beyond belief. With the possible exception of Southern Afghanistan in
the Khyber area, there is no place in the world more suited for
guerrilla warfare, less suited for the proper utilization of modern
armor, particularly when the latter is forced to work without air
cover.

Homer Crawford, equipped with an old-style telescope, was
spread-eagled on top a rock outcropping, his only companion Isobel
Cunningham. Directly before him, possibly two miles in distance, was
the desert city of Tamanrasset, to the right, a kilometer or so, Amsel
where palatable water was to be found at eighteen meters depth.

"Our friend, the colonel, is up to something," he grumbled.

She had a pair of binoculars, of considerably less power than his
glass.

"It looks as though Guemama's boys are on the run," she said.

"As per orders. The primary theory of partisan warfare is not to get
killed. The guerrilla never stands and fights. If the regular forces
he opposes can bring him to bay, they've got him." He interrupted
himself to clip out, "Look at that tank, darling! There on the left!"

Isobel tightened, looked at him quickly from the side of her eyes. No.
He'd said it inadvertently, his mind concentrated on the fighting men
below. She had often wondered where she stood with Homer Crawford the
man, as opposed to El Hassan the idealist. The tip of her tongue
licked the side of her mouth, as she surreptitiously took him in. But
Crawford the man would have to wait, there was no time, no time.

Isobel swung her glasses. "The one starting to go in a circle? There,
it stopped."

"One of the snipers got its commander," Homer said. "You can't fight a
tank without the commander's head being up through the hatch. That's a
popular fallacy. You can't see well enough to fight your tank unless
you've got your head up. And that's suicide when you're against
guerrillas. The colonel ought to send his infantry out first."

Isobel said, "What did you mean when you said that he's up to
something?"

Homer's eye was still glued to the eyepiece of his glass. "He's leaving
his entrenchments and sending his vehicles out to capture our ... our
strong points."

"You mean our water, don't you?"

Bey came snaking up to them on his belly. He came abreast of Homer and
brought forth his own binoculars. He watched for a moment and then
muttered a curse under his breath.

"Guemama better start pulling back those men more quickly," he said.

"He will. He's a go