Crane and his cronies run over to join in the fun. Allison, Kellie, Leah and Denton came splashing past them giggling as they ran away. Running and splashing as they did and with their bare legs flashing in the sunlight they presented a wonderful picture. The sight made Peter shake his head at the sheer beauty and promise they presented. It also made him even more aroused. But despite the temptation he did not turn to watch as the four girls started splashing over behind him as he did not want to offend Kate.

More people ran over to splash Graham: Barbara, Margaret and Wendy Werribee.

“Graham's safe now,” Peter said.

“Why?”

“Because Margaret Lake is with him.”

“Oh her!” Kate sniffed and shrugged.

There was an awkward silence. Peter cast about for something to talk about. “What did you think of the exercise?” he asked.

“Oh, it was alright. But I was tired when it started so I didn't really like it. And when you scared me with that silly ghost costume!”

“Sorry about that. It was a good scream though. They heard you down at the highway bridge you know,” Peter said.

They discussed the exercise until they were called out of the water ten minutes later. Peter walked beside Kate to the bank. He collected a dry uniform from his pack and went among the trees to change. That caused some embarrassment as a lot of other boys were there as well and he did not want them to see him. He really wanted to be alone for a while but was glad just to get changed with nobody noticing. It left all his emotions in turmoil again. Luckily he found a place among the bushes where he could quickly change unseen.

When Peter returned to the HQ area he settled himself on the sand to enjoy a leisurely tea. The company was to have a rest night with platoon campfires so, apart from organizing a jerry can of water and general supervision, he had no other duties.

The girls returned from the other direction in clean clothes and seated themselves in a circle to eat. Kate sat facing him and from time to time their eyes met. This put Peter in a quandary. He wanted to rekindle the relationship, but he was very worried about the possible consequences. He was also having some barely acknowledged doubts. Deep down he was disappointed in Kate. He had wanted a proper relationship, with friendship and a long period of getting to know each other before any serious intimacy. Love, not lust had been his real desire. It all made him confused and unhappy. So he decided to act normally and just be friendly.

As he stirred the food cooking in his mess tins Peter could see Graham and the OC talking to a succession of CUOs, corporals and lance corporals. It went on for half an hour. By the time Graham flopped down on his pack beside him Peter had finished his tea and dusk was settling.

“What was that all about?” Peter asked.

“Bloody lance corporals,” Graham replied, hauling out his stove and mess gear. “We just swapped LCpl Leroy with LCpl Wakely.” He explained the background story while he prepared his meal. “And we have swapped Clayfield to Barbara's section,” he added.

“Good,” Peter approved. “She will stop any teasing and give the poor little bugger a bit of peace.”

Graham nodded and said, “Yes. I just wish I'd thought of it earlier in the camp.” He bent to light his hexamine and set to work opening a can. When the food was on and heating Graham sat back and stretched out his legs. “Ah well. Never mind. It's a lovely evening,” he said.

It was. Peter hadn't noticed. The cold wind had dropped. Only a few distant cockatoos disturbed the stillness, above the murmur of a hundred cadets. The ruddy glow of the sunset lit up the tall, white ghost gums along the river bank.

“You sound happy,” Peter said.

“I am. This is a beaut camp and I'm really enjoying myself,” Graham replied, his face splitting in a grin of sheer high spirits.

“Good. I'm glad,” Peter replied. He managed a smile and wished he could say the same thing. His gaze lingered on Kate's profile. He was certainly feeling a bit more relaxed. Kate was talking to him again and it looked like their escapade would now remain a secret.

Peter organized HQ to collect some of the driftwood from the piles of flood debris wedged against the trees. A campfire was lit in the sandy hollow. The officers came over to join them and they sat talking and telling jokes as darkness set in. Other fires showed clearly the positions of the First Year platoons which were all in the same sandy flood channel and only about fifty paces apart.

A constant traffic of cadets began as people went to visit their friends. It was another free night and they were allowed to socialize. After a while the five HQ girls got up and went off to visit. As she went past him Kate gave Peter a look which he took to mean she would rather stay with him but didn't want to make it obvious. A group of people arrived, all laughing and cheerful: Barbara, Margaret, Wendy, Lofty and Roger. Margaret came and sat between Graham and the OC who smiled at her.

For a while it was jokes all round and everyone seemed happy. Between the efforts of Roger and Lt Hamilton hardly anyone else could get a chance to tell a joke. After a while Graham stood up.

“I'd better do a wander round. I'm hoping they are all too tired to get up to mischief, but you never know,” he said.

Margaret stood up as well. “Can I come with you?” she asked, her face hopefully anxious. Graham frowned and bit his lip, aware all the officers had heard her.

Before he could answer Peter also stood up. “I'll come too. We will make it a group.”

“A posse to control the ruffians!” Roger agreed. He hauled Barbara to her feet. Lofty and Wendy stood up as well. They all strolled off into the night leaving the officers smiling and talking.

