Gold Buddha Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES

A UNIQUE CARAVAN OF PEOPLE SLOWLY FILED THROUGH THE JUNGLE. They created a scene one would expect to see in an adventure movie. The caravan consisted of a long line of short fragile looking native women with their long black hair cascading down their backs and made to look even smaller by the large and heavy baskets balanced on their heads. Following them was another single-file line of only slightly larger native men trudging along behind them. The men, however, were seemingly unaffected by the extra weight they carried. Thai mercenary soldiers walked on all sides of the caravan in full battle gear.

Bill Goodwin walked at the head of the group with a smile permanently planted on his face. His brother, the more serious Doug Goodwin was last in line, bringing up the rear with his eyes fixed on the chest of diamonds. The allusive ‘Big O’ appeared from time to time at various locations along the trail.

The arduous task of walking on the narrow jungle trail would be difficult under ordinary circumstances—these were far from ordinary. Every thirty minutes the caravan would stop for a four-minute rest; then continue. No one spoke or complained—it was a simply a task that had to be done. Each carrier was only concerned with individual personal effort. The Thai warriors hardly blinked their eyes, which were fixed on the narrow path ahead, one hundred percent focused on their mission.

Sweltering heat increased with the rising sun. Odors of the jungle mixed into a lingering scent of a constantly moldy dampness until they approached the rebel killing zone. Bill recognized the odor of decaying flesh, which would take many days to dissipate. He directed the point man to swing around the area, not wanting the natives to see the slaughter.

Rest times were more frequent as time progressed, but their stamina was unbelievable. As the final stage of the Orphan transfer approached, fatigue began to seep into the consciousness of the group. They reduced the pace to a slow walk. It became more difficult by the minute to step around branches and tree roots that covered the trail. Stress showed in each person’s features.

Doug thought, “These hard working machines might call this a trail, but I call it an almost indiscernible sketched line in the jungle.”

He had barely released that thought when one of the native women, walking just ahead of the diamond chest, fell to the ground. She silently went down in slow motion as if she had gradually fainted. The two women directly ahead of her lowered their baskets and knelt to assist her. The men carrying the chest lowered it to the ground and sat next to it; while the rest of the group continued onward.

Doug rushed toward the fallen women who had lifted herself up into a sitting position. Unable to speak their language, Doug could only watch the scene develop. One of the helpers produced water from a gourd tied around her neck and applied it to the fallen woman’s forehead. She appeared to have been overheated and exhausted.

Doug called one of the guards, “You wait here with us. She must have fainted from the heat. I’ll radio ‘Big O’.” He turned on the radio, “‘Big O’, Come in ‘Big O’. We have a woman down, looks temporary.”

‘Big O’ came right back with a response. “How far back are you?”

“Only about fifteen minutes,” Doug replied. “I need guards back here with guns. The Infants are practically unguarded.”

“We’re getting close to the yacht. I’ll send two men back to guard you and the Infants, and we’ll keep going.”

Doug agreeing, answered, “Sounds good. I have one of Suwat’s men, three native women and two natives with me. We’ll have to let this woman recuperate for a few minutes; so I’ll wait for the guards,” then he turned to check on the fallen woman.

The native woman arose to one knee but still appeared wobbly…she sat again. Continuing to wipe her brow with water, the assisting women spoke in low tones. Their expressions showed compassion; Filipina women always demonstrated an abundance of compassion.

Doug stood a short distance away watching the recovery, but at the same time feeling nervous about being isolated from the team. Here they were with nearly two thousand ounces of gold at three hundred dollars per ounce and a “Kings Fortune” in diamonds, sitting in the jungle with no major protection. Rebel forces would do anything to get their hands on that kind of money.

A rustle of brush and the sound of someone approaching brought Doug out of his meditation. He rushed forward, rifle in hand, to meet the sound. Stepping into brush off the trail, he waited a couple minutes only to see Ray and another man from Suwat’s group.

“Over here,” Doug called out, still hidden by the brush.

Ray dropped to one knee and responded, “Who’s there.”

Doug stepped forward and identified himself.

“‘Big O’ sent me,” Ray explained. “Is everything okay?”

Doug walked toward Ray with a feeling of relief, “A woman collapsed, but is recovering. Will you two guys carry her load for her and stay close to the rest of us when we begin to move out?” They both nodded their heads and each of them picked up half of her load.”

Meanwhile, Bill continued leading the natives toward the yacht. Nearing the beach, he raised his arm to halt the movement.

The natives gladly lowered their heavy loads and squatted, resting on their heavily callused heals. Each one lowered his head in a meditative position to regenerate inner strength.

‘Big O’ appeared out of the jungle at the head of the column and walked toward Bill. “Wait here,” he commanded and turned to look for Suwat.

Suwat and two men moved forward to the edge of the brush and waited while ‘Big O’ contacted Captain Scott on the radio. “How’s everything on the yacht?” ‘Big O’ asked.

“Awfully quiet,” Capt. Scott replied.

“Well, we have a visual on you, but will remain out of sight. Send the dinghy to shore with two men.”

“Roger,” the Captain answered and proceeded to lower the dinghy equipped with a small outboard engine.

‘Big O’ went back to talk to Teofisto. “Tell the Chief we will pay him now for all their fine work, and he can return to their village.”

Turning to the Chief, Teofisto explained that they could now finish the task without his tribe. The tired Chief summoned extra strength from deep with himself and straightened his stature to a dignified stance. A slight nod of his head demonstrated his agreement.

