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Chapter 2: Vietnam, 1974
As already mentioned, as soon as Nick had finished burying the map tube, he
gathered his things and began making his way north. On
the afternoon of the third day he finally spotted a river
and with renewed hope, knew
that his only chance of getting out of Vietnam alive was to
eventually float down it. The
added weight of the raft suddenly didn’t seem such a
burden to carry. Leaning against a large tree, Nick
felt that if he got lucky,
he’d be spotted by friendly forces by the end of the
week. But he also knew that he had to be careful.
Taking his time and keeping his sight on the river
below, the steep terrain finally gave way to a gentle
slope and before long, there it was beside him. Nick
bent over and put his hand in the water.
It was almost five in the afternoon. He planned to
stay close to the bank and float only at night when the odds of being spotted
by enemy soldiers would be far less. But what Nick didn’t
know is that he had already been spotted—not by
a soldier but by a young boy who had been
quietly trapping monkeys in the forest. When
he saw Nick, he clipped the lock on the cage
door and ran to tell his parents. Just
like that his fate was sealed.
Unfortunately, considering who the little boy’s
parents were, that was pretty much the same
thing as telling the Vietcong of Nick’s
whereabouts. Actually, it only meant
that his demise would be postponed a day at the
most, until soldiers could be summoned.
For now Nick rested, safely hidden on the bank
above the river. A lone monkey sat absolutely
still on a branch high above him, not sure what
was going to happen next.
With a few hours to wait before evening, Nick
began to doze off. He was tired. The Holy Name
entered his mind like a soothing breeze. It was
just a matter of time. Within minutes he was
fast asleep—the inflated raft and some branches
on top of him for protection.
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