JК
Sharpes Havoc :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 82 из 242The French must have heard the musketry echoing dully from the hills and they must have seen the powder smoke above Vila Real de Zedes, but they did not come. Nor did Colonel Christopher.
„But the French are going to come,” Sharpe told Harper one afternoon as they climbed the hill behind the Quinta.
„Like as not,” the big man said. „I mean it’s not as if they don’t know we’re here.”
„And they’ll slice us into pieces when they do arrive,” Sharpe said.
Harper shrugged at that pessimistic opinion, then frowned. „How far are we going?”
„The top,” Sharpe said. He had led Harper through the trees and now they were on the rocky slope that led to the old watchtower on the hill’s summit. „Have you never been up here?” Sharpe asked.
„I grew up in Donegal,” Harper said, „and there was one thing we learned there, which was never go to the top of the hills.”
„Why ever not?”
„Because anything valuable will have long rolled down, sir, and all you’ll be doing is getting yourself out of breath by climbing up to find it gone. Jesus Christ, but you can see halfway to heaven from up here.”
The track followed a rocky spine that led to the summit and on either side the slope steepened until only a goat could have found footing on the treacherous scree, yet the path itself was safe enough, winding up toward the watchtower’s ancient stump. „We’re going to make a fort up here,” Sharpe said enthusiastically.
„God save us,” Harper said.
„We’re getting lazy, Pat, soft. Idle. It ain’t good.”
„But why make a fort?” Harper asked. „It’s a fortress already! The devil himself couldn’t take this hill, not if it was defended.”
„There are two ways up here,” Sharpe said, ignoring the question, „this path and another on the south side. I want walls across each path. Stone walls, Pat, high enough so a man can stand behind them and fire over their tops. There’s plenty of stone up here.” Sharpe led Harper through the tower’s broken archway and showed him how the old building had been raised about a natural pit in the hill’s summit and how the crumbling tower had filled the pit with stones.
Harper peered down into the pit. „You want us to move all that masonry and build new walls?” He sounded appalled.
„I was talking to Kate Savage about this place,” Sharpe said. „This old tower was built hundreds of years ago, Pat, when the Moors were here. They were killing Christians then, and the King built the watchtower so they could see when a Moorish raiding party was coming.
„But the French are going to come,” Sharpe told Harper one afternoon as they climbed the hill behind the Quinta.
„Like as not,” the big man said. „I mean it’s not as if they don’t know we’re here.”
„And they’ll slice us into pieces when they do arrive,” Sharpe said.
Harper shrugged at that pessimistic opinion, then frowned. „How far are we going?”
„The top,” Sharpe said. He had led Harper through the trees and now they were on the rocky slope that led to the old watchtower on the hill’s summit. „Have you never been up here?” Sharpe asked.
„I grew up in Donegal,” Harper said, „and there was one thing we learned there, which was never go to the top of the hills.”
„Why ever not?”
„Because anything valuable will have long rolled down, sir, and all you’ll be doing is getting yourself out of breath by climbing up to find it gone. Jesus Christ, but you can see halfway to heaven from up here.”
The track followed a rocky spine that led to the summit and on either side the slope steepened until only a goat could have found footing on the treacherous scree, yet the path itself was safe enough, winding up toward the watchtower’s ancient stump. „We’re going to make a fort up here,” Sharpe said enthusiastically.
„God save us,” Harper said.
„We’re getting lazy, Pat, soft. Idle. It ain’t good.”
„But why make a fort?” Harper asked. „It’s a fortress already! The devil himself couldn’t take this hill, not if it was defended.”
„There are two ways up here,” Sharpe said, ignoring the question, „this path and another on the south side. I want walls across each path. Stone walls, Pat, high enough so a man can stand behind them and fire over their tops. There’s plenty of stone up here.” Sharpe led Harper through the tower’s broken archway and showed him how the old building had been raised about a natural pit in the hill’s summit and how the crumbling tower had filled the pit with stones.
Harper peered down into the pit. „You want us to move all that masonry and build new walls?” He sounded appalled.
„I was talking to Kate Savage about this place,” Sharpe said. „This old tower was built hundreds of years ago, Pat, when the Moors were here. They were killing Christians then, and the King built the watchtower so they could see when a Moorish raiding party was coming.