‘Big O’ reached deep into his packsack and pulled out a square bundle of money. It was wrapped in waterproof cloth and sealed with duct tape. He opened the bundle ceremoniously and produced packets of one hundred Peso bills.

Handing a packet containing five thousand Pesos to the Chief. ‘Big O’ told Teofisto to tell the chief to inspect them. Which the Chief did without explanation. One by one ‘Big O’ handed him packets until they totaled one hundred thousand Pesos.

The Chief smiled in agreement, and for the first time extended his hand to shake on the deal. ‘Big O’ then produced another package from under his coat, handing it to the Chief.

The Chief looked bewildered but proceeded to open it finding another twenty-five thousand Pesos.

‘Big O’ smiled and told Teofisto to explain that it was a bonus for a good job well done.

A broad grin crossed the Chief’s face, and he stepped forward and embraced ‘Big O’.

Teofisto had never before seen a chief display that type of response, and it caused emotions to swell within him. He turned away with a lump in his throat.

The Chief turned toward his people and made a statement that compelled them to arise in unison and raise a clenched fist into the air and voice a guttural sound that was obviously a way of expressing thanks. He then turned to face ‘Big O’ and gave an awkward salute and walked away. His people followed, disappearing into the jungle.

Bill said under his breath, “I hope they never have to explain to Ernie.”

Doug and his party of seven had divided the Orphans among themselves and were continuing toward the yacht when the Chief and natives met them.

The Chief greeted him and told the native women to leave their gold and come with them. Four native men rushed forward, picked up the baskets of gold, and with the two natives carrying the chest of Infants headed back toward the beach. Doug, Ray and the guards had to really pick up their pace, in order to keep up with the natives.

‘Big O’ had arranged Suwat’s men in a position hidden by the dense jungle. The jungle protected them while they still had a visual on the beach. The dinghy had transported one load of about six hundred pounds and was being loaded for the second trip by the time Doug reached the beach.

“What took you so long?” ‘Big O’ asked as Doug approached.

“The women were exhausted—no complaining—just exhausted.

“I see the chest is safe.”

“You’d better believe it,” Doug replied with a pleasant smile.

“Well, we’re sending our second load to the yacht. I’m keeping everyone out of sight in case of aerial surveillance.”

“Good plan…how many Orphans are loaded?”

“Nearly one hundred with this trip.”

“I’m getting nervous for some reason,” Doug responded, looking up and down the beach.

“It won’t be long now,” ‘Big O’ assured him.

The two men with the dinghy shoved the boat from the shore, started the engine and moved toward the yacht. Fortunately, the sand bar was close to the shore; so the trip was still well within their view.

Doug and ‘Big O’ watched as the men transferred the Orphans to the yacht. The process seemed to take a long time—the day had been exhausting.

The time had arrived to consider Teofisto’s payment for his successful efforts. Knowing his income while living in Manila would be around twenty-five US dollars per month, Doug planned to present him with enough money to establish himself in a business, making him self-employed. Teofisto was summoned and greeted as a close friend. Both sat on the ground, and Doug said, “We are well pleased with your hard work and will look forward to working with you again. Shall we pay you now or forward it through Pedro?”

“I could use the money now, if that’s okay for you,” Teofisto said kindly.

“That will be fine with us,” Doug replied, as he grandly produced a packet from his coat. “Here are two hundred thousand Pesos. Can you set up a business with that much money?”

“Yes sir, I sure can!” Teofisto took the money in his left hand and shook Doug’s right hand vigorously.

“I’d like you to stick around until we actually leave on the yacht in case something comes up,” Doug said, knowing for sure that he would agree to do so.

Teofisto stood and smiled. “Be glad to wait for you, Mr. Doug.”

The Orphans from the dinghy were barely in place on the yacht when suddenly a patrol boat appeared around a bend in the shoreline. ‘Big O’ spotted him first and grabbed his radio. “Captain Scott, Captain Scott,” he shouted into the mike.

“Yes,” Capt. Scott responded with a calm voice, obviously not aware of the patrol.

“There’s a government boat bearing down on you from the north!” ‘Big O’ yelled. “Get the Orphans out of sight!”

The patrol boat increased its speed and set a course directly toward the yacht.

Capt. Scott panicked and called for Bill. He threw a canvas tarp over the Orphans remaining on deck and started his engines. All he could think about was making it appear as though they were simply cruising around.

“Holy Hail, what shall we do?” Came Bill’s voice across the radio.

‘Big O’ answered, “Stay close to the radio, but stay radio silent. They have big ears. All you can do is cooperate.”

“Cooperate?” Bill thought. “What a mess…so close. I can’t believe it.”

The patrol boat sped toward the yacht full throttle until it pulled along side. An officer called through an electronic megaphone, “Stop that boat! What are you doing here?”

Capt. Scott replied through his loud speaker, “We are tourists looking for a place to scuba dive.”

The officer unsnapped his pistol holster, “I will board now and check your papers.”

“Man, I don’t want him on this boat,” Bill said quietly to Capt. Scott.

Capt. Scott took a deep breath and let the air out forcefully. “It’s the last thing I want too,” as he shut down the engines. “All we can do is cooperate.”

The patrol boat officer tossed a line to the yacht, and Bill lowered a rope ladder. Bill’s demeanor was guilty as could be, and he couldn’t hide his exasperation while watching the officer climb the swaying ladder.

