Hardenburg did not move. "I wish to speak to the senior officer here," he called coldly in German.
There was more Italian. Finally a dark, stout Major said, in bad German, "That is me. If you have anything you wish to say to me, come over here and say it."
"You will kindly dismount," Hardenburg said, standing absolutely still, in front of the car.
The Italians chattered among themselves. Then the Major opened the rear door and jumped down, fat and wrinkled in what had once been a pretty uniform. He advanced belligerently on Hardenburg. Hardenburg saluted grandly. The salute looked theatrical coming from this scarecrow in the glaring emptiness of the desert. The Major clicked his heels in the sand and saluted in return.
"Lieutenant," the Major said nervously, looking at Hardenburg's tabs, "we are in a great hurry. What is it you wish?"
"I am under orders," Hardenburg said coldly, "to requisition transportation for General Aigner."
The Major opened his mouth sadly, then clicked it shut. He looked hurriedly about him, as though he expected to see General Aigner spring suddenly from the blank desert.
"Nonsense," the Major said finally. "There is a New Zealand patrol coming up this road and we cannot delay…"
"I am under specific orders, Major," said Hardenburg in a sing-song voice. "I do not know anything about a New Zealand patrol."
"Where is General Aigner?" The Major looked around uncertainly again.
"Five kilometres from here," Hardenburg said. "His armoured car threw a tread and I am under specific orders…"
"I have heard it!" the Major screamed. "I have already heard about the specific orders."
"If you will be so kind," Hardenburg said, "you will order the other gentlemen to dismount. The driver may remain."
"Get out of the way," said the Major. He started back towards the car. "I have heard enough of this nonsense."
"Major," said Hardenburg coldly and gently. The Major stopped and faced him, sweating. The other Italians stared at him worriedly, but not understanding the German.
"It is out of the question," said the Major, his voice trembling.
"Absolutely out of the question. This is an Italian Army vehicle and we are on a mission to…"
"I am very sorry, Sir," said Hardenburg. "General Aigner outranks you and this is German Army territory. You will kindly deliver your vehicle."
"Ridiculous!" the Major said, but faintly.
"At any rate," Hardenburg said, "there is a road-block ahead, and the men there have orders to confiscate all Italian transport. By force if necessary. You will then have to explain what three field officers are doing at a moment like this so far from their units. You will also have to explain why you took it upon yourself to disregard a specific order from General Aigner, who is in command of all troops in this sector."
He stared coldly at the Major. The Major raised his hand in a strangled gesture. Hardenburg's expression had not changed at all. It still was weary, disdainful, rather bored. He turned his back on the Major and walked towards the car. Miraculously he even managed for these five steps not to limp.
"Furi!" he said, opening the door to the front of the car.
"Out! The driver will remain," he said in Italian. The man beside the driver looked around beseechingly at the officers in the rear of the car. They avoided the man's glance and stared nervously at the Major, who had followed Hardenburg.
Hardenburg tapped the soldier in the front seat on the arm.
"Furi," he repeated calmly.
The soldier wiped his face. Then, looking down at his boots, he got out of the car and stood unhappily next to the Major. They looked amazingly alike, two soft, dark, disturbed Italian faces, handsome and unmilitary and worried.
"Now," Hardenburg gestured to the other two officers, "you gentlemen…" The wave of his arm was unmistakable.
The two officers looked at the Major. One of them spoke rapidly in Italian. The Major sighed and answered in three words. The two officers got out of the car and stood beside the Major.
"Sergeant," Hardenburg called without looking over his shoulder.
Christian came up and stood at attention.
"Clean the back of the car out, Sergeant," Hardenburg ordered, "and give these gentlemen everything personal that belongs to them."
Christian looked into the back of the car. There were water-cans, three bottles of Chianti, two boxes of rations. Methodically, one by one, he lifted the rations and the bottles and put them at the Major's feet on the side of the road. The three officers stared glumly down at their possessions being unloaded on to the desert sand.
Christian fingered the water-cans thoughtfully. "The water, too, Lieutenant?" he asked.
"The water, too," Hardenburg said without hesitation. Christian put the water-cans beside the ration boxes.
Hardenburg went to the rear of the car, where there were rolls of bedding strapped against the metal. He took out his knife. With three swift slashes he cut the leather straps holding them on to the car. The canvas rolls dropped into the dust. One of the officers started to speak angrily in Italian, but the Major silenced him with an abrupt wave of his hand. The Major stood very erect in front of Hardenburg. "I insist," he said in German, "upon a receipt for the vehicle."
"Naturally," Hardenburg said gravely. He took out his map. He tore off a small rectangular corner and wrote slowly on the back of it. "Will this do?" he asked. He read aloud in a clear, unhurried voice. "Received from Major So and So… I am leaving the place blank, Major, and you can fill it in at your leisure… one Fiat staff car, with driver. Requisitioned by order of General Aigner. Signed, Lieutenant Siegfried Hardenburg."
The Major snatched the paper and read it over carefully. He waved it. "I will present this at the proper place," he said loudly, "in the proper time."
"Of course," Hardenburg said. He stepped into the rear of the car. "Sergeant," he said, sitting down, "sit back here."
Christian got into the car and sat down beside the Lieutenant. The seat was made of beautifully sewn tan leather and there was a smell of wine and toilet-water. Christian stared impassively ahead of him at the burned brown neck of the driver in the front seat. Hardenburg leaned across Christian and slammed the door. "Avanti," he said calmly to the driver.
The driver's back tensed for a moment and Christian saw a flush spreading up the bare neck from below the collar. Then the driver delicately put the car in gear. Hardenburg saluted. One by one, the three officers returned the salute. The private who had been sitting beside the driver seemed too stunned to lift his hand." The car moved smoothly ahead, the dust from its spinning wheels tossing lightly over the small group on the side of the road. Christian felt an almost involuntary muscular pull to turn around, but Hardenburg's hand clamped on his arm. "Don't look!" Hardenburg snapped.
Christian tried to relax into the seat. He waited for the sound of shots, but they didn't come. He looked at Hardenburg. The Lieutenant was smiling, a small frosty smile. He was enjoying it, Christian realized with slow surprise. With all his wounds and with his company lost behind him and God knows what ahead of him, Hardenburg was enjoying the moment, savouring it, delighting in it. Christian couldn't smile, but he sank back into the soft leather, feeling his racked bones settling luxuriously in his resting flesh.
"What would have happened," he said after a while, "if they had decided to hold on to the car?"
Hardenburg smiled, his eyelids half-lowered in sensuous enjoyment as he spoke. "They would have killed me," he said.
"That is all."
Christian nodded gravely. "And the water," he said. "Why did you let them have the water?"
"Ah," Hardenburg said, "that would have been just a little too much." He chuckled as he settled back in the rich leather.