"Where did you last see Lieutenant Graham, Pope?" "It were somewhere round here, Major Brand, sir." "I weren't really watching too close on account of t'Frogs all around us cutting and stabbing." "That's when I got this, sir." "Aye, and when I woke up it were dark." "The rest of the patrol were dead, Lieutenant Graham were missing." "Then I came looking for you, sir." " It's a bloody ambush!" " Get down!" "Two to your left!" "No!" "Please!" "That's Graham." "The buggers are using him as bait." " No!" "No!" " I'll go." "No, no, no, no, no." "I'll go, Sharpe." "Go on Major Brand Go on sin" "Covering fine!" "Go on sin!" "You can do it!" "Go on!" "Go on!" "Bloody got him!" "They've shot Major Brand!" "Major Brand!" "Major Brand." "Allez." "Vite." "Major!" "No!" "No!" "He's got him." "Harris!" "Steady." "Steady." "Hagman water" "It's too late, I'm afraid, Sharpe." "You did your best, sir." "You did more than your best." "What's the matter?" "Time to get up." "Don't you hear your bugle?" "Bothers you, does it?" "Suppose I put something in your ear so you can't hear it?" "Stop it, Richard!" "Bagpipes could be worse." "I hate the bugle because I hate the army." "Because I hate the war." "We all hate the war." "No, you don't." "You love it." "I'm a soldier." "What will you do when you go home, Richard?" "You'll still be a soldier... but there won't be a war." "And if there's no war, then you won't be happy." "What will you do all day?" "Well..." "I'll do what every other officer does." "What every other husband does." "Whatever that is." "I'll tell you what they do, Richard." "They ride, they hunt, they gamble they play cards" "They look after their gardens..." "their dogs, their libraries" "They wine and dine and make polite conversation." "They cut a figure in society." "Is that why you married me, Jane?" "To cut a figure in society?" "I thought you loved me for what I am." "You know I love you." "And you know I love you for yourself." "I just... picture you in my mind's eye back home and I wonder how you'll fit in." "Would you be happy making polite conversation about art and literature?" "You mean will I be able?" "So what does this fellow Wordsworth do when he's home?" "What do you think he does?" "Um..." "Paints?" "Oh, you bloody fool, Sharpe." "Should have known he was a philosopher." "Richard..." "I'm a stupid, silly snob." "Can you forgive me?" "Can I forgive you over there?" "Major Sharpe" "Do your duty, Richard." "I'm going to bathe." "Bloody army." "What is it, Harris?" "Beg your pardon, sir, but you're to report to General Wellington's tent at nine o'clock." "Pat, what are you doing?" "Shh." "Just carrying out orders, sir." "Nosey told us to fraternise with the local population." "Well, in future, when you're fraternising with the local women, make sure they're women over 40." "I'll think of that, sir." "Harris." "Sir?" " Have you heard of somebody Wordsworth?" " Oh, yes, sir." "William Wordsworth." "He's a poet." "Not a philosopher?" "No, sir." "Is that all, sir?" "Yeah." "Forward march by the heft!" "By the heft!" "Morning, Ramona." "Thanks for these." "Something the matter?" "Something to do with Patrick?" "I can tell you?" "Yeah." "Course you can." "Things are not good in bed between Patrick and me." "Well, you know er..." "We all have us ups and downs." "Not me!" "No ups, no downs." "Steady on." "Look." "Patrick Harper, my husband making a fool of himself over a gypsy girl." "You know what I'd like to do to her?" "Mm." "Mon colonel." "Garde à vous!" "Ah, vous?" "Gaston!" "Gaston!" "I shall see you at supper some night, Mr Shellington." " I do hope so, my dear lord." "I do hope so." " Ah." "There you are, Sharpe." "I want you to meet Mr Clarence Shellington of the London Gazette." "This is Major Sharpe, one of our most er..." "Well, one of our officers." "Delighted to make your acquaintance, Major Sharpe." "Have you done anything heroic?" "I'm afraid not, Mr Shellington." " My lord." " Sharpe." "Shame on you Ross" "You should have had him stopped at the port." "Poor fellow wants to give you a puff for the public back home." "Puff?" "Rubbish." "Have a look at that, Sharpe." "It's from Colonel Brand, Sharpe." "You know Colonel Brand, don't you?" "Yes, sir." "I was with him in the ambush that won him his promotion, sir." "Well, that ambush created quite a stir in London, as did your report." "The Prince Regent heard of it and Brand did rather well from it." "He raised a special reconnaissance troop." "Brand's Boys, they call themselves." "They spend their time far behind the French lines stirring up trouble, making mischief." "That's no matter to me." "This is what matters to me." "This report, if it's true, could help us change the course of the war." "Brand believes he's located General Calvet's main powder magazine." "It's in the Rocha cave system 30 miles behind the French lines" " What do you say to that Sharpe?" " Let's blow it up, sir." "How would you rate Brand as a field officer?" " One of the best I've ever seen, sir." " You won't complain if he leads the mission?" "Of course not, sir." "You think you