Fortunately, Capt. Scott had acquired the proper papers at Puerto Princesa when they first arrived; so as the officer stepped on board, he handed him the papers without fear of their legality.

Looking through the papers, the officer motioned another officer to board. This officer boarded with a rifle in ready position. At the same instant the second officer stepped on the deck, a wave rocked the yacht and dislodged a gold bar, which fell to the deck with a deafening clank.

All eyes went directly to the sound as a single gold bar appeared from under the edge of the tarp. The armed officer instantly cocked his rifle and pointed it at Capt. Scott.

It seemed like a slow motion nightmare to Bill. His pulse pounded, and he stood nailed to the deck. He dared not breathe as the first officer stepped over and threw the tarp off the gold. Wheeling around with a pistol in his hand, he shouted, “Ah-ah, what do we have here? It looks like your scuba dive was successful.”

No explanation would be adequate; so Scott and Bill remained silent.

“Are there more people on board?” the officer demanded.

“Four below,” Capt. Scott replied in a low fearful voice.

The second officer moved toward the doorway and shouted down the stairs, “Everyone come on deck—now!”

Four men cautiously emerged from the below deck…surprised and fearful.

“Get over there,” the officer demanded, pointing his rifle toward Bill.

They could only respond as ordered. They were totally unprepared at this most critical step of the operation. “We’re supposed to be professionals, what a joke.” Bill thought.

Doug and ‘Big O’ could only watch from behind the concealment of the jungle. Although they could easily see what was transpiring on the boat, they were too far away to assist in any way. Watching helplessly, they saw two more men from the government boat board the yacht and watched them begin removing the gold.

“Man, we screwed up royally,” Doug murmured. “Of all things to happen right now—this has to be the worst.” Then turning to the silent ‘Big O’, he asked, “What will they do to our men.”

“I’m counting on greed setting in; so they’ll want to get away with the gold as fast as possible.” ‘Big O’ answered. “I don’t think they want to explain to the government; so they’ll probably take the gold and run.”

“What a sickening thought,” Doug said; then watched with disbelief as six and a half million dollars began slipping from their grasp. No one spoke for several minutes.

“Here’s something we can do,” ‘Big O’ said finally. “But the last thing we want to do is kill innocent government men. Communist rebels are a threat to freedom, but not those poor slobs on the boat.” Turning to look at the boat through his field glasses again, ‘Big O’ spoke slowly, “do you think Bill and Captain Scott have enough nerve to jump those two on the boat if we create a diversion.”

Doug raised his field glasses, “Bill does but I don’t know about Scott,”

“He might do it if Bill initiates the action. Let’s go for it. We’re losing our gold this way anyhow,” ‘Big O’ commented, slowly while studying the yacht. Watch how the men guarding the crew look toward the men moving the gold each time they go down the ladder.

Doug watched and saw the movement described by ‘Big O’. The guards were preoccupied with the treasure they were stealing.

“If we can create an explosive sound to attract their attention, at the right moment, they’ll look this way for sure, and Bill can get the jump on them” ‘Big O’ explained.

Doug, nodded his head in agreement, “How can we alert Bill of our plan?”

“They’re standing near the radio room door; so if I tap out a message in Morse code, you watch Bill’s expression to see if he gets it.”

“Go for it,” Doug replied.

‘Big O’ knelt to the ground and turned the radio on. “Get ready to watch him at the count of three…one…two …three, now.” With that signal, ‘Big O’ hit the tapping key, and Bill’s head turned toward the radio-room, then straight ahead instantly.

“He got it,” Doug exclaimed.

‘Big O’ tapped out: NOD YOUR HEAD, and Bill nodded. ‘Big O’ continued: WE WILL CAUSE DIVERSION YOU OVERPOWER THEM.

Bill nodded again while Doug watched his expression through the field glasses.

“He understood,” Doug exclaimed excitedly.

“Okay, here goes. You go to Suwat and get three men to come within visual range of me.”

Doug left in a hurry and returned within three minutes with the word that they were in position.

“This baby has to be right on the money or we’re all in big trouble. I’ll give the signal for everyone to fire a burst of rounds in the air…not to hit anything but to draw their attention,” ‘Big O’ explained. “Pass the word.”

Doug went to the men and signaled to ‘Big O’ that they were ready.

‘Big O’ tapped out OK on the radio three times and watched for the perfect second while holding his arm in the air.

Two men carried another load of gold from the yacht to the patrol boat and disappeared below deck. The second government officer stepped to the edge of the yacht to give some instructions.

“That’s it,” ‘Big O’ shouted and dropped his arm. The jungle exploded with a burst of noise. Both patrol officers turned sharply toward the sound.

At the same instant, Bill jumped with such fury that Capt. Scott reacted instinctively. Each charged a different patrol officer—striking at the same moment. Bill downed the head officer with a sharp karate blow to the back of the neck, but Capt. Scott’s charge was poorly controlled—he hit the man and knocked him overboard into the water….his 240 pound frame against the Filipino’s body, which probably weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. Scott’s crewmen stood frozen in position. They were crewmen not soldiers.

Managing to grab a rifle, Bill spun to face the shaken patrol officer, while Capt. Scott stood looking almost apologetically into the water, preparing to rescue his victim.

“Throw down your pistol,” Bill shouted to the officer.

The officer slowly pulled the pistol from its holster and hesitatingly dropped it to the deck. Bill, kicking it to Capt. Scott, yelled, “Get a bead on the men below.”

Just then the men on the boat came rushing into view.

