Out of Captivity : Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle

92 OUT OF CAPTIVITYman I’d just noticed. The pair started talking and looking at us. Theguards, most of whom had been with us on the march, were as wipedout as we were. Some of them were struggling to keep their eyes open.It was nearing midday and the temperature was climbing. We’d beenso used to being in the mountains or under the jungle’s canopy that theheat was at first welcome.We were brought plates of empanadas, fried potato balls, andbananas. After we ate, six new guards, totally unfamiliar to us, cameinto the room. Instead of sitting, they formed a semicircle in front ofus. Like the other FARC we’d seen at this compound, they stared at us,expressionless. Ten minutes later, Burujo, Gómez, and Ramírez cameinto the room, along with another mini-entourage. We stood up brieflyto greet them, but our short conversation was interrupted by a commotionoutside the door. A few seconds later, the source of the commotionentered the room. Another FARC upper-echelon commanderwalked in. He was taller than all the others and thickly built. He worea red beret with a star on it but was otherwise dressed like the otherbloc commander. We could tell he was somebody important within theFARC because Gómez, a man we knew to be the leader of the SouthernBloc and therefore a pretty big deal, jumped up and offered him hischair.He held out his hand to Keith and then to me. Then a chill ranthrough me. He hesitated before shaking Marc’s hand and his browfurrowed and he stared hard at Marc. He must have been told that Iwas the one who spoke the best Spanish because he looked at me whilegesturing toward Marc.“Is he American?” he asked.Marc sensed what was being implied and immediately answered thathe was. Marc had a darker complexion than the rest of us, and his darkhair further set him apart from Keith and me. I knew that this man waswondering if Marc was Colombian, mistaking his Portuguese and Italianfeatures for Latin American. I quickly explained Marc’s heritage,