| Chapter 1 | | | | about three feet wide, was still passable and we |
| I had to go into Saigon on private business. A | | | | crossed over the first destroyed part of the |
| number of Decca people had private business | | | | bridge. I then stopped and looked around me. |
| concerns which I may deal with later. I took PB | | | | There was the wreckage of one of these three |
| along as interpreter. I hired a car and chauffeur. | | | | wheeled vehicles. I couldn't see the driver, perhaps |
| We left Vung Tau early in the morning, passed | | | | he had fallen down below. I didn't look though, it |
| through Baria with no trouble and had gone a few | | | | was not the moment for idle curiosity. I looked to |
| miles further on when we heard an explosion up | | | | my left and saw a rather fat peasant woman. I |
| ahead. It was a beautiful day, after a number of | | | | couldn't see her face. Her body was in a most |
| years one gets used to the nightly crump, crump | | | | strange posture. Part of my own survival |
| of artillery, one hopefully learns to differentiate | | | | mechanism kicked in and I thought, "What a |
| the sounds of outgoing and incoming shells, | | | | strange manner in which to pray". It was, though, |
| mortars or rockets, machine gun fire etc. One | | | | the eternal prayer of death. This was one of the |
| learns to live with it. To have one's knee jerk for | | | | shades of fear I have talked about earlier, an |
| years after the war every time a car backfired | | | | escape from reality. The body goes calmly |
| or one heard a loud bang was for later. We | | | | through all the actions required of it, but the mind |
| pushed on and found a large crater in the road. | | | | blankets out the truth. I looked to my right and |
| As we were able to drive around it and there | | | | saw a young girl sleeping. She must have been |
| were no destroyed vehicles we were not unduly | | | | about twelve years old. A very beautiful face, |
| concerned. There was no traffic in either direction | | | | untroubled in its sleep. My eyes travelled down her |
| though. | | | | body and I saw her guts hanging out onto the |
| A few miles later we arrived at a large village. | | | | surface of the bridge, her stomach ripped open. |
| There seemed to be a lot of activity, traffic had | | | | Hers was the final eternal sleep of death. |
| piled up, not moving in either direction. Questions | | | | I looked around. Not a sound. No movement. |
| were asked about what had happened on the | | | | Nothing. I looked up and high in the sky I saw a |
| road we had just come along, and we were | | | | spotter plane. So high it might have been an eagle. |
| informed that a bridge had been blown up ahead. | | | | I looked at PB, she remained very calm and |
| Like any loyal subject of Her Britannic Majesty, I | | | | without a word we continued. PB was always |
| decided it was a good moment for a tea break | | | | very brave. The fact that we might have been |
| and we duly found a tea house where we | | | | nutty didn't occur either. There is a Vietnamese |
| discussed the situation, in the manner of people | | | | phrase 'dien cai dau' again with no accents, which |
| deciding, due to cloudy weather ahead, if they | | | | Americanised was 'dinkydow' which might have |
| should continue with their picnic or not. | | | | been appropriate. It means crazy. |
| PB was North Vietnamese and they are a very | | | | We continued on for a half mile or so, feeling |
| steady people. We decided to abandon the car | | | | very exposed, when I saw a movement to my |
| and driver, which could not continue anyway | | | | left. A patrol of Regional Force soldiers was |
| because of the blown bridge, and continue on foot | | | | advancing quickly along the drainage ditch beside |
| and try to pick up transport further on. | | | | the road. They were led by an ashen faced |
| Chapter 2 | | | | officer, his right arm held out in front of him |
| We came to the end of the village and left people | | | | holding a Colt .45, his shaking hand all too visible. |
| and cover behind us. The road was raised above | | | | He did not give us a glance. He looked how I |
| the surrounding rice paddies. There was not a | | | | inwardly felt. We continued on until we came |
| cloud in the sky, not a sound to be heard. A | | | | across a lone three wheeled taxi vehicle, which |
| beautiful day for a young couple to be walking | | | | for an exhorbitant fee took us to the next village |
| along a quiet country road. | | | | where we found transport to take us to Saigon. |
| We came to the destroyed bridge. One span, | | | | |