By then, Capt. Scott had become an instant warrior: waving the pistol in the air he demanded, “Hold it right there.”

Both men froze; then indicating that they might run for it, Capt. Scott shouted again, “Don’t try it.” The men immediately stood stock still, much to Scott’s relief.

Meanwhile, the man in the water floundered for his life. The weight of his clothes and heavy boots pulled him down, making it a constant struggle to keep his head above water.

Bill slowly made his way to Capt. Scott while keeping a bead on the officer. When he reached a position next to Scott, he said to him, “At the count of three, you cover this guy, and I’ll switch to the men below. One….two….three.” Both repositioned their focus.

Turning to Scott’s crewmen, Bill felt disgusted with their lack of ability. “Go get some rifles and help us out here.” They reacted with a jolt back into reality. “Scott tell your man to get on his knees with his hands behind his head.”

“You heard him—get down on your knees,” Capt. Scott demanded in an authoritative voice. “Get those hands behind your head. Hurry it up…You can understand English.”

The officer cooperated, showing fear in his eyes. After all, he would have killed them in a heartbeat—now the tables were turned, and he had no idea how vicious these Americans would be.

Bill kept his rifle pointed toward the two men in the boat, “You two get up here right now and hurry,” motioning toward the ladder.

They climbed the ladder keeping their eyes on Bill, glancing back occasionally wondering if they had a chance to run for it. Bill watched them intently while they climbed on board. “Kneel down over there,” he motioned with his gun. “Go ahead and lay down…face down.”

They could only cooperate by joining their comrades.

“Guard these men,” Bill commanded. The crewmen, by now holding guns, surrounded the captives, and Bill turned his attention to poor victim in the ocean. He was nearly exhausted to his limit. Bill threw him a lifeline, and he fumbled it until it wrapped around his arm a couple times. “He’s all yours Capt. Scott….haul in your catch.”

Pulling the man to the side of the yacht, Scott inched him toward the rope ladder. The poor man grabbed the ladder and weakly hung there while coughing and gasping for air. He could not have lasted much longer in the water.

Not giving him time to gain strength, Bill commanded him to climb the ladder; which he did with extreme effort. He fell prostrate to the deck and crawled to join his associates. “Get that pistol,” Bill shouted to Capt. Scott.

Scott rolled the man to one side and snatched the pistol from its holster. “Shouldn’t we tie them up?” He asked.

One of the crewmen rushed inside the pilot’s cabin. He returned with some fine nylon rope and began tying the first officer.

“Tie their hands behind the back and hot-tie the legs with a rope around his neck,” Bill instructed.

The small Filipinos were easy to manage; so they were tied tightly in a few minutes. Having them tied, Bill finally felt a lot safer. He waved to Doug, who caught his signal.

“That takes care of that crisis,” ‘Big O’ commented. “Let’s wrap this thing up and get out of here.”

Doug began thinking of what they could do with the officers and their boat. Shaking his head in disgust, asked, “What do we do now?”

“What do you think of this?” ‘Big O’ said, thinking out loud. “Let’s bring the four officers over here and hold them while we load the rest of the Orphans—which should take two more trips and bring us right close to night. We won’t let them see all of us. They shouldn’t know how many of us are involved or whether we’re communists or identifiable in any way. We’ll have one man to guard them until we are ready to leave. The last step will be to get our last man on the yacht and send the patrol boat to the open sea. The water is too shallow here to scuttle it.”

“We can’t leave the Filipinos tied up,” Doug said with a questioning voice.

‘Big O’ looked around the area while thinking it through and answered Doug’s question, “No, but we have to keep them under control for a few days; so we can be out of reach of Philippine surveillance planes. We can use Teofisto and Mario to keep them quiet.”

Doug wondered for a couple minutes about the thought, and then added his idea. “Let’s have Mario come here and assist Teofisto in escorting our prisoners back to the cave that held the Orphans. Maybe they can hold them there for a few days.”

‘Big O’ thought over the suggestion intensely and added to the idea. “We don’t want them to be able to identify either Teofisto or Mario, and we don’t want them to know the Chief and natives were involved. So call Mario and tell him to come immediately to join us, but go by the area where we slaughtered those rebels and gather some arm bands and identifying pieces of clothing. Teofisto and Mario can wear those to make them look like rebels…have them cover their faces with cloths.”

“I like it,” Doug responded. “Maybe they should go on to the cave that first held the Orphans.”

“That’s good—away from the tribe.” ‘Big O’ agreed. “Go talk it over with Teofisto.”

Doug went to Teofisto and explained the situation. “Will you help us one more time?”

“Mario and I can take care of those government men,” Teofisto replied.

“Remember, we don’t want to kill them…only keep them away from reporting us for four or five days.”

“No problem, Mr. Doug,” Teofisto responded.

“Tonight, take them to the cave where the orphans were last stored…the Chief can provide food, but don’t let the prisoners see or know about the natives. Keep them there for four days; then move them toward our first home base. I won’t be able to help you after we leave; so be sure you understand.”

Teofisto rehearsed his instructions. “I wait for Mario, we take prisoners to cave , keep them for four days, and take them to home base.”

“That’s almost all, but when you take them you will have to remove their blindfolds and the ropes around their legs. The best way to control them is to keep their hands tied behind their backs and tie them together with a rope about two feet apart. Keep a leash tied to the neck of the head man, and you hold the leash…if there is trouble jerk the man to the ground…okay?”

“Okay Mr. Doug. I have led goats through the jungle the same way.”

