Chapter 30We sat in our own stink and listened to the fort come alive the next morning. Thursday, if I calculated right. My unwashed flesh bothered me more than my aching gut. We both anticipated and dreaded Hanlihan’s arrival. Yet, he didn’t come. A stir of excitement outside the guardhouse about mid-morning, including some shooting close at hand, increased our anxiety. Sitting in a locked cage while events go on all around us left us feeling helpless.
By the time the sun was overhead, no one had come to check on us. Unusual. Soon after the noon hour, a private, one I’d never seen before, entered and handed over two tins of food. Recognizable this time. Boiled beef and potatoes. We’d no sooner wolfed that down than he and another trooper brought containers of water. Warm water. We flatte
