I got up quickly because I had been told during ISM training that once you are on the ground you will get beaten more severely. By now I realized they were planning to hurt or even kill me, and I was really scared. As I pleaded with them to stop, telling them I was there in peace and that I was really frightened, they continued striking me on my arm and shoulder with the stick and rifle butts, all the time screaming at me that they would give me a bullet. I was struck on my back and chest with the stick and I really felt they wouldn't stop until they killed me.

My backpack which held all my money, my airplane ticket, my US and British
Passports, my credit cards and my digital camera, was over my right shoulder
and I tried to hide it from their view. Perhaps it was fortunate that one
of them saw it because as soon as they had snatched it from my shoulder they
stopped beating me. They screamed "Just Go!" "Go!" "Don't come back!" "Next time you get a bullet!" and I sobbed and said I wouldn't come back. I'm afraid I behaved like a total coward, but I just wanted them to stop hitting me.

As they left me and I started again up the path, two more young settlers appeared above me. I was afraid they would attack me, so I shouted that the
others had told me to go and that I was going. After a few more seconds I saw several people in front of me and was afraid momentarily that they were more settlers. I was so relieved to realize they were all wonderful internationals who were anxious about me and about James. I screamed that the settlers had beaten James, and just seconds later James also struggled to the edge of the village and safety.