The book is a fair mix of fiction and fact and centres on a love affaire between two persons from different continents. Julian Roberts is a son of Africa whose family has a farm in Zululand. His formative years were spent in the company oif his Zulu friends, learning from them the skills that ultimately saved him from certain death. Circumstances had him enrolling in the French Foreign Legion and shipped to Indochina where they were fighting the Viet Minh forces. He was a Legionnaire Scout and there he formed a friendship ...
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The book is a fair mix of fiction and fact and centres on a love affaire between two persons from different continents. Julian Roberts is a son of Africa whose family has a farm in Zululand. His formative years were spent in the company oif his Zulu friends, learning from them the skills that ultimately saved him from certain death. Circumstances had him enrolling in the French Foreign Legion and shipped to Indochina where they were fighting the Viet Minh forces. He was a Legionnaire Scout and there he formed a friendship with Captain Louis de Villier, having saved his life during a messy engagement with the enemy. Nicole de Villier is his twin sister and a Medical Doctor. She married her brother's best friend who too was shipped to Indo China. Both men were transferred to the doomed village of Dien Bien Phu to help set up a garrison type strong hold. This was to entice the Viet Minh into the open, to be decimated, bringing the long conflict to an end. She requested to be sent there as well, knowing that they needed Doctors for the coming conflict. When it was apparent that the garrison would be overrun, Louis asked Julian to escape with Nicole and make it via the jungle of Laos to Thailand where they would be safe. The story tells of their harrowing adventure but they make it. They parted when safely in Thailand, she to France and he (deserting the army) to South Africa. Five years later, all surviving prisoners of war are released by the Viet Minh. Her brother had survived but not her husband. Six years on they bump into one another in London. Once over the shock, they acknowlege their latent love for each other (honed on the terrible walk they had done) and agreed to marry. Nicole then told him of the son he sired in Thailand-an instinctive sex act after the harrowing journey. He is now an extremely wealthy and busy entrepreneur with offices in South Africa and Switzerland. His partner is assassinated in London by thugs working for a competitive firm and Julian, using the skills honed on the battlefield, takes revenge. He cannot confide this to Nicole because she too could then be held party to the act. This was not an option but it led to difficulties in their marriage and she has an affaire with a international "play boy" in the arms industry. Julian had to take drastic action to save her from a potentially life threatening situation. Their recociliation process succeeds.
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