What captured by village guards, how did the boys earn their release?

The boys decide to avoid the villages so as not to alarm the inhabitants, but as they leave the forested area at one point, they are accosted by a nearby village’s machete-wielding guards. The guards take the boys to the village, where they are accused of being rebels. The entire village seems prepared to execute the boys as rebels when the village chief discovers Beah’s rap tape. When it is played and the chief hears the strange music, he inquires where Beah got it. Beah explains what rap music is and that he and his friends had a dance group in Mattru Jong. At the mention of Mattru Jong, the chief asks if anyone present has spent time in Mattru Jong and can corroborate the boys’ story. A young man steps forward and, calling Beah and his friends by name, saves their lives. Beah notes that he does not recognize the young man.