The days passed. One week . . . two . . . three. Their main problem now was boredom. They saw only the walls of their cell, heard only the distant noises of the ship and the boots of the men who brought their meals. They walked. Three strides between the walls, over and over until they’d counted to a thousand. But Edmund could feel his body losing its fitness, while Archie looked tired and pale.
Their minds were becoming less fit, too. Three times they asked for something to read, but nothing happened. A couple of hours after their third request, the door of their cell swung open. A soldier slung a small pamphlet on the floor. ‘There. Great reading for a conchie.’
Edmund picked it up. Army Training Manual No. 29. Instructions for Firing and Maintenance of the Lewis Light Machine-Gun. He
