October 1

11C o/c.
October 1st!! This year has gone by faster than the proverbial wink.
It's funny (not) we spend our youth wanting to grow up, we go through so many years when we think the days and weeks last forever, we have kids and accept our responsibility to them, then there is that short time when they are independent and we are happy for them and relieved for ourselves because we can selfishily think of (almost) only our selves), then we get older and the days, weeks and months fly by at an ever increasing speed, we accept new responsibilities for aging relatives(reluctantly and with increasing selfishiness) because we no longer can look to a future that is lost in an ever stretching haze but is in fact a road that has an end and we can imagine a probability to its end in fore shortened years.
I have a joke that  I often state, 'everyday is Friday' , this is seldom understood - it's not that it seems like everday is the start of a weekend, it's that Fridays come so fast (the week goes so fast), that everyday is Friday. Thats a bvit abstract so think about it.
In the meantime, it's a nice day, there is some sun peeking out  and we still have fresh tomatoes on the vine!

Back to the Pearces.

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

  Colonel Bromely nodded then said, “We shall camp out here tonight. All right men set up the tents, three man guard, six hour shifts.  We shall leave at dawn, lively now.”

  While the soldiers set about their duties, John signaled to Machrus and the two moved away a few yards and sat down together on the grass.

  “Machrus.” John said. “My heart is full of hate, I shall not be returning with the soldiers, but I need your help.” There was no reply so he went on, “I know I am not experienced in your world, nor have I ever killed anything but a few small animals. But I have brought weapons, you know that I learn quickly. Will you teach me what I need to know, will you be my brother so that together we can avenge what those animals have done to the both of us?”

  Machrus reached out and took one of John’s hands in his, leaning forward he stared deeply into John’s eyes, a minute passed then perhaps another. Finally he nodded and sat up straight, “Yes bwana Jin, me too have much need for finding dem nigras, I will teach you d’ways, we will get my fellas out der and we will kill all dem nigras.

  John said, “Thank you Machrus, now the Colonel won’t be happy, he may even try and force me to leave.”

  Machrus, smiled, “Tell de boss man that dos guns are a present me. You give me dem now, this night I come get you.”

  “But the sentries uh guards --.”

  “You neva mind dem, be ready when moon go sleep.”

  The two rose and went back to where the Colonel was busy writing a report. “ Uh Colonel, I brought  a couple of cartons as a gift for Machrus, I knew the odds were against me, but I had hoped to find him, I would like to give them to him now so he can go back to his people, he said he would see us off in the morning.”

  “Of course John, I’ll send some one --.”

  “No, that’s alright, I can get it, just make sure that he is safe to visit as we leave.”

  The Colonel nodded and turned back to his report.

  “Oh one more thing Colonel, I would like to sleep beside the graveyard, would that be difficult for the sentries?”

  The Colonel thought for a second, he knew that the risk was slight, there was nothing left to attract any scavengers or outlaws, he could make the cemetery as one sentry point even though it was a hundred feet beyond the circle he had chosen. “Of course not m’lad. I understand. Our circle will just be slightly elliptic. I’ll have one of the boys set up a small tent for you.”

  John and Machrus went to the trailer that had been towed behind the third vehicle and pulled out the long carton containing the two rifles, his duffle bag which contained the revolver and spare clothes and a carton containing ammunition for all three weapons.

  They then walked slowly over to the little graveyard, talking quietly as they went. They made a show of saying goodbye then carrying the two cartons, Machrus slipped off into the jungle.

  John helped put up the pup-tent that had been assigned to him then answering a call from where the soldiers were grouped he went back and joined them for a meal of army rations.

  After dinner, John and Colonel Bromely sat together and talked, John swung the conversation around to the tribes of the region and listened intently as the Colonel outlined what his experience in the area had taught him.

  As darkness fell, John stood up and stretched, “Thank you Colonel Bromely, thank you for what you and your men have done and your compassion as well.” He put out his hand and the two men briefly clasped hands.

  When John crawled into his tent, he opened his duffle and took out a small flashlight and a note book then sorted out what he thought he would definitely need and repacked the bag. The holstered revolver he belted to his waist. Then by the light of the flash he wrote two letters and tied them to one of the strings of the tent flap. He then lay back fully clothed and watched the moonlight slowly spread across the tent roof.