and Brand can blow the French powder magazine, do you?" " Yes, sir." " You're a damn fool, Sharpe." "Oh." "Thank you, sir." "Only one man in the British Army can blow that magazine, and that is Major S Pyecroft." " And Pyecroft won't blow it for us." " Why not sin?" "Presumably he's still a serving officer?" "He's a serving officer with half his face missing, and his left hand as well." "What happened to him?" "Pyecroft and another officer were working on a bomb." "The other officer made a mistake on the fuse." "Pyecroft spends his time in the desert, as an exploring officer." "Who was the other officer, sir?" "Was" "I want you and Ross to set out at dawn tomorrow and fetch Major Pyecroft back to camp." " Dismissed" " Sir." "Oh, and, Sharpe?" "Show Shellington round the camp." "I can't spare another officer." " Yes, sir." " Oh and Sharpe?" "You'd better brace yourself." "He's a poet." "A poet, sir?" "My wife'll be delighted." "Really?" "I'd rather call for the surgeon and have him cut off my goddamned foot with a saw." " Dismissed" " Sir." "We're wasting our time, sir." " Pyecroft won't touch explosives." " Then you'll have to make him, Ross." "Why me, sir?" "Because you know how to hurt him." "You and Pyecroft were close, eh, Ross?" "We were good friends, sir." "Just like you and me, Ross, eh?" "Find him." "My lord." "Colonel Brand, so far, so good." "Now you must convince Wellington to send Ross with you on the mission" "Bloody gypsies!" "They'll have seen us." "Merde!" "Papa!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Papa!" "Papa!" "Vete, Zara!" "Vete!" "Bring the horse." "Mama!" "Papa!" "Mama!" "Mama." "I have to persuade Pyecroft to use explosives again, which he swore not to do." "And he's going to be at the beck and call of your hero, that bugger Brand." "Brand's a brave man, sir." "I've seen him in action." "He's been out there for a good few years." "Every time he comes back, he's a hero." "Gone to his head, Sharpe." "He's a law unto himself." "From what I hear, sometimes he is outside the law." "Maybe he uses rough methods, but he gets results." " So do you." " Maybe I do, Sharpe," " but I don't take pleasure in it." " You're a damn liar." "You'll have to wait this time, Ross." "Come on, Pyecroft, you old buzzard." "You and Pyecroft were good friends, weren't you?" "Just like you and me, Sharpe." "Yes, sir." "Though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death," "I shall fear no evil." "Receive O Lord the souls of these poor unknown gypsies and send down thy vengeance upon their murderers." "En el nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espiritu Sancto." "Amen." "Dear Lord, what are you going to do for this poor girl?" "There he is, sir." "Ah that's him all night" "Ha-ha!" "Well, I'll be damned!" "Septimus has got a girl with him." " Septimus?" " Silly, ain't it?" "Good God he'll never make it" "The best I can do is down one of them, sir." "What about the other four?" "Septimus will think of something." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Good to see you, Septimus." "Wish I could say the same." "Major Sharpe." "Thank you, Sharpe." "Good shot." " Sir." " You're probably wondering why I called you in from the hills." "No, I'm not wondering." "You want me to blow something up." "The answer is no." "I don't use explosives any more" " You could have fooled me back there, sir." " Those explosives are for my personal use." "Who's the girl?" "She's a gypsy." "Her parents were murdered." "She's too frightened to tell me what happened." "We've got gypsies at the camp" "She can stay." "Gypsies look after their own." "So they do, Hector." "We could all profit from their example... especially when cutting fuses." "After you..." "Hector." "Come on, come on!" "I'm tired and I'm thirsty." "Take me home." "Who is that?" "That's Pyecroft" "And his gypsy girl." "Why's he wearing that awful hood?" "Maybe cos he's twice her age." "I think I should get one of them." "Colonel Brand!" "Welcome to Wellington's camp, Colonel Brand." "Sharpe, isn't it?" "I mean Major Sharpe." "I beg your pardon." " You've risen in the ranks" " So have you, sir." "Congratulations, Major." " Thank you, sir." " And who is this good-looking woman?" "May I introduce my wife?" "Mrs Jane Sharpe, sir." "Pleased to meet you, ma'am." "May I say you are as beautiful as your husband is brave." "Bravery is a subject on which I hear you speak with some authority, Colonel Brand." "Well, my fame follows me like a bucket tied to a dog's tail, my lady." "It makes a great deal of noise but is damned inconvenient." "A bon mot!" "I must make a note of that." "This is Mr Clarence Shellington, sir." "He work s for the London Gazette." " He wants to write about you sin" " Your servant, Shellington." "May I make an appointment to speak to you on behalf of my readers, sir?" "Why not do it over dinner?" "May I invite you two gentlemen to dine tonight?" "What do you say, Colonel Brand?" "I accept, madam." "But I warn you, I'm a simple soldier." "No fancy dishes." "All I require is a good claret." "And you Mr Shellington?" "Bread