indication at all?'
'Sergeant, you still haven't grasped it. The French to the south of Etreux took an awful bashing. The whole weight of the German armour was thrown against them from what I can make out, and there isn't a front line down here any more. Everything's all over the place. Jerry has torn a bloody great gap in the line and it's getting bigger every day. And the BEF is a long way west of Brussels now.'
'There are no Germans in Fontaine?'
'Not up to this morning. A column of tanks went through two days ago but that's the way they seem to be operating -they didn't leave a single soldier behind.'
Barnes found that interesting. He thought about it while he picked up his clothes and started dressing with difficulty. At least he was still wearing his battledress trousers so he wouldn't have to struggle with them. Then he resumed his cross-examination.
'The tank's next door, you said. In what condition?'
'Engines are in full working order. The Besa's OK. So is the two-pounder. The Wireless is still US but the intercom's OK. We can talk to each other but we're cut off from the outside world. Reynolds and I have spent most of our time on maintenance while you were playing Rip Van Winkle.'
'One thing bothers me, Penn. This lad, Pierre. How does he come into the picture?'
'He's helped us enormously. He saw us coming into this place when we first arrived and he's been around ever since.
He knew we were here so I thought the best thing was to make friends with him - and the fact that he speaks English as well as his native French is a godsend...'
'He's Belgian?'
'Yes, his parents come from the north and he's lost touch with them. He was visiting an uncle in Fontaine when the war started.'
Barnes asked a lot more questions while he finished dressing and among other things he learnt that it was now two o'clock in the afternoon. At the end of the conversation he returned to the subject of Pierre.
, 'You said he was visiting an uncle here when the war started - you mean way back in September last year?'
'No, I meant when the Germans attacked Belgium a fortnight ago. I still say Pierre could be useful. We both know a little French but if we're going to get out of this we'll need someone who can talk to the locals, and he's as keen as mustard to come with us. How the hell will we know where we are if...'
'Bring him in to me.'
Barnes picked up the machine-pistol, extracted the magazine again and began testing the mechanism.
'Pierre brought that...' began Penn. '
'I said send him in.'
Barnes went on riddling with the gun after Penn had brought in Pierre and he kept him waiting while he went on examining the weapon. He was looking down at the gun when he fired his question at Pierre.
'Where did you get hold of this?'
'I found it on the road outside Fontaine. I saw a car stop and the driver threw it into the ditch. Then he drove away very fast. It is in good order, Sergeant Barnes.' He pronounced it 'Burns'. 'I tested it myself. After first taking out the magazine,' he added proudly.
'I see. Where did a lad of your age learn about things like this?'
'My father works at the Belgian small-arms factory at Herstal. He can fire all the pistols and machine guns.' Again the hint of pride. 'Including your own Bren gun. They call it by that name because it was first made in the city of Brno in Czechoslovakia.'
'You have an uncle living in Fontaine?'
Barnes looked directly into the lad's blue eyes and his gaze was returned steadily. Pierre's eyebrows were so fair that he almost appeared to have none., which gave him a curiously older appearance.
'Not any more,' he replied. 'My uncle fled from the Germans three days since.'
'I see. Why didn't you go with him?'
'Because I am not scared. I am going to fight the Germans.' He went on talking quickly. 'I shall be eighteen,years of age by July so I am quite old enough and my knowledge of weapons means that training is not necessary. Corporal Penn said that I could come with
'Sergeant, you still haven't grasped it. The French to the south of Etreux took an awful bashing. The whole weight of the German armour was thrown against them from what I can make out, and there isn't a front line down here any more. Everything's all over the place. Jerry has torn a bloody great gap in the line and it's getting bigger every day. And the BEF is a long way west of Brussels now.'
'There are no Germans in Fontaine?'
'Not up to this morning. A column of tanks went through two days ago but that's the way they seem to be operating -they didn't leave a single soldier behind.'
Barnes found that interesting. He thought about it while he picked up his clothes and started dressing with difficulty. At least he was still wearing his battledress trousers so he wouldn't have to struggle with them. Then he resumed his cross-examination.
'The tank's next door, you said. In what condition?'
'Engines are in full working order. The Besa's OK. So is the two-pounder. The Wireless is still US but the intercom's OK. We can talk to each other but we're cut off from the outside world. Reynolds and I have spent most of our time on maintenance while you were playing Rip Van Winkle.'
'One thing bothers me, Penn. This lad, Pierre. How does he come into the picture?'
'He's helped us enormously. He saw us coming into this place when we first arrived and he's been around ever since.
He knew we were here so I thought the best thing was to make friends with him - and the fact that he speaks English as well as his native French is a godsend...'
'He's Belgian?'
'Yes, his parents come from the north and he's lost touch with them. He was visiting an uncle in Fontaine when the war started.'
Barnes asked a lot more questions while he finished dressing and among other things he learnt that it was now two o'clock in the afternoon. At the end of the conversation he returned to the subject of Pierre.
, 'You said he was visiting an uncle here when the war started - you mean way back in September last year?'
'No, I meant when the Germans attacked Belgium a fortnight ago. I still say Pierre could be useful. We both know a little French but if we're going to get out of this we'll need someone who can talk to the locals, and he's as keen as mustard to come with us. How the hell will we know where we are if...'
'Bring him in to me.'
Barnes picked up the machine-pistol, extracted the magazine again and began testing the mechanism.
'Pierre brought that...' began Penn. '
'I said send him in.'
Barnes went on riddling with the gun after Penn had brought in Pierre and he kept him waiting while he went on examining the weapon. He was looking down at the gun when he fired his question at Pierre.
'Where did you get hold of this?'
'I found it on the road outside Fontaine. I saw a car stop and the driver threw it into the ditch. Then he drove away very fast. It is in good order, Sergeant Barnes.' He pronounced it 'Burns'. 'I tested it myself. After first taking out the magazine,' he added proudly.
'I see. Where did a lad of your age learn about things like this?'
'My father works at the Belgian small-arms factory at Herstal. He can fire all the pistols and machine guns.' Again the hint of pride. 'Including your own Bren gun. They call it by that name because it was first made in the city of Brno in Czechoslovakia.'
'You have an uncle living in Fontaine?'
Barnes looked directly into the lad's blue eyes and his gaze was returned steadily. Pierre's eyebrows were so fair that he almost appeared to have none., which gave him a curiously older appearance.
'Not any more,' he replied. 'My uncle fled from the Germans three days since.'
'I see. Why didn't you go with him?'
'Because I am not scared. I am going to fight the Germans.' He went on talking quickly. 'I shall be eighteen,years of age by July so I am quite old enough and my knowledge of weapons means that training is not necessary. Corporal Penn said that I could come with
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