Chapter 7
Preparations to travel kicked into high gear once it became obvious that solving this dilemma could not be accomplished at NIMR. Based on Blanchard's input, the Baka tribe they needed to contact lived deep within central Cameroon along the Sanaga River. Given they needed to travel inland it was rapidly decided that they would travel via FS-1 instead of Seaview. Jamie argued long and hard that Lee should remain back in Santa Barbara but was quickly overruled by Nelson saying Lee's presence may be required to end this horror once and for all. The one concession he got was to be allowed to accompany the group to keep an eye on his most difficult patient.
It took nearly two days to complete all the preparations and gain the appropriate clearances to enter the country. In that time Lee's dreams had continued and now contained scenarios where he was consumed by flames as the mingehe terminated his existence, which effectively eliminated any chance of getting any rest from his scattered attempts to sleep. He was also growing weaker as the effects of the toxins worked on both his nervous system and organs, most notably his heart. He had developed an irregular heart beat and was showing signs of congestive heart failure.
It was 0500 when they all assembled at the subpen and climbed aboard FS-1. Lee was rapidly becoming a shell of the man that he normally was and was helped aboard then tucked quickly into the recessed bunk along the bulkhead for the journey. Between the lack of sleep and the poisons flowing through his veins the majority of his strength had left him and his gaze had taken on a dull and vacuous appearance. They had to resolve this fast before irreparable harm occurred to Lee's organs and mind.
Once all the equipment had been stored Nelson, Morton, Jamieson and Blanchard joined Lee aboard. Harri claimed the pilot's seat as Chip strapped into the copilot's chair and began working through the preflight. Jamie assisted in closing the aft hatch and received the good luck wishes from Sharkey and the rest of the crew.
With the hatch shut and Jamieson belted in, Nelson motored the little sub away from the dock and out to open water so he could make the short sprint needed to launch FS-1 into the air. Once airborne he and Chip ran through their checklists verifying all systems were operating properly then promptly went supersonic; there was no time to waste if they were going to save Lee's life.
Four hours later they briefly made port in Douala to clear customs then immediately began working their way up the Sanaga River to the last location where Blanchard had visited the tribe. As they reached the coordinates Kevin had provided their hearts sank as they found an abandoned encampment. It was obvious it had been unoccupied for some time as the jungle was quickly trying to reassert itself onto the open ground.
"Damn!" swore Chip as he scanned the empty campsite. "So what do we do now?"
"We need to head back to Nkongngok and check with a friend of mine there to see if he has heard of where the tribe has moved. They rely heavily on fish as well as fresh game, so they won't have moved too far from the river's edge," Kevin offered.
"Okay then that's what we'll do," Harri replied. "Everyone get strapped in."
They quickly returned down river and landed at a small airstrip in Nkongngok. Drawn by the strange aircraft spotted landing at the airstrip, a number of locals drove down to see what it was. Blanchard and Nelson were able to quickly find someone willing to give them a ride to town so Kevin could touch base with his friend and see if he had any knowledge of the tribe's whereabouts.
Two hours later they returned to FS-1. "We've got a lead on their location," Harri announced as he greeted Chip and Jamie upon their return. "According to Kevin's friend they've moved about 30 miles northeast of the campsite we saw earlier. He indicated it's located up one of the small tributaries feeding the Sanaga."
"That sounds promising," Jamie replied.
"Don't get too excited. Derrik said that it was quite a hump from the stream's bank to where they've set up camp so we're going to have to hike about 3 miles through the jungle," Kevin added.
"Is Lee going to be able to make that?" Chip asked knowing how weak his friend had grown in the last few days.
"I don't know," Jamie replied. "Could you bring the shaman back to FS-1?"
"He'll probably be reluctant to come," Kevin answered. "They're very wary of outsiders and it's quite likely he won't want to leave the group."
"Let's make that decision when we get there," Harri finally said. "We need to find them first before we go bashing our way through the jungle. Once we get to the coordinates Kevin's friend gave us, Kevin, Chip and I will head out and see if we can locate the tribe. Jamie you stay with Lee and make sure he's safe."
"Sounds like a reasonable plan, Harri," Jamie replied. "I don't want him expending energy he can't spare until he has to. We'll be safe in FS-1 while you're away."
"Then we have a plan. Alright everyone inside and let's get moving," Harri ordered.
As the men entered FS-1 Lee looked hopefully at the admiral's face. "Well?"
"We think we know where they've relocated to son. We need to go up river a ways then head up one of the smaller tributaries. Once we get there Chip, Kevin and I are going to scout ahead and see if we can locate the village. You and Jamie get to guard FS-1," Harri replied as he patted Lee on the shoulder.
"You mean Jamie gets to watch me lay around and do nothing," Lee replied.
"Lee you're in no condition to be tromping through the jungle unless there's a real chance of getting rid of that damn thing," Harri responded. "We need to move quickly to hopefully find them and then either bring you to them or the shaman to you. Please Lee, just be patient."
"I know Admiral," Lee sighed. "Anymore I think that's all I am, a patient," he added with a small smile that elicited a chuckle from the other men.
"We're working on remedying that Lee, so you better enjoy the rest before you're put back to work," Chip replied. "As I recall there was a Mt. Everest of paperwork waiting for you in your office."
Lee snorted and smiled. "Well then let's get to it before it really reaches epic proportions."
Harri clapped Lee on the shoulder and smiled, amazed that he could maintain any optimistic outlook given all he'd been through. He nodded to the group and Jamie secured the door, Chip fired up the engines and everyone took their seats for the next leg of their search.
