PREVIEW |
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER IV "KENYA"
At first I served in a rifle company and spent time in the forest ad occasionally patrolling areas on and around the Kinangop, an area where in the past the Mau Mau had carried out a number of vicious and bloody attacks on isolated farms. One night, just as my section (comprising ten men) was settling down after a day's patrol, I saw a rocket shoot up into the sky, and explode in a burst of small, bright lights. This was the signal we had been told would be used by farmers when under attack, so I immediately rallied the men, grabbed our weapons and set off in great excitement at a fast trot in the direction of the farm. Being very fit and a good runner, I arrived well ahead of the others and threw myself down on the ground about a hundred metres from the front door, to await the rest and try to work out what was happening. But instead of expected noise of an attack, there was only utter silence and complete darkness. |