Mixed Tonic

By Hamish Robertson

Ihave rewritten two stories ‘Down But Not Out’ and the now called ‘Dillon’ and I hope they are of vast improvement. Also in this book is a world war two adventure ‘Operation Gold Wing’ which encompasses valour and venture with an SOE ‘Hitler assassination’ plot. Also for the reason of humour a spoof of the royalty since 1066 which I hope will bring one to a laugh at times! Finishing off this book I have some more theories and if you liked ‘I won’t Do Wrong’ my first book then you are surely to like this also.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Nov 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781665582629

Book preview

© 2020 Hamish Robertson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  11/19/2020

ISBN: 978-1-6655-8263-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-8264-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-8262-9 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Down But Not Out

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Four

Chapter Thirty Five

Dillon

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Operation Gold Wing

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Shaken Not Stirred

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

More Theories

Einstein’s Theories

Gravity

Prediction, Leigh lines and The Transient Echo

God, Chance And Self

Stretched Reality

Collective Brain Guidance

The Physical Superego

The Personalities of Violence

Ram entry

Dropping The Penny

Seven Spades

Smell; The Particle Or The Wave

Perspective

Going Around The Block

Beatle Juice

Transient Persuasion

Transient Acknowledgment

The Transient Itch

The milk Bottle Theory

The Superego And The Limerick

Listening To God

The Flow Of God

The Holy Spirit

Explaining The Miracles

Jesus My Hero

The Old Testament Theories

DOWN BUT

NOT OUT

CHAPTER

ONE

A s he lay dazed by the monotony of the waves he began to hallucinate off of the interior fabric lining his life raft. He was sure to be seeing God. He could see in all its majesty a fine horse carriage glittering in gold and silver. This was his only source of entertainment. He could hear the light spitting of rain from above. Just at that moment though it, as was unusual, was saying nothing, just patting in a relaxingly random manner. It was in perfect unity and he thought for the moment to be very tranquil.

He looked again at his supplies. He had been bound to the raft for just two days and was beginning to reconsider his rations and supplies. So he worked out how much he needed to survive on a daily basis. He had always been told that water was the most important resource. So he decided to drink much less. It was like motoring down the motorway in a guzzler and watch the needle go down as the over exuberant driver is giving it all she’s got. So he decided to run a small engine from that point on. He thought that he had enough water for another two weeks if he was logistical and measured quantity with chronology. In the survival pouch that came with the raft was an all weather pen and water proof paper, which in spite of its name needed to be kept dry. With this tool he could keep track of the daily rations as well as keeping him aware of what day and date it was. He was aware that as he got more delirious simple calculations would become harder to do. So he kept it simple. His wrist watch told him Greenwich Mean Time and this he could rely on so long as he wound it up every other morning. He knew what time it was in London but for something to do he checked the time sunrise and sunset which might give him some clue as to his latitude. And like a prisoner counting down the days and months he drew up a simple six strikes and the seventh crossing to count the weeks. After every seven he would put the date. Also placing a mark in his water proof book to be double sure. The chances of his watch failing were slim in theory he could dive for one hundred metres before any malfunction, but he had no wish to test the accuracy of the manufacturers claim.

He knew that he was in the Atlantic somewhere but did not know his latitude which happened to be with the ivory coast but he was not to know this. The natural swirl of air and sea was anti clock wise. He reckoned with his latitudinal guess from the aircrafts instruments that he might land on the shore of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. The chance of him turning with the tide before that and thereby increasing the time of his isolation on the sea was remote but possible. It would mean drifting again across the Atlantic and on to a shore in Africa. But he might not make it that far. It would depend on the generosity of Poseidon.

He might not make it back alive.

He thought to write a letter to his wife and family. It was short in length and simply said; Never forget that I love all of you including Bessie. Please see that my brother gets my bike and that my art work if sold should proportionately be divided amongst family with a fifty percent to Saint Bernard’s for the orphaned children, my favoured charity. I fully expect you to find someone else and don’t worry about me I will be some place else. Love you always Angus x.

There was a knife, proper big one, which was very sharp. He needed this for filleting the fish. He also had a harpoon, sprung loaded with a length of cord in order to pull arrow back. A tool that he had already used with pleasing accuracy and function. It had cost him a whole in the roof as he had shot a gull as it perched for a rest on its migration west. He realised this mistake and did not sacrifice canvas for food again. He was in enough discomfort without a leaking roof.

He didn’t want to drown. He never wanted to have to decide, through lack of choice, to breath in the water and accept his fate, though he promised to try and be strong and to welcome in God’s new world if that was his lot. He would rather have a slower death through thirst, once his water was finished. He might drift off into unconsciousness and there on die without the emergency of a quick yet painful death, but there are many who might prefer a quicker death such is the way of life.

