Who were the six boys Ishmael finds in the forest? From where does he know some of these boys?

The six boys Ishmael meets in the forest were former classmates. Their names were Aljahi, Saidu, Kanei, Jumah, Musa, and Moriba.

There were six boys, and three of them, Alhaji, Musa, and Kanei, had attended Centennial Secondary School with me in Mattru Jong. They weren’t close friends, but the four of us had been flogged once for talking back to the senior prefect.

I could tell who was from what tribe by the marks on their cheeks and their features. Alhaji and Saidu were Temne, and Kanei, Jumah, Musa, and Moriba were Mende.