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three or four legs,’ he thought anxiously. ‘We need to speed up. We are already twenty minutes behind!’
    To his added embarrassment Andrews and Halyday both snickered and made comments about the girls. “Shut up you two grots!” Graham snapped. “Hurry up you girls! We are late.”
    To his ears came the trampling of boots and the mutter of voices. Another section was heading their way from the opposite direction. That did not surprise Graham as he knew from experience that the officers usually sent one section each way around a course. “Hurry up,” he called to Dianne, “There is another section coming.”
    From in the dip he heard a gasp of alarm and noises of talking and hasty movement. Then Dianne and Kirsty hurried back to them, their torches flashing. This drew torch beams from the approaching section.
    â€œWho’s that?” called Cpl Crane from 3 Platoon.
    â€œFour Section,” Graham replied. To Dianne and Kirsty he snapped, “Turn those torches off!”
    Crane wanted to stop and chat but Graham shook his head impatiently. “We are late. No time to talk, sorry. Start going Lucy.”
    For the next few minutes they walked steadily west through open bush. As they did the cadets kept chattering to each other, despite Graham several times telling them to stop talking and to be quiet. At the next check point CSM Cleland was waiting. “What was all that noise and those torches about?” he enquired. “This is supposed to be a field exercise, not a nature ramble!”
    â€œYes sir,” Graham replied, but he gave no explanation, just burned with shame. Instead he got ready to work out the next leg. Once again Roger held the torch and Graham worked as fast as he could, well aware of the minutes slipping by. While he worked another section came trampling in out of the darkness. It was Gwen Copeland’s. That sent a stab of anxiety through Graham. ‘Gwen is probably the section from our platoon on the opposite course and she has only two legs to go and we have five. I had better get a move on if I want to get around in time.’
    As Graham completed his calculations a cadet came and stood close to him. “Hi Graham. How’s it going?”
    Graham looked up. It was Barbara Brassington, a lovely red-headed Year 9 girl. Graham had helped rescue her from two prison escapees a few weeks earlier and he had a special affection for her. “Good,” he replied, then found he was tongue-tied. All he could do was gesture and then blush.To save himself he completed the calculation, hotly aware that Barbara was standing watching.
    â€œThat was quick!” Barbara cried as Graham finished the sum.
    Kirsty reached down and took the compass from Graham’s hand and placed it in the beam of Roger’s torch. “Two ninety eight degrees is it?” she said, twisting the milled vane to set the compass for the next leg. “I’ll take the compass this leg,” she added.
    Graham looked up in surprise, just in time to catch a glimpse of Kirsty giving Barbara a hard stare. ‘Oh dear!’ he thought. ‘Is this what I think it is?’ His ego easily allowed him to accept the thought that Kirsty might like him, but that she was jealous of Barbara was altogether more unsettling.
    â€œSee you later,” Graham said to Barbara, then instantly regretted it as Kirsty flashed him a look. To divert the conversation he asked CSM Cleland who was at the next check point.
    â€œLt Hamilton with a safety vehicle,” CSM Cleland replied.
    â€œThanks CSM. Come on Four Section. We’d better move or we won’t make it in time,” he said.

CHAPTER 4
    NIGHT NAVEX
    CSM Cleland’s checkpoint was in the dry bed of a small creek. From there the section walked North West across a grassy flat, across another small dry creek, then up a long, gentle slope that was bare of trees. A sparse covering of grass on sandy