Chapter 21 – The Transvaal
To the few brave souls who have managed to hang in there and wait patiently for a update...Thank You! My apologies for the delay and hopefully this tome will come to a swift conclusion before the Holidays.
It's a bit of a filler chapter... but does bring us to the crucial meeting with the commando unit they have been tasked to infiltrate, so there's that.
Hope you enjoy it and please send any reviews if you feel like it. Means a lot to us weary fanfic writers... both positive and negative ones are appreciated.
Bates, Fellowes, Culver and Smythe were all crowded together in the makeshift HQ, located at the outskirts of Cape Town.. Standing at attention they waited impatiently for the officers at the other side of the table to speak, if only to tell them to sit down or at least stand at ease.
Colonel Crawley's voice could be heard above the other officers. Bates could make out most of what Robert was saying. He was arguing that he should be allowed to become a part of John's team and become embedded in the Veldhuis commando unit also.
John continued to stand at attention, praying that Robert didn't try to bring him into the conversation. Colonel Crawley had confided in John months ago that he wanted to be where the action was at the front and not stuck behind some desk pushing pencils. And, he had assumed that he could count on John to champion his cause when the time came to persuade the higher-ups. But Bates knew in his heart that he really could not back a scheme involving Robert as part of the unit. The colonel had not endured the training, both physical and mental that the rest of the men had been through.
This mission was one that required complete understanding of what the Boers believed, how their militia units functioned, and in preparation for his comrades to be accepted by the Veldhuis group an elaborate back story concerning a roaming cadre of four Boer commandos acting independently of any other militia group had been spread via the British spy network. No, it wouldn't do to suddenly have 5 men in the group… especially if one of them was also mute. Because, that was what would be required if Robert was to join Bates team. His Afrikaans was horrid and he could never pass for a native born citizen of the Transvaal with an accent that smacked of Eton and the Queen's English. John chuckled inwardly at the thought of the Colonel having to pretend to be mute throughout the entire mission. For if there was anything Robert enjoyed hearing, it was the sound of his own voice. To not be able to speak would be sheer torture for the man.
"I'm sorry Colonel Crawley, but that's my decision, and it's final." The distinct voice of Major General Terrence Whelan could be heard booming over the rest of the voices. "You will not join our first team to be embedded with the enemy, and I do not want to hear another word about it from you concerning the issue. If you mention it again I will personally arrange for you to be sent back to England and stationed behind a desk at an army recruitment unit it Yorkshire!"
John heard Robert start to reply..."But…" and then stop talking. He realized that Whelan did not throw out idle threats. So, if Colonel Crawley wanted to at least stay near the front he would have to be quiet and accept his current station.
That issue being settled Whelan then cast a jaundiced eye at the four men standing at attention.
"At ease, gentlemen," the Major General uttered. "Be seated, please."
Bates and his group promptly sat down on the bench just behind them and waited anxiously for their orders.
"First, I want to convey to you men the King's immense appreciation of your volunteering for this dangerous mission. He has every confidence that you will be successful and able to infiltrate the enemies commando units and to bring about the capitulation of the Boer militia you have been assigned to."
"The information we will be able to extract from the captured commandos will prove invaluable to our cause and will lead to the eventual destruction of the majority of the commando teams in the Transvaal. The ultimate goal, is of course to end the war in victory and sooner rather than later. It's drawn out far too long for England's taste and these small guerilla units are responsible for extending the war. We've indulged them long enough"
Whelan continued to drone on and John found his focus drifting… Drifting back to the events that had preceded him sitting on this bench, sweat dripping down his face, an irritating buzz in his ear as some annoying house fly flew back and forth between himself and Culver.
"…Our time, the time for peace is now, and we will have our peace if it costs the lives of every one of our enemies. They must not be allowed to win."
John startled out of his reverie as he heard the other officers lightly applaud and compliment Whelan and his oratorical skills.
Talk… John was so sick of talk. All he wanted now was to get his boots on the ground and infiltrate the Veldhuis commandos.
