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Chapter twenty-seven. The Scheme Begins |
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'watch and ward' in operation |
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(193) By early December Watch and Ward was in operation, though, pending invasion, it had not been extended forward to its scheduled frontier along the Barak from Henima village down. It covered, for the time being, a triangular area whose base was the Jiri River from Khuangmual south to the confluence with the Jenam and whose apex touched the railway at Mahur. Its main object now was to pick up spies or agents, eastbound or westbound, who might try to pass through the hills on their way from, or to, the small and unfrequented Hill Section halts; and it covered that key-area in which the three main cross-country tracks converged. |
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In every village covering an entrance or exit to that triangle we had a small group of scouts, usually five, and, where necessary, a pair of runners. Runners were stationed, by arrangement with the morungs, at every stage along our main routes, so that in emergency news and orders could travel immediately. The scouts' job was to bring to H.Q. all strangers passing through who were not hillmen, or Government servants, or otherwise accounted for; to report crashed aircraft, and generally to keep us informed of what went on. |
