Sharpe's Fortress Part 47

"And no listening at the window!" he added archly.

He waited until Clare had sidled past the muslin that hung over the kitchen entrance, then leaned precariously from the hammock to pick up a green silk robe that he draped over his crotch.

"I would hate to shock you, Sergeant."

"Beyond shock, sir, me, sir. Ain't nothing living I ain't seen naked, sir, all of 'em naked as needles, and never once was I shocked, sir.

Ever since they strung me up by the neck I've been beyond shock, sir."

And beyond sense, too, Torrance thought, but he suppressed the comment.

"Has Brick left the kitchen?"

Hakeswill peered past the muslin.

"She's gone, sir."

"She's not at the window?"

Hakeswill checked the window.

"On the far side of the yard, sir, like a good girl."

"I trust you've brought me news?"

"Better than news, sir, better than news." The Sergeant crossed to the table and emptied his pocket.

"Your notes to Jama, sir, all of them.

Ten thousand rupees, and all paid off. You're out of debt, sir, out of debt."

Relief seared through Torrance. Debt was a terrible thing, a dreadful thing, yet seemingly inescapable if a man was to live to the full. Twelve hundred guineas! How could he ever have gambled that much away? It had been madness! Yet now it was paid, and paid in full.

"Burn the notes," he ordered Hakeswill.

Hakeswill held the notes into a candle flame one by one, then let them shrivel and burn on the table. The draught from the punk ah disturbed the smoke and scattered the little sc.r.a.ps of black ash that rose from the small fires.

"And Jama, sir, being a gentleman, despite being an heathen b.a.s.t.a.r.d blackamoor, added a thankee," Hakeswill said, putting some gold coins on the table.

"How much?"

"Seven hundred rupees there, sir."

"He gave us more, I know that. You're cheating me, Sergeant."

"Sir!" Hakeswill straightened indignantly.

"On my life, sir, and I speak as a Christian, I ain't ever cheated a soul in my life, sir, not unless they deserved it, in which case they gets it right and proper, sir, like it says in the scriptures."

Torrance stared at Hakeswill.

"Jama will be back in the camp in a day or two. I can ask him."

"And you will find, sir, that I have treated you foursquare and straight, sir, on the nail, sir, on the drumhead, as one soldier to another."

Hakeswill sniffed.

"I'm hurt, sir."

Torrance yawned.

"You have my sincerest, deepest and most fervent apologies, Sergeant. So tell me about Sharpe."

Hakeswill glanced at the punk ah boy.

"Does that heathen speak English, sir?"

"Of course not."