“Yes, but these are men who want to escape. You and Mario walk behind them—you with a rifle pointed at the men and Mario holding the flashlight and a pistol. He can show the trail with the flashlight and check carefully that the prisoners remained tied up tightly. Any sign of a problem shoot a shot above their heads…that will keep them from relaxing or planning to run.”

Doug signaled a thumbs-up to ‘Big O’ and proceeded to call Mario. “Mario, is everything okay?”

“All’s well.”

“The Chief and tribe are on their way to you as we speak, but we need you to come here and help Teofisto with a problem. We have some prisoners who need to be guarded while we get away from Palawan.”

“I can come right now,” Mario said without hesitation.

“It is a four hour trip.”

“I can make it in three hour,” Mario responded.

Doug then instructed him to bring his rifle and pistol. “When you get to the rebel killing site…You’ll smell the area when you get close…pickup arm bands and pieces of uniform for you and Teofisto to wear so you’ll look like rebels…we don’t want these prisoners to identify you. You can also bring the flashlight that I left there—it is charged and will last for eight hours…by the way when you come to the Chief, flash the light and shout your name. He should recognize you, but keep the light up to your face as you approach him. He doesn’t know you are coming.”

“I will hear them before they hear me. I’ll let them know.”

Mario grabbed his rifle and pistol with plenty of shells. Getting the flashlight while leaving the hut, he left the camp, hurrying toward the beach.

‘Big O’ began signaling the yacht….CQ….CQ….CQ (requesting an answer from anyone listening).

Bill rushed to the radio room, shut the door and grabbed the mike. “Bill here, come in.”

“Everything under control?” ‘Big O’ questioned.

“Tied up like hogs,” Bill answered.

‘Big O’ began instructing Bill of their plans. “Don’t injure them any more. They are not the enemy. All we want to do is secure them long enough for us to get completely free of these islands. Blindfold them and put a bag over their heads so they can’t identify either Mario or Teofisto, and then bring them to the island.”

“I’ll bring them with me and another guard, okay?” Bill asked.

“Roger, don’t talk on the way over and keep it down when you get here.”

Bill responded, “Ten four,” and began preparations for the transfer. First he sent a crewman as armed guard to the dinghy—then blindfolded the government officers and had the crewmen carry them down the shaking ladder and drop them into the dinghy. Unable to find bags for their heads, he simply slid pillowcases over each head and tied the opening around the throat with a cord.

Bill whispered to Capt. Scott that he needed to listen for the radio transmitter and have his men recover the gold that had been transferred to the patrol boat; then he joined the captives in the dinghy, keeping his rifle trained on the Filipinos. “Get out of here,” he told the crewman; who put the engine into high throttle toward the island.

Bill suddenly, probably a release from tension, began thinking of the vast amount of wealth they possessed, knowing—the more the money—the higher the stakes. His thoughts caused him to grip the rifle tighter and stare intently at his captives.

Doug and Teofisto spent the next several minutes reviewing the strategy. “We won’t be able to keep in contact with you by radio, but you keep a GSC unit…Doug handed him the unit…Just press this button here to send an instant message of your location to me—send one every morning and every evening until you allow the prisoners to escape. We need you to keep them for four days. Take them to the cave where the Orphans were stored last, and ask the Chief to help you provide food and water for them. Then in four days guide them toward our home base site…be sure they don’t see the Chief or his people…but allow them to escape somewhere along the trail. You can hide and make your way to town by a different route.”

Teofisto liked the plan. He even liked it better when Doug slipped him an additional ten thousand Pesos.

‘Big O’ had gathered Suwat’s men together behind the brush—determined not to reveal their numbers. As the dinghy pulled ashore, ‘Big O’ stepped out of the jungle and indicated by hand motion that he wanted the captives taken into the jungle to be guarded by Teofisto.

After the government officers were off the beach and safely hidden in the jungle, Doug brought the men with the Orphans to the beach. While he helped load the dinghy, the men returned time and time again with their heavy loads. The dinghy would need two more trips for the Orphans then maybe two for the men. Bill returned with the dinghy to the yacht on the next load…unloaded it and returned to the beach…and repeated the cycle again.

As the dinghy returned for the last time, ‘Big O’ motioned for Doug to come closer and whispered quietly to him, “Go over to the Filipinos and pretend you are giving a command to someone guarding them. Give verbal instructions to shoot to kill if they try to escape, and then step aside. Wait for one of them to move a leg or arm and fire a round into the ground; then quietly creep away so they won’t know how many are guarding them.

Doug nodded with a grin and disappeared into the jungle. Teofisto who had been guarding them stood quietly as Doug approached.

A few minutes later a single shot rang out from Doug’s direction, and he emerged from the jungle like a shadow and ran toward ‘Big O’. “That guy will be scared to move for a week,” Doug said laughing to himself.

‘Big O’ turned and said to Bill in a hushed voice, “Crowd into this boat and get the men and the chest outta’ here” …which they did after some jostling for position—the chest taking center position.

“What about those poor suckers?” Bill asked, pointing toward the jungle.

‘Big O’ glanced at the jungle, smiled and answered, “We have that all taken care of. I’ll explain it later. Get this load to the yacht and come back for Doug and me. We have to wait for Mario.”

“Mario?” Bill questioned.

“We have a plan to keep those government men from reporting us for a few days…I’ll explain it on the yacht.”

Bill climbed into the dinghy with the others as the engine began churning toward the yacht. He looked back at ‘Big O’ and commented, “Man, I didn’t think we would get out of that mess in one piece.”