The weather so far had been good to him with mostly mirror like calmness and oh joy the company of a sperm whale. The sperm whale is an interesting character it has a head that is a third of its length and it contains an oil that helps it to balance its mass so that it could dive deeper and come up easier for air. Something to do with its density that it is able to control. It was in the water near him for about an hour during which time Angus never even flinched or moved to scratch his forehead. He was mesmerised, in a trance, and when it left he lay back pleased to have shared space with it. He hoped to see Dolphins for he felt sure that they would be a sign of land as well as an opportunity for a swim. The days were hot and a dunk in the sea was pleasurable. He was pleased with this as he could, in the heat, sink into the water and clamber back in easily. Saving a lot of muddling around keeping things clean. The Dolphins though never came.

The nights came and went he noticed that he was beginning to significantly lose weight so he checked his diary.

CHAPTER

TWO

H e had been afloat for eight days. His water ration was on target and he was not too delirious. He could tell from the smell of the air whether there were any fish to be caught. He had learnt previously that the sea smells distinctly of ‘the sea’ because of micro algae’s and so when the sea smelt strong was a sure sign of fish and food. He could also tell by swarming birds as they usually found the schools of fish first. What’s more they appeared to have no fear of him. So he sometimes swam and sometimes used the harpoon for fish and bird. He preferred raw fish than raw gull and found it true that food was not the issue, water was. He took some comfort with fish eyes. They were not full of salt and so good and refreshing and were his only source of drinkable water outside of his ration.

He had by calculation one week’s supply of water left. Things were looking up. But he was not to be complaisant. The weather for one was bound to change.

He had no real idea where he was, he had guessed to be latitudinal with Ireland by now. He had assumed to be slowly floating east and had apparently missed the Americas. He was hoping now for Ireland.

He was sure getting hotter and he realised that the sun was northerly rather than southerly which was impossible. Then it slowly dawned on him that he was in fact now in the southern hemisphere. And not only that he was deep in the southern hemisphere. He hoped that he would not swing so south as to skirt The Cape Of Good Hope as that would be the end of him but he felt this unlikely.

He felt hotter than that still and was keenly looking for land. It was three weeks since he bailed out of his Lancaster. His crew, he thought, must have died. It might seem a particularly strange place for a Lancaster Bomber to be. It was, they were out in the Atlantic air space looking for u-boats. It was the gyro compass gone out of sink and very over cast they had flown way south without an inclination. Normally this wouldn’t have been so bad but for the effects of rare super cold rain. Rain that turns into ice immediately as it touches something solid. Their engines had seized and the plane simply dropped out of the sky. This, life in the raft, was not possible to sustain. He needed saving.

Among his survival kit there was a flare gun and three flares but for them to work he needed to be in view and up till now he had seen no one. He kept to his rations and found himself sleeping more and more. One day just when he had given up hope the motion of the sea subsided and he realised that he was beached. He could feel the sand solid through the raft. He sat up with a start and jumped out of the raft onto a perfect sandy beach. He had been saved. Through all the odds God had delivered him to salvation. He walked until the land was dry and lay down. Thank you God, he murmured.

The land was typically tropical with white sands and pineapple and coconut trees. He had not had a drink of water for two days his mouth was dry like glue. He stood up and looked at a coconut tree. He needed the juice of the milk but the little blighters were hard to dislodge. As he tried throwing sticks up a boy came onto the beach and looked at him. He then climbed up the tree and let loose a coconut that fell to his feet.

How do I…? Angus asked. The boy producing a big knife expertly chiselled the top off not spilling a drop of milk.

God bless you young lad, he said before drinking the coconut milk from the nut. He fell to the ground legs bent under him and opened his arms.

The boy disappeared into the jungle and all was quiet for a while. The heat subsided he had been dragged into the shade which startled him. He opened his eyes. He was surrounded by native African people not wearing much. One of them said London. To which Angus said; No Scotland.

They could see clear as day that Angus was no threat to them and so ushered him to their village where he was given somewhere to rest while they cooked up a wild boar. Angus was aware of his proximity for his watch seemed to match the day therefore he was in line with London due north.

CHAPTER

THREE

T he year was Nineteen Forty One and Angus knew that Montgomery was north in Ethiopia and Libya fighting Rommel. If he could join up with his men then he should find a sure way home.

The village men ordered his son to find an English speaking native so as they could help. They could tell that he was from the military due to him wearing his RAF uniform they were all keen to see him use his gun which was a colt 45 very dependable with a lot of stopping power. Trouble was he only had the five bullets already loaded and so tried to hide it from view; out of sight.

What he needed was a car but around here there was no chance, however there was talk of a motorbike. One of the youngsters said he knew how to get one.

That would be fine, Angus’s eyes lit up.

You must come with us, directed the one who spoke English.

And so he went with quite a crowd to find a bike. After a couple of miles through tough terrain they reached the edge of a small town. There were horse and ox pulling the carts, taking stuff from here to there. They went further in and came across a shack with three bikes parked out side.