and water and your company, madam, would suffice." "By the way, Sharpe, where can my men find water well away from camp?" " You're not camping in the main line, sir?" " No." "My men keep themselves to themselves." "It's a matter of morale." "Well, you'll find fresh water and good shelter behind those trees, sir." "Good." "Thank you." "Damn it, Jane." "They're dining with us tonight." "Who's going to organise the cooking?" "We have to find somebody who knows about Frog dishes," " which fork goes with which knife..." " Of course we shall." "Fiddle and pipe" "What's going on?" "If I find any of you near this gypsy girl again, I'll confine you to camp for a year." "Now, clear off!" "The lot of you." "Harris." "As you were, Harris." "Now..." "I'm having some guests for dinner tonight." "How would you like to be chef, eh?" "Serve at table, talk Frog, a little la-di-da, eh?" "Not very much, sir." "But if you give me Conchita's apple..." "That's how it started in the Garden of Eden, Harris." "Buenos días, señorita." "Señora, not Señorita." "And I have a child." " Pity it's not mine." " Ramona?" "See you again..." "Señorita." "So who's that ugly buzzard?" "How should I know?" "Never saw him before." "You never saw him before?" "Well, by God, you've been doing some winking and twinkling for a married woman." "Married woman?" "Me?" "No, for two months, I have no ups, no downs." "We are here. 60 miles north, this river mark s the boundaries of our forces." "30 miles north of the river is the Rocha fort and powder magazine housing General Calvet's supplies." "50 miles to the east is General Calvet's main camp." "Now, our task is simple." "To move north, capture the fort, blow the powder magazine, and make it back to camp before Calvet's men can intercept us over the mountains." "Congratulations, Brand." "It's ambitious and it's rather impressive." "There is one thing, sir." "It seems a pity to blow the fort without making a full inventory." "You mean for intelligence purposes?" "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." "General Calvet is rumoured to have gathered his stores as well as his ammunition at the fort." "An inventory would give us a picture of Napoleon's intentions in the area." "Perhaps I should go on the mission, sir." "Sniff round the fort, make a full survey of the stores." "Put it all together it would give us a glimpse into Calvet's mind" "I would be risking my head of intelligence on nothing more than a rumour that the Rocha fort is the centre of Calvet's storage system." "Yes, sir, I think it might well be a risk worth taking, eh, Brand?" "I can assure you, my lord..." "my information is never wrong." "Very well." "Colonel Brand and his men will set out at dawn the day after tomorrow." "They will scout one day ahead of the main body of infantry, to be commanded by Major Sharpe." "Sharpe will also be responsible for the security of a party of sappers and engineers to be commanded by Major Pyecroft." "Will that be all, sir?" "I've had a long journey and should like to make myself presentable enough to dine with Major Sharpe" " and his wife tonight" " I'm obliged for the information." "Dismissed." "Colonel Brand seems to think very highly of you, Sharpe." "Seems so, sir." "Well, don't let it go to your head." "One minute you're showing poets round the camp, the next you're throwing dinner parties for senior officers." "You're cutting quite a figure in society, Sharpe." "Thank you, sir." "Major Pyecroft to see you, sir." "I respectfully request not to be assigned to this mission as explosives officer, sir." "Request denied, Major Pyecroft." "A man under duress may not do his best work, sir." "Let me make something clear to you, Pyecroft." "You have two choices." "Either you blow up the Rocha powder magazine or I'll return you to the regular army list and find an excuse to send you back to London." "See how you like it in your leather hood with children pointing at you in the street." "Well?" "I'll blow the magazine, sir." "Dismissed." "Sir." "What do you think, Ross?" "Colonel Brand has offered us an interesting opportunity." "Can we exploit it?" "Too early to say." "I'll only find out by going on the mission." "By then it may be too late, Ross." "Too late for you." "That's what you pay me for, sir." "May I compliment you on an excellent meal, my lady?" "It tasted all the sweeter since we spent the last six week s foraging for food behind enemy lines." "How wonderful to live like a gypsy." "And... what a good idea for a portrait." "Would you sit for me, dear lady?" "Some rings, a scarf." "Oh, please say you will." "The Romanies are so romantic." "I'm sorry to hear you say that." "I myself hold no regard for the culture of the gypsy race." "Nor I. I merely meant that they were a good source of poetic inspiration." "I shall be glad to get myself up if you wish to paint my portrait." "I'm sure Mr Shellington's admiration of the Romany race is purely artistic." "Absolutely." "Absolutely, my dear lady." "How aptly put." "You don't see gypsies as a suitable subject for poetry, Shellington?" "The sublime