|
Warning: General Audience |
|
|
SHARPE’S Island
Richard Sharpe and the
Expedition for Manila
Novel by Paul Kaster
Based on Characters created byBernard Cornwell.
Chapter 2
1797 August Prince of Wales Island (Penang)
The next day, Sharpe had third section ready at the ship’s side ten minutes before any other section. Hughes had been using his drummer to call the men to the ship’s side. But, Sharpe was there when Hughes and the drummer arrived.
“Sharpe. Ready to go already. Eager?”
“Sir, we get to train. We get off this ship. We get to shoot. What we soldiers are supposed to do. Tough not to be eager.”
Hughes laughs. “True, Sharpe, true. Let’s get the other lads. Drummer.”
Casey, their drum, beats the call to assemble.
The men line up as they had the day before. As the ship bell rang, Hakeswill gives the command to board the boats. All are in the boats and away faster than the day before. Sharpe sees Hughes nod as their four boats pull away before any of the boats from the other transports. Hughes knows that today Wesley will be with the second company. He sees that they pull away third of the companies.
The run in to the beach goes smoothly. As they approach the shoreline, Sharpe notes that the surf appears rougher.
“Hakeswill will have to be more nimble today if he wants to avoid an early wash, eh?”
Tom adds, “So will we Dick. Can feel the boat rising and dropping more today.”
“Pass the word back. Rougher sea today. Take your time. Keep your footing.”
He looks to the stern of the boat as the word passes. Fitzgerald and Green signal to him that they understand.
“Get ready, Tom.”
Sharpe watches Hughes boat ground. The men climb out. Although Hakeswill hesitates, he climbs out and finds his footing.
Their boat grounds. Tom and he crawl over the gunwale quickly. In the water, they both find footing. Although the waves are pulling and pushing them, they stay upright all the way to the sand. Sharpe looks back to see the rest of his section following them. Before he has gone far, Fitzgerald and Green are out and following.
Hughes has Casey beating to assemble again. At the end of the line, the Grenadiers are doing the same. Sharpe sees Wesley following second company. Second company has the most senior men after the grenadiers and light companies. Their experience shows as they are almost in a tie with the grenadiers to join the assembly line. Companies three and four join them shortly. Wesley observes the line and nods. From his position, he signals Hughes again to move to make room for the other companies. Hughes has Hakeswill command the company to move.
“Light company, prepare to dress left five companies.”
“Dress.”
“Hakeswill gave us the command better today, Tom.”
“Dry voice today, eh?”
Sharpe smiles.
It’s their turn to move. Sharpe focuses on his rank moving without error. He always worries about Palin. He watches to make sure Palin avoids stumbling. Quickly, the company is standing where they should be. Hughes has Hakeswill give the command to stand easy as they wait for the other companies to join the line.
Sharpe observes, “Enemy soldiers won’t wait for us to assemble, Tom. We face them alone until the other companies join us. Wesley may have to rethink how we come ashore.”
Tom looks to the trees and then to the other companies. “You have an eye for soldiering, Dick. Showed us that in Netherlands.”
Sharpe wonders how he can present his observation to Wesley.
“Middle companies having rougher go today, Tom.”
Tom looked to the surf. He sees four of the twenty boats turned upside down and the men, struggling to get through the surf.
“Much rougher surf today. We got lucky going in first.”
They watched as the other five companies struggle and assemble on the beach and then move into their place within the regiment. Three of the companies had men wet from being thrown into the surf.
Wesley went to observe each of those three companies as they joined the line. Sharpe watches while Wesley talks with each of the captains.
“Do you see any men in the surf, Tom?”
“None, Dick. Fortunate sons, they are. No soldiers or sailors in the surf. Sailors have the boats right sides up and shoved off. Good men, they?”
“Aye, although, maybe they were a bit tired today after two trips with the rougher sea.”
“Still did well by us.”
Hakeswill hears them talking, but doesn’t know who is talking.
“No talking! No talking without permission!”
“There’s our sergeant.” Tom whispers.
Hakeswill looks down the ranks to assure that no one is talking. While his back is turned, Wesley approaches Hughes. Hakeswill turns and stomps a salute to Wesley. Wesley observes the light company while he talks with Hughes. While they talk, Wesley gestures towards the trees. Hughes nods while he listens. Wesley finishes, turns and walks back the line.
Hughes moves to the middle of the company. Hakeswill marches with his usual crisp strides behind Hughes.
