Then, finally, the main column passed through, organized in battalions, 
each foot hitting the ground in unison with all the others. Each battalion 
carried a few sedan chairs, which were passed from one four-girl troop to 
another every few minutes to spread out the work. They were not luxurious 
palanquins but were improvised from bamboo and plastic rope and upholstered 
with materials stripped from old plastic cafeteria furniture. Riding in these 
chairs were girls who did not seem all that different from the others, except 
that they might have been a year or two older. They did not seem to be 
officers; they were not giving orders and wore no special insignia. Hackworth 
did not understand why they were riding in sedan chairs until he got a look at 
one of them, who had crossed one ankle up on her knee and taken her slipper 
off. Her foot was defective; it was several inches too short.