is my only subject, Colonel Brand." "I'm glad to hear it." "Soldiers should confine themselves to shooting." "Poets should confine themselves to the sublime." "Pray, what do you think is the proper subject for painters?" "I think painters should confine themselves to nature." "Sunsets and suchlike." "You are a student of nature, sir?" "Absolutely." "Do you know why?" "Because I am a soldier." "What's the first thing you notice about nature, Shellington?" "You notice that the strong animals survive and the weak fall away." "That's how the world is" "The strong survive and the weak die." "That's how it should be." "That way you breed a strong race." "Survival of the strongest is the principle upon which I conduct my troop." "I work my men hand" "Those that can keep up I promote" "Those that can't I have no use for" "What about the wounded, sir?" "Wounded?" "In battle, sir, some men are killed, some survive and some men are wounded." "The wounded are always the greatest burden." "What do you do about them?" "We leave them, Sharpe." "This is war." "War is no place for the weak." "That's a big change." "Change?" "What do you mean?" "When I first met you, sir... you tried to rescue a wounded man under fire." "Well, let's just say I felt lucky that day." "Out late, my little lady." "I'm not your little lady." "That's right, you're Sergeant Harper's little lady, but he don't treat you right, do he?" "You would understand better what happened if you were married, Sergeant Pope." "Married?" "Me?" "Oh, no, I like to stay free as a bird." "Huh." "What kind of bird?" "A cuckoo." "I like to..." "lay my eggs in a nest and then I moves on." "I'd love to lay an egg in your nest." "Come here, you bitch!" "You whore!" "I'm not a whore." "I am the wife of Patrick Harper." "I'm sorry you can't stay longer, sir." "We won't keep you from your bed." "Bed?" "I'm not for bed." "I shall go back now and turn out the guard." "I turn them out three times a night." "Do it myself." "Keeps them on their toes." "Well, good night, sir." "Good night, Sharpe." "Good night, my lady." "Till tomorrow, Shellington." "As Shakespeare says in Hamlet:" "Good night, dear Prince." "Your carriage awaits," "Mr Shellington" "It was so pleasant to have you here tonight, Mr Shellington." "To hear polite conversation, talk of poetry." "I hope we will see you again." "I shall see you all night in my dreams, dear lady" "Wasn't it a wonderful evening?" "May I be excused as soon as I put everything to rights, sir?" " What's your rush, Harris?" " I've an appointment with a young lady, sir." "Well, good luck to you, then." "Mr Shellington, sir..." "What about him, Harris?" "Well, his quotation from Shakespeare was incorrect." "The phrase is from Hamlet, but it's not "Good night, dean Prince,"" "it's "Good night sweet Prince "" "What's your point, Harris?" "My point, sir, is that Shellington does not know a lot about literature, but he knows a lot about women." "Good night, dear Prince." "Good night, sweet Prince." "Conchita." "Garrotte." "The Portuguese use it a lot." "Your fellow Harris probably saw them do it when he was in Lisbon." "You think Harris could have done this... sir?" "Well, it seems he was fond of one of the gypsies." "He probably tried to make love to her, the others came along and he killed them all." "Who reported this murder?" "I did, sir." "So, Harris goes to her caravan in the dead of night, chokes her to death, and he calls you in?" "Make sense to you, sir?" "It does seem you may have been a bit hasty, Provost Marshal." "Thank you, sir." "I will have to arrange a court of inquiry, possibly a court martial." "In the meantime, this man will be confined to camp and will be in your care." "Good of you to go out on a limb like that, sir." "Forget it." "Just as we must hope that Pyecroft can forget his poor gypsy girl." "What gypsy girl was that, sir?" "Wasn't Pyecroft's gypsy girl murdered last night?" "What makes you think that, sir?" "I thought she was staying here with the others." "No, sir, she was staying with Pyecroft last night, sir." "Lucky for her." "So, Pyecroft got himself a gypsy." "Who else would have him, eh?" "I'll be on my way, Sharpe." "Call on my assistance any time." "Thank you sin" "You're in big bloody trouble, Harris." "I know, sir." "Prima facie doesn't look good, sir." "Prima facie?" "What do you mean, prima facie?" "Latin, sir." "Prima facie." "At first sight." "Look, shut up, Harris." "What have you got to say for yourself?" "Nil desperandum, sir." "Never say die." "Harris, until this matter is resolved, you're my responsibility." "While I'm on this mission..." "you will act as manservant to my wife." "You're letting a suspected murderer look after your wife, sir?" "Harris, I am posting you to my household as I would post you to a position on a battlefield." "Yes, sir!" "The ring sir The ring" "Here I am Colonel Brand as we arranged" "Well, this won't do at all." "You must don a most heroic uniform and sit on a most heroic horse." "The readers of the Gazette pay two pennies for my paper, sir, and they expect to see the sublime." "Don't