Chapter 7For a second or two, D’Arlan listens to the footfalls of Karima and the sheik that are steadily growing softer, and then he jumps out of the office. Le Clerq is sitting like a statue, his head hanging and his eyes glassy.
“I will soon be back, mon colonel,” D’Arlan says over his shoulder, and he rushes down the long, deserted corridor, on his way to the dormitory. While moving down the corridor, he closes his eyes for a moment, to give thanks that his brain is once more functioning, with clarity and speed. First, he runs into the sleeping quarters of lieutenant Juin, the very efficient Frenchman with the red cheeks.
“Juin,” he orders quickly. “Make sure that all our officers and junior officers, are in the dormitory within five minutes. I want to see all of them.”
Juin, who had