“We’re not out of it yet, but it’s looking up,” ‘Big O’ responded.

Waiting for Mario proved to be the hardest part of the transition so far…mentally that is. He traversed the jungle with cat-like speed, but for those waiting it seemed like an eternity.

An hour into the trail Mario heard the sounds of people ahead of him. Stepping aside he listened carefully…calculating when they would arrive at his position. “This is risky,” he thought. “I have to talk and act fast to not cause a problem.” As he saw the first movement of a forward guard on the trail, he flashed the light and shouted, “Me Mario…with Teofisto.”

The trail of natives went down to the ground at the first sound, even the guard; then they saw a man approaching with his face lit up. They trembled with fear until Mario was fifteen feet from them. The Chief who traveled at the head of the column finally recognized Mario. “You friend Mario,” he shouted.

“Yes I’m friend.” Then he mentioned ‘Big O’ and Teofisto’s names.

The Chief smiled and sent his guard forward…Mario was checked out before being brought to the Chief.

“I’m going to the ocean to ‘Big O’ to get prisoners,” Mario explained “I bring them to the gold cave for a day then to Princesa Puerto.”

The Chief nodded approval but didn’t fully understand.

Mario made his way past the people, continuing on his way.

Finally, in the black of the late evening, his flashlight flashed thirty feet up the beach from ‘Big O’. He flashed a signal and watched as Mario came toward him. ‘Big O’ quickly motioned for him to be silent and quietly explained the plan again.

“You look like a real live rebel,” Doug whispered showing his approval. “Come with me quietly and I’ll take you to Teofisto; then we have to leave. Wait until morning to move the prisoners.

Teofisto smiled as he saw his rebel partner, Mario. “You have clothes for me?”

“I do,” Mario replied while pulling a variety of items from his pack.

Doug told ‘Big O’, “I want to help these guys tie up the prisoners. This is critical to our safe exit from this part of the world.” ‘Big O’ agreed; so Doug and Mario joined Teofisto and the prisoners.

Mario held the light while Doug had one prisoner at a time stand up so he could be certain his hands were tied in an escape proof handcuff binding and added a bowline knot (no slip knot) around his neck. Each prisoner was secured and his leg ties removed.

Taking Teofisto aside Doug explained his final instructions again. “I’ve decided it will be best to keep them in the cave by the native village for four days them all tied together. It will take them a while to remove the ropes, and that’s fine. Just let them know that you’re at the cave’s entrance with guns. That way you can guard the opening and provide them with food and water. On the fifth day take them out of the cave and start toward Princesa Puerto. After you have gone about one kilometer, tell them in Tagalog to keep walking. You and Mario stop and let them escape. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Any questions?”

“You want them to escape?”

“Yes after four days. That gives us time to get away. Be absolutely sure you press the button on your GSC every morning and evening.”

“Okay Mr. Doug.”

Doug shook his hand and left them in charge of prisoners who were critical to their safe escape.

Bill, who had been waiting impatiently at the dinghy, jumped to his feet as Doug and ‘Big O’ approached. He started the engine as they climbed in.

“What about the patrol boat men? I couldn’t believe those jokers getting the jump on me,” Bill commented. “They appeared from nowhere.”

“You didn’t have a chance. Teofisto and Mario are going to keep them prisoners for four days then let them go.”

Bill thought for a minute then asked something that had been bothering him, “What about that patrol boat?”

‘Big O’ smiled, “Funny you should ask. I’ve been thinking the same thing. Just get me to the boat, and I’ll show you.”

Fortunately the sea was calm…Pulling along side the patrol boat, ‘Big O’ jumped to its boarding ladder and disappeared inside the cabin. The engines started up immediately.

Bill and Doug continued to the yacht and boarded it just as ‘Big O’ came from the cabin holding the end of a line. He strained to reach the ladder and shouted to Doug, “Are all the Orphans and anything else of value to us off this boat?”

“Affirmative!” Doug yelled, and ‘Big O’ jerked the line he held and leaped to the yacht.

The patrol boat took off in high gear toward the open sea. ‘Big O’ had used the line to pull the throttle. “And away she goes!” Bill shouted with excitement.

“And away we go too,” ‘Big O’ said. “Get that dinghy on the yacht.”

The winch was attached to both ends of the dinghy, and it began to climb up into position.

Capt. Scott already had the engines running and waited for the final word. The sleek yacht moved forward with a jerk and the churning ocean blasted out the rear. “The course is set toward Vietnam,” Scott said, turning to ‘Big O’. “Is that okay?”

‘Big O’ looked at him, thinking deeply before he spoke, “Okay for now, but we’ll have to chart a new course later. We need to expect all hell to break loose in about 12 hours …as a worst case scenario. Keep this thing at full throttle. We need to get into International waters as quickly as possible.

Doug’s voice echoed from below deck throughout the yacht , “Hey little bro..” He was using a digging phrase that Bill had heard all his life. “Give us a hand with these Orphans.” They need to be moved below deck for safety.

Bill willingly joined them. Any chance to touch those sweet things was more than welcome—he couldn’t get enough of pure gold.

With a sudden sense of urgency, ‘Big O’ asked Capt. Scott if he had checked to see if they were stashing the Orphans properly.

“Not yet, I’ve been too busy here.”

“I’ll relieve you here. You’d better see how they’re doing—we don’t need all that weight in the wrong place.” ‘Big O’ said with a definite tone of voice.

