Tit for Tat

At the first sign of an armed attack, the small band of Honduran soldiers guarding the Gringos melted into the jungle. We would rather have taken care of them there and then, though. They retreated in the direction of the army base at Brus Laguna on the coast. This would mean that the trek back to Nicaragua would have to be faster and more stealthy than our march to this point. The escaped soldiers would raise an alarm and the army would soon be on our scent.

We caught the three Gringos trying to hide in one of the mining operation sheds. We’d attacked at night and they were all stripped down to boxers for comfort under the slow-moving paddle fans in their primitive quarters at the height of the Honduran hot season.

The youngest and most fit of the three, a blond Gringo of athletic build and more bravery than the other two, was crouched between the door and his two compatriots when we kicked our way in. He was shielding a middle-aged man who was starting to go to overindulged fat and a younger, dark-haired man of slight height and build. The blond Gringo was holding a knife, at an experienced “kill” angle. He could see that he was not armed to fight with the AK-47s of ten hardened Sandisnitas, but he obviously was willing to try.

I motioned to Hectoro to feint at him from the left, which drew the young Gringo’s attention, and then I bore in from the right and caught him in the chin with the butt of my AK-47. He went down with a groan. He wasn’t unconscious, but he had dropped the knife.

“David Winston,” I barked. “Which one David Winston?” I wanted to know immediately which one was the son of the congressman. He would receive special treatment. And I was the only one in the band conversant in English. This was as planned. I didn’t want there to be any chances of the Gringos getting friendly with any of my men. It was impossible to tell, given our specific mission, whether that might become a problem.

The young blond’s head lolled up at me. He was groggy from the hit on the chin, but he recognized the name when it was spoken. And he was quick witted. I could see that he understood in an instant that this hadn’t been just a random raid.