"We've been looking for you," she shouted furiously.
"Ah," quoth Gareth lightly. "We will now hear from the Girl Guides
Association."
"Sara is out there." Gregorius ran to Gareth. "We are going to fetch
her. You and I will take the one car, Vicky and Jake the other."
"Nobody is going anywhere." Gareth shook his head, and Gregorius
seized the lapels of his suit and shook them urgently. "Sara. You
don't understand she's out there! We have to fetch her." say, old
lad, would you mind unhanding me, "murmured Gareth and removed
Gregorius" hands from his lapel. "Yes.
We know about Sara, but--2 Vicky yelled from the driver's hatch.
"Leave, him, Gregorius. We don't need anyone who is afraid-" and
Gareth straightened up abruptly, his expression grim and his eyes
snapping.
"I have been called many things in my life, my dear young lady. Some
of them justified, but nobody has ever called me a coward."
"Well, there is always a first time, buster," shouted Vicky, her face
crimson with anger and streaked with dirt, her blonde hair ruffled and
hanging into her eyes and she pointed one quivering finger at Gareth,
"and for you this is that first time!" They stared at each other for a
moment longer before Lij Mikhael strode between them, his dark face set
but commanding.
"Major Swales is acting on my express orders, Miss Camberwell. I have
ordered that the cars and all my father's troops will fall back
immediately."
"Good God, man." Vicky transferred her anger from Gareth to the
Prince. "That's your daughter lying out there."
"Yes," said the Prince softly. "My daughter on the one hand my country
on the other.
There is no doubt which I must choose."
"You're not making sense, "Jake interposed roughly.
"I think I am." The Prince turned to him and Jake saw the dark torment
in the man's eyes. "I cannot make a hostile move, it's what the
Italians are seeking. An excuse to attack in full strength. We must
turn the other cheek now, and use this atrocity to win world
support."
"But Sara," Vicky interrupted. "We could pick her up in a minute."
"No." The Prince lifted his chin. "I cannot show the , enemy these
new weapons of ours. They must remain hidden until the time is right
to strike."
"Sara, cried Gregorius. "What of Sara?" "When these machines and the
new guns are safely on their way back to the Sardi Gorge, I shall ride
out myself to fetch her body," said the Prince with a simple dignity.
"But until then my duty must come first."
"One car," pleaded Gregorius. "For Sara's sake."
"No, I cannot use even one car," said the Prince.
"Well, I can," snapped Vicky and her tousled golden head disappeared
into the driver's hatch, the engine roared and Miss Wobbly shot forward
scattering men and animals before her, and swung in a tight sliding
right-hand turn towards the course of the wadi.
Unarmed and alone, Vicky Camberwell was going out to face the machine
guns and the mortars, and only one man amongst them acted swiftly
enough.
Jake shouldered the Prince aside and sprinted across the circle of the
car's turn, coming alongside a moment before it plunged into the narrow
ravine. He got a grip on one of the welded brackets abaft the engine
cowling, and although his shoulder joint was almost wrenched from its
socket, he swung himself up and fell belly down across the sponson.
Clinging grimly on to the leaping, jouncing vehicle, he dragged himself
forward until he could peer down the driver's hatch.
"Are you crazy?" he bellowed, and Vicky looked up and gave him a
fleeting but angelic grin.
"Yes. How about you?"A heavier impact came up through the chassis of
the car and momentarily drove Jake's breath from him so he could not
answer. Instead, he clawed his way up the side of the turret, almost
losing four fingers as the loose hatch cover slammed closed at another
leap of the car.
Using all his strength, Jake lifted it again, and secured the retaining
catch before he scrambled down into the cab.
He was only just in time, for at that moment Vicky drove the car at
full throttle out into the valley.
The sun was clear of the horizon now, smearing long dark shadows across
the golden sands. Dust and smoke from the mortar barrage still drifted
in a stately brown cloud over the ridge, and the bodies of the dead
were thrown at random across the bare plain. The women's dresses made
bright splashes of colour against the monochrome of the desert.
Jake swept a swift glance around the ridge that commanded the plain,
and saw that many of the Italian troopers had left their trenches. They
wandered in small groups around the edges of the slaughter ground, and
their movements were awed and timid green troops still not hardened to
the reality of open wounds and twisted corpses.
They froze in attitudes of surprise as the car burst out of the wadi,
and flew on usty wings towards the nearest waterhole. It took many
seconds for them to move, and then they turned and pelted for their
earthworks, tiny figures in dark uniforms with legs and arms pumping in
frantic haste.
"Turn broadside," yelled Jake. "Show them the crosses!" and Vicky