worry, Shellington, I'll give your readers their money's worth." "Put it away, Pyecroft." "Sit down." "I want you to put your mind to this, Pyecroft." "Last night, somebody came into the camp and killed three gypsies." "A man and two women." "No apparent reason." "Zara told me the men that killed her mother and father spoke English." "She heard them shouting." "And she's seen her parents' horses in this camp." "They cut a ring from her mother's finger, shaped like a snake." "She made a drawing of it for me." "When they discover their mistake they'll come after her." "You can't take Zara on this mission with you, Pyecroft." "She can stay with Ramona." "She'll be safe here." "Much obliged, Sharpe." "Sir." "Sharpe." "I'm concerned about this mission, sir." "Attempting to blow up a French powder magazine is reasonable cause for concern." "It's not that, sir." "It's the man leading the mission that worries me." "You agreed." "Are you questioning His Lordship's orders?" " No, sir, but..." " Go back and prepare your men." "Leave the thinking to me." "Yes, sir." "Right double up!" "Fall in!" "Don't worry, Harper." "Your turn will come." "Let's get them moving." "Company shoulder arms!" "Right face!" "Left wheel quick march!" "Clesson's got the bait" "Alors, mes enfants." "I'm sorry about keeping you from the rest of the camp, but I have my reasons." "No need to apologise, Sharpe." "I'm used to being on my own." "Well... you won't be on your own tonight." "Thank you, Sharpe." "Brings back fond memories, eh, sir?" "I beg your pardon, sir." "It's all right." "Just keep an eye on 'em, eh?" " I don't know who's about." " Don't you worry, sir." "Me and this old lass, we'll look after 'em." "It is entitled Thinking Of Tomorrow's Battle." "Shouldn't it be called Thinking Of Going Home, Mr Shellington?" "The people who buy the Gazette want to read about the spirit of war, Major Sharpe, and that is what I'm here to sketch." "Spirit of war eh?" "Very good." " Carry on, Mr Shellington." " Good night, Major Sharpe." "Good night, sweet Prince." "Congratulations Colonel" "You must be able to smell the garlic." "Charge!" "La poudre." "La poudre, elle est foutue." "Surrender?" "Yeah, course you can." "Get 'em moving over here!" "Non." "Non." "Non s'il vous plait Non monsieur!" "Non s'il vous plait!" "Frogs..." "What is it?" " What is it?" " Best stay back, Mr Shellington." "A few dead Frogs down there." "It's not a pretty sight." "Don't be silly, Mr Sharpe." "That's what I came to see." "The spirit of war." "The sights of war." "The sounds of war." "The sounds of war, Mr Shellington?" "You'll hear the sound of war down there all night" "It's a very soft sound." "And a very dirty sound." "Column... halt!" "Stay still!" "Stay where you are lads Stay back" "Sir Pyecroft" "You notice anything?" " What, Sharpe?" " There's no losses on our side." "Not a Redcoat amongst 'em." "Brand's the only one ahead of us." "Must have taken them by surprise." "Maybe." "Hold your hand out, sir." "Have a look at them, Pyecroft." "What the devil are you looking for, Sharpe?" "The man who ran the furthest." "There he is." " How do you think this man died?" " Slashed to death with a sabre, for God's sake." "What are you playing at, Sharpe?" "Take a closer look, sir." "Good God." "Sharpe Ross" "What is it, Pyecroft?" "On the right, regulation powder issued to us." "On the left... the powder issued to these poor buggers." "Just a pinch of powder." "The rest was dust, sand, God knows what other rubbish." "Whoever armed these poor devils knew they were going to die here." "They didn't have a chance." " This was slaughter." " All right, what's going on?" "Whoever set up this massacre was working wi' the French." " Bad powder, no British casualties..." " Sharpe." "It's all a bloody fraud!" "It's Brand, isn't it?" "Has to be." "And you knew all along." "You and bloody Wellington." " Yes, we... we had our suspicions." " You bloody knew!" " Why didn't you tell me?" " We had to be sure." "Sure?" "!" "Look around you." "This isn't soldiery." "He couldn't even do it cleanly." "The man's a bloody butcher." "You're damned impudent, but you're absolutely right." "Call Brand in." "We are going home." " Oh, no, we're not, sir." " Oh?" "It's a trap." "They've baited it with a really big cheese, the Rocha powder magazine." "We are going home!" "No, we're bloody not!" "We're going to get Brand and we're going to blow up that Frog bloody magazine." "Pyecroft?" "You get me in there, Sharpe, I think it could be arranged." "We're going to use bloody big bait." "Oh?" "What?" " You." " Me?" "!" "Yes, you... sir." "Come on, get a move on." "Over here, you two." "Get these bodies out of the way." "Oh, look s bad." "I think he could do with seeing the surgeon." "Best brown paper and paraffin oil, sir." " That'll do it" " What are we going to do with him, Sharpe?" " Send him home, sir." " Home?" "He'll need an escort." "Send two of Brand's men with him." "They know the terrain." "Which is a perfect excuse for bringing Brand back" "What if he doesn't want to go back to Wellington's