The Sand Panthers by Leo Kessler Page A

he yelled at the top of his voice. He flipped the knife out of its hiding place and in one and the same movement threw it at the startled German. He screamed as it struck him directly in the chest. His legs started to crumple beneath him like those of a new-born foal. The boy kicked him in the crutch to hasten his fall and jumped forward. Slaughter dived after him. A wild burst of fire stitched the sand where they had just been standing. Slaughter flung himself into the driving seat and ripped off the brake. Machine-gun fire shattered the windscreen in front of him. The boy kicked a space clear. Slaughter thrust home first gear and grabbed the wheel. The halftrack slithered and then gripped. Zig-zagging crazily, followed by angry cries and a wild hail of bullets, the Englishman steered the halftrack down the Ascent, trailing a billowing plume of sand behind him. With a bone-jarring jolt they hit the bottom and then they were off at top speed, the armour-plating rattling madly, heading east into the desert. Within minutes they were a tiny dot on the horizon. Then they vanished altogether. Slaughter had got away.

THREE
    It was nearly thirty-six hours later. Now they were rolling due east. The going was becoming better by the hour and here and there von Dodenburg, standing next to a swollen-mouthed, puckered-lipped Professor, could see the faded tracks of other vehicles in the sand. He knew that they were slowly approaching the Ain Dalla Oasis where they would meet their unknown Egyptian contact.
    That day he allowed the crews to have a two hour midday break, although they had overcome their previous exhaustion. The successful outcome of the battle against the Blue Veils had been the tonic they had needed. All the same von Dodenburg insisted that the cooks should prepare a proper meal for them instead of the usual fried sausages or bully beef, and ordered that an extra ration of water should be handed out too. They had overcome the perils of the desert, but ahead of them there was probably an even more perilous venture.
    After the meal, while the men lolled or slept in the shade of their vehicles, he called the two young officers and Reichert and Schulze to his command tank. He offered each of them a half-mug of his precious bottle of cognac, then got down to business. ‘Now I am sure you have wondered why we have driven so far into this miserable wilderness. Some time I have wondered myself,’ he grinned ruefully at them. ‘Well, now I can tell you a little about our mission.’
    In spite of the terrible heat, the others leaned forward eagerly to listen to their CO’s disclosures.
    ‘Within one day’s march of here, there is the oasis of Ain Dalla, the furthest British outpost in Egypt. Now, according to my information that outpost is held mainly by men of the Egyptian Army, with only a handful of British present. Am I not right, Prof?’ The academic, embarrassed by his lack of teeth contented himself with a quick nod.
    ‘Now,’ von Dodenburg continued, ‘those Egyptian soldiers are loyal to the German cause, they only need the word from us and they will rise against the British. The Oasis will be in our hands.’
    ‘Holy strawsack!’ Meier cried with youthful enthusiasm. ‘Imagine – a German base right in the rear of the British Army in Egypt!’
    ‘Just imagine!’ Major von Dodenburg agreed, concealing his irony and not attempting to enlighten the bright-eyed boy. There would be time enough to tell him Wotan’s real mission later. ‘Now I intend to get word to those Egyptians tonight. Both of you young men have proved that you are capable of looking after yourselves and your men, so tonight I’m going to leave you in charge of the column.’
    The two officers beamed with pleasure at the CO’s praise. Von Dodenburg smiled at them and went on. ‘Mind you, you must not be careless, because I’m taking Sergeant Doerr’s panzer grenadiers with me. You’ll have to flesh out an infantry guard from your