“Light Company. Colonel Wesley commends us again for our performance today. He wants the companies to be able to march and deploy to and from all formations without hesitation or mistake. He tells me that your performance gives him confidence that you can already do so. While the middle companies march, we have another job.”
He turns to point to the trees.
“Those trees will become an enemy regiment.”
He pauses before he turns back to the men.
“We are to mark trees to the height of a man from here to the middle of the regiment, there.” He points up the tree line.
“The grenadier company will do likewise from their end. When we meet, both our companies will march to the docks. There we will rest, eat and drink until the other companies finish there training.”
Someone calls out. “How do we mark trees, sir?”
“We will use our bayonets.”
Another calls out, “How tall do we set the mark?”
“We will use the shortest man of the regiment as our mark.”
Someone calls out “Shortest man? Private Murphy?”
Many laugh. Murphy is the tallest man in the company, taller than Sharpe and tall enough to be a grenadier.
“No, not Murphy. Colonel wants short targets wants to make sure that we can aim and shoot small.”
Sharpe calls out, “Drummer Casey, sir?”
Hughes looks to Casey who stands near to him. Casey is the shortest ‘man’ in the company.
“Yes, yes. Casey it is.”
Tom smiles at Sharpe.
“Captain’s favorite, Dick, eh?”
“Shut your gob” But, Sharpe does smile.
Hughes gives Hakeswill instructions to move the company to the trees.
Hakeswill moves to the center of their line.
“Light Company! Attention! Prepare to march to the tree line.”
The men snap to attention.
“Company, march!”
The men step off in two ranks towards the trees. When they are ten feet away, Hakeswill calls out. “Company! Halt!”
“Rear rank! Form single line with front rank!”
The rear rank men, move into the spaces between each of the men in the front rank.
“Drummer Casey! Join me!”
Hakeswill moves to the tree nearest to him. Casey follows him. At the tree, Hakeswill turns Casey, then moves him to stand with his back to the tree. With his spontoon, Hakeswill notches the tree above Casey’s head.
“Casey, you may rejoin our captain.”
Casey is relieved that Hakeswill has not harmed him with one of the blades of the spontoon while the blade was above his head. Quickly he moves away.
“Company! This here mark is what I want to see each of you make on each tree from here to the grenadier company.”
He points to the mark with the tip of his spontoon.
“Mark like this. NO HIGHER! After you make your mark, you will move around the rear of the line to the next tree with no mark.”
Hakeswill measures the heighth of the mark to a point on his spontoon.
“This high! Mark the tree. Move behind the others. Find next tree with no mark.”
Hakeswill looks back and forth to the men.
“Colonel will watch us. Captain will watch us. We WILL do it right!”
He looks at Palin with a long stare.
“On my command you will remove your bayonets and move to mark trees.”
“Company! Remove bayonets!”
The company retrieve their bayonets as if they had been commanded to fix bayonets. Each of the men finds a tree and begins to carve the bark. Sharpe notes the others are all marking at about the same height. He makes sure to carve well enough to leave a visible stripe. When he finishes he moves down the line to find another tree.
While he is carving his third tree, Sharpe hears a call.
“SHARPIE! SHARPIE! HERE! NOW!”
He recognizes Hakeswill’s voice. Surprised, he turns to go back towards where he had started.
Hakeswill stands before one of the trees that has already been marked. His face and neck twitch rapidly.
“I know you did this Sharpe. Know it was you.”
“Did what Sergeant?”
“That!”
He points to the tree.
Beneath the line cut into the bark are nine symbols. Sharpe can count, but cannot read.
“What is that sergeant?”
“You know what it is!”
“Can’t read, sergeant. Can count. I see nine symbols. What do they mean?”
“You KNOW what they mean. That’s my name. My NAME. Here.”
He points his spontoon at the letters.
“Here. Men will shoot here. Want me dead, Sharpie?”
“No, sergeant. Not me, sergeant.”
“Trick is on you, Sharpie. Can’t be killed. Mother protected me. Can’t be killed.”
Sharpe has heard Hakeswill declare this before.
“Didn’t do this, sergeant. Can’t read. Can’t write. Not me, sergeant.”
“Sergeant Hakeswill, may I help?” Hughes had joined them.
“Want to charge Sharpe, sir. Disrepect, sir. Put my name on tree. Company will shoot my name, sir.”
Hughes looks at the tree, then looks at Sharpe.
