Lying prone on the baking ground, Jack placed his cartridges and percussion caps handy beside him and built a crude sangar with a single aperture through which to shoot. This low position limited his view of the ridge, so Gulbaz"s men would be closer than he liked when he opened fire, but on the other hand, they could not see him. Settling down to wait, Jack thought of the days he and the 113th had skirmished with the Cossacks outside Sevastopol. I must be getting old, he told himself, living on past memories.
I must be getting oldliving on past memories.A monitor lizard scurried past, eyed him curiously for a second, and moved on. The eagles above continued to circle. The overall silence magnified every sound, so Jack heard his men toiling up the hillside. When that sound faded, the quie
