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Chapter Sixteen. Into the Blue |
| caption: |
competition to go on march |
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The porters grasp their shields and spears; they are already prepared. It is only a matter of seconds to throw off their heavy loads and transform themselves from carriers into fully armed warriors. Those who go with us are fervently envied by their less fortunate friends remaining behind in the camp, and yesterday a mutiny had almost broken out when Mills proposed to leave one particularly eager band behind. But now there is peace again, for the would-be heroes have had their way by solemnly promising not to harm a hair of the enemy's head without express orders. "We will even step over the fallen Pangsha men," they swore, "without so much as a touch of the dao" |