Capt. Scott went below deck to find that Doug had arranged everything properly. The yacht had a uniquely designed V-shaped compartment in the hull running nearly the full length of the yacht. The compartment was totally hidden when closed—the cover was screwed into place, blending perfectly with the flooring. The Orphans were being stacked uniformly in the space, and the chest of Infants slid into the compartment as if made to order.

With everything in place, Suwat began collecting the weapons and battle gear from his men and stashing them in the same compartment. “Everyone strip and put on these tourist clothes.” He instructed and began distributing colorful shirts and pants.

The men proceeded to change, but each had many questions in his mind…How long will it be before we are stopped again? How far away is safe? Did I hear them say that we go to Singapore not Thailand? They all moved quickly in silence. Conversation was not needed.

Capt. Scott returned to report, while Doug triple checked everything. The Orphans were neatly arranged over a fifty-foot area, and all signs of battle equipment were in the hole with the Orphans, and the Infants were nestled securely. “Throw all your old clothes in these plastic bags and put them with your guns,” he directed. “Mark which are yours.”

The men cooperated and soon the image of war had changed to that of tourism.

Bill, however, commented the obvious to Doug, “These jungle worn warriors will never look like tourists.”

Doug laughed and looked back at the tourists. “I know—we’ll have to work at it.”

“I’d still rather travel with this group than high society,” Bill joked with a somber tone in his voice.

Doug couldn’t help but put in a friendly dig, “You’ve never been in high society; so how would you know. We’d better clean up too, bro.”

Bill pretended to sniff out bad odors, “You’d better believe it. You smell like that wart hog that chased you in Saipan.”

“Look who’s talking,” Doug said over his shoulder as he headed for the guest compartment. Their eyes met and a smirk crossed Bill’s face.

“Don’t say it,” Doug said.

“Say what?”

“You know—like ….What a fine mess you got me into this time, Ollie,” Doug said with a laugh.

Bill walked into another room and flopped onto a bed thinking, “This adventure seems to be going on forever, but at least the Orphans are in good hands…the infants too.”

The yacht clipped along at twenty to twenty-five knots moving at full speed, putting the maximum distance between them and Palawan. They needed at least two hundred miles—two-fifty would be better. The darkness of night had heavily set in and the act of cutting through the blackness of the night had a mysterious feeling to it.

To Capt. Scott, this was the way life should be. The stars shown brightly with a small crescent shaped moon in the dark sky. Many times he had seen a full moon light up the night like dull daylight, but not tonight—“this is better for our safety.”

Suwat and his men collapsed into bunks and fell asleep. Doug returned to the pilothouse after bathing and putting on clean clothes. He looked at the weary ‘Big O’, “You’d better get some sleep. We need you as sharp as possible.”

‘Big O’ responded with half-shut eyes, “I think I’ll catch a few winks. Can you and the Captain keep on course?”

“The Captain can, I’ll just watch and keep him awake,” Doug replied, watching Scott’s reaction. “I think he’s asleep at the wheel already.”

That brought a smile to the tired face of Capt. Scott, and ‘Big O’ responded, “That’s good enough for me,” and headed for the captain’s quarters.

Capt. Scott looked at Doug out of the corner of his eye and said, “I’ll bet you’ve about had it yourself.”

“Well, I’ve had better days, but I think I’ll live.”

“I was beginning to wonder about that when we were in the hands of the patrol officers.”

“We just about gave up, didn’t we?”

“I know I did,” Capt. Scott said. “That poor sucker I knocked into the ocean won’t forget his unexpected swim for a long time.”

“You’re a tiger in action.”

“A tiger out of control, maybe. I’ve never had to do anything like that before.”

“Well we all did what it took to win; and fortunately, nobody was killed.

“I sure wouldn’t have felt good about shooting an innocent man who was just doing his job. I don’t know if I could have done it.”

“I feel the same way. ‘Big O’ had to slaughter a group of communist rebels on the island, but they are an enemy force against democracy. You haven’t heard all the gory details of that one yet, have you?”

“Not yet, but it’s a long trip home.”

“How far can we go before refueling?”

“You underestimate this fine boat, my good man. It’s not called transoceanic for nothing.”

Doug smiled while looking around the impressive pilothouse. “You have something to be proud of here. What’s a yacht like this worth?”

“I shudder to say it out loud—around two point five mill.”

“That’s more than I thought. Are you able to keep it busy?”

“Well so far, I’ve managed to make the payments.”

Doug recognized the pride exhibited by Capt. Scott. “It’s really something. I’ll bet you’ve never had a fare like us before.”

“You can say that again. I’m not used to the danger element. Usually the challenge of the sea is my only enemy.”

The waves of the ocean increased in size, but only slightly affected their speed, as the dual engines churned at full speed, Everyone but Capt. Scott and Doug slept deeply to the constant engine sound. Fatigue and stress had taken its toll. With no danger in sight everyone slept in total relaxation.

Hour after hour passed into the blackness of the night. Capt. Scott held a constant course, knowing that no land stood between them and Vietnam as long as they remained on a course due west for nine hundred kilometers and stayed ten degrees north, then turning ninety degrees north and circling the Philippine islands at a eight to nine hundred kilometer radius. Checking his radar screen from time to time, he steadfastly held the course.

Doug relaxed in the large Captain’s chair and struggled to stay alert. Out of the quietness of the moment, Doug’s GSC beeped and displayed a message on the screen. It was the coordinates of Teofisto.

