7. THUNDERING HOOVES-1
Fritz Mundt, the huge German in the French Foreign Legion, is lying on his bed. He moves his toes, changes the position of his hands underneath his head, and looks up at the ceiling at the flies milling there. He decides there and then to ask the question that he has been meaning to. He swats quickly at an irritating fly with his big hand, turns onto his side, and looks at the tall, blonde man lying on the bed beside his. He notices the man’s muscular, n***d torso, athletic, powerful legs, and tousled blonde head. The afternoon is so hot that it feels like all the moisture is being sucked out of your body.
Fritz moves the chaw of tobacco in his cheek and asks. “South African, do you think we will be sent back to that hot place in Fort Laval?”
Teuns Stegmann, the athletic South African, opens his eyes, turns his head slowly, and looks slightly puzzled. He enquires about the German. “Why are you not sleeping, big guy? Why all these nonsense questions on an afternoon like this?”
“Do you think they will send us back to that fly-infested place?”
“How should I know?” Teuns answers. “They probably will because we are supposed to relieve the men there for the next three months. The last time we were there, it was only for three or four days before fate intervened. Yes, I think they will send us back, big guy…”
“After all we have been through? No, they cannot! If they send us back to that horrible place, I will rebel! I have had more than enough of that lonely place!”
“This is not a country club,” says Teuns, yawning and swatting at the flies. “This is the French Foreign Legion, and here you have to obey orders. Do not you know that yet?”
“But we nearly died! They cannot send us back there so soon!”
“Why do not you tell the colonel that you refuse to return to Fort Laval? Then, maybe he will promote you to sergeant…”
The South African turns onto his side and looks at the German from underneath his eyelashes.
“You only want to stay here in Dini Salam to indulge in the wine,” he teases the German, who is disgusted.
Suddenly Fritz Mundt rises onto his elbow and says. “There are other men here that they can send! Some of this rubble here has not been in Fort Laval for nearly a year now!”
“Maybe they are sending us specifically because of our bravery. They might think that the other men would be unable to do the work as well as we can.”
Teuns bends down, picks up his cigarette butt from the floor, and lights it. He takes a deep pull from it and looks around the big room. Nearly all the beds are empty, and just a couple of the guys are resting here this afternoon in the oppressive heat. It is himself, Fritz Mundt, Podolski, the Pole, Jack Ritchie, the blonde Englishman, and Petacci, the little Italian, whose snores vibrate through the room.
After arriving here just before the afternoon, they managed to get the rest of the day off to rest. Slightly pleased, Teuns listens to how the rest of the men of the garrison of Dini Salam are being drilled outside by the sergeant in the hot courtyard.
“I am going to rebel if they send us back to Fort Laval,” Fritz complains again, but the South African ignores him.
* * *
In the office of the commanding officer of the garrison, Colonel Paul Le Clerq snorts through his grey mustache.
“Now then, Sergeant Catroux,” says the colonel. “ Please tell us how it came about that a patrol of the French Foreign Legion that was supposed to relieve the men in Fort Laval ended up using a foreign plane out of Dutra. At ease!”
Sergeant Catroux, a small, swarthy man, relaxes and folds his hands behind his back. He looks respectively at Colonel Le Clerq and Captain D’Arlan, who is also seated at the desk. He notices an amused gleam in the captain’s eyes, but the eyes of the colonel are cold and earnest. Then Catroux looks at the old Arab also seated here and sees a sign of victory in his dark eyes.
“Mon Colonel,” Catroux explains. “Us men who had returned here by plane today were members of Lieutenant Juin’s relieve unit that was sent to Fort Laval. But, with Lieutenant Rosseau’s soldiers that we were supposed to relieve, we were overpowered there by a woman with her foreign soldiers. She is Madame Bonnet, sister of the late El Karima…”
Mon ColonelMadame“Yes, yes, that we already know,” Le Clerq says impatiently. “She has some delusional plan to try and drive out the French Foreign Legion with gas weapons out of Morocco…”
“That is affirmative, mon Colonel. We have managed to get the upper hand, and she and Professor Benesj have escaped with a jeep. Lieutenant Juin had sent me, together with privates Stegmann, Mundt, Podolski, Ritchie, Petacci, and Jorgensen, to try and find out where she had fled to. We encountered a sand storm in the desert and made our way to a small, desolate oasis, where we met up with the madame and the Professor again. We have tried to take them back to Fort Laval, but then one morning, a plane arrived, and they overpowered us again...”
mon Colonelmadame“Who had overpowered you there? Was it the madame and the Professor?” There is a flicker of amusement in the colonel’s sharp eyes.
madame“The plane was full of foreign soldiers, armed with semi-automatic rifles, mon Colonel,” Catroux tries to defend himself.