"Gentlemen, we've received word from our network that the scheme is set up best as can be expected. There is a slight change of plans as you will be dispatched into the bush this afternoon and we expect you to be picked up and embedded within the targeted militia group by sunset." Robert was speaking now. John could still hear the disappointment in his voice, but again, he was relieved that Colonel Crawley would not be allowed to join them.
"You are dismissed gentlemen and we will meet up in two hours outside this tent where you will be driven to the edge of the Boer territory patrolled by Veldhuis. Starting now you will use your Afrikaan names and address each other as such. As a quick review John your name is Johann Botha, Simon, your surname is Kruger. Thomas your surname is also Botha. You and John, er. Johann are cousins. And Smythe you are Jacob Smit. And that is all for now. You are dismissed."
The soldiers smartly saluted Colonel Crawley and the other officers and turned to leave the tent. All except, John that is, as the colonel had indicated to him with a nod of his head that he wished him to stay.
Robert beckoned John to the furthest corner of the large tent. It was obvious to Bates that Robert wished to have some semblance of privacy in this meeting between the two of them.
"I'm sorry John," the colonel softly murmured to Bates with his hand upon his shoulder.
"Sorry, Sir? I've no idea what you've got to be sorry about?" John was confused. He hadn't a clue as to why Colonel Crawley was apologizing.
"For not being able to join you and your team, Bates" Robert sighed. "I know how badly you wanted me to be able to be a member of your team. But you heard General Whelan. I couldn't press the issue any further without risking being sent back to England."
John stared at Robert, trying to hide his disbelief. My God he really thinks I am disappointed in him not being able to join us, Bates thought to himself. He tried to contain the beginnings of a smile that was threatening to turn up the corner of his lips. He didn't want to hurt Colonel Crawley's feelings with the truth. The man meant well, and John managed to keep a straight face as he replied to Robert's apology.
"You tried your best, Colonel. I couldn't help but hear you plead your case to General Whelan. Thank you for your efforts sir. I'm disappointed…truly" John took a deep breath in an effort to keep his voice steady. "Hopefully you'll be able to get to go with the next group. You'll get to the front soon, sir."
"Thank you for understanding, Bates. I agree I'm going to try and get on with the next group. Eventually I will be at the front. You can count on it."
John nodded in agreement and waited for the colonel to signal he could leave.
Robert raised his head and looked straight at his former batman. "Thank you, Bates for understanding. And good luck making your connection with the Boers this afternoon." With that, Robert turned and walked away from John towards the group of officers at the opposite end of the tent. John watched him join his peers and then headed for the exit and sighed a deep breath of relief once outside.
"What did the Colonel want sarge?" questioned Thomas, the omnipresent cigarette dangling from his lips.
"None of your business, Fellowes" John snapped back. Bates knew he over reacted but something about Thomas brought out the worst in him.
"Tsk, tsk, careful their sergeant Botha… My name now is also Botha... remember cousin?" Thomas smirked at John relishing the opportunity to catch him in an error.
John sputtered acknowledgement of his slip-up. Damn it, Thomas was right. "I stand corrected." Bates flashed Thomas an insincere smile. "I'll be more careful in the future."
"I'm sure you will, Sergeant Botha." Thomas responded, making sure to draw out the surname as if to rub it in. "After all, it's both our heads that will be cut-off if either one of us slips up."
Thomas then turned heel and walked away from Bates, leaving him inwardly seething, but still managing to appear on the outside to be calm and accepting of Fellowes reprimand.
John huffed his disdain towards the private and turned back to his tent to begin packing for the afternoon drop off. He felt his pulse quicken at the realization that he was finally going to embark on the biggest adventure of his life. He made sure to pack lightly, as befitting a guerilla fighter who counted easy mobility as part of his arsenal in the battle with the slower paced British soldiers.
He made sure to keep his kit clear of any incriminating incidentals and combed over its contents carefully. Even something as small as a scrap of paper with a British watermark could be used to reveal his true identity and result in disaster for his team. John emptied his knapsack and then repacked it several times, just to make sure. Once he was convinced that the bag and its contents was clean of anything that might give his true identity away, Bates slung the bag over his shoulder and headed for the spot where he and the other team members would get their ride into the edges of the Boer held territory.
