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

304 OUT OF CAPTIVITYTo top that off, the leaflets reminded us of just what simple livesthe FARC and the majority of campesinos lived. The total reward wasthirteen billion Colombian pesos or about $5 million. The governmentmust have known this was such a mind-boggling figure that most ofthe campesinos couldn’t even begin to fathom its true value. In orderto help with that, the creators of the leaflet added simple illustrations ofjeeps, mules, and cows so that those contemplating cooperating couldbetter understand the benefits.The offer had also been broadcast on the radio, and our FARC guardsheard it. The Plumber was one of the few who seemed to get it. He toldus he thought of that reward every night. We’d tell him that all thosethings—cars, electronics, watches, and other fine jewelry—could easilybe within his reach. He’d be able to live like a king on that kind of money.A few days later, he came to us and asked, “Could I get someone to managethis money for me? I don’t think I’d know how to use it wisely.”We admired him for asking such a smart question, and were gladthat one thing that rots people from the inside out—greed—was at ourdisposal. Unfortunately, another corrupting influence got ahold of thePlumber. He was promoted to the position of officiale. This meant thatinstead of being a run-of-the-mill guard, he was in direct command ofus. We’d always thought that in the world of the FARC, the Plumberwas the one with celebrity potential. A good-looking guy, he becamemore conscious of his appearance after his promotion. He stoppedwearing sweatpants and T-shirts and took to wearing his camo uniformall the time. He suddenly showed up with a silver necklace, an Arafatscarf, and notebook and pen. In the air force, we called keeping yourappearance optimal being “squared away” and that was exactly whatthe Plumber had done.During this wandering phase, we saw further evidence of the rotthat had corrupted the FARC’s values. As we made our way out of themountains and into the flatlands, we came across a far greater number