The Cadet Corporal Read Online Free PDF Page B

kids will look down on you and tease you. Much better to face up to it. So come on, we will keep you safe in the middle.”
    Graham waited till Andrews had had a drink and replaced his waterbottle in his webbing, then murmured ‘come on’ and started slowly walking. To his enormous relief Anderson walked with him. When they reached the others, who still stood in a line waiting, he said quietly, “Cadet Andrews is a bit worried because he has never been in the bush at night. So we are all going to help him. And I want you all to promise not to tease him, or to tell anyone from another section about this. Four Section helps each other, alright?”
    To his relief the others all nodded or murmured yes. Roger patted Andrews on the shoulder and said, “Good on you!”
    Kirsty also put her hand on Andrews’ arm and said, “I’m glad. You can help keep me safe.”
    At that Graham told Pat to lead on and the section continued with the compass march. It was only a hundred metres down to where CUO McAlistair and Sgt Sheila Sherry, the 1 Platoon staff, were seated on a mound of earth in the old gravel pit but Graham barely noticed as he was so relieved to have overcome the crisis.
    â€œWhat was all that talking back there?” CUO McAlistair asked as they arrived.
    â€œJust one of the cadets not feeling well sir,” Graham replied.
    To Graham’s consternation CUO McAlistair replied, “They can stay here at the check point in that case.”
    â€œI think he is OK now,” Graham answered quickly, hoping that none of the cadets suddenly opted for this ‘out’.
    To his relief none said anything. CUO McAlistair told Graham to get out his notebook and torch and then gave him the Grid Reference of the next check point. Roger stood and held his torch while Graham wrote and Kirsty stood close on the other side. Graham then crouched and unfolded his map. A moment’s work gave him the location, a dry creek about 500m to the west. As quickly as he could he drew a pencil line across the map through the two points and placed his protractor on it. He was so selfconscious of being watched by a CUO, sergeant and half his section that he became quite flustered and all ‘thumbs and fingers’ but he got the bearing at last, then did the calculation to convert it from Grid to Magnetic on his notebook.
    â€œTwo hundred and thirty six degrees magnetic sir,” he said. “And about seven hundred paces.”
    â€œThat sounds about right,” CUO McAlistair replied. “You should find CSM Cleland and Sgt Gayney there.”
    â€œThanks sir,” Graham said. He adjusted the compass and then stood up. “Shine the torch in the top to improve the luminous Roger,” Graham said. He instantly regretted not calling Roger Lance Corporal Dunning in front of the others but no-one seemed to notice. What he was really trying to do was gain some time while he decided who should take the compass for the next leg. ‘I could ask for volunteers,’ he considered. ‘No. That will make me look weak and indecisive.’
    He said, “You are next Cadet Hind. Here is the compass.”
    Lucy muttered a few ‘Oh nos!’ but took the compass. Graham then stood close to check she was holding it the right way and that she had the luminous North pointer lined up between the two luminous dots. Satisfied she had it right he told her to start walking. “Cadet Andrews and Cadet Weldon, you both count paces,” he added.
    As they started slowly moving Graham was relieved to note that all of the section followed, even Andrews. He also took comfort from the fact that they would be moving on a course which converged with the highway. ‘If we get really lost we can just go to the road,’ he told himself. The lights of the army camp were now behind his left shoulder and he noted that the glow of the officer’s campfire was hidden by a rise.
    Their