As usual John was the first to arrive. Culver showed up next, followed by Smythe. Also, according to past performance, Thomas sauntered in about 5 minutes late at the gathering spot. While he was not extremely late in arriving, John still gave Thomas a tongue lashing for being tardy. Once they got into the Boer camp, timing would play an important role in their success… and Bates wanted to make sure that "his cousin" understood that being late again would not be tolerated.
Their transportation showed up a few minutes after Thomas arrived. It was a large cart drawn by two grey horses. "Climb up in the back boys, and hang on. It's a bit of a wild ride from here to the border."
Bates easily climbed on board and stuck out a helping hand to Culver who struggled a bit because of his height. Once all the men were in the wagon bed, the driver clicked his tongue and with the words "Walk on," echoing in his head John realized that their mission had truly begun.
The wagon rattled on a trail for several miles and then went slightly off track. Once they were off the trail, John and the other occupants found themselves thrown violently about, but he was eventually able to anchor himself to one corner of the wagon and avoid knocking heads or bumping into the rest of the team.
After about 10 more minutes of off-trail travel, the wagon came to an abrupt stop and the driver jumped down from his seat and walked to the side of the lorry.
"We're here gentlemen," he spoke with hushed tones. "You've about another mile and a half to go and you'll be inside the Boer held lands. Head straight East, away from the setting sun and you'll be right in the middle of it."
Bates and the rest of his team jumped out of the wagon, hitched their bags up to their shoulders and were about to embark on their journey when Bates stopped, turned and addressed the men. "Just a reminder, men. From this point on…no more English. We'll be speaking in Afrikaans from now until our mission is accomplished. Now let's bow our heads and take a moment to think about what we're about to do, and for those of you inclined, to pray to God for his help."
The men bowed their heads and said their silent prayers. Bates waited until they had all raised their heads signaling they were done.
"Right, let's move on, now," John quickly assumed the role of point man for his team as the men formed a line behind him. The topography was rugged, but John, sure-footed and blessed with a long stride was able to move quickly towards the border at what for him was a steady pace. He couldn't help but smirk as he listened to Barrow struggle and swear behind him as he tried to keep up with John.
After about 20 minutes walking in a straight Easterly direction, John signaled for his team to stop. They had reached a small clearing that would serve as a good spot to regroup, refresh and plan out how they wanted to continue their trek. By Bates reckoning, they had crossed over into the Boer's territory several minutes ago. It was probably wise that they stopped following one man behind the other and spread out. If the plan went awry they'd be sitting ducks in a row if they continued to travel one behind the other.
"Let's spread out men," John spoke in a low yet authoritative voice. Thomas you come up front with me but stay about 20 yards to my left…Simon, Jacob you spread out behind us."
John no sooner finished his order when he heard the snap of a branch that seemed to come from a bank of trees to the right of the clearing.
"Beweeg nie" (Don't move) came the command from a voice located at the other side of the clearing…
"Wat doen ons hier ... Engels spioene ?" (What's do we have here…English spies?)
John felt his heart drop to the ground. English spies? My God how were they so easily found out? His mind was racing to come up with a reply, when Barrow spoke up.
"Nie spioene ... Broers in die oorlog teen die Engelse ." (Not spies…Brothers in the war against the English) Barrow's voice sounded confident.
John added his reply. "Ja , broers"
"Then put your guns down, my brothers. And raise your hands over your head. You've a long walk ahead of you. Our Captain Veldhuis will make the final decision as to who you truly are. Pray that he sees you as Afrikaans." John turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, rugged looking man step into the clearing, a Krag-Jorgensen Rifle pointed directly at Bate's head. "Weapons down," he barked. "I'll not ask again."
Bates nodded in compliance and ordered his men to put down their weapons and raise their hands as ordered.
Several more armed men emerged from outside of the clearing and picked up the team's rifles.
"Continue in the direction you were headed," the apparent leader of the commando group ordered.
Bates and his men complied. John didn't know how long of a walk would be required before meeting Captain Veldhuis, but he hoped it wouldn't be too long before he met the man. He preferred to know his fate sooner not later and the head commando obviously held the key to life or death for John and his team.