‘You’ve got to imagine the people are still out there on the island,’ Calum declared at the Rocket Range. ‘The men with their thick, white beards. The women with their shawls and long dark clothes, walking ten yards behind their husbands with a heavy burden on their backs. And, of course, the loud wailing from the place where they go to pray and worship… When you succeed in doing that, you’ll be able to aim a missile direct into their territory, making sure their Headquarters are destroyed.’
He laughed, looking out across the South Uist machair to Village Bay and Conachair in the distance.
‘There’s nothing like a spell at the Range here. It’s the best preparation possible when you’re getting ready for war in Afghanistan or Iran.’