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Sharpes Escape :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 67 из 283"
"It's a hell of a climb," Harper said, surprised to see how far down the hill hehad gone. He fell in beside Sharpe and the two climbed together. "Mister Slingsby, sir," the Irishman said, then fell silent.
"Mister Slingsby what?"
"He said you weren't well, sir, and he was taking command."
"Then he's a lying bastard," Sharpe said, careless that he ought not to say such a thing of another officer.
"Is he now?" Harper said tonelessly.
"The Colonel told me to step aside. He wants Mister Slingsby to have a chance."
"He had that right enough," Harper said.
"I should have been there," Sharpe said.
"And so you should," Harper said, "but the lads are all alive. Except Dodd."
"Matthew? Is he dead?"
"Dead or alive, I don't know," Harper said, "but I couldn't see him anywhere. I was keeping an eye on the boys, but I can't find Matthew. Maybe he went back up the hill."
"I didn't see him," Sharpe said. They both turned and counted heads and saw the light company were all present except for Corporal Dodd. "We'll look for him as we climb," Sharpe said, meaning they would look for his body.
Lieutenant Slingsby, red-faced and saber drawn, hurried over to Sharpe. "Did you bring orders, Sharpe?" he demanded.
"The orders are to get back to the top of the hill as quick as you can," Sharpe said.
"Quick, men!" Slingsby called, then turned back to Sharpe. "Our fellows did well!"
"Did they?"
"Outflanked the voltigeurs, Sharpe. Outflanked them, by God! We turned their flank."
"Did you?"
"Pity you didn't see us." Slingsby was excited, proud of himself. "We slipped past them, drove in their wing, then hurt them."
Sharpe thought the light company had been led to one side where it had been about as much use as a ettle with a hole in it, and had then been ignominiously chased away, but he kept silent. Harper unclipped his sword bayonet, cleaned the blade on the jacket of a French corpse, then quickly ran his hands over the man's pockets and pouches.
He ran to catch up with Sharpe and offered a half sausage. "I know you like Crapaud sausage, sir."
Sharpe put it into his pouch, saving it for dinner. A bullet whispered past him, almost spent, and he looked up to see puffs of smoke from the rocky knoll. "Pity the voltigeurs took that," he said.
"No trouble to us," Slingsby said dismissively. "Turned their flank, by God, turned their damn flank and then punished them!"
Harper glanced at Sharpe, looked as though he would start laughing, and managed to keep a straight face.
"It's a hell of a climb," Harper said, surprised to see how far down the hill hehad gone. He fell in beside Sharpe and the two climbed together. "Mister Slingsby, sir," the Irishman said, then fell silent.
"Mister Slingsby what?"
"He said you weren't well, sir, and he was taking command."
"Then he's a lying bastard," Sharpe said, careless that he ought not to say such a thing of another officer.
"Is he now?" Harper said tonelessly.
"The Colonel told me to step aside. He wants Mister Slingsby to have a chance."
"He had that right enough," Harper said.
"I should have been there," Sharpe said.
"And so you should," Harper said, "but the lads are all alive. Except Dodd."
"Matthew? Is he dead?"
"Dead or alive, I don't know," Harper said, "but I couldn't see him anywhere. I was keeping an eye on the boys, but I can't find Matthew. Maybe he went back up the hill."
"I didn't see him," Sharpe said. They both turned and counted heads and saw the light company were all present except for Corporal Dodd. "We'll look for him as we climb," Sharpe said, meaning they would look for his body.
Lieutenant Slingsby, red-faced and saber drawn, hurried over to Sharpe. "Did you bring orders, Sharpe?" he demanded.
"The orders are to get back to the top of the hill as quick as you can," Sharpe said.
"Quick, men!" Slingsby called, then turned back to Sharpe. "Our fellows did well!"
"Did they?"
"Outflanked the voltigeurs, Sharpe. Outflanked them, by God! We turned their flank."
"Did you?"
"Pity you didn't see us." Slingsby was excited, proud of himself. "We slipped past them, drove in their wing, then hurt them."
Sharpe thought the light company had been led to one side where it had been about as much use as a ettle with a hole in it, and had then been ignominiously chased away, but he kept silent. Harper unclipped his sword bayonet, cleaned the blade on the jacket of a French corpse, then quickly ran his hands over the man's pockets and pouches.
He ran to catch up with Sharpe and offered a half sausage. "I know you like Crapaud sausage, sir."
Sharpe put it into his pouch, saving it for dinner. A bullet whispered past him, almost spent, and he looked up to see puffs of smoke from the rocky knoll. "Pity the voltigeurs took that," he said.
"No trouble to us," Slingsby said dismissively. "Turned their flank, by God, turned their damn flank and then punished them!"
Harper glanced at Sharpe, looked as though he would start laughing, and managed to keep a straight face.