Petacci pulls out the pistol with the big barrel, holds it up high, and pulls the trigger. In an instant, it is as if the sun has come up in the night sky. The phosphor bullet rises up and up into the air in a meandering arc and lights up the fort as if it is daytime.
In the courtyard, Fritz Mundt swears because he has to go and lock the gate, and now he is lying without cover against the wall. As Petacci fires off the flare, Fritz notices that the six Arabs jump into the saddles and race for the gates.
“Has that Italian gone mad?” the big German growls while running, “Why has he been so hasty in firing off the thing?”
The truth is that the Arabs did not start fleeing when they saw the flare but only when they heard the scream. Fritz Mundt runs as fast as he can but realizes he will nev
