Stanza 117


117

And so it was that several groups were sent,
Each to a different well with the intent
To take the water samples and assess
How the equipment had endured the stress
Of heavy use it suffered through the years.
In time, the corpsmen and the engineers
Returned to base and went their separate ways.
The S4's people gathered to appraise
The overall conditions that pertained
To the mechanics, which they now explained
To the astute logistics officer.
The captain often stopped them to refer
To pump and well designs the last regime
Had favored, asking if the current scheme
Could have derived from any one of these.
It wasn't long before their expertise
Allowed them to select a French design,
That forty years before was right in line
With the advances in technology.
Now it belonged in ancient history.