it.”
“What do you suggest?” Corville asked the question as he would ask it of an equal. The sergeant was no ordinary man and, had he wished, he could have been a captain long ago.
“The news, as you say, must be carried to Sidi bel Abbes. You must take it if, for no other reason, you will be believed where I would not. Again, you have the experience to pass yourself off as an Arab. Your features are the same, you speak the tongue like a native, and you know the religion and customs.” Smith stared at the young man. “You must disguise yourself, await the final charge and then, in the confusion, slip over the wall, mingle with the enemy, and so make your way through their lines.”
“And desert you all?”
“Yes.” Smith glanced at the grim-faced men lining the parapet. “Legionnaires are not afraid to die. They will fight to the last man and kill as many as they can. There is no fear that any of them will live to be tortured. But it is up to you not to have made their sacrifice in vain. Unless the news reaches Sidi bel Abbes then all the dead and those who are about to die will curse you from their graves for having failed them.”
“You are right.” Corville sighed as he thought about it. He would rather have stayed behind to have died with his men but that would have been a useless gesture. The fate of a nation depended on what he would decide and, with the scales balanced that way, he had no real choice.
“Then you will go?” Smith stared anxiously at the young man. “You will carry the news?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I shall attend to the women. It will be better for them to die now than to fall into tje hands of the Arabs.”
“Wait!” Corville swallowed as he tried to imagine the young American girl lying dead with a bullet in her brain. “It may not be necessary. I have taught them the words of renunciation and acceptance of Islam. The Arabs will not kill them if they are true believers.”
“Normally, no, but things are not normal.” Smith scowled towards the Colonel’s quarters. “They will be killed,” he said quietly. “If for no other reason than that they know too much. If the Arabs do win the guns and ammunition then neither Marignay or El Morini will want witnesses to what happened. Moslems or not all Ferengi will be slain. The men immediately, the women....” He shrugged and Corville knew what he hinted. Again he thought of Clarice and the thought of what might happen to her filled him with an inner sickness.
“Can’t we save them?”
“How? Take them with you? Impossible!”
“But is it?” Hope burned in Corville’s eyes. “Listen. You can pass for an Arab and we can disguise the women and the man. Together we can slip through the enemy lines and make our way to Sidi Baba. There we can obtain transport to Sidi bel Abbes.” He gripped the sergeant’s shoulder. “We can do it, man. The five of us can escape this death trap easier than one.”
“I don’t know.” Smith hesitated, torn between his loyalty to the officer and his desire to die with his comrades. “I will admit that there is a greater chance of five of us getting through than one. We shall be better able to defend ourselves for one thing, but....”
“It is an order, Sergeant,” said Corville quietly, guessing the reason beneath the other’s hesitation. “We travel together or none of us travels at all.” He squinted at the sun again. “Get the girls ready and instruct them in what to do. When darkness falls and the Arabs charge again we shall slip over the wall and away. Pray Allah,” he said fervently, “that they do not charge before then. I do not think that the men could withstand it.”
Allah must have heard and answered his prayers. The sun swung to the horizon and still, aside from a desultory fire from the hidden snipers, the fort was quiet. Quiet that is aside from the groans of the wounded and the cravings of men tormented with thirst. Twice they had tried to draw water from the
“What do you suggest?” Corville asked the question as he would ask it of an equal. The sergeant was no ordinary man and, had he wished, he could have been a captain long ago.
“The news, as you say, must be carried to Sidi bel Abbes. You must take it if, for no other reason, you will be believed where I would not. Again, you have the experience to pass yourself off as an Arab. Your features are the same, you speak the tongue like a native, and you know the religion and customs.” Smith stared at the young man. “You must disguise yourself, await the final charge and then, in the confusion, slip over the wall, mingle with the enemy, and so make your way through their lines.”
“And desert you all?”
“Yes.” Smith glanced at the grim-faced men lining the parapet. “Legionnaires are not afraid to die. They will fight to the last man and kill as many as they can. There is no fear that any of them will live to be tortured. But it is up to you not to have made their sacrifice in vain. Unless the news reaches Sidi bel Abbes then all the dead and those who are about to die will curse you from their graves for having failed them.”
“You are right.” Corville sighed as he thought about it. He would rather have stayed behind to have died with his men but that would have been a useless gesture. The fate of a nation depended on what he would decide and, with the scales balanced that way, he had no real choice.
“Then you will go?” Smith stared anxiously at the young man. “You will carry the news?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I shall attend to the women. It will be better for them to die now than to fall into tje hands of the Arabs.”
“Wait!” Corville swallowed as he tried to imagine the young American girl lying dead with a bullet in her brain. “It may not be necessary. I have taught them the words of renunciation and acceptance of Islam. The Arabs will not kill them if they are true believers.”
“Normally, no, but things are not normal.” Smith scowled towards the Colonel’s quarters. “They will be killed,” he said quietly. “If for no other reason than that they know too much. If the Arabs do win the guns and ammunition then neither Marignay or El Morini will want witnesses to what happened. Moslems or not all Ferengi will be slain. The men immediately, the women....” He shrugged and Corville knew what he hinted. Again he thought of Clarice and the thought of what might happen to her filled him with an inner sickness.
“Can’t we save them?”
“How? Take them with you? Impossible!”
“But is it?” Hope burned in Corville’s eyes. “Listen. You can pass for an Arab and we can disguise the women and the man. Together we can slip through the enemy lines and make our way to Sidi Baba. There we can obtain transport to Sidi bel Abbes.” He gripped the sergeant’s shoulder. “We can do it, man. The five of us can escape this death trap easier than one.”
“I don’t know.” Smith hesitated, torn between his loyalty to the officer and his desire to die with his comrades. “I will admit that there is a greater chance of five of us getting through than one. We shall be better able to defend ourselves for one thing, but....”
“It is an order, Sergeant,” said Corville quietly, guessing the reason beneath the other’s hesitation. “We travel together or none of us travels at all.” He squinted at the sun again. “Get the girls ready and instruct them in what to do. When darkness falls and the Arabs charge again we shall slip over the wall and away. Pray Allah,” he said fervently, “that they do not charge before then. I do not think that the men could withstand it.”
Allah must have heard and answered his prayers. The sun swung to the horizon and still, aside from a desultory fire from the hidden snipers, the fort was quiet. Quiet that is aside from the groans of the wounded and the cravings of men tormented with thirst. Twice they had tried to draw water from the
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