Away from the fire it was cool and pleasant. Visibility was quite good as the starlight reflected on the white sand. People could be seen as black figures even up to a hundred metres away. The group strolled along happily discussing the camp.

The first place they visited was 3 Platoon. Sgt Rankin was standing telling a joke. Most of the platoon appeared to be seated around the fire with a few standing in small groups. It appeared to Graham that there was a marked change for the better in the platoon's
Esprit-de-corps
. When Rankin finished Cactus sprang up to tell a joke. Rankin moved over to talk to Graham.

While they talked Graham's eyes roamed the faces, checking on morale and seeing if there were any obvious boy-girl situations developing. As he did he was conscious of Margaret standing beside him but nobody seemed to notice. Then another worry surfaced from his sub-conscious:- who was not there that might be a problem? Where was Erika Goltz? He checked carefully but could not find her.

But Graham was only mildly concerned; after all it was a free night. But then another nagging thought stirred him. ‘CUO White is not here.'

Graham remembered the previous platoon campfires on the third night, when CUO White had appeared out of the darkness with Brown soon after the two girls from 4 Platoon. Now he began to worry. There was no order saying that platoon commanders had to stay with their platoons but Graham knew the OC had made it clear to them where their duty required them to be. He knew CUO White had been spoken to in particular.

‘He wouldn't be so stupid as to try it again; surely? Anyway, the CUO is not really my business, but Cpl Goltz is,' he thought. His idea was not to catch her (or them) in the act, but rather to pre-empt any situations from developing so the unit's reputation could be kept safe.

After a few minutes Graham nudged Peter and moved away from the group. Margaret gave him a worried look but he shook his head and she stayed at the fire with the others.

“What is it Graham?” Peter asked.

“Erika Goltz. I'm worried she might be up to mischief. I'd like to know where she is. Would you mind helping me look?”

“Not at all.”

“Thanks. You go to One Platoon and Two Platoon. I will check Four Platoon and do a bit of a circuit up in the sand dunes. But don't say anything, or ask anyone. Just look. I'll meet you in a while at HQ.”

“OK,” Peter replied. He walked off alone into the night. Graham went back to where his other friends were giving him questioning looks.

“Just sergeant major's business,” Graham told them. “I'm going to visit Four Platoon.” He didn't want them to come but didn't want to say so. They did however, Margaret walking on his left and Roger on his right while Barbara, Lofty and Wendy followed. As they walked Margaret several times bumped against him and he knew she wanted him to hold her hand or put his arm around her. He would have liked that too but he told her gently.

“Sorry Marg. Not tonight mate.”

In response she pressed against his arm. He saw her nod in the starlight. “I know,” she replied.

“What's that?” Roger asked.

“Nothing mate, just sweet nothings,” Graham replied.

They arrived at 4 Platoon's fire and he greeted CUO Bates. A searching glance showed that Goltz was not there. The topic of conversation was the senior exercise. They were recounting their reactions to the ghost.

“I fair shit meself!” Percy Pearson cried. They all rocked with laughter.

“So did I,” CUO Bates agreed with a rueful grin.

“That was a good scream you let out,” Cpl Scott said. “We were looking at that dummy body at the Wild Boar Wallow when you did. I jumped a couple of metres in fright.”

“Those Headquarters' sheilas gave the best scream I thought,” Graham put in. “I reckon they woke every pig for miles around.”

The platoon burst into a mixture of pig grunts and laughter. Cpl Laidley spoke next in his slow drawl. “I reckon them bodies were scary too. They fair gave me the creeps.”

“Oh yeah!” Cadet Bragg agreed. “They looked so realistic in the torchlight. I was crappin' meself until I seen they was only dummies.”

“They weren't so bad,” Dimbo Doyle snorted. “It was that arm sticking out of the mud what got me. It looked so real I was scared stiff.”

“What arm?” CUO Bates asked.

“The one near the big log in that long swampy bit. The one with the mud all over it,” Doyle replied.

“I didn't see that,” Sgt Griffin said in a puzzled tone.

Graham suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. “What arm Cpl Doyle? What was the message there?”

“There wasn't no message sir. It was just an arm stuck in the mud. I wonder where the boss got it?” Doyle replied.

CUO Bates and Graham exchanged glances. Graham spoke first. “There wasn't any arm Cpl Doyle. I helped the OC lay out the whole course in daylight, so I know what there was.”

“There was so!” Doyle replied indignantly. He turned to his section. “There was, wasn't there?”

The cadets chorused agreement. Graham was mystified and asked. “What sort of arm? What did it look like?”

“A human arm. You could see the hand and fingers. It was stuck in the mud up to its elbow,” Doyle replied.

Graham went cold with shock. He remembered something Peter had joked about when they had been making the dummies. He had said to the OC, “No hands sir.” The OC had laughed and replied they didn't need hands, or could get by without them, then said, “They only need to look like bodies in the dark.”