'May I point out once more that those orders are in direct-'
'You may not. 11 Duce,
Benito Mussolini himself, has placed a sacred trust upon me. I will
not fail that trust.'
'My Colonel, the enemy-'
'Bah!' Scorn flashed from the dark, heavily fringed eyes.
'Bah, I say. Enemy, you say savages, I say. Soldiers, you say rabble,
say U 'As my Colonel wishes, but the armoured vehicle-'
'No!
Castelani, no! It was not an armoured vehicle, but an ambulance.'
The
Count had truly convinced himself of this. 'I will not let this moment
of destiny slip through my fingers. I refuse to creep about like a
frightened old woman.
It is not in my nature, Castelani, I am a man of action of direct
action. It is in my nature to spring like a leopard at the jugular
vein of my enemy. The time of talking is over now, Castelani.
The time for action is upon us.'
'As my Colonel wishes.'
'It is not what I wish, Castelani. It is what the gods of war decree,
and what I as a warrior must obey.' There did not seem a reply to this
and the
Major stood silently aside as the Count swept out of the tent, with
chin upheld, and with a firm, deliberate tread.
astelani's strike force had been ready since dawn.
Fifty of the heavy troop transporters made up a single column, and he
had spent most of the night deliberating on the order of march.
His final disposition was to leave a full company in the fortified
position above the Wells of Chaldi, under the command of one of the
Count's young captains. All other troops had been included in the
flying column which was to drive hard on the gorge, seize the
approaches and fight its way up to the highlands.
In the van, Castelani had placed five truckloads of riflemen, and
immediately behind them were the machinegun sections, which he knew he
could bring into action within minutes. Another twenty truck-loads of
infantry followed them ten in the extreme rear. Under his eye and
hand, he had placed his field artillery.
In the event of the column running into real trouble, he was relying on
the infantry to buy him the precious time needed to unlimber and range
his Howitzers. Under their protective muzzles, he was mildly confident
that he could extricate the column from any predicament into which the
Count's newfound courage and vaunting visions of glory might lead them
mildly, but not entirely, confident.
Beside each stationary truck the driver and crew were sprawling on the
sandy earth, bareheaded, tunics unbuttoned and cigarettes lit.
Castelani threw back his head, inflated his lungs and let out a bellow
that seemed to echo against the clear high desert sky.
'Fall in!' and the sprawling figures scrambled into frenzied activity,
grabbing weapons and adjusting uniforms as they formed ragged ranks
