Around twilight, the Baker team let the prisoners walk on their own for an hour.
All of the prisoners managed to walk, even Ron Lowell who had a wounded arm.
Their line up may have slowed down at times, but it never stopped completely, not even when night came.
“There are still too many VCs around” Ortega said bluntly lying to the prisoners as they walked on.
“If we call the choppers right now, they’ll basically get shot down. We have to make sure were not seen and keep moving which means you guys too. I know that you’re weak and injured but we don’t have any other choice. It’ll all be over relatively soon, but now, well, now you have to make one last effort”
When darkness fell, they had their first forty-five minute break, during which none of them actually slept obviously.
The pause did finally give Messner the chance to do something about Rambo's foot at least.
-
From a ‘civilian’s’ point of view, it wasn’t what you’d call a serious injury.
Two toes may have been injured but the cuts weren’t deep so they would’ve healed on their own in a few days’ time without needing stitches.
What troubled Messner weren’t the cuts per se, but the risk of getting an infection in that damn jungle. That environment made the probability of doing so infinitely higher.
They undoubtedly had to march for at least another twenty-four hours but it could have been even longer. Problem was that Jonny's foot needed to rest, stay dry and most importantly, disinfected.
He ran the risk of having to amputate if it went into gangrene.
No matter how that mission ended, Rambo couldn’t treat that wound as badly as he was doing, or his foot would be damaged permanently. Basically speaking, he would never fight again.
“Take this,” he said as he passed Rambo a pill.
“Actually, here, keep them all. You should take one or even two a day, especially if in three days time we’re still in Laos. Worst case scenario, they’ll give you heartburn!”
“Okay”
“This is serious, Johnny. You’ve got to change the bandages regularly, disinfect it as often as possible and don't be a hero. You could lose your foot”
*
They were still resting when Ortega and Coletta turned their red torch off and folded their maps, when Danforth joined them.
“What do you think, Eagle? - said Ortega as Danforth, who was sitting nearby, listened quietly.
“Do you think the prisoners will make it?”
“They will. Even the wounded one is keeping up. The only ones torn to pieces around here, are us”
Ortega nodded in the dark.
“I know. Let's go”
They set off again and continued for the rest of the night with their doubled loads, stopping only to cook an adult baboon that Rambo had managed to kill with his bow while he was in front.
The meat was so good that the prisoners didn’t even eat their MREs.