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

56 OUT OF CAPTIVITYfrom him, but he was often well in front of us on the trail. He apologizedif that was a problem, but we assured him it wasn’t. We knew thatMarc setting the pace for us was a good thing. Charging ahead allowedhim to get additional breaks, since it meant that he’d cover a good dealof ground quickly and then could rest. This, in turn, meant that hisguards weren’t as pissed with him for stopping. His style also benefitedKeith and me because with him as our “race leader,” the overall impressionthe FARC had was that we were making good time.Keith felt bad about his inability to be up in the lead. I knew that itwas tearing him apart, and that he was afraid that he might be jeopardizingall of us. In truth, I was also grateful that his pace was what itwas. At one point during the first week or so of the march, we were sittingtogether at a rest point. Keith patted me on the shoulder and said,“Thanks for sticking with me.”“Just relax. We’ll get through this thing,” I said.At that point in our ordeal, the three of us were so intertwined withone another that it was difficult to tell where one kind of bonding leftoff and another began. We were also doing what was best for each ofus, and as it turned out, this also meant we were doing what was bestfor all of us.After a week of marching, we detected a new change among ourguards. We’d been with the same group for a few days, and we were allmore attuned to their moods. The medic Johnny was among them. Thefirst time I heard one of them mention an airplane, I thought they weretalking about one that had flown overhead at some point. When I kepthearing the word avión, I asked them what they were talking about. Wehadn’t seen or heard aircraft for several days. They explained that theywere taking us to an airplane.For the next three days, as we marched along, they would remind usthat we were going to an airplane. When we were all gathered for thenight, I told Marc and Keith what they’d been saying. We all agreed thatthis was potentially a very good development. If they were taking us to