“Ready?” Delmore asked his prisoner.
“Yes”
He consequently put his arms around Delmore's neck and clung to his back like a Koala bear. Delmore took a few steps on the spot to check the weight distribution on his legs.
I expected worse. he said to himself.
That was undoubtedly because that prisoner didn’t weigh what a normal adult man would. His captivity had turned him into a living skeleton.
He did in any case weigh more than his rucksack and so a few hours from now, Barry would have felt the difference.
Krakauer passed Berry his AK.
That was either going to be a very long march, or otherwise, short and deadly.
Probably the latter.
Ortega was watching the team get ready for the march when he suddenly realized he’d made a mistake.
Rambo had a wounded foot.
Ortega immediately stopped Rambo who was already loading himself with two rucksacks and called Jorgenson instead, who had 'historically' been the strongest Baker team member.
“You will have to walk with a double load, Grizzly. You’ll be carrying Johnny's rucksack too”
Jorghenson looked at Ortega somewhat surprised.
“Raven is wounded”
“Right, of course. That’s no problem”
-
Jorghenson let his prisoner down off his back, put on Rambo's rucksack in front and then let the prisoner get back on again.
With the rucksack on his front and the prisoner on his back, the two things together seemed to leave him a little out of breath.
Jesus Christ – he thought.
Would he be able to think straight under these conditions?
How tired was he going to be if they hadn't reached for any LZ in an hour or two?
How hot was he going to get?
Not a moment later, the team was ready to leave.
-
“Will you be able to march, Johnny?” Ortega asked whispering so that no one else could hear as he adjusted to the weight of the two rucksacks.
“This march is going to be a long one,” he said.
“Of course I can. Let me be the point man. I am the only one who’s unloaded”
“Ok”
Ortega turned to the team at last, and this time raising his voice said:
“Everyone ready? Good. We’ll have to tough it out at the start Baker team, but then the prisoners will walk on their own. Raven will be our point man to begin with and afterwards we will shift on the hour.
The next one to take a double load after Jorgenson will be Delmore. Is that clear?
Good.
Now let's move out, Baker team”