The artillery barrage started two hours after dark, cracking open the silence of the night as the guns targeted the ridge on which the Akhund"s standard flew. For a moment Jack watched the yellow-white explosions highlighting the ragged pines and wondered how many men would die or be maimed merely to provide a cover for his Guides.
"Right, lads." Jack had insisted that rather than Guides uniform, the men should wear the local loose top and trousers, with whatever headgear they preferred, and a poshteen against the cold. Even so, his men looked distinctly military as he led them out of the camp and into the valley. All sported the red cord of the Ghazis on their right arm.
"Spread out," Jack ordered. "Try to look less like soldiers. You"re a mob of Mujahidin, not a troop of Guides cavalry
