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Show ft I hatred for him kept me a l i v e ." I nodded slowly, comprehending. He spoke of other t h i n g s , spooky i n e x p l i c a b l e t h i n g s , of the French plantation-owner t h a t the Marines c a l l e d "Cowboy" who had been there since the French occupation. "Cowboy" always showed up mysteriously, s t r i d i n g i n t o the Marine encampments even when they were cordoned with r a z o r - c o n e r t i n a , wearing white safari clothing and a t e n g a l l o n straw h a t , carrying an M-16 r i f l e . He always r e p o r t e d ' C h a r l i e ' s ' a c t i v i t y in the area, and predicted ambushes or Sudden r a i d s . Then he sat and drank coffee and a t e before leaving, disappearing into the bush as s i l e n t l y and m y s t e r i o u s l y as he had come. His predictions were always a c c u r a t e. "Some of the guys think he's a ghost or something. I don't know what he i s , but h e ' s a legend, t h a t ' s for sure. He saved my whole squad one n i g h t . We would have s l e p t right through the attack, but thanks to 'Cowboy' we were ready for them." He told of near-miraculous escapes from death. "We were passing a ruined temple i n a mop-up o p e r a t i o n when machine-gun fire burst out of the t h i c k e t . Every man with me was k i l l e d. There were holes i n the temple wall d i r e c t l y behind me. I should have been dead, but I wasn't touched. I think Somebody up there wants me to survive. I j u s t c a n ' t figure out why." The six days passed almost without our n o t i c e , for we slept at odd hours and a t e only when we had t o . I t r i e d to get Brian to eatmore, for he had l o s t about f i f t y pounds, but he seemed to have no a p p e t i t e . After hearing h i s w a r - s t o r i e s , I too, lost we desire to e a t . The milk in my b r e a s t s dried up. " c The f l i g h t home was almost a dream, so t i n c t u r e d with pain ;-_., A v |