Chapter 2For a long time, Paul Le Clerq sits forlornly behind his desk, without being able to utter a single word. The lines on his weathered face have grown deeper still, and his eyes are dim with fear and the memories. His scrawny hands move convulsively over his face and his neck, and then they would fiddle again with a pencil on his desk. D’Arlan stands upright in front of his senior officer. D’Arlan is not tall, as a matter of fact, he is on the short side, but his shoulders are square, and although he has a slim figure, a quiet force flows from him. He is one of the most experienced fighters in the Sahara, and his achievements in nearly impossible situations, have made him a living legend in the big desert, not only under his own legion men but also under the thousands of Arabs. He h
