XII

The sun had risen in a clear blue sky. The countryside had awakened some time ago, but a few miles over to the right, to where the road apparently was leading, the great industrial town of Düsseldorf was just coming to life.

On that road, but coming from the left, could be heard the tramp, tramp of feet, and male voices singing a marching song.

A party of soldiers swung round the corner. At their head an erect, young-looking lieutenant was setting the pace for the marching and the tempo and volume of the singing.

As they reached the open, gorse-dotted wasteland on their right, the N.C.O., marching behind the officer but ahead of his men, had his eye attracted by a patch of white, partly on the ground, partly enveloping a bush. He stared at it for some seconds, singing mechanically. Having decided that it was something out of the ordinary, he touched the officer’s arm and pointed. They both looked, still singing.

The officer stopped singing, and gave orders to stop the men and halt the patrol, and stood back watching until they were standing at ease.

Beckoning to the N.C.O. to follow, he strode off the road towards the patch of white.

As they got nearer the N.C.O. said something and pointed again, to an odd-shaped bundle just beyond what they now identified as a parachute. It was obviously the person who had descended by the parachute. The officer drew his pistol, keeping his eye on the subject.

They could see now that it was a British airman. He didn’t stir as they approached and stood over him.

At first they thought he was dead, but when they turned him over, the airman’s eyes flickered open for a moment and then closed again, like a person dozing in the sun being momentarily disturbed.

The officer knelt down and gently pulled the airman into a more natural lying position, concluding as he did so that judging by the peaceful expression on the airman’s face, his wounds were not so serious as the amount of dried blood suggested.

The officer straightened up, and turning to the N.C.O., ordered him to detail one man to guard the airman and one man to report back to headquarters. The rest would continue the exercise. They both turned and marched towards the road.

The lieutenant looked at his watch. It was seven o’clock.