JК
Sharpes Havoc :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 33 из 242Not a woman among you, eh?”
„How did you know?” Vicente asked in amazement.
„I told you, I guessed.”
Vicente nodded. „It is not, of course, that we do not like women. You must not think that we do not want their company, but they are reluctant to join our discussions. They would be most welcome, of course, but… “ His voice tailed away.
„Women are like that,” Sharpe said. Women, he had found, preferred the company of rogues to the joys of conversation with sober and earnest young men like Lieutenant Vicente who harbored romantic dreams about the world and whose thin black mustache had patently been grown in an attempt to make himself look older and more sophisticated and only succeeded in making him look younger. „Tell me something, Lieutenant,” he said.
„Jorge,” Vicente interrupted him, „my name is Jorge. Like your saint.”
„So tell me something, Jorge. You said you had some training as a soldier. What kind of training was it?”
„We had lectures in Porto.”
„Lectures?”
„On the history of warfare. On Hannibal, Alexander and Caesar.”
„Book learning?” Sharpe asked, not hiding his derision.
„Book learning,” Vicente said bravely, „comes naturally to a lawyer, and a lawyer, moreover, who saved your life, Lieutenant.”
Sharpe grunted, knowing he had deserved that mild reproof. „What did happen back there,” he asked, „when you rescued me? I know you shot one of your sergeants, but why didn’t the French hear you do that?”
„Ah!” Vicente frowned, thinking. „I shall be honest, Lieutenant, and tell you it is not all to my credit. I had shot the Sergeant before I saw you. He was telling the men to strip off their uniforms and run away. Some did and the others would not listen to me so I shot him. It was very sad. And most of the men were in the tavern by the river, close to where the French made their barricade.” Sharpe had seen no tavern; he had been too busy trying to extricate his men from the dragoons to notice one. „It was then I saw you coming. Sergeant Macedo”-Vicente gestured toward a squat, dark-faced man stumping along behind-”wanted to stay hidden in the tavern and I told the men that it was time to fight for Portugal. Most did not seem to listen, so I drew my pistol, senhor, and I went into the road. I thought I would die, but I also thought I must set an example.”
„But your men followed you?”
„They did,” Vicente said warmly, „and Sergeant Macedo fought very bravely.
„How did you know?” Vicente asked in amazement.
„I told you, I guessed.”
Vicente nodded. „It is not, of course, that we do not like women. You must not think that we do not want their company, but they are reluctant to join our discussions. They would be most welcome, of course, but… “ His voice tailed away.
„Women are like that,” Sharpe said. Women, he had found, preferred the company of rogues to the joys of conversation with sober and earnest young men like Lieutenant Vicente who harbored romantic dreams about the world and whose thin black mustache had patently been grown in an attempt to make himself look older and more sophisticated and only succeeded in making him look younger. „Tell me something, Lieutenant,” he said.
„Jorge,” Vicente interrupted him, „my name is Jorge. Like your saint.”
„So tell me something, Jorge. You said you had some training as a soldier. What kind of training was it?”
„We had lectures in Porto.”
„Lectures?”
„On the history of warfare. On Hannibal, Alexander and Caesar.”
„Book learning?” Sharpe asked, not hiding his derision.
„Book learning,” Vicente said bravely, „comes naturally to a lawyer, and a lawyer, moreover, who saved your life, Lieutenant.”
Sharpe grunted, knowing he had deserved that mild reproof. „What did happen back there,” he asked, „when you rescued me? I know you shot one of your sergeants, but why didn’t the French hear you do that?”
„Ah!” Vicente frowned, thinking. „I shall be honest, Lieutenant, and tell you it is not all to my credit. I had shot the Sergeant before I saw you. He was telling the men to strip off their uniforms and run away. Some did and the others would not listen to me so I shot him. It was very sad. And most of the men were in the tavern by the river, close to where the French made their barricade.” Sharpe had seen no tavern; he had been too busy trying to extricate his men from the dragoons to notice one. „It was then I saw you coming. Sergeant Macedo”-Vicente gestured toward a squat, dark-faced man stumping along behind-”wanted to stay hidden in the tavern and I told the men that it was time to fight for Portugal. Most did not seem to listen, so I drew my pistol, senhor, and I went into the road. I thought I would die, but I also thought I must set an example.”
„But your men followed you?”
„They did,” Vicente said warmly, „and Sergeant Macedo fought very bravely.