Rushing to the maps next to Capt. Scott, Doug traced the coordinates to the area near the Chief’s village. “They made it,” Doug shouted. “Teofisto and the prisoners are at the cave. It is good news, but almost unbelievable…I had nearly forgotten about them and all the while they were trudging through that black forest…This is great news!”

Doug slumped back into the chair, smiled and said under his breath, “I’ll tell ‘Big O’ later.” Without warning, he fell sound asleep.

UNITED STATES

Ken Apple, assuming the project remained on schedule, continued making plans for the reconditioning of the Orphans. He had made arrangements through the governor of Saipan to lease two bunkers on the shoreline. He was aware of the bunker and hut leased by Doug, but they would need more space anyway. The Japanese constructed the bunkers to withstand bombing raids by the U.S. during World War II; so they were like small fortresses—perfect for Ken’s needs—four-foot thick walls and steel doors; with the only outside openings being narrow slits in the wall, protected by tightly locking steel covers.

Ken had studied these structures many years earlier with an idea of using them as storage areas for his bank records. Now his plans were different—the bunkers would become gold refining facilities, equipped with a smelting unit and gold coin stamping equipment. The Orphans would be melted, refined and stamped into commemorative coins to be distributed through his world-wide banking network; thus increasing the value of the gold by ten times.

The timing couldn’t be better. Saipan, a commonwealth of the United States, celebrates its fiftieth year of liberation from Japanese control. A commemorative coin would make a perfect collector item. After all, the Northern Mariana island of Tinian, was situated right next to Saipan, and that was where the B29 bomber was based that carried the first atomic bomb to be detonated upon humans. That’s a second coin, and the opportunities are limitless—until of course the Orphans run out.

Ken had been out of touch with the recovery group for a many weeks; but in his methodical way, he fulfilled his duties and responsibilities. The engraver had been commissioned to design carbide steel stamping dies and all necessary equipment remained stored in a land/sea container to be shipped to Saipan on a day’s notice. Smelting equipment, as well, waited in warehouses. Channels of coin distribution had been established, and a ready outlet through international banks was ready.

He waited patiently for word from the Goodwin Brothers who had not yet told him about the Infants which would alter every plan he had made to date.

SOUTH CHINA SEA

Capt. Scott’s yacht had been at sea nearly eight hour when a shipping freighter passed by—probably headed for the Philippines. It flashed a signal of recognition, to which Capt. Scott acknowledged, but the darkness of the night hid them from one another…except as a radar blip.

Doug awoke at that instant. “What’s that?” he stuttered.

“Only a freighter, no problem,” Capt. Scott answered reassuringly.

Looking into the black night, Doug didn’t like what he had just heard. “It seems to be headed toward the Philippines.”

“It might be, but they haven’t heard of us yet, I’m sure.

“Not yet, but the word will travel over the airways at any time. How soon before we make a course change.”

“Only two hours.”

“Man, that’s good. I don’t want that freighter reporting our course to anyone,” Doug looked into the dark with deep concern on his face. “That patrol boat crew that we left in Palawan will report us as soon as they are free, and their boat will be located with the inboard homing device. The government is bound to send planes searching for us.”

Capt. Scott, wanting to drop a hint of encouragement, looked toward Doug, “We’ll be around two hundred and fifty miles from the Philippines by then—in International waters.”

Still on the defensive, Doug added, “Not much they can do to us, but we don’t need the attention. For the kind of wealth we’re carrying, pirates would have a hay-day.”

Both men stared straight ahead contemplating future possibilities—Capt. Scott making plans to upgrade his yacht and Doug thinking of the many steps that lay ahead. The Orphans had to be taken to Tinian Island and hidden there until they could be moved surreptitiously to Saipan. There was an old boat that traveled regularly between Tinian and Saipan delivering milk and other commodities, which would be perfect for that task. Plans had been made for the gold to be melted, reconditioned and stamped into coins. “Let’s get this boat to Tinian,” he unconsciously said aloud. Then, it struck him that he hadn’t told Ken about the Infants. , “He's probably preparing up to stamp coins, and I doubt that we'll be interested in that now. Man, I'd better call him. He said something last time we talked about another great way to get the gold sold to investors worldwide. He could get a bank to issue bank certificates that are secured by gold bullion. The bank would get an annual storage fee, we'd get the cash from the sale, and the bank's financial statement would be greatly enhanced. That is a plan that would work whether we stamp the gold into commemorative coins or not—not a bad idea anyway.” “I’ll relieve you for a while if you want,” Doug said aloud to Capt. Scott.

“No, not now….I’m running on pure emotion,” Capt. Scott responded.

The churning engines combined with the constant chopping waves continued to create a hypnotic rhythm. The darkness continued to engulf them, but the beeping of the radar gave them assurance.

A faint hint of a horizon line began to develop as Capt. Scott studied his charts and calculated his course change. “We’ll change course in about thirty minutes.”

“Good, I thought it must be soon. How long before we’re completely free of the Philippines?”

Capt. Scott glanced, out of habit, at his watch. “We need another twelve hours at least.”

Doug frowned and added his comment, “I’m used to traveling by air. Twenty knots might be good time on the ocean, but it’s not programmed in my database.”

At that moment ‘Big O’ stepped into the pilothouse, startling the two men. “A little jumpy?” He said with his deep guttural laugh.

“Well, you know we’ve been in solitude and deep concentration all night,” Doug responded defensively.

“You hear from Teofisto?”