Crops and grass had withered, small streams had dried up. The levels of rivers and lakes had lowered drastically. More alarming was the extent of evaporation in reservoirs providing water for people needing more than usual. Restrictions of usage, recently put in force, threatened failure of fruit and grape harvests, which would bring hardship to many peasant families come winter. The death toll of the frail and vulnerable was rising daily. Private Smith believed he was slowly roasting inside the Warrior advancing over a simulated battleground. His underpants clung soggily to his skin, his feet felt spongy in damp socks, his throat was dry and dust-filled, his vision blurred by sweat running from wet hair beneath his close-fitting helmet. Enclosed in this armour-plated personnel carrier with six other fully-equipped infantrymen, his latent claustrophobia was getting difficult to control. The high temperature, the overpowering reek of diesel and the stink of sweaty bodies combined to induce the fear of being unable to breathe.
