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Sharpes Battle :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 154 из 244You can go to Cadiz whipped and with your men knowing they've been whipped, or you can go back with your pride intact. It's up to you, but I know which one I'd choose."
This was the first Donaju had heard of the Real Companпa Irlandesa's proposed move to Cadiz and he frowned as he tried to work out whether Sharpe was being serious. "You're sure about Cadiz?"
"Of course I'm sure," Sharpe said. "General Valverde's been pulling strings. He doesn't think you should be here at all, so now you're off to join the rest of the Spanish army."
Donaju digested the news for a few seconds, then nodded approval. "Good," he said enthusiastically. "They should have sent us there in the first place." He sipped his mug of tea and made a wry face at the taste. "What happens to you now?"
"I'm ordered to stay with you till someone tells me to go somewhere else," Sharpe said. He did not want to admit that he was facing a court of inquiry, not because he was ashamed of his conduct, but because he did not want other men's sympathies. The court was a battle that he would have to face when the time came.
"You're guarding the ammunition?" Donaju seemed surprised.
"Someone has to," Sharpe said. "But don't worry, Donaju, they'll take me away from you before you go to Cadiz. Valverde doesn't want me there."
"So what do we do today?" Donaju asked nervously.
"Today," Sharpe said, "we do our duty. And there are fifty thousand Frogs doing theirs, and somewhere over that hill, Donaju, their duty and our duty will get bloody contradictory."
"It will be bad," Donaju said, not quite as a statement and not quite as a question either.
Sharpe heard the nervousness. Donaju had never been in a major battle and any man, however brave, was right to be nervous at the prospect. "It'll be bad," Sharpe said. "The noise is the worst, that and the powder fog, but always remember one thing: it's just as bad for the French. And I'll tell you another thing. I don't know why, and maybe it's just my imagination, but the Frogs always seem to break before we do. Just when you think you can't hold on for a minute longer, count to ten and by the time you reach six the bloody Frogs will have turned tail and buggered off. Now watch out, here's trouble."
The trouble was manifested by the approach of a thin, tall and bespectacled major in the blue coat of the Royal Artillery. He was carrying a sheaf of papers that kept coming loose as he tried to find one particular sheet among the rest. The errant sheets were being fielded by two nervous red-coated privates, one of whom had his arm in a dirty sling while the other was struggling along on a crutch.
This was the first Donaju had heard of the Real Companпa Irlandesa's proposed move to Cadiz and he frowned as he tried to work out whether Sharpe was being serious. "You're sure about Cadiz?"
"Of course I'm sure," Sharpe said. "General Valverde's been pulling strings. He doesn't think you should be here at all, so now you're off to join the rest of the Spanish army."
Donaju digested the news for a few seconds, then nodded approval. "Good," he said enthusiastically. "They should have sent us there in the first place." He sipped his mug of tea and made a wry face at the taste. "What happens to you now?"
"I'm ordered to stay with you till someone tells me to go somewhere else," Sharpe said. He did not want to admit that he was facing a court of inquiry, not because he was ashamed of his conduct, but because he did not want other men's sympathies. The court was a battle that he would have to face when the time came.
"You're guarding the ammunition?" Donaju seemed surprised.
"Someone has to," Sharpe said. "But don't worry, Donaju, they'll take me away from you before you go to Cadiz. Valverde doesn't want me there."
"So what do we do today?" Donaju asked nervously.
"Today," Sharpe said, "we do our duty. And there are fifty thousand Frogs doing theirs, and somewhere over that hill, Donaju, their duty and our duty will get bloody contradictory."
"It will be bad," Donaju said, not quite as a statement and not quite as a question either.
Sharpe heard the nervousness. Donaju had never been in a major battle and any man, however brave, was right to be nervous at the prospect. "It'll be bad," Sharpe said. "The noise is the worst, that and the powder fog, but always remember one thing: it's just as bad for the French. And I'll tell you another thing. I don't know why, and maybe it's just my imagination, but the Frogs always seem to break before we do. Just when you think you can't hold on for a minute longer, count to ten and by the time you reach six the bloody Frogs will have turned tail and buggered off. Now watch out, here's trouble."
The trouble was manifested by the approach of a thin, tall and bespectacled major in the blue coat of the Royal Artillery. He was carrying a sheaf of papers that kept coming loose as he tried to find one particular sheet among the rest. The errant sheets were being fielded by two nervous red-coated privates, one of whom had his arm in a dirty sling while the other was struggling along on a crutch.