dark and melting with apprehension, a black polished steel helmet
pulled down firmly over his ears, and one hand gripping the ivory butt
of the Beretta so fiercely that his knuckles shone white as bone
china.
At his feet, Gino crouched miserably, keeping well down within the
steel hull.
At that moment a machine gun opened fire ahead of them, and the sound
echoed and re-echoed against the sheer walls of the gorge.
"Stop! Stop this instant! shouted the Count at his driver.
The gunfire sounded very close ahead. "We will make this battalion
headquarters. Right here," announced the Count, and Gino perked up a
little and nodded his total agreement.
"Send for Major Castelani and Major Vita. They are to report to me
here immediately." Jake awoke to the pressure of somebody's hand on
his shoulder, and the light of a storm lantern in his eyes.
The effort of sitting up required all his determination and he let the
damp blanket fall and screwed up his eyes against the light. The cold
had stiffened every muscle in his body, and his head felt light and
woolly with fatigue. He could not believe it was morning already.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Jake," and then he saw Gregorius's dark intense face beyond
the lamp.
"Take that bloody thing out of my eyes." Beside him, Gareth Swales sat
up suddenly. Both of them had been sleeping fully dressed upon the
same ragged strip of canvas in the muddy bottom of the dugout.
"What's going on?" mumbled Gareth, also stupid with fatigue.
Gregorius swung the lantern aside and the light fell on the slim figure
beside him. Sara was shivering with cold and her light clothing was
&-soddden and muddy. Thorn and branches had scored bloody lines across
her legs and arms, and ripped the fabric of her breeches.
She dropped on her knees beside Jake, and he saw that her eyes were
haunted with terror and horror, her lips trembled uncontrollably,
and the slim hand she laid on Jake's arm was cold as a dead man's, but
it fluttered urgently.
"Miss Camberwell. They have taken her!" she blurted wildly, and her
voice choked up.
"You should stay on here," Jake muttered, as they hurried up the slope
to where Priscilla the Pig was parked half a mile back from the line of
trenches.
"There will be a dawn attack, they'll need you."
"I'm coming on the ride, Jake," Gareth answered quietly, but firmly.
"You can't expect me to sit here while Vicky-" he broke off. "Got to
keep a fatherly eye on you, old son," he went on in the old bantering
tone.
"The Ras and his lads will have to take their own chances for a
while."
As he spoke, they reached the hulking shape of the armoured car, parked
in the broken ground below the head of the gorge. Jake began to drag
the canvas cover off the vehicle, and Gareth drew Gregorius aside.
"One way or another, we should be back before dawn. If we aren't,
you know what to do. God knows, you've had enough practice these last
few days." Gregorius nodded silently.
"Hold as long as you can. Then back to the head of the gorge for the
last act. Right? It's only until noon tomorrow.
We can hold them that long, tanks or no bloody tanks, can't we?"
"Yes, Gareth, we can hold them."
"Just one other thing, Greg. I love your grandfather like a brother
but keep that old bastard under control, will you.
Even if you have to tie him down. "Gareth slapped the boy's shoulder,
changed the captured Italian rifle into his good hand and hurried back
to the car, just as Jake boosted Sara up the side of the hull and then
ran to the crank handle.
Priscilla the Pig ground up the last few hundred yards of steep ground
to the head of the gorge, and they passed gangs of Harari working by
torchlight. They had been at it in shifts since the previous evening
when Jake and Gareth had heard the Italian tanks coming up the gorge.
Although all his concern was with Vicky, yet Gareth noted almost
mechanically that the work gang had performed their task well. The
anti-tank walls were higher than a man's head and built from the
heaviest, most massive boulders that could be carried down from the
cliffs. There was only a gap narrow enough to allow the car to pass in
the centre of the walls.
"Tell them to close the gap now, Sara. We won't take the car into the
gorge again," Gareth instructed quietly as they went through and she
called out to a Harari officer who stood on top of the highest point of
the wall; he waved an acknowledgement, and turned away to supervise the
work.
Jake took the car through the natural granite gates, and beyond them
lay the saucer-shaped valley and the town of Sardi.
It was burning, and at the sight Jake halted the car and they stood on
the hull and looked across at the ruddy glow of the flames that lit the
underbelly of the clouds, and dimly defined the mountain masses that
enclosed the valley.
"is she still alive?" Jake voiced all their fears, but it was Sara who
answered.
"If Ras Kullah was there when they caught her, then she is dead."
Then silence again, both men staring Out into the night, with anger and
dread holding them captive.