camp?" "Oh, he'll want to, sir." "Where am I?" " Might even try to seduce my wife." " What?" "Oh, I remember." "I should see a surgeon." "Don't worry, Shellington, we'll soon have you back home." "You know our friend here's going to be hanging round your house?" "So will Harris, Pat." "You know what I want, don't you?" "You need Zara as bait for Brand." "I'll have to ask her, Sharpe." "You know what the answer to that'll be." "She's a Romany." "She wants revenge for her parents' death." "They want us to go back, sir." "Why are they calling you back?" "I don't know." "But it means I get to stay at Sharpe's camp tonight." "Ross is very important to me." "You will remember that I have made you what you are... and I could destroy you." "You'll get what you want." "But remember, you need me more than I need you." "Don't ever threaten me again." "Will there be anything else, ma'am?" "No, thank you, Harris." " You may go." " Thank you, ma'am." "There is something else Harris" " Yes, ma'am?" " Sit down, Harris." "I wanted to talk to you about Major Sharpe." "You've known him longer than I have." "Soldiers don't discuss their commanding officers with strangers, ma'am." "Stranger?" "Is that what I am, a stranger?" "His wife... a stranger?" "I'm sorry." "I merely meant that you're not a soldier, ma'am." " Now, if you'll excuse me." " Please, Harris." "Talk to me." "Tell me what you think of him." "Not as a major but as a man." "What makes you love him?" "Ma'am..." "Why would you follow him to the death?" "Loyalty." "We're loyal to him, he's loyal to us." "In life and in death." "We trust him with our lives and he trusts us with his life." "And with his wife." "He trusts you with his wife." "Deeply obliged to you, sir." "Glad to see the back of him." "Think nothing of it." "He shouldn't be out here anyway." "I'm glad you called me back." "I should be keeping an eye on Ross." "Yeah" "Think s the French are trying to trap us." " Mind if I ask you another favour, sir?" " Not at all." "Between you and me, sir, the lads are nervous about that powder wagon." "I've told Pyecroft to take it up to the woods for the night." "Take his gypsy girl with him" "I'd be damn grateful if you could put on a special guard for him, sir." "I'll take care of it myself." "Thank you very much, sir." "What's going on here eh?" "We feed Frogs to the crows." "We don't." "They're soldiers, same as us." "Soldiers?" "You call that bedraggled lot soldiers?" "That'll do, Pope." "Aren't you the fellows they call..." "Chosen Men?" "The scourge of the French Sure there isn't some mistake?" "You seem a bit... soft-hearted to be Chosen Men." "Chosen Men are men of honour." "Men who'll fight any enemy to the death..." "but still bury them." "They have respect." " Vive la France!" "Vive la France!" "Vive la France!" "Vive la France!" "Vive la France!" "Vive la France!" "Boo" "We want you to tell us things, Pope." "I'll tell you nowt." "I'm going to take you into the woods, laddie." "You'll go in a man..." "How you come out is entirely up to you." "Get out!" "There's about two ounces of explosives here" "Not quite enough to kill you just enough to make a nasty hole" "Rather unpleasant with all these rats Wolves maybe" "It's a seven-minute fuse." "You'll call for me in about four." "I'll return in about six... if you're lucky." "Did you kill her?" "Get up!" "It were all Brand's doing!" "Stop the fuse now, Major." "He told me about it." "And he told me that if I told, nobody would believe me." "Look, please, Major!" "For the love of God, stop that fuse!" "He's a French spy!" "He's a murderer!" "He made me a murderer" "He made me a spy too He's made all of us murderers" " and spies" " Never!" "Murderers... maybe." "We did well out of Brand, plenty of loot, lots of women, but we're not spies." "Pope, maybe... but not me." "Not me or the men." "Please, Major, I've told you everything I know!" "Do you think he's told us everything, Sharpe?" "No." "He hasn't told us why the Frogs put their powder magazine at risk." " What are we doing here?" " Ross" "They want Major General Ross because he knows Wellington's strategy." "The Frogs were going to jump on you tomorrow night." "No prisoners except Ross." "The next morning, me and Brand find you all dead." "Take on the garrison at the fort..." "and report back to Wellington as heroes." "Well, I'm convinced, but it won't convince a court martial." "They'll say he said it under duress." "Besides he can always take it all back" "Brand has ways of bringing pressure" "Please Major Sharpe!" "Stop the fuse!" "Stop the fuse!" "Look, he took me in." "He took us all in." "He took you in too, didn't he, eh, Sharpe?" "Eh?" "Remember?" "When he "rescued" Lieutenant Graham." "You thought he were a hero" "Eh?" "Well the French set that up" " And then you got him promoted" " So I did." "I'll have to make up for it now." "I don't know why I bother." " They'll shoot you anyway." " They might not." "I'll turn king's evidence." "I might get away with a flogging." "They play fair, you know." "I think I can make you a better offer than that." "How about you and