“I’ve something to show you,” he shouted to the three journalists.
Above a huge building with a faded white cupola, the synagogue of the Kasbah which overlooks the whole of Algiers, a big F.L.N. flag was being hoisted.
“Remember this day and hour,” the boy in the suède jacket went on, gripping Françoise by the arm. “It’s the 11th of December 1960, the time is 4.45, and the F.L.N. flag is flying over Algiers.”
“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Françoise replied in a low voice, at the same time disengaging her arm.
Malistair took her by the shoulder and embraced her, while Pasfeuro, with eyes closed, listened to the great yell of joy coming up from the crowd and remembered another crowd and other yells—those he had heard on the 13th of May. . . .
* * * *
The lieutenant stood to attention in front of Major Esclavier, his shoulders hunched, his chin jutting forward. He was twenty-four years old and had recently won the Légion d’Honneur.
“The rebel flag is flying over Algiers, sir. What do we do now?”
It was exactly a month ago that the lieutenant’s brother had been killed while capturing an F.L.N. flag during an assault.
Esclavier hung his head.
“Nothing.”
But he was frightened lest this man’s face, in its owner’s anguish, should turn back into the face of a child and stream with tears, afraid lest this child should collapse and never forgive himself for having lost control of his nerves in front of a senior officer whom he admired and made a hero of.
Esclavier corrected himself.
“Nothing . . . for the moment.”
Then the young face relaxed and beamed.
But Esclavier suddenly fancied he heard the grating laugh of Captain Boisfeuras. There was nothing but the wind and the rain mingled with melting snow, and two tattered Arabs, sheltering behind a wall, sharing a single cigarette-stub.
* The Ministry of the Armed Forces (translator’s note).
* General Salan, nicknamed the Tojun (translator’s note).
* A unit of the Army of National Liberation, equivalent to a company (translator’s note).
* Détachement d’intervention héliporté—usually about ten heavy machines placed at the disposal of a fighting unit to transport its men over short distances (translator’s note).
* One of the six administrative districts into which Algeria was divided according to the Soummam Valley conference of August 1956 (translator’s note).
* Gouvernement Provisoire de la République Algérienne—the Algerian Nationalists’ political movement (translator’s note).
* Section administrative spéciale—rural counterpart of the Section administrative urbaine, which functions only in the towns (translator’s note).
* Confédération Générale des Travailleurs Algériens—Algerian trade union (translator’s note).
* Armée de Libération Nationale—the rebel National Liberation Army, an offshoot of the Comité Révolutionnaire pour l’Unité et l’Action, formed in early 1954 (translator’s note).
* Organisation Politico-Administrative—political section of the F.L.N. (translator’s note).
* Moslems serving under the French colours (translator’s note).
* Front de Libération Nationale—political counterpart of the A.L.N. (translator’s note).
* Union Nationale Républicaine—a party supporting General de Gaulle (translator’s note).
* Rassemblement du Peuple Français, formed by de Gaulle in 1947—an organization which claimed to be a movement for the regeneration of France rather than an ordinary political party (translator’s note).
* The Free French Forces of the Second World War (translator’s note).
* Direction de la Sécurité du Territoire—police organization corresponding more or less to the Special Branch of Scotland Yard (translator’s note).
* Union pour le salut et le renouveau de l’Algérie Francaise—the party founded by Soustelle in March 1956 (translator’s note).
* Compagnie Républicaine de Sécurité—mobile riot squads, formed since the Second World War (translator’s note).
* Section Française de l’Internationale Ourrière—the Socialist Party founded by Léon Blum in 1924 (translator’s note).
* Association Générale des Étudiants, equivalent to the English National Union of Students (translator’s note).
* Section administrative urbaine—the counterpart of the S.A.S. (Section administrative spéciale). The S.A.U. functions only in the towns, the S.A.S. in country districts (translator’s note).
* Société Nationale de Recherche et d’Exploitation des Pétroles en Algérie. C.R.E.P.S., a similar oil prospecting company, is affiliated to the Régie Antonome des Pétroles (translator’s note).
* Compagnie de Recherche et d’Exploitation des Pétroles Sahariens (translator’s note).
* Ben Bella was a member of the Algerian External Delegation, captured by the French when the aircraft in which they were returning from Morocco was forced to put down on October 22nd, 1956 (translator’s note).
* Organisation Commune des Régions Sahariennes—an administrative organization for the Sahara (translator’s note).
* Mouvement pour la Triomphe des Libertés Démocratiques—the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties, founded by Messali Hadj in 1946 (translator’s note).
* Shanghai was originally built on a former mud-bank.
Looking for more?
Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.
Discover your next great read!
The Praetorians Page 41