JК
Sharpes Havoc :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 31 из 242”
„If a child of mine wanted tobecome a lawyer,” Sharpe said, „I’d strangle it with my own hands and then piss on its grave.”
“So you are married then, senhor?” Vicente asked politely. No, I’m bloody not married.”
I misunderstood,” Vicente said, then gestured toward his tired troops. „So here we are, senhor, and I thought we might join forces.”
Maybe,” Sharpe said grudgingly, „but make one thing clear, lawyer. If your commission is two weeks old then I’m the senior man. I’m in charge. No bloody lawyer weaselling around that.”
„Of course, senhor,” Vicente said, frowning as though he was offended by Sharpe’s stating of the obvious.
Bloody lawyer, Sharpe thought, of all the bloody ill fortune. He knew he had behaved boorishly, especially as this courtly young lawyer had possessed the courage to kill a sergeant and lead his men to Sharpe’s rescue, and he knew he should apologize for his rudeness, but instead he stared south and west, trying to make sense of the landscape, looking for any pursuit and wondering where in hell he was. He took out his fine telescope which had been a gift from Sir Arthur Wellesley and trained it back the way they had come, staring over the trees, and at last he saw what he expected to see. Dust. A lot of dust being kicked up by hooves, boots or wheels. It could have been fugitives streaming eastward on the road beside the river, or it could have been the French, Sharpe could not tell.
„You will be trying to get south of the Douro?” Vicente asked.
„Aye, I am. But there’s no bridges on this part of the river, is that right?”
„Not till you reach Amarante,” Vicente said, „and that is on the River Tamega. It is a… how do you say? A side river? Tributary, thank you, of the Douro, but once across the Tamega there is a bridge over the Douro at Peso da Regua.”
„And are the Frogs on the far side of the Tamega?”
Vicente shook his head. „We were told General Silveira is there.”
Being told that a Portuguese general was waiting across a river was not the same as knowing it, Sharpe thought. „And there’s a ferry over the Douro,” he asked, „not far from here?”
Vicente nodded. „At Barca d’Avintas.”
„How close is it?”
Vicente thought for a heartbeat. „Maybe a half-hour’s walk? Less, probably.”
„That close?” But if the ferry was close to Oporto then the French could already be there. „And how far is Amarante?”
„We could be there tomorrow.
„If a child of mine wanted tobecome a lawyer,” Sharpe said, „I’d strangle it with my own hands and then piss on its grave.”
“So you are married then, senhor?” Vicente asked politely. No, I’m bloody not married.”
I misunderstood,” Vicente said, then gestured toward his tired troops. „So here we are, senhor, and I thought we might join forces.”
Maybe,” Sharpe said grudgingly, „but make one thing clear, lawyer. If your commission is two weeks old then I’m the senior man. I’m in charge. No bloody lawyer weaselling around that.”
„Of course, senhor,” Vicente said, frowning as though he was offended by Sharpe’s stating of the obvious.
Bloody lawyer, Sharpe thought, of all the bloody ill fortune. He knew he had behaved boorishly, especially as this courtly young lawyer had possessed the courage to kill a sergeant and lead his men to Sharpe’s rescue, and he knew he should apologize for his rudeness, but instead he stared south and west, trying to make sense of the landscape, looking for any pursuit and wondering where in hell he was. He took out his fine telescope which had been a gift from Sir Arthur Wellesley and trained it back the way they had come, staring over the trees, and at last he saw what he expected to see. Dust. A lot of dust being kicked up by hooves, boots or wheels. It could have been fugitives streaming eastward on the road beside the river, or it could have been the French, Sharpe could not tell.
„You will be trying to get south of the Douro?” Vicente asked.
„Aye, I am. But there’s no bridges on this part of the river, is that right?”
„Not till you reach Amarante,” Vicente said, „and that is on the River Tamega. It is a… how do you say? A side river? Tributary, thank you, of the Douro, but once across the Tamega there is a bridge over the Douro at Peso da Regua.”
„And are the Frogs on the far side of the Tamega?”
Vicente shook his head. „We were told General Silveira is there.”
Being told that a Portuguese general was waiting across a river was not the same as knowing it, Sharpe thought. „And there’s a ferry over the Douro,” he asked, „not far from here?”
Vicente nodded. „At Barca d’Avintas.”
„How close is it?”
Vicente thought for a heartbeat. „Maybe a half-hour’s walk? Less, probably.”
„That close?” But if the ferry was close to Oporto then the French could already be there. „And how far is Amarante?”
„We could be there tomorrow.