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An Autumn Camp We only had a few more moments to wait before four of our opponents appeared around a bend in the path. There was good cover here but they were not making use of it, rightly confident that there would be safety in numbers. They were well spread out and we knew immediately any attempt to take them here would be doomed to failure. In their midst was their prisoner. James had been stripped of his shirt and from his disheveled appearance it was obvious he had already been interrogated. His hair was matted with sweat and dirt and sweat had run down his chest in little streams coagulating with the dust he had been laying in. Altogether, he was filthy. More distressing for him was the way he was now bound. His arms had been forced above his head and a stave placed behind his neck but in front of his elbows. These had then been tightly tied to the pole before his wrists had been pushed down and similarly bound to the stake. His head was bowed and he was clearly unable to straighten because of the pressure on the back of his neck. He looked most dejected. James was almost as skinny as me. With his arms pulled up unnaturally around his ears his ribs were protruding through the taut skin. He was gagged in the usual way. We watched the group go past us without discovering our positions and when they were a safe distance in front, proceeded to follow, making full use of the cover. We gave no thought to the rest of our foes. A sad mistake: had we done so and waited longer we might have noticed Mark and Robert silently following the main group and covering their retreat. As it was, the first we knew was as the water hit our backs. Stuart was protected by his shirt - the cold blast on my bare skin made me jump with the shock. We whirled round but it was too late - we were face to face with two determined enemies, their weapons levelled at us while ours were still tucked in our shorts. We were instructed to raise our hands and as we did so Mark took out a whistle and gave a long blast on it. Then we were ordered to turn round and start walking. We did as we were ordered and a few moments later came upon the main group who had been hidden from view by a few bushes. The whistle had clearly been a signal to the other party. James had been made to kneel and David was busy tying his ankles. They were clearly taking no chances with their prisoner. As we turned the corner, all eyes seemed to be focused on me. That I had been set free was obvious. Also obvious to all was who had been the perpetrator of this nefarious deed - he was a couple of paces in front of me, his hands raised incongruously above his head and looking much less suave than normal. Bound as he was, James was unable to turn his head to see the cause of the commotion but he wasn't kept in suspense for long. We each received a prod in the back from our captors and stumbled forward until we stood at the front of the group. James looked up at us as best he could with his head bowed, his eyes showing signs of desperation. Now his ankles were tied he was clearly concentrating for all he was worth on keeping his balance. Mark quickly explained that they had caught us tracking the main group and Mike turned on us gleefully and said, "I'm really disappointed with you Richard. After we offered you our hospitality you go and run out on us! I see you have collected a new friend - what have you done with your other little chum?" I had no intention of replying but Matthew muttered under his breath, "Probably realised the little twerp was ruining their chances and left him where he was!" My colour began to rise but fortunately before I could make a rash comment Mike continued, "Well I don't think that is very gallant but not to worry. You are really lucky we have found you. Now you can enjoy the hospitality you spurned earlier. Kneel down, both of you!" We had no choice but to obey as a pair of hands was placed heavily on each of our shoulders and we were pushed forwards onto our knees facing our bound comrade. As we did so I relaxed and began to lower my raised hands but reconsidered when Mike snapped, "No one gave you permission to lower your arms. Keep them where they are!" Feeling a little foolish, I obeyed. The next moment, I felt someone grasp my wrists, pulling them backwards, while more hands pushed my head forward and down. Seconds later, a stave had been pushed down across my neck, forcing my elbows back and keeping my head forward. The thought went through my mind that the opposition had come well equipped. I knew what would follow and didn't have to wait. Before I could catch my breath, my arms were being tightly lashed to the stave above my elbows. Hands then grasped my wrists, pulling them down to the pole and, in a position just behind my neck they were similarly lashed leaving me immobile. Worse than that, my wrists were tied separately and it was impossible to reach the rope with my fingers; escape without outside assistance would not be feasible. It was now difficult to turn my head, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Stuart struggling as his shirt was removed. Resistance was of course useless and a few moments later three small boys were left tightly bound and stripped to their shorts. Finally, Roger stepped forward, stuffed a wadded cloth in each of our mouths and completed our gags by securing a second cloth between our teeth. We were helpless. Mike stood and admired his handiwork for a few moments before saying, "We will need to have a chat with you two but that can wait until we are back at our base." With that James gave us both a big wink. It was so incongruous that I exploded in giggles behind my gag, which seemed to irritate our captors. James's ankles were freed, we were hauled to our feet and soon we were being marched quite openly along the path that led back to the woods. Our progress was not helped by the six-foot long poles we had been trussed with. Periodically, they would snag in the branches of bushes or trees causing us to stumble and in places we had to progress sideways, assisted by our captors. The way we had been trussed was anything but comfortable but our slow progress left plenty of time for thought. I didn't believe that even Matthew would seriously think for one moment that we had abandoned Paul so they must now be wondering where he was. Presumably, they had decided he was not worth troubling over at this stage and in any case we had seen no sign of Peter and Andrew. We had not been searched for contraband and it was obvious James had already been interrogated. Was he in possession of a package when he was caught and what else had he given away? Where was Paul now? If he succeeded in getting home with a package would he still be able to turn his freedom to our advantage? I revolved these and many similar thoughts through my mind until at last we stumbled into the old, familiar clearing. We were made to kneel in a semi-circle half facing one another and our ankles were promptly tied, just as James's had been earlier. I had hoped we would be made slightly more comfortable but Mike must have realised our distress - trussed like this we were ideally placed for an intensive interrogation session! We were at least relieved of our gags and I heard deep sighs of relief from my two pals. Water bottles were also produced and my eyes lit up. Suddenly, I realised we couldn't drink tied like this and Mike and Company were in no rush to change things. "I expect you would all like a drink," he said in a kindly tone. Incongruously, we all tried to nod our heads, which was impossible - our mouths were free and a simple "Yes" would have sufficed! Our captor went on, "Well, we all want to make you as comfortable as possible and so, as soon as you have answered a few simple questions we will tie you up a little more comfortably and give you a drink." He sounded so kind and gentle - much like an old and revered uncle but we all had a fair idea of the information he wanted. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out - a package! James clearly knew he had this - it had in fact been taken from our friend earlier, when he was captured - but both Stuart and I were wide-eyed. Mike eyed us curiously and said, "We would like to know where the others are. Your friend here has told us one story but we would like to hear what you have to say." Without more ado he waved his hand in the direction of Stuart and James and said, "Gag these two!" His orders were carried out promptly and diligently. My heart quailed - I was evidently to receive "the treatment" first. He looked at Matthew and said lightly, "he's all yours" and walked away to where I could not see him. I sensed rather than saw the other boy approach and the attack was launched directly. Matthew had already shown himself to be the master of tickle torture and this time I had no chance. Within seconds, I was giggling helplessly while tears rolled down my cheeks. My efforts to avoid the searching fingers were sorely hampered by my need to keep my balance - not an easy task with my hands and arms effectively lashed above my head and rendered useless. If I fell I would never be able to get up unassisted (although in reality I doubt if the lads would have let this happen). Two minutes and I was pleading for him to stop...
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