Sean a minute to place them. He had forgotten the infantry1 4close UP
there.'
'close up on the right. Keep the line!'
'Don't run. Steady, men. Don't run. ' Long lines of men, lines that
bulged and lagged and straightened again at the urging of their
officers, Evenly spaced, plodding quietly with their rifles held across
their chests, they passed the guns. Behind them they left khaki
bundles lying on the plain, some of the bundles lay still but others
writhed and screamed.
As the gaps appeared in the lines they were quickly filled at the chant
of
'Close up. Close up there on the flank.'
-They are heading for the railway bridge. ' Sean felt the first
premonition of disaster. 'Don't they know that it's been destroyed? '
- we, have to stop them. Saul scrambled to his feet beside Sean.
'Why didn't the fools follow our markers?' Angrily Sean shouted the
question that had no answer. He did it to gain time, to postpone the
moment when he must leave the flimsy cover of the grass shelter and go
out into the open where the shrapnel and the Mausers swept the ground.
Sean's fear came back on him strongly. He didn't want to go out
there.
'Come on, Sean. We must stop them.' And Saul started to run. He
looked like a skinny little monkey, capering out towards the, advancing
waves of foot soldiers. Sean sucked in his breath and held it a moment
before he followed.
twenty yards ahead of the leading rank of infantry, carrying a naked
sword in one hand and stepping out briskly on long legs, came an
officer.
'Hey, you! ' Sean shouted at him, waving his hat to catch his
attention. He succeeded. The officer fixed him with bright blue eyes
like a pair of bayonets and the waxed points of his grey moustache
twitched. He strode on towards Sean and Saul.
'You're heading for the wrong bridge,' Sean yelled at him, his voice
high-pitched with agitation. 'They've blown the rail bridge, you'll
never get across there. ' The officer reached them and checked his
stride.
'And who the hell are you, if it's not a rude question?'
'We're the ground scouts . . .' Sean started, then leapt in the air
as a Mauser bullet flicked. into the ground between his legs.
'And put that bloody sword away-you'll have every Boer on the Tugela
competing for you. ' The officer, a colonel by the crowns on his
shoulders, frowned at Sean.
'The correct form of address, Sergeant .
'The hell with that!' Sean roared at him. 'Swing your advance on to
the road bridge. ' He pointed with agitation at the metal
superstructure of the bridge that showed on the left through the thorn
trees. 'If you continue as you're going they'll cut you to pieces. '
A moment longer the Colonel fixed Sean with his bayonet eyes, then he
lifted a silver whistle to his lips and blew a piercing blast.
'Take cover,' he shouted. 'Take cover!'