Harper just go off, eh?" "Suit you, Pat?" "That suits me just fine." "There you go." "Just watch him, Pat." "He's a crafty little bastard." "Come here, you bastard!" "Come here!" "Sir." "What shall I do to show how much I love her?" "How many millions of sighs can suffice?" "That that wins others' hearts never can move her." "Those common methods of love she'll despise." "I do beg your pardon, ma'am." "Whoa!" "Sharpe!" "Let me and my boys go in and finish off the fort." "I bet you'd like that." "Butchering another pathetic bunch of French deserters." "Better for you, surely, Sharpe." "That's not soldiering." "Pat." "Parlez-vous anglais?" "I speak little English." "What do you want?" "The French colonel has left you here to die." "He's given you bad powder." "The powder is so bad, it cannot carry a bullet strong enough to kill me." "I wish you to try." "Tirez!" "Tirez!" "That's soldiering." "Column forward" "March south as quickly as you can." "If you see a British soldier, surrender." "You shall be safe." "Merci, monsieur." "En avant." "If you meet up with your French colonel, tell him we are three times their number." "D'accord." "Feeding false information to the enemy." "That's soldiering." "Lock 'em up." "Go on move on!" "We're prepared to fight alongside you, Sharpe." "I wouldn't want to be caught dead in the same grave as you." "Come on move you swine you swine!" "Go on keep moving!" "Come and see this, Sharpe." "Pyecroft." "Stand still" "Keep your hands together Move it" "The powder's probably on the other side of this door." " I'll have to blow it open." " Blow it open, then." "And risk setting off the whole magazine?" " You're supposed to be the expert, aren't you?" " Frogs, sir." "Five to one lads!" "What do you say?" " Five to one against us the first time they come, but after that, the odds turn in our favour." "What do you say, lads?" " What do you say, lads?" "Yeah!" "Show the Colours!" "En rang!" "En rang!" "Hagman, call Major General Ross for a field court martial." "On the double." "Aye, sir." "Hector, there... there's something I've been meaning to tell you." "It may have been my fault." "I may have cut the fuses too short." "Not like you to cut short fuses, Septimus." "We're getting married, Zara and I, if we get out of this." "You'll have to be my best man, Hector." "Can't have a best man who cuts a short fuse, eh?" "It would be a great honour, Septimus." "My dear." "Are you mad, Sharpe?" "A court martial with the Frogs beating at the door?" "That's why I want a court martial, sir." "I want Colonel Brand tried as a traitor." "I want him tried for six murders." "Captain Crake will act for the defence." "If I can think of anything to say." "Very well, Sharpe." "But there'll be a record of this trial." "I want it done by the book." "I want witnesses, I want proof." "Then let's get started straightaway, sir." "Very well." "You have ten minutes for the prosecution and no more." "I call my first witness, sir." "Zara the gypsy girl." "Whoever murdered her mother found it on her finger." "Did you even wear such a ring Colonel Brand?" "Of course not, you damn fool." "This is a sketch drawn by Mr Shellington of Colonel Brand on the morning of the 10th October." "It's signed and dated." "It shows that Colonel Brand was wearing Zara's mother's ring" "This is a sketch drawn by Mr Shellington on the following day... by which time Colonel Brand had realised that Zara had most likely heard or seen her mother being murdered." "As you can see, sir... the ring is now gone." "Got anything to say to that, Colonel Brand?" "I've never seen the ring before in my life." "Turn out your pockets, Brand." "I knew you were too mean to throw it away." "That's not proof." "Pope must have put it in my pocket." "Before we leave these sketches, sir one more detail." "You see this braided cord on the riding crop wrapped around his hands?" "See the braid?" "The same X mark s that we found on the gypsy girls' neck s back at the camp." "That we found on the neck of the deserter yesterday." "The same mark." "You're excused, my child." "That's just the first of the details, sir." "I now intend to read a testimony of the late Sergeant Pope." "It's quite conclusive, sir." "I think you'll agree, having heard it, that we have a prima-facie case to convict Colonel Brand and sentence him" " Get on with it, Sharpe." "I protest" "This isn't a proper court martial." "Oh, come on, Brand." "We're doing our best." "There is a bloody war on!" "Colonel Brand is no hero" "He's a murderer a traitor ...and a spy." "I don't know his motives." "But I can guess." "I suspect you'll find he has debts back home." "Mortgage, gambling debts, maybe a blackmailer he has to pay off Who knows?" "Maybe he was just mad for money." "Sold his soul for French gold." "I demand the death penalty" "That concludes the case for the prosecution." "Captain Crake, do you have anything to say for the defence?" "Nothing in his defence." "Nothing in mine." "Colonel Brand, do you wish to say something?" "Do you really think anyone in London will stand for this?" "You know how it'll