a survival scenario

[trenchwirez]

Here is my dilemma: I'm writing a scene where two soldiers (similar to Greek hoplites or Roman legionaries in terms of their equipment and training) escape from their fort after losing a battle to defend it while the rest of the garrison is slaughtered. Then they flee into a jungle and are out on their own for about a week. They had just been in combat on their own base so they wouldn't be carrying any provisions or survival gear, basically only their weapons and armor. A couple swords, a spear and a bow, more or less.

Under these circumstances, how well would they be able to survive in the jungle? I don't see how they could light a fire for cooking, but would they be able to?? I assume they could spear fish and shoot game, and gather fruits.

They don't have any survival training beyond what a typical person from antiquity or medieval times might know in the way of making fires, keeping safe from wild animals, not eating poisonous plants they are familiar with, etc. How do people think this scenario would play out?

One of them could potentially die as he doesn't serve a plot purpose beyond this chapter.

 

[Shadoe]

I think they'd survive just fine. Consider that folks in such a scenario would be a lot closer to nature than folks are today. Certainly, these people would have seen the process of starting a fire from time to time. Cooking without a microwave or stove would be difficult for us, but it's entirely likely that soldiers would have experienced hunting and cooking many times while being a soldier. Remember, traveling would probably be walking, rather than riding, and therefore would take more time. They've got weapons, so could fashion weapons to hunt with (a sword would be difficult, but a spear might work), and traps. It's possible to start a fire with stones. You can cook on a flat rock.

 

[trenchwirez]

How do you start a fire with stones, smacking them together until they produce a spark?

 

[JCFarnham]

The more widely used method [judging by survival shows] is using a bow to spin an upright [straight] twig to create friction against whatever you're using as the dry fire starting material [piece of flat wood/bark and some small dry twiggish things]. Once you have embers you keep them going long enough with you breath to transfer them to the "fire" proper and blow through it until the kindling catches. =) I guess it must be easier than hitting stones together and hoping for the best, besides some rocks are just to soft to spark.

And for a pair of soldiers hunting would be no problem, I'd think.

 

[trenchwirez]

Yes I was just researching the bow and drill today, I suppose that they would know how to craft one. It seems unlikely they would just happen to be carrying a flint and steel as they weren't planning on being outside the fort.

They are not natives of the area, they come from a more civilized area with a different (Mediterranean island) climate, so I am trying to think of how the jungle would challenge them. It's a bit like the Amazon except it's my fantasy so I am trying not to have things running around like capybaras and jaguars that would make people think too much of reality.

 

[Chilari]

I think you could reasonably expect a soldier to know how to hunt with his soldiering gear. When soldiers were on the march, food was brought along for them in wagons, but often the meat was smoked and hard and the bread was stale. They hunted to supplement their diets and in order to have fresh meat, and where a soldier had caught a larger aminal, they'd share with their troop or whatever. So hunting isn't a problem. Neither are fires, they'd be used to having to start them up when in the march.

A jungle might not be what they're used to, more likely plains and small woodlands, but I guess it depends on their experience. Soldiers went all over the place for war, and if there is a jugnle nearby, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine they've at least encountered it before.

 

[Shadoe]

A soldier might carry fire-making materials with them. They don't take up much room. Or, they might have left it in their belongings while storming the castle.

If they came from a different area, chances are they marched through there on their way to the castle. They may have encountered the local wildlife on the way in (and hunted/eaten it).

Of course, you could say that they don't have the materials and the local wildlife avoided their large army on the way in. That way, they'd have a harder time. New beasts to deal with, and little in the way of gear. Rather like Jake Sully in Avatar when he gets separated from his people and has to spend a very scary night outside the walls.