Sept. 30

11C Mostly cloudy.
We had really great weather the last 2 days and we were able to get the beach property all 'ship shape'. Got home last night about 7pm.
We took the motor home out, the off highway road was very rough, took almost an hour to travel the 20 kilometers.

I guess I better add another piece of the story.

He paused after a short distance and waved ahead, “Just ahead there sir. I’ll wait right here.”

  John walked on and in a couple of hundred feet, found the cleared area. It had been fenced and each of the four graves was adorned with the white crosses of the military. Names had been burned into each cross with some kind of instrument. He stood, his head bowed once more and tried to say a prayer, but nothing came to his mind. He felt no presence and as he stood there a feeling that he had never felt before started to grow and expand. It was anger and then without a twitch or a ripple in his entire body he felt an overwhelming heat engulf his body. ‘Revenge’ the word or the need consumed his brain. He tried to damp the fire within his being, but a single thought pounded in his brain; ‘they died for doing good, they died for doing good!’ Over and over the thought pounded, he slumped to his knees, his head touched the cool grass and gradually the heat of passion lessened to be replaced by resolve and composure.

  As he rose to his feet he looked towards the river and his eye caught a slight motion. As he looked a man rose up from where he had been crouched and slowly moved towards him his hands stretched out from his sides. The soldier called out to the man to stop, but John recognized him as the tribesman that he had hunted with on his earlier visit.

  “It’s alright, I know him, he is my friend”, he called over his shoulder.

  The soldier lifted his rifle and brought it to bear on the Somalian who halted and raised his hands over his head.

  “No, no.” John said loudly. “He’s my friend.” He moved toward the man and in seconds was standing immediately in front of him. “Hello Machrus, it is good to see you.”

  Tears came to the man’s eyes, “Oh bwana Jin, this man sorry, me fought but lost the light and fell to the ground, when me found light all was done. Many of this man’s famly dead too.”

  John stepped forward and embraced the man, “Machrus, my friend I am sorry for the loss of your family and I am sure your friends as well. Come we will find you some food with the soldiers.”

  He turned and addressed the soldier who had escorted him, “He is my friend, he is obviously hungry, we must feed him.”

  They went back to where the rest of the soldiers were, John took Machrus straight to Colonel Bromely and explained who he was. Rations were brought out and as Machrus ate, the Colonel questioned him about the attack.

  Apparently there had been about twenty in the war party, they only appeared to have two rifles and were all armed with traditional weapons. They attacked the village first about mid morning, slaughtering almost all the women and children. The men fought back but the surprise of the raid was their undoing. Machrus who had been hunting returned as the attackers attention was turned to the mission, he killed several of them but was brought down with a head blow and a spear through one side. Apparently he was presumed killed.

  He awoke the next day and crawled out into the jungle where he hid out as he gradually mended.

  The Colonel asked him to recount several aspects of the story, “Hmm, we found no bodies when we were here last, are you sure you killed some of them?”

  “Me know three for sure. Dey would throw bodies in river so nobody would find dem. Dey get eat up der.”

  “Where are the survivors of your people?”

  Machrus was silent for a moment, then waving his arm simply said, “Dey out der, dey come when I say.”