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An Autumn Camp The start time arrived at last; we shared out the pistols, rope and cloths for gags, secreting them in pockets or about our persons and moved out quickly. Stuart and James each headed towards the sea - there was good cover in the form of dense shrubbery and Paul and I made our way a little inland. We had the disadvantage of a couple of hundred yards of open scrub but then were in the shelter of trees interspersed with bushes - ideal for our purpose and it was unlikely that Mike's team would have bent the rules so far as to be close to us by this time. By my reckoning we should have perhaps half an hour before we were likely to make contact with the enemy. Nevertheless, it was no reason for slap-dash methods and we crept forward slowly making full use of the cover. Twenty minutes later, we had reached the edge of the trees and were looking out on rocky scree. We would now have to progress by making use of the rocky gullies and occasional bushes for protection. We decided to take a short rest, have a drink and take stock before proceeding. As we lay there, Paul asked if I really thought he was in trouble if he was caught. "You better believe it, chum," I replied. I saw a little of his colour drain - evidently he had lost some of his earlier bravado. "Look, it's probably best not to think about it too much. You've been tied up before and that doesn't worry you and even with Matthew looking out for you, you have been subjected to the dreaded tickle torture! It might have been better if you hadn't wound him up quite so much, but what's done is done so you had better make the best of it. If it's any consolation, if we are caught together Matthew is unlikely to be any gentler with me than with you, and if we are lucky we might even capture him!" This thought hadn't occurred to Paul and he brightened considerably. At last we decided it was time to move on and Paul rose to make his dash to the first ditch, but as he did so I caught a faint sound and grabbing his arm, hauled him back under the bushes. He made no sound, but looked enquiringly at me. I didn't answer but pointed off to the left, at the same time raising a finger to my lips. If I was right and there was someone close by, Mike had been devious in the deployment of his team - there was no way they could have got here from the woods in this time! We hadn't long to wait. After a short pause Roger appeared followed by David. They were creeping along the edge of the trees, keeping well covered but clearly intending to cut off this approach. My two close friends and I prided ourselves on our ability to advance under cover in complete silence (we were scouts, after all!) but while these two boys were taking great care, they nevertheless could be heard a long distance away. I had to stifle a chuckle. Placing my mouth close to Paul's ear, I whispered, "First blood to us, I think." At the same time, I silently withdrew my pistol from the elastic waistband of my shorts and watched as Paul did the same. The two boys were evidently not carrying out a thorough search. They appeared more interested in finding a spot where they could remain hidden but have a good view of the terrain. If their search had been more thorough they would undoubtedly have spotted us, but after a few minutes patient wait they strolled right past us. We crept from our hiding place and the first that either knew of our presence was when they felt the jet of water on the backs of their necks. They both spun round to find themselves face to face with our levelled pistols. "You two make enough noise for six boys together," I laughed. "Throw down your weapons and raise your hands." Our rules required surrender if shot with a water pistol and both boys complied, raising their hands above their heads and exchanging glances. Paul stepped forward and searched them briskly while I kept them covered. We were still standing on the edge of the trees so as soon as Paul had finished I ordered them to take the few steps into more satisfactory cover - I really didn't want to be observed at this stage. A few paces were sufficient, "OK, that's far enough," I instructed. "What are you going to do with us?" David enquired. "Wait and see!" was my unequivocal response. Actually, it was a good question. We certainly couldn't take them with us, even if we wanted to and much as I would have liked to subject them to a little tickle torture (especially David - I owed him for various indignities over the last few months), I doubted they would have any useful information. A quick glance around showed me what I wanted - two pine trees, each with a trunk about 12 inches or so in diameter. With my pistol, I motioned David towards one of the trees. He immediately realised his fate and groaned. With his hands still above his head I ordered him to back up to the tree. This he did, and while Paul kept both boys covered, I said, "OK, you can lower your hands now and put them behind your back." David grasped what was intended and reached his arms around the tree, though in a half-hearted manner. I stepped behind him and seizing his arms, pulled them rather roughly together crossing his wrists. At the same time I pulled out a length of rope and moments later I had tightly bound my prisoner's hands, leaving him virtually no movement at all. He struggled for a moment, ineffectually, and then stood still. Roger was dealt with similarly, being made to stand facing his confederate. With our prisoners secure we could relax slightly. I searched them quickly, replacing the rope I had used with similar pieces from their own pockets and then we added a further binding to the two boys' elbows, pulling them as tightly as we could behind the trunks of the trees. We stood back and admired our work - they were going no place fast. Finally, I said, "I'm really sorry about this, guys, but we can't risk your attracting attention so I'm afraid we are going to have to gag you!" They can hardly have been surprised but they each protested mildly. This was quickly cut short however as Paul and I thrust a cloth between each boy's teeth and tied it off tightly behind their heads, leaving them cleave gagged. We had decided against stuffing a second cloth in their mouths as was our usual practice since they might have to wait a long time for rescue (I was satisfied they would not regain their freedom without help). I looked at Paul and said, "The odds have just got a whole lot better!" He laughed in response but Roger mmpppfhed behind his gag, looking angrily at us. I was quite clear where we stood if he regained his freedom and we fell into his clutches! No matter, we left them to brood and dream up schemes for our destruction. Conversation was out of the question and they would have precious little else to do for the rest of the afternoon, all being well. We peered out again from the edge of the trees but all was quiet and Paul made the dash to a well-concealed gully (in reality, no more than a ditch) without drama. A few moments later I was alongside him. From this position of safety we surveyed the route we would need to take. On the hike in the morning I had spotted a long trench running across our path and which now lay maybe fifty yards away. After running to our right for some way it took a sharp turn and then led in our general direction for almost two hundred yards before petering out. Before it did this, it entered an area of dense shrubs and bushes, which would give us excellent cover and take us well on the way. The only difficulty would be getting across to the ditch. The ground was completely open and rocky, covered only in wild thyme and thorny, low growing shrubs. We would simply have to make a run for it and pray we weren't spotted. This time I led the way. Concealed once more, I held my breath while Paul joined me but now we were jubilant - I could hardly believe our luck had held this far. After one more look around which confirmed that nothing was moving, we set out on all fours, following the trench until it was surrounded on all sides by the covering foliage. Here we relaxed and once more congratulated ourselves...
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