How do I get one of those? Angus asked with a degree of trepidation as he knew it would cost more than what he had.

What have you got?

I only have my gun.

A gun is not enough for a bike!

I have a military mind as well. Is there something he wants me to do for him. He could hire me as a mercenary. I will not harm women or children but I will hurt those who do.

The motorbike man started to laugh.

This is good there are people like that here, they are money collectors they have no emotion. If you kill the main one then you can have the bike and I will fill it with petrol.

With your help, give me a guide and I will do as you wish,

They will sort it out for you tomorrow tonight we must rest at the village. We have boar on spit, said the boy.

Now that sounded like a good idea. And so realising for the first time how alive he was he praised God. He prayed also that this man whom he was to kill was not worthy of life. He would find out in the morning what sort of person he was prepared to be.

CHAPTER

FOUR

A ngus woke most naturally at what appeared to be the right time. There was plenty of green tea and coconut, not much else but that wasn’t a worry. Fewer of them this time went down to the town with him. There were only two of them could speak English the boy from the village and the motorbike owner. Well they walked to the bike shop and spoke to the man whom they had spoken to the previous day.

Here, he said as he handed over a drawing of a man. His name is Loklap and he is very dangerous. He normally does not let himself be alone there maybe four or six men with him and they will undoubtedly have AK47’s. We all know where he lives what we don’t have is indemnity if they pin it on any one of us we will all be in trouble.

Ok. Are there any of them you don’t want to shoot?

You are a good man. No we hate them all they are all connected like a mafia.

And have you any more weapons?

I have one like you got.

Really. You have ammunition?

Lots. Thirty Five. I have a bike for you out the back, one that will not be traced to me. You may take it. I trust that you will carry out you mission and then head off. Do not come back here for any reason.

Thank you I hope he is worth it, I only have five rounds can I have your gun and ammo too?

Yes and use as many bullets as you need.

They went around the back and Angus was introduced to his transport, a three hundred cc Honda. He was pleased that the bike had a bit of performance. He had worried that he would get a fifty cc which for his purpose would have been lacking the drive required. This was fine though.

He noted down from his description the characteristics of the individual. Any distinguishing features? He had a gap in his front teeth no loss of tooth just an inherent gap; small eyes. His height he wrote down as five foot nine.

Ok this looks achievable.

It is not far. I will tell you and then you must remember. I can not afford to write it down. It would lead straight back here. When I say not far I mean it is easy to get to it is actually quite far.

Down to the end of the road and on the right, that sort of thing?

Yes, exactly.

CHAPTER

FIVE

H e bid good will to all thanking the village people most gratefully and then his employer and saviour whose name he did not know. It was to take an hour and a half to get to his destination. It was a village that looked surprisingly similar to the one he had just left. The house that he was directed to stood proud with a porch and two wooden chairs. Angus decided to see what was what before shooting people dead.

He was not sure whether or not to bolt with the bike shooting his two 45’s and forty odd bullets or to use stealth. He decided on stealth for he wanted to know who he was killing just to make sure that he was doing the right thing.

He reached the address put the bike on its stand and walked to the front door and knocked twice. A young girl aged about eight opened the door and shouted to her father Dad there’s a man at the door.

Out came a man aged about thirty-five. Thank you princess, he said.

Do you speak English? he asked.

A little my daughter is teaching me. Who are you?

I am passing through I need to go north to meet up with my army.

He started to laugh; You my friend are a long way off.

‘Damn!’ Thought Angus. He was beginning to like this guy. So he thought he would come straight out and tell him where he was at:

Do you kill people a lot?

Hell no I get my money from the diamond mines I am paid security up at the quarry.

Well you have someone pissed. They want you dead.

Well look here… said the man as his eyes crossed the bike. You from Malwanie, the bike shop. No he’s pissed because I take his wife, we fell for each other and ‘you can’t be blind to love’, you know that.

Well I am glad I didn’t come in all guns blazing. I had better go I’ve done my bit. Peace my friend watch your fingers you might get burnt.

I have to see a man about a dog, he answered.

Don’t you go kill him he’s broken already. With that he cranked the bike and sped off northward bound.

CHAPTER

SIX

H e managed to find a road that looked pretty well north and kept on it until he was low on fuel. As transience would have it here was a village with three cars parked around a shop. So he stopped disembarked and asked the young lad leaning against an immaculate Austin Seven;

Hi there do you sell fuel?

We got fuel what are you doing around here?

My plane crashed and I am trying to make it north to fight with my army against the Nazi’s whom are evil and are pillaging everywhere in Africa they stray.

They were prompt. They filled up and did not charge. Do you need us?

Only if they come down this far you must not worry about kicking their ass they deserve it. Wish us luck and they will be gone for good.

The lads cheered him on; You won’t get through the Sahara on that, one shouted.