Sarge called all the troops together by Cateri’s wagon. Tin Tin and Liada were there, too. He scooped out a long trench in the snow with his foot.
“Kady,” Sarge said, “how many shells do you have?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Kawalski?”
“Sixteen.”
All the others called off the amount of ammo they had left.
“I’ve got twelve rounds,” Sarge said. “Let’s divide it up so everyone has the same amount.” He pointed to the trench he’d dug in the snow. “This is the gorge.” He stepped into the trench. “Right now, these ridges are crawling with Allobroges. Hannibal thinks they’ll leave their posts at sundown and go back to their village in the valley beyond the gorge. Tonight, we’ll climb up to these ridges on each side, and we’ll be waiting in the morning when the Allobroges return.”
“We’re going to climb
