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

Dead 283also confirmed what we’d already figured out: Their trouble with thecompasses had caused us to wander far off course during the firstthree days of what was to have been a five-day march. Every time wemarched, no matter how far from that original 010 we’d wandered,we always resumed another 010 heading from that point. Instead oftraveling in a straight line as instructed, it was like we were walking upa series of stairs. We might as well have been using an Etch A Sketchto navigate.To make matters worse, Milton was up to his usual tricks, telling theothers that he didn’t need a compass, that he could navigate the jungleby using his head. (The only way we figured that would work was ifthere was still some shrapnel in his old head wound, and that shrapnelwas magnetized.) Eventually, we were so lost that Milton sent out anadvance scouting party of Mono and Alfonzo to find our destination.Two days after our five-day march was supposed to end, we arrivedat an older camp where we were to stay and resupply. Despite ourmovement, the pattern of relentless Fantasma attacks continued at thisnew location much as it had at the Exercise Camp. Milton was clearlystressed and showing it. One night we evacuated the camp at the soundof the Fantasma approaching and emptied into a trench nearby that wehad been using as our hideout during the nighttime attacks. The threeof us hung back at the end of the line in the trench to give ourselves thebest chance of running, if it came to that. The Fantasma hadn’t attackedyet. It was orbiting above a position not too far from our own.Milton began screaming at Rogelio and Cereal Boy, his voice risinguntil he was nearly shrieking. “What is that airplane doing? What is itdoing?”Neither Rogelio nor the Plumber responded. The plane’s purposewas obvious. By circling it was able to receive more information aboutits possible targets and then wait for the Kfirs to come in. Milton wasnearly foaming at the mouth as he barked at his number one and numbertwo.