mon Colonel“I see…”
“They have taken us to Dutra, and if it had not been for the intervention by sheik El Dota here, we would have died there. With his help, we reached the plane, and we escaped. Luckily for us, private Ritchie used to be a pilot during the Second World War, and that is how we managed to arrive here by plane, mon Colonel.”
mon Colonel“A most interesting tale, mon Sergent,” says the old colonel and pulls at his mustache, apparently lost in thought.
mon Sergent“Any questions, mon Capitaine?”
mon Capitaine“El Dota here is under the impression that this woman was quite serious when she said that she wants to destroy the French Foreign Legion with gas in Morocco,” says Captain D’Arlan. He is not called the Houdini of the desert for nothing because he has always managed to escape death in the most remarkable ways when the war-like Arabs have succeeded in capturing him.
“Is that also your impression, mon Sergent?”
mon Sergent“Without a doubt, mon Capitaine,” Catroux answers. “I think this woman is quite insane. She wants to avenge the death of her sister, El Karima, and she wants to do it through a war with gas.”
mon Capitaine“Is the gas in any way dangerous?”
“The gas they use is deadly, mon Capitaine, absolutely lethal, and it can be used over great distances. We have nothing to protect ourselves from it.”
mon Capitaine“Do they have a lot of stock?”
“They have left quite a lot of equipment and gas weapons in Fort Laval, and I am certain that the bomber plane was full of stock when we were taken to Dutra.”
“I assume that they use gas bullets then?”
“Exactly, mon Capitaine. They use powerful rifles to fire off the bullets, detonating as soon as it hits a target. It will be deadly against our garrisons in the forts.”
mon Capitaine“Do you know what her battle plans are, mon Sergent?”
mon Sergent“I do not have much more information, mon Capitaine, except that the attacks will happen very soon.”
mon Capitaine“We have heard the same from El Dota,” Colonel Le Clerq interrupts.
“Qui, mon Colonel. She told us that Fort Laval, Fort Petain, and Dini Salam will be attacked first.”
Qui mon Colonel“Does she have the support and trust of the Arabs?” D’Arlan asks again.
“I do not doubt it for a second, mon Capitaine. I think they revere her, the same way as the late El Karima.”
mon Capitaine“Have you seen many Arabs?”
“Thousands of them. When we had flown to Dutra, the capital of the Dulacs, the desert was alive with thousands of Arab warriors descending on the gates of Dutra, and even in Dutra self, the place was crawling with soldiers.”
“A very depressing story or what am I saying, mon Sergent,” says Colonel Le Clerq, and he looks fixedly at his sergeant.
mon Sergent“I am afraid so, mon Colonel,” Catroux answers, somewhat tense.
mon Colonel“That will be all for now, El Dota… Sergeant Catroux,” says Colonel Le Clerq and offers the old sheik his hand. The man who had managed to escape by plane out of Dutra with the men of the French Foreign Legion.
“On behalf of France and the French Foreign Legion, I would like to thank you for your bravery and loyalty. You will receive your reward at the appropriate time.”
El Dota makes a slight bow and exits the office together with Catroux. Le Clerq sits down with a sigh and looks at D’Arlan. “This is now another fine mess,” the colonel remarks. “Thousands and thousands of Arabs gathered in Dutra with a new leader and gas weapons. I would not be surprised if, before long, the French Foreign Legion should encounter flying saucers too, D’Arlan.”
“Damnation!” says D’Arlan slowly, playing with his officer’s staff. “This must be the hottest potato we have come across yet, mon Colonel. This is not child’s play. They can cause us a lot of damage with this gas and might even succeed in overpowering us. So we will have to take action fast.”
mon Colonel“Take action? How am I supposed to take action against this creature that wants to attack us on three fronts? Do you believe this story about the gas and the masses of people gathered in Dutra?”
“We have to believe it, mon Colonel. We already know about the gas weapons they have left behind in Fort Laval, and Catroux and El Dota’s stories are the same. So I do not think there can be any doubt about the accuracy thereof.”
mon ColonelLe Clerq jerks open his desk’s top drawer and remove a cognac bottle. He pours himself half a glass and gulps it down in one swallow. He holds the glass up to D’Arlan with a questioning look, but D’Arlan shakes his head. “Not yet, mon officier,” he says with a slight smile. “I am much too preoccupied with the imminent threat of the gas war to drink right now.”
mon officier“We have to inform Algiers immediately,” says Le Clerq, who closes the drawer. “Please send a report to them, D’Arlan, and ask them what help we can expect from them, if any. I suppose that they will laugh at us, as usual. Also, immediately inform the commanding officers in Fort Laval and Fort Petain of the current situation and tell them we are still considering our options. We will keep them posted.”
