We were in a position opposite the encircled Falluga. The days dragged past in endless boredom. Never-ending rain turned the earth into deep mud which stuck to your boots, the little tents were soaked day and night and the sentries in the trenches stood up to their knees in water. The only pleasure that Jamus and I had - con-gratulations, we had just been promoted to squad leader! - was the odd visit to the mess tent where we secretly emptied a tin of pineap-pie. Or we would spend a quarter of an hour in the company com-mander’s tent and talk with Tucki.18 Tucki was crazy, like all radio operators. A tall, thin youth with sad, deep-set eyes, he looked like a living corpse. He got his name from his inability to remain still for three minutes.
One morning Jamus and I were on our way to the kitchen to check on the preparations for lunch. Tucki called us to him excitedly. He had picked up the call sign of an Arab station and realized it must come from the surrounded units. They were trying to set up a con-nection with Gaza or Hebron. Jamus seized the opportunity, and provided us with some interesting minutes in this sea of boredom.
"Hello - Bravo Alpha One - Bravo Alpha One, keif tismaini, keif tismaini?19 Can you hear me, can you hear me - over."19 The Egyptian net used British procedures just as we did. The language is the only difference - even the voices of the operators are similar.
Jamus puts on the headphones and holds the microphone firmly. His face betrays the struggle going on inside him. We have clear orders not to use the Egyptian frequencies, to avoid giving them any indication that our intelligence is listening in. But everyone knows that this is a senseless order. Because the Egyptian operators will certainly know, just as our operators know, that the enemy is listening.
The struggle doesn’t last long. The curse on his tongue breaks free: "Hello, ya misril. Teezak hamra lesh?20 You Egyptians! Why is your arse so red? Over"
Silence. Just as Tucki is not allowed to use the Egyptian frequen-cies, the Egyptian cannot answer the Israeli. But can a soldier restrain himself from answering such a nice insult? Especially when the answer is obvious.
"Because you have licked it too much, you Jew, you dog - Over."