JК
Sharpes Havoc :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 205 из 242The wounded who could not walk were left in their wagons and given muskets so they could at least try to protect themselves against the Portuguese who would find them soon enough and then attempt to exact revenge on helpless men. Soult ordered the military chest, eleven great barrels of silver coins, put by the road so the men could help themselves to a handful apiece as they went past. The women hitched up their skirts, scooped up the coins, and walked with their men. The dragoons, hussars and chasseurs led their horses. Thousands of men and women were climbing into the barren hills, leaving behind wagons loaded with bottles of wine, with port, with crosses of gold stolen from churches and with ancestral paintings plundered from the walls of northern Portugal’s big houses. The French had thought they had conquered a country, that they were merely waiting for a few reinforcements to swell the ranks as they marched on Lisbon, and none understood why they were suddenly faced with disaster or why King Nicolas was leading them on a shambolic retreat through torrential rain.
„If you stay here,” Christopher told Kate, „you’ll be raped.”
„I’ve been raped,” she wept, „night after night!”
„Oh, for God’s sake, Kate!” Christopher, dressed in civilian clothes, was standing by the carriage’s open door with rain dripping from the point of his cocked hat. „I’m not leaving you here.” He reached in, took her by the wrist and, despite her screams and struggles, hauled her from the carriage. „Walk, damn you!” he snarled, and dragged her across the verge and up the slope. She had only been out of the carriage a few seconds and already her blue hussar uniform, which Christopher had insisted she wore, was soaked through. „This isn’t the end,” Christopher told her, his grip painful on her thin wrist. „The reinforcements never arrived, that’s all! But we’ll be back.”
Kate, despite her misery, was struck by the „we.” Did he mean the two of them? Or did he mean the French? „I want to go home,” she cried.
„Stop being tedious,” Christopher snapped, „and keep walking!” He pulled her on. Her new leather-soled boots slipped on the path. „The French are going to win this war,” Christopher insisted. He was no longer certain of that, but when he weighed the balances of power in Europe he managed to convince himself that it was true.
„I want to go back to Oporto!” Kate sobbed.
„We can’t!”
„Why not?” She tried to pull away from him and though she could not loosen his grip she did manage to bring him to a halt. „Why not?” she asked.
„If you stay here,” Christopher told Kate, „you’ll be raped.”
„I’ve been raped,” she wept, „night after night!”
„Oh, for God’s sake, Kate!” Christopher, dressed in civilian clothes, was standing by the carriage’s open door with rain dripping from the point of his cocked hat. „I’m not leaving you here.” He reached in, took her by the wrist and, despite her screams and struggles, hauled her from the carriage. „Walk, damn you!” he snarled, and dragged her across the verge and up the slope. She had only been out of the carriage a few seconds and already her blue hussar uniform, which Christopher had insisted she wore, was soaked through. „This isn’t the end,” Christopher told her, his grip painful on her thin wrist. „The reinforcements never arrived, that’s all! But we’ll be back.”
Kate, despite her misery, was struck by the „we.” Did he mean the two of them? Or did he mean the French? „I want to go home,” she cried.
„Stop being tedious,” Christopher snapped, „and keep walking!” He pulled her on. Her new leather-soled boots slipped on the path. „The French are going to win this war,” Christopher insisted. He was no longer certain of that, but when he weighed the balances of power in Europe he managed to convince himself that it was true.
„I want to go back to Oporto!” Kate sobbed.
„We can’t!”
„Why not?” She tried to pull away from him and though she could not loosen his grip she did manage to bring him to a halt. „Why not?” she asked.