Sahara Page #3

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Every minute were here,

our chance of getting through is less.

He may be lying about Germans in the

neighborhood, but we cant tell.

Weve got to go ahead

as if it was the truth.

- Tambul!

- Yes, sergeant.

How far are those wells?

About 60 to 70 miles.

It is there.

- How far?

- What, sergeant?

How far?

There, ahead!

You will see as we go down this hill.

- How is he?

- Hes pretty bad, sir.

Whats he saying?

Sounds like his girls name, sir.

- Give him some water.

- Cant, sir.

Not a drop left.

Bone dry.

It is so in the desert.

One season there is cool, clear

water, like lakes in the mountains.

Another time...

...nothing.

Just a lot of sand.

Whats funny?

Just thinking.

When we were kids,

the biggest treat...

...was to play on the beach

in the sand.

How far is it to the next well?

About 50 miles, sergeant.

At the ruins of Bir Acroma.

It is south.

Hello, Kathy.

I miss...

Captain Halliday, sir.

Captain Halliday!

He keeps talking to his girl, Kathy.

Hes gone.

Its tough.

He did it!

Let him alone, Stegman.

Battle order of the Army.

Do not retreat anotherinch.

Cairo and Alexandria

must be defended.

The Army will stand and fight...

...north ofEl Khattara

on the El Alamein line.

Scattered units are ordered...

...to report to

their commands immediately.

We need every man

and every machine.

Report to your commands.

Re-form yourlines.

Report to your commands.

Hurry.

Thats it ahead, sergeant.

Thats it ahead, sergeant.

Right!

Left.

You hear that, Joe?

Shes missing, aint she?

I wonder how much longer

shell keep going.

So do I.

Clarkson, back there.

Maybe he was lucky!

There, straight ahead!

Bir Acroma!

Come on down, guys.

Everybody take cover inside.

Come on, Jimmy. On your feet!

How is it, Jim?

Okay, Joe.

Wheres that well?

Somewhere near the building.

Inside the wall, sergeant.

All right, men.

Spread out and look for that well!

Stick along with me.

Sure took a beating,

didnt you, old girl?

Bimbashi!

The well! The well!

Around here.

You better go down and look.

Send down a bucket.

Theres still water dripping!

- Something to catch it!

- Its going to waste.

Bring up a couple of cans

and rope from the tank.

Heads up! Here it comes.

Pull it up slowly.

Careful!

What a beautiful sight.

Real water.

Easy now. Dont spill a drop.

Three swallows for everybody.

Three swallows. No more.

Here you are, Jimmy.

Stegman, take Frenchies place.

Three swallows.

Giuseppe!

- Three swallows.

- Three swallows.

For the German.

Everybody gets three swallows.

Yes, sergeant.

Were considering going

to this other well.

But we must be sure that

well find enough water there.

At Bir Acroma, there has been water

in sufficient quantities.

But it means going

130 kilometers out of our way.

These men need water badly,

HerrKapitn.

Your machines may get through

without more water...

...but you take a serious risk

with the men.

Go with Sergeant Krauses

advance party.

Show them the way to Bir Acroma.

The battalion will follow in an hour.

We must get water.

Hows it coming?

Very good, sergeant, very nice.

Any way to squeeze it out quicker?

It takes its own time.

You cannot milk it like a cow.

Well stay until we get

all the water we can carry.

We got to, but its tough

to waste all that time.

Bates, stand by here.

Waco, lets clean Lulubelle out.

The rest of you,

go over your equipment.

Stegman, on lookout.

That water helped, didnt it?

Couldnt have lasted much longer.

Keep a sharp lookout,

especially toward those hills.

If trouble comes,

itll come from there.

Watch for planes.

Signore.

I would like to help you.

You know about motors?

I was maestro mechanic in Torino.

You got a job.

Frenchie...

...let the Italian come around here.

Let me take your place.

No, it isnt necessary.

How is it coming?

Lm afraid it drops more slowly.

You never can tell about these wells.

Have a cigarette.

Thanks.

How long you been in the army?

Twenty years.

My father and his father

before him were soldiers.

All my family have been soldiers.

My folks were always farmers.

You know where Texas is?

It must be very far.

Yes, sir. Lm going back there

when this is finished.

- I got married just before I left.

- Good.

Good? Lts better than that.

But you fellas feel

differently about marrying.

The boys were telling me...

...you Mohammedans

have as many as 300 wives.

The Prophet tells us four wives

are sufficient for a true believer.

Why four?

The Prophet says one wife

makes a miserable life...

...because she gets bored.

And two wives make a mess

of your life also.

For they always quarrel and

you never know which one is right.

And three wives are bad too.

Two always take sides

against a third.

Now, four wives makes real happiness.

How?

Two and two are company

for each other.

And the man, he has his rest.

It sounds all right.

You got four?

No, I have only one.

Whats holding you back?

If you had this law in your Texas,

would you have four wives?

No, my wife wouldnt like that.

It is the same with me.

My wife, she would not like it.

You sure learn things in the army!

Yes, we both have much

to learn from each other.

I understand. That guy Mussolini

you got over there, he doesnt?

II Duce, hes a big man.

He speaks like a thunderstorm.

And you guys believe him?

He tells me he knows best.

Everywhere, he writes his mottos.

On the walls, on the street...

So we got him in the brain.

We must believe these mottos.

What does that mean?

Obey. Believe. Work.

Obey? Work for what?

Not so much now, Signore.

But Mussolini say, by and by,

everything is going to be all right.

He says its going to be all right.

He thinks hes God, dont he?

Yeah, he think.

But I think maybe...

...Hitler is God...

...and Mussolini is just his prophet.

Dont you worry. Someday

that guy will blow up and bust.

For some people, its all right

to laugh at il Duce.

But when you got a wife and baby,

its no good to laugh.

My little Giuseppina.

Such a small bambina.

Eyes, big like this.

Shes beautiful.

Everybody say she look just like me.

Well, dont tell her.

No, I dont.

Sure, lm going to tell her!

How do you spell oasis?

O-A-S-l-S.

Scientifically, this isnt an oasis.

My wife aint scientific.

Lm saying lm on green grass

with palm trees waving overhead.

You know you cant post

a letter here.

I promised her ld write home

every week, if I wasnt dead.

Well, I aint dead.

I should write to my mother.

What part of South Africa

do you come from?

A dorp near Kimberley.

Dorp? Whats that?

A village.

Its a fine country.

Theres always a soft breeze

blowing across the veldt.

Sounds good. But personally,

I think lll stick to Brooklyn.

I was born in Sussex,

but we moved to a little farm...

...in Yorkshire.

Lm from London.

Lm from Dublin.

What part of the States are you from?

No place.

Just the Army.

In my village, we had

the finest cheese.

- What kind of cheese?

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