(oo)
Harri plugged in the coordinates and they began working their way upstream until they reached the tributary Kevin's friend described. Nelson moved FS-1 deftly up the smaller stream and upon reaching the general area he piloted towards the northern bank finding a cleared area and beached the small craft. Chip climbed out of his seat undogged the hatch and was quickly assailed by the heavy, wilting tropical heat and humidity that forced its way through the door.
"Ah, the tropics," Chip said with a grimace as he broke into a sweat.
"Okay let's get out and check the general area and see if we can determine if we're in the right place," Nelson replied with a slight chuckle. All five men made their way out the aft hatch and stood there on the bank taking in the sights around them.
After scanning the jungle canopy and surrounding area Lee smiled. "We've got the right place," he announced. The rest of the group looked at him curiously wondering how he knew that.
"Well even if that's the case, we'll hike in a ways and try to let them know we're here and make contact," Nelson responded still staring at Lee.
"They already know we're here sir; they probably knew the moment we turned up this tributary," Lee added with cryptic certainty.
"And just how do you know that, Lee?" Harri asked intrigued by Lee's statements.
Lee just smiled at the other members of his party then pointed up into the trees in front of them until the man hidden there moved from under his perfect camouflage and began climbing down to the ground. He then pointed at four locations in the foliage until the men moved realizing their cover had been blown.
"How the hell did you spot them?" Chip asked totally baffled. Having assisted Lee out of FS-1 he had followed Lee's gaze as he scanned the surrounding area and hadn't spotted a thing.
"It's a spook thing," he replied quietly with a chuckle, eliciting the expected rude retort and eye roll from Chip. As they watched the man descend the to the jungle floor he was quickly joined by the four other men who emerged from their hiding places in the surrounding vegetation.
The five Baka men moved cautiously forward towards the group of outlanders. They had dark cocoa colored skin, short cropped hair and were all short in stature, the tallest no more than four and half feet tall. They were thin and wiry but quite obviously strong and very fit. They wore green colored shorts made of a light weight cotton and were bare chested. Three of the men had spears and the other two carried small bows and quivers filled with short arrows.
As they approached Blanchard smiled broadly recognizing the men as being members of the tribe they had stayed with for five month. He called out in rudimentary Baka and greeted each man by name. After a moment the men returned Blanchard's smile and greeting, all the while maintaining a wary eye on the newcomers behind him.
Having pretty quickly exhausted his limited vocabulary of Baka he switched to French and spoke directly with the apparent leader of this band of hunters. "Balu, my friend, it is very good to see you and the others. Let me introduce my friends Nelson, Crane, Morton and Jamieson," he said as he pointed to each man. The NIMR men nodded slightly as they were introduced.
"Balu we have need to speak with Bakumu and Dharbaka about a matter of some importance. We are in need of their assistance in solving a very serious problem. Would you be willing to take us to them?"
Balu quickly translated what Kevin had said to his companions and they rapidly discussed their request. After a few moments of heated discussion they all nodded. "Yes Kevin I will lead you back to our village. The others need to continue hunting so they won't be joining us."
"Thank you Balu, you have no idea how much we appreciate your help. How far is it back to the village?" Blanchard asked knowing everyone would be concerned with Lee's ability to accompany them.
"It's about an hour's walk from here; not far at all. We had only just started our hunt so we have not traveled too long." Balu replied.
Kevin turned to Nelson and company to translate what Balu had said. "He said it's about an hour from here, which knowing how well and how quickly they move through the jungle that would be at least four miles as the crow flies. Do we want to all go with him or wait until we've spoken with the chief and shaman and then come back for Lee?"
"I'm inclined to send you ahead and leave me and Lee here until we find out if they can even help us. This heat and humidity are going to tax Lee to the limit given his current condition," Jamie offered.
"Admiral we all need to go," Lee responded. "We don't want to waste time running back and forth between FS-1 and the village and also run the risk of offending the elders by not all presenting ourselves before asking their assistance. I can make it and if it turns out to be a little farther than we anticipate Chip can carry me," Lee added with a wink. Chip glared at him in mock offense.
Nelson regarded his captain and his CMO and considered both their arguments. "I'm inclined to agree with Lee. If we leave you both back here it may send the wrong message. Lee you need to do the best you can but if you start having problems, you WILL let us know and you WILL accept help. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir, I understand," Lee replied.
"Very well, now that that's settled, everyone but Lee get your packs and let's let this gentleman escort us to the village," Nelson said. Blanchard quickly relayed what they had said to Balu then they all returned to FS-1 to get their gear.
They quickly collected their packs and split up additional supplies for Lee between them then rejoined the Baka hunters. Indicating they were ready to go, Balu nodded and bid goodbye to his hunting companions then began the march back to their camp. Balu traveled quickly and quietly through the dense foliage while his guests struggled somewhat to keep up sounding much like a herd of wounded hippos.
As the heat and humidity pummeled the NIMR men, Lee really began to struggle to keep up as the conditions rapidly sapped what reserves he had. Nearly at the point of collapse and having to admit he needed assistance he was relieved to see the village compound ahead through the trees. He let loose a deep sigh of relief which did not go unnoticed by his companions.
"You doing okay son?" Harri asked as he dropped back to walk with Lee.
"Yes sir, I'm hanging in there. It just feels as though I've been hiking through the rainforest with a pile of wet wool blankets on my back."
Harri laughed and gently patted him on the shoulder. "Just a little bit further and we can all rest and hopefully catch our breath."
(oo)