attentively and read quickly from the beginning.
'I have pleasure in bringing to your attention... conduct beyond the
call of ... under intense enemy fire... once more, initiated an advance
... although wounded... disregard of personal danger ... two members of
your Guides.
Sergeant Sean Courtney.
Pte. Saul Friedman.
earnestly recommend ... Distinguished Conduct Medal great gallantry and
powers of leadership. 'Garry dropped the letter and leaned back in his
chair, staring at it as though it were his own death warrant. For a
long while he did not move, while the pain kept beating in his head.
Then he picked it up once more. Now his hands trembled so violently
that the paper fluttered like the wing of a wounded bird.
'Everything of mine, everything I've ever owned-he's taken it from me,'
and he looked down at the ribbons on his breast.
'I've never had ... Now this, the one thing. ' A drop of moisture fell
on to the letter, blurring the ink.
'I hate him, ' he whispered and tore the letter across. hope he dies,'
and he torr again and again, ripping it to shreds and at last screwing
them into a ball in his clenched fist.
'No. You'll not get that from me. It's mine-it's the one thing you'll
never have! ' He hurled the crumpled ball against the canvas of the
tent, and lowered his head on to his arms upon the desk. His shoulders
shook as he sobbed: 'Don't die. Please, Sean, don't die.'
Simply by putting his shoulder against her and shoving her aside, Dirk
Courtney cleared a small girl from the doorway and was first down the
steps and out into the sun. Without looking back at the schoolhouse he
headed for the hole in the back hedge, the others would be following.
They caught up with him while he was selecting a klei-lat from the
hedge.
'Hurry up,' Dirk ordered. 'We got to get to the river first else
they'll get the best place.
They spread out along the hedge, small boys chattering like a troop of
excited monkeys
'Lend me your knife, Dirkie . 'Hey, look at my lat.' Nick Peterson
brandished the short rod of Port Jackson Willow he had cut and peeled.
It whipped with a satisfying swish.
'It's not a lat,' Dirk informed him. 'It's a Lee-Metford-' He looked
round at the rest of his team. 'You remember now, I'm Lord Kitchener,
and you got to call me
'My Lord.' ' 'And I'm General French,' announced Nick. This was fair
enough, after all, he was Dirk's chief lieutenant. It had taken Dirk a
mere two weeks and five bloody fist-fights to reach his position as
un-challenged leader.
-,I'm General Methuen!' one of the lesser members yelped.
'And I'm General Butler!'
I
'And I'm General Gatacre!
'You can't be all generals.' Dirk glared around. 'Only Nick and I are