look." "A zealous officer being persecuted by small and petty men" "The Frogs, sir." "Frog column advancing!" "Prince of Wales's Own Volunteers we'll give 'em three volleys." "Then fire at will." "Then we'll give 'em cold steel." "Push the ladders back!" "Take their satchel bombs, six-second fuse." "They're six-second fuses." "En avant!" "They're running lads!" "They're running!" " They'll be back." " I'm getting too old for this, sir." "Never say die, Hagman." "Too old, are you, Hagman?" "Here." "The court martial has reached its verdict." "Colonel Brand has been convicted on six counts of murder and has been sentenced to death." "The sentence to be carried out in a manner to be determined at a later date." "In other words, when we get out of here." "If we get out of here." "Court martial dismissed." "Guilty." "Sentence is death." "Wellington'll have to confirm that sentence, Crake." "And they'll never make it back to camp." "Well, you've had your fun, Sharpe." "But it'll be over in the next few minutes when the Frogs come over the wall." "Then you'll need a friend" "I'll be your friend, but you're going to have to beg." "Because they'll torture you." "They'll torture you and torture Ross" "You'll be begging me to make them stop." "And, by God, I'm going to make you beg, Sharpe!" " Did you see that, Harper?" " Who, me?" "No, I saw nothing, sir." "Did you see what happened to Colonel Brand?" "Oh, he's a funny fish, sir." "I just saw him jump headlong into the wishing well." "Why do you think he'd want to do something like that, sir?" "Thank you, Harper." "You shouldn't have done that, Sharpe." "Yes, I should." "Pyecroft think s he's found a way out." "A tunnel that leads out onto the hill." "Trouble is... we'll need a garrison to provide a rearguard, let the rest of us get away." "I think I can find that garrison." "How would you like to die like soldiers?" " Good luck, Crake." " Good luck, Sharpe." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "It blows in ten minutes, Sharpe." "310... 311... 312..." "Right, lads!" "Let's show these Frogs how to fight!" "Show the Colours." "Down, lads!" "581... 582 ...583... 584 585... 586... 587... 588..." "598... 599... home." " 601... 602..." " This time you cut them too long, Septimus." "Non!" "How about a song, Hagman?" "Arma virumque cano... summat." " Sing of arms and the man." " Very impressive, Sharpe." "It's of a gentleman soldier" "As a sentry he did stand" "He kindly saluted a fair maid by the waving of his hand" "So boldly then he kissed her and he passed it as a joke" "And he drilled her into his sentry box wrapped up in a soldier's cloak" "I dreamed of you last night and the muse came to me." "And I... wrote you this poem." "I trust you will not be offended." "I dreamed of you... how shall I say undraped." "Oh, Mr Shellington." "I don't know if I dare let you read it." ""My Love in her attire... doth show her wit," "It doth so well become her." "For every season she has dressings fit," "For winter, spring, and summer." "No beauty she doth miss" "When all her robes are on..." "But beauty's self she is" "When all her robes are gone."" "A fine poem." "First published as A Poetical Rhapsody in 1602" "Originally attributed to Anonymous of all people" "But, personally, I think it was written by Francis Davison." "Francis Davison, eh?" "I'm so sorry." "We poets share a common muse." "Poetry is like an apple tree." "And we poets, like birds of the air, alight and feed on it where we may." "Francis Davison, eh?" "Wrote it on a candlefly, did he?" ""Light to the silly fly," "To the dear light I fly of your disdainful eyes," "But in a diverse wise" "She with the flame doth play" "By night alone" "And I, both night and day."" "That's me." "A silly fly drawn to the candlelight." "I nearly got my wings burned, didn't I, Harris?" "I don't think so." "He's not that hot." "I know you." "How are you, then?" "Anything to report, Rifleman Harris?" "Nothing serious, sir." "Small skirmish." "He went off with his tail between his legs." "You're relieved of guard duty, Harris." "Return to your unit." "Yes, sir!" "Thank you, sir." " Good to see you, lad." " Likewise, Dan." "Well done, Harris." "Is he dead, Patrick?" "He'll never lay a hand on you again." "Ever." "Corporal take your men to the quartermaster" "Did you think of me?" "All the time?" "All the time." "When we get back to England it will be like this." "All the time." "We'll have a house with a garden." "We'll have friends to stay." "We could read book s together." "Play the piano." "One day." " Well done, Pyecroft." " My lord." "No problems with the explosives this time, Ross?" "No, sir." "Horse Guards will need to know about Colonel Brand, sir." "Tell them he died a hero's death and let's get on with the war." " My lord." " Gentlemen." "Here's forty shillings on the drum" "To those who'll volunteer to come" "To 'list and fight the foe today" "Over the hills and far away" "O'er the hills and o'er the main" "Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain" "King George commands and we obey" "Over the hills and far away"