Before the day breaks, Colonel Le Clerq and Lieutenant Juin are back on the battlements. He has had some rest, like his men, and that is only because the Arabs have this habit of not fighting at night. The dead have been buried in shallow graves against one of the fort’s walls, and the wounded are in the infirmary in the care of the medical orderly. In the middle of the courtyard, Le Clerq has ordered a round shelter of sandbags to be erected. Rifles have been cleaned, and the broken gantries repaired.
“Another terrible day lies ahead of us, Juin,” the colonel says worriedly, and he wonders if they will be able to stand on these battlements again.
“Another day, mon Colonel,” Juin says tiredly. He has not had much rest as he oversees the men’s work.
mon ColonelNow and then, Le Clerq woul
