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It was still enough that Jake didn't have to shout. |
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"Look, men, I don't have to tell ya that Harlan ain't come out yet. He's long overdue. Sergeant Kendall and me agree we better be startin' a sweep west to look for him." |
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This time the grumbles were absent. The men were tired, but they were his friends, his neighbors, maybe even relatives. A new commitment had evolved. |
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Kendall stepped forward again. "Okay, we've got seven torches. I want you to work in clustersthree on each side of the man carrying the torch. Take a good look at the men on each side of you. Know who they are and keep them in sight. If you lose visual contact with the group on either side of you, start hollering until you re-establish contact, then tighten up your group and go on. The clusters at each end of the line should be particularly alert to your exposed flank. Double-check everything. We don't know what we're dealing with." |
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One of the younger men stepped forward. His voice trembled. "You think that critter got 'em, Sergeant?" |
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Jake shook his head. "Don't know, Clem. We just don't know." |
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Kendall took the first few steps, and three ranks began to cluster up On either side of him. I had an ugly flashback of National Guard units, apprehensive, new to their |
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