Still keeping your eyes on them you lay down, persuading yourself that they, in themselves, were a guarantee that none of you would be sent back, turned out of the country and abandoned to your fate, as some of the men had been suggesting only that afternoon, voicing their worst fears, or exchanged for English prisoners of war, no, you told yourself, these were mere rumours, nothing could happen to you in the care of these soldiers, they'd protect you from intruders, would leap to their feet without a sound, a finger to their lips, and when they told you not to worry that would be enough.