JК
Sharpes Havoc :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 54 из 242”
„You’re bloody not,” Sharpe snarled and he turned Hagman over onto his back and saw no wound in front, which meant the carbine ball was somewhere inside, then Hagman choked and spat up frothy blood and Sharpe heard Harper yelling at him.
„The bastards are coming, sir!”
Just one minute before, Sharpe thought, he had been congratulating himself on how easy it had been, and now it was all collapsing. He pulled Hagman’s rifle to him, slung it beside his own and picked up the old poacher who gave a gasp and a whimper and shook his head. „Leave me, sir.”
„I’m not leaving you, Dan.”
„Hurts, sir, it hurts,” Hagman whimpered again. His face was deathly pale and there was a trickle of blood spilling from his mouth, and then Harper was at Sharpe’s side and took Hagman out of his arms. „Leave me here,” Hagman said softly.
„Take him, Pat!” Sharpe said, and then some rifles fired from the vineyard and muskets banged behind him and the air was whistling with balls as Sharpe pushed Harper on. He followed, walking backward, watching the blue French uniforms appear in the mist of smoke left by their own ragged volley.
„Come on, sir!” Harper shouted, letting Sharpe know he had Hagman in the scanty shelter of the vines.
„Carry him north,” Sharpe said when he reached the vineyard.
„He’s hurting bad, sir.”
„Carry him! Get him out of here.”
Sharpe watched the French. Three companies of infantry had attacked the pasture, but they made no effort to follow Sharpe north. They must have seen the column of Portuguese and British troops winding through the vineyards accompanied by the dozen captured horses and a crowd of frightened villagers, but they did not follow. It seemed they wanted Barca d’Avintas more than they wanted Sharpe’s men dead. Even when Sharpe established himself on a knoll a half-mile north of the village and stared at the French through his telescope, they did not come near to threaten him. They could easily have chased him away with dragoons, but instead they chopped up the skiff that Sharpe had rescued and then set the fragments alight. „They’re closing off the river,” Sharpe said to Vicente.
„Closing the river?” Vicente did not understand.
„Making sure they’ve got the only boats. They don’t want British or Portuguese troops crossing the river, attacking them in the rear. Which means it’s going to be bloody hard for us to go the other way.” Sharpe turned as Harper came near, and saw that the big Irish Sergeant’s hands were bloody.
„You’re bloody not,” Sharpe snarled and he turned Hagman over onto his back and saw no wound in front, which meant the carbine ball was somewhere inside, then Hagman choked and spat up frothy blood and Sharpe heard Harper yelling at him.
„The bastards are coming, sir!”
Just one minute before, Sharpe thought, he had been congratulating himself on how easy it had been, and now it was all collapsing. He pulled Hagman’s rifle to him, slung it beside his own and picked up the old poacher who gave a gasp and a whimper and shook his head. „Leave me, sir.”
„I’m not leaving you, Dan.”
„Hurts, sir, it hurts,” Hagman whimpered again. His face was deathly pale and there was a trickle of blood spilling from his mouth, and then Harper was at Sharpe’s side and took Hagman out of his arms. „Leave me here,” Hagman said softly.
„Take him, Pat!” Sharpe said, and then some rifles fired from the vineyard and muskets banged behind him and the air was whistling with balls as Sharpe pushed Harper on. He followed, walking backward, watching the blue French uniforms appear in the mist of smoke left by their own ragged volley.
„Come on, sir!” Harper shouted, letting Sharpe know he had Hagman in the scanty shelter of the vines.
„Carry him north,” Sharpe said when he reached the vineyard.
„He’s hurting bad, sir.”
„Carry him! Get him out of here.”
Sharpe watched the French. Three companies of infantry had attacked the pasture, but they made no effort to follow Sharpe north. They must have seen the column of Portuguese and British troops winding through the vineyards accompanied by the dozen captured horses and a crowd of frightened villagers, but they did not follow. It seemed they wanted Barca d’Avintas more than they wanted Sharpe’s men dead. Even when Sharpe established himself on a knoll a half-mile north of the village and stared at the French through his telescope, they did not come near to threaten him. They could easily have chased him away with dragoons, but instead they chopped up the skiff that Sharpe had rescued and then set the fragments alight. „They’re closing off the river,” Sharpe said to Vicente.
„Closing the river?” Vicente did not understand.
„Making sure they’ve got the only boats. They don’t want British or Portuguese troops crossing the river, attacking them in the rear. Which means it’s going to be bloody hard for us to go the other way.” Sharpe turned as Harper came near, and saw that the big Irish Sergeant’s hands were bloody.