It was the normal state of things. The escort took Hawkins to a compound of single storey buildings that looked as if they had been government offices in the days when there had last been a government. The glare of the West African sun was at its most pitiless. They all climbed out of the jeeps. The men were smiling, in good humour; but Hawkins took no comfort in that. They were men who could laugh as they slit throats, and this was not a happy time. A pair of field guns had been placed in the centre of the compound, and the soldiers were directing them against some unidentified target in the centre of town. Hawkins looked to the faraway high rise towers of what had been a modern city, all steel and glass; probably with most of the glass lying in shards by now. The gun crews applied themselves to the task as they would have approached any other job in this heat: they would fire a few rounds, laughing at the deafening explosions of the guns; then they would become bored or tired and sit around talking for a while, resuming when the conversation wore out.
What do You think about Sing Like You Know The Words?
