JК
Sharpes Devil :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 84 из 209"
"A rich woman! But why does she send her money on voyages around the world?"
"You know why," Sharpe said.
"Do I?" Bautista opened the strongbox's lid. "One thousand, six hundred and four guineas. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Sharpe said defiantly, and there was a murmur of astonishment from Bautista's audience as they translated the figure into Spanish dollars. A man could live comfortably for a whole lifetime on six and a half thousand dollars.
"Why were you carrying such a sum in gold?" Bautista demanded.
Sharpe saw the trap just in time. If he had admitted that the money had been given to him for use as bribes, then the Captain-General would accuse him of attempting to corrupt Chilean officials. Sharpe shrugged. "We didn't know what expenses we might have," he answered vaguely.
"Expenses?" Bautista sneered. "What expenses are involved in digging up a dead man? Shovels are so expensive in Europe?" The audience murmured with laughter, and Sharpe sensed a relief in the assembled officers. They were like men who had come to a bullfight and they wanted to see their champion draw blood from the bull, and the swift jest about the price of shovels had pleased them. Now Bautista took one of the coins from the strongbox, picked up a riding crop from the table, and walked toward Sharpe. "Tell me, Mister Sharpe, why you came to Chile?"
"To collect the body of Don Bias," Sharpe said, "as you well know."
"I heard you were groveling in General Vivar's grave like a dog," Bautista said. "But why carry so much gold?"
"I told you, expenses."
"Expenses." Bautista sneered the word, then tossed the coin to Sharpe.
Sharpe, taken by surprise, just managed to snatch the guinea coin out of the air.
"Look at it!" Bautista said. "Tell me what you see?"
"A guinea," Sharpe said.
"The cavalry of Saint George," Bautista still sneered. "Do you see that, Mister Sharpe?"
Sharpe said nothing. The guinea coin had the head of the King on one side, and on its obverse bore the mounted figure of Saint George thrusting his lance into the dragon's flank. The nickname for such coins was the Cavalry of Saint George which, during the French wars and in the form of lavish subsidies to foreign nations, had been sent to do battle against Bonaparte.
"The British Government uses such golden cavalry to foment trouble, isn't that so, Mister Sharpe?"
Again Sharpe said nothing, though he glanced toward Blair to see if the Consul planned any protest, but Blair was clearly cowed by the company and seemed oblivious of Bautista's jeering.
"A rich woman! But why does she send her money on voyages around the world?"
"You know why," Sharpe said.
"Do I?" Bautista opened the strongbox's lid. "One thousand, six hundred and four guineas. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Sharpe said defiantly, and there was a murmur of astonishment from Bautista's audience as they translated the figure into Spanish dollars. A man could live comfortably for a whole lifetime on six and a half thousand dollars.
"Why were you carrying such a sum in gold?" Bautista demanded.
Sharpe saw the trap just in time. If he had admitted that the money had been given to him for use as bribes, then the Captain-General would accuse him of attempting to corrupt Chilean officials. Sharpe shrugged. "We didn't know what expenses we might have," he answered vaguely.
"Expenses?" Bautista sneered. "What expenses are involved in digging up a dead man? Shovels are so expensive in Europe?" The audience murmured with laughter, and Sharpe sensed a relief in the assembled officers. They were like men who had come to a bullfight and they wanted to see their champion draw blood from the bull, and the swift jest about the price of shovels had pleased them. Now Bautista took one of the coins from the strongbox, picked up a riding crop from the table, and walked toward Sharpe. "Tell me, Mister Sharpe, why you came to Chile?"
"To collect the body of Don Bias," Sharpe said, "as you well know."
"I heard you were groveling in General Vivar's grave like a dog," Bautista said. "But why carry so much gold?"
"I told you, expenses."
"Expenses." Bautista sneered the word, then tossed the coin to Sharpe.
Sharpe, taken by surprise, just managed to snatch the guinea coin out of the air.
"Look at it!" Bautista said. "Tell me what you see?"
"A guinea," Sharpe said.
"The cavalry of Saint George," Bautista still sneered. "Do you see that, Mister Sharpe?"
Sharpe said nothing. The guinea coin had the head of the King on one side, and on its obverse bore the mounted figure of Saint George thrusting his lance into the dragon's flank. The nickname for such coins was the Cavalry of Saint George which, during the French wars and in the form of lavish subsidies to foreign nations, had been sent to do battle against Bonaparte.
"The British Government uses such golden cavalry to foment trouble, isn't that so, Mister Sharpe?"
Again Sharpe said nothing, though he glanced toward Blair to see if the Consul planned any protest, but Blair was clearly cowed by the company and seemed oblivious of Bautista's jeering.