The Jungle Patrol was founded by the Phantom in 1664 with the immediate purpose of smashing piracy and banditry that plagued the coastal areas of Bengalla during the 17th century. The original corpsman were the former pirates of Redbeard's band, with Redbeard himself as first officer in command. (The Phantom was, and is, the commander of the Patrol, but his duties often take him far afield, and the first officer is in active charge of day to day business.) The Jungle Patrol was very busy in those years, and their deeds were often not logged until long after the fact. Hence, the true origin of the Patrol became shrouded in the fog of time, and later generations of the corps seldom knew or suspected that they were "descended" from Redbeard the Pirate.After a disastrous incident in the 19th century, when the first officer of the Patrol turned criminal, the relationship of the Phantom to the Patrol became a secret. No one, not even the Captain who acts as first officer, knows that the secret commander of the Patrol is, in fact, the Phantom himself. The secret commander communicates with his Captain by an elaborate means. At the edge of the town, in a deserted mining headquarters, is an old stone-lined well that is marked as CONDEMNED. The Phantom rides the well-bucket to the bottom of the shaft, then proceeds down a long passageway that leads to a metal chamber underneath The Jungle Patrol HQ. Here, the Phantom can receive reports that are dropped in a wall-slot inside HQ, and he can send messages to the Captain by a similar drop-slot that deposits directly into a locked safe in the secret commander's office. Only the Captain has the key to the office, and the only thing in it is the safe. The commander remains unseen, yet he always knows what is happening throughout the jurisdiction of the Jungle Patrol.
The Patrol is an elite corps. Hundreds of thousands of applicants from all over the world are screened each year. One thousand are brought to Bengalla for rigorous physical and intellectual testing. Only ten are selected to become active corpsman. (as distinct from Honorary Membership, which is not as strictly limited).
They are one of the best trained forces in the world, able to handle jungle, desert, mountain and sea survival. They are taught mastery of all kinds of weapons as well as unarmed combat. They know criminal investigation, law and medicine. It is the proud boast that one corpsman can handle ten criminals.
If you wish to apply for honorary membership, The Jungle Patrol is always seeking qualified applicants.