“Sharpe?”
“Sir, can’t read. Can’t write. Don’t know what that says, sir.”
“Did you do this, Sharpe?”
“No, SIR. Don’t know my letters. Know numbers only.”
“Sergeant Hakeswill?”
“Sir!”
“How many men in our company can read and write?”
“Read and write, sir? Don’t know, sir.”
“We have eighty men in the company sergeant. Fewer than half can read and write.”
“Sir?”
“Shall I bring forty men here to find who did this, sergeant?”
Hakeswill’s neck twitches before he answers.
“Forty, sir. Here, sir?’
“Yes, sergeant……. Or, we can have Sharpe here carve the tree so that no one can read your name on the tree.”
Hakeswill stares at Sharpe and then at Hughes.
Hughes adds, “For now, four of us know what is on this tree.”
“Four, sir?”
“The three of us, and the man who did this.”
“Sharpe did this, sir.”
“Sharpe says he can’t read or write. I can test him later, if you think that he is lying. Or, I can bring forty men here to find who did this.”
Hakeswill’s face and neck twitch.
“Sir.”
“I recommend that Sharpe carves this tree. When he is done. Perhaps, Sharpe will volunteer his section to finish carving our trees while you and I take the rest of the company back to town to rest.”
Hughes looks at Sharpe.
Sharpe stares ahead and waits.
Hakeswill glares at Sharpe.
“Sir. Happy to stay with Sharpe. Make sure no more names carved on trees, sir.”
“Thank you, sergeant. No need. I’ll see that Ensign Fitzgerald and Sergeant Green stay with Sharpe.”
Hakeswill nods “Fitzgerald and Green, sir. Sharpe finishes, sir. Good plan, sir.”
“Glad that you approve, sergeant. Let’s go collect our company. We have food and drink in town waiting for us.”
“Sharpe, take your section. Find ensign Fitzgerald and Sergeant Green. Finish our trees. No more names on trees. Understand,”
“Ensign Fitzgeral. Sergeant Green. Finish trees. No names. Join you in town, Sir!”
“Very good Sharpe.”
“Come sergeant. Town waits,”
Sharpe watches them go. He walks to join his section, They have been carving trees while Sharpe met with Hakeswill.
Tom greets him.
“Hakeswill happy, Dick?”
“No, someone carved his name into a tree.”
Tom chuckles. “So, we could use Hakeswill as a target when we shoot? Good one, Dick.”
“Not me, Tom. You know I can’t read or write.”
Tom nods to his right. Sharpe sees that Palin has been watching them.
“Palin can read and write. No love for Hakeswill.”
“Funny trick, eh Dick?”
Sharpe pauses. “Hakeswill was redder than I’ve ever seen him.” He smiles. “Fun to see. We must pay though, Have to finish the trees alone.”
“Worth it, Dick.”
“Here come Fitzgerald and Green. Will make sure no more names on trees.”
“Green should know about the ‘Hakeswill Tree’. May laugh.”
“Our secret, Tom.”
“Shame.”
“Yes, shame. Sure someone will tell the story.” Sharpe looks towards Palin.
“Smart man who does not brag, though.”
“Educated doesn’t mean smart, eh?”
“Agree, Tom.”
Fitzgerald greets them. “How are the two Hakeswill devils today?”
“Hakeswill devils, sir? Not us, sir.”
Green laughs at Sharpe.
“Learned well, Sharpe. Admit to nothing, eh?”
Sharpe remains silent.
“So, Captain Hughes tells me that we are to watch your section finish marking the trees assigned to us.”
Fitzgerald looks to third section who have continued marking trees while Sharpe and Tom were talking.
Green says, “Section seems to be marking trees, sir. Not much for us to do until they finish.”
Fitzgerald looks. “Garrard and Sharpe. Join your men, Finish the work. Food and drink wait for us.”
Both say, “Sir.”
On the way to the trees. “Good men there, Dick.”
“Yes, Tom, good men. Let’s go mark trees.”
Fiction Index | Sharpe Tales Home | Sharpe's Island Index | Chapter 2
Host: Psychz Networks
Since: November 25, 2010
©Sable 2025 | Valid CSS
This is not official and I am not Sharpe or Bernard Cornwell, the owner of Sharpe. This website is for entertainment purposes only. If you have any questions or queries please use the Contact Form. Your submissions for contact will not be posted anywhere within this site. Images, etc are copyright their respective owners. No infringement intended.