Pieces of Gold
BY: AliasCWN
Chapter 1
Daquil stepped forward to meet them as the Rat Patrol approached the Arab camp. Moffitt glanced around as Tully slowed his jeep to avoid the swarm of children who ran in front of them chasing a leather ball with their sticks. Dogs ran after the children scattering a small group of goats who were foraging for food. The Brit smiled, it reminded him of visits to other Arab villages with his father when he was young. There had been times when he had even joined in the games the children played even though he was slightly older than most of them. His lack of experience had evened out the age difference. He had been small for his age so there had seldom been any objections.
Troy looked over and caught the nostalgic look on the other sergeant's face. The serene smile convinced him that it was safe to relax at least a little bit. If their desert expert didn't see anything to concern him then there was a good chance that all was well. Moffitt knew Arabs, and he was the cautious type, he would be the first to notice if there was anything suspicious in the camp.
"My friends." Daquil greeted them with a bow as the two jeeps stopped beside him. "Please, come, accept our humble hospitality."
Troy and Moffitt slid out of their seats leaving their drivers behind the wheels.
"Greetings Daquil, how nice to see you again." Moffitt returned the bow.
"Hello English, I was not aware that you and your friends were in the area."
"Just passing through." Moffitt explained.
"What brings you to our camp?"
"Water." The sergeant answered. "We were wondering if we could fill our water cans from the oasis."
"But of course." Daquil responded graciously.
"Your camp has grown Daquil." Troy had noticed the number of tents and knew that Daquil hadn't had near that many followers the last time they had met. "Did you find more relatives to travel with you?"
The Arab laughed at Troy's question. "We are sharing the oasis with Batala and his people. Batala is a good friend."
"It's always good to have friends." Troy nodded.
Daquil smiled and waved a hand toward a large tent. "Come, join us for tea and we can talk of old times."
Troy nodded and turned to his men. "Tully, Hitch, fill the water cans and service the jeeps, we'll be right back."
"Right Sarge." Hitch answered. He climbed out of his seat and reached for the water cans. Tully was surrounded by children and he was handing out pieces of hard candy from a bag he carried with him. At Troy's command he hurriedly handed out the last of it and turned to get his own water cans. He followed Hitch toward the water with a can in each hand.
"You'd better be careful." Tully warned as he caught up to his friend.
"Careful? Why?" Hitch asked as he took the cap off the first can and submerged it in the cool clear water.
"Some of those girls couldn't take their eyes off you." Tully laughed. "They watched you all the way to the water."
Hitch glanced back at the group of girls and smiled. "They're just kids Tully. I bet the oldest one isn't any more than fifteen."
"They marry young around here."
"Not to me they don't." Hitch snorted. "I like them older."
"What? Sixteen?" Tully teased.
"That's not funny Tully." Hitch whispered. "Besides, Sarge and Doc would kill me if I mess up while we're here."
"They wouldn't have to." Tully answered more soberly. "The Arabs would do it for them. Some of these guys don't look too friendly."
"Daquil likes us though." Hitch answered. "Or at least he seems to like Sarge and Doc." Hitch glanced back toward the tent where the others had disappeared.
Tully shrugged. "At least he didn't seem to be in any hurry to murder us before when his holy man was kidnapped."
"I told you Tully, he just wanted his crummy knife back."
Tully shrugged again. "Maybe, but he didn't seem too upset when he didn't get it back."
"That's because he was so happy about getting his holy man back."
Tully looked over at Hitch and grinned. "You know your logic doesn't make any sense, right?"
"All I know is that he would have killed us if Sarge and Doc hadn't brought his holy man back."
"Yeah, I have to agree there." Tully nodded. "Dietrich set us up good that time."
"Lucky for us Sarge and Doc were smart enough to figure it out." Hitch grunted as he lifted the full can out of the water. He capped that one and began to fill the next one.
Tully capped his first one and set it next to Hitch's full one. "If you want to carry these two up I'll fill the other two and bring them up when I'm done." Tully offered.
"Okay." Hitch agreed. He picked up a can in each hand and headed for the jeeps. He was strapping them into the rear of the vehicle when one of the girls approached him with a bucket of water. She shyly dipped a cup into the bucket and offered him a drink. Hitch took the cup with a smile and drank the water as the girl looked at the ground and giggled. Their hands touched as he handed the cup back. The girl giggled again as he turned and finished securing the water cans. The girl hurried away when Tully joined them with the other two cans.
"What?" Hitch asked when he saw the look Tully was giving him. "It was only a drink of water. She's just a kid, I told you."
"Yeah, you told me, but did anybody tell her?" Tully asked as he watched the girl rejoin her friends.
"I need to service this jeep." Hitch answered. "I think it needs oil and I need to fill the radiator."
"Let it cool down first." Tully suggested. "There's no rush, it looks like we may be staying a while."
Hitch looked over to see Daquil pointing at a tent and giving some of the women orders. They nodded and rushed away to carry them out.
The hoods were lifted to allow the air to flow over the engines. Both privates had gone over their vehicles from top to bottom by the time the sergeants returned.
"We're going to stay the night." Troy said as he approached the jeeps. "Finish up and park them over there by that tent." Troy indicated the same tent that Daquil had been pointing at when he was talking to the women.
"Don't we have to get back to the base?" Hitch asked.
"Why? Do you have a hot date or something?"
"Nothing like that Sarge." Hitch answered as he reddened slightly. "I'm taking a break from the ladies for a while; they get me into too much trouble."
"They get you into trouble?" Troy laughed. "Kid, you can do that all by yourself."
"Yeah." Hitch admitted. "That's why I don't need any help."
Troy chuckled. "Okay, get the jeeps moved and meet us in that tent. Daquil and Batala are throwing a feast in our honor. They told us to rest and they will let us know when to join them."
"Something besides k-rations." Hitch sighed. "I guess that makes it worthwhile to hang around."
Moffitt laughed. "We'll have rice cakes and fresh fruit, whatever is in season. Dates are a favorite. And I saw some of the women cooking some kind of meat over by Batala's tent."
"What kind of meat?" Tully asked warily.
"Most likely goat." The Brit answered.
"I like goats." Tully replied.
"So do I." Moffitt agreed. "They're delicious when seasoned just so."
Tully grinned. "Okay, I suppose I can like goats and still eat them, as long as it isn't one I know personally."
"That's hardly likely." Moffitt smiled at his driver. "I doubt that you've ever been personally acquainted with any of Batala's goats."
"Okay Doc, we'll move the jeeps. Does this mean we'll be sleeping under a roof tonight?"
"Most certainly." The sergeant answered. "A cloth roof but a roof just the same. Why? Are you getting tired of looking at the stars?"
"Nope, I like sleeping under the stars." Tully grinned and shook his head. "But it sure looks like the weather is about to change and I don't relish waking up buried in sand. That wind is starting to have a sting to it."
Moffitt glanced out at the desert beyond the oasis. "I believe you are right, the wind is picking up. I must say, I have to agree with you, it might be nice to have a roof over our heads tonight."
Tully and Hitch moved the jeeps and joined the sergeants in the tent. After catching a short nap they were summoned by one of Daquil's men to join in the meal.
The girl who had given Hitch water served him fresh fruit several times during the celebration. Each time Hitch gave her a bright smile and thanked her before ignoring her again.
They slept in the tent while the wind rearranged the desert floor and swept away even the deepest tracks from the night before.