Chapter 6 Summary

A freezing morning dawns in the prison camp. The companions awaken and make jokes about the temperature. Kirill comes from the administration building in the dark, accompanied by three guards. One of the guards gathers the companions and tells them that they have been chosen for a special duty. They are to prepare to be transported away from the mining camp to another location. They are not told exactly what their task is. Ylli retrieves the rations. They are herded onto a transport truck with a canvas roof. They ride along, looking at the moon and in the stars in the freezing hours before dawn. They travel for about five hours, which they figure is about a hundred-ten or twenty kilometers. They arrive at the tent, which contains ten bunks arranged around a stove. They stoke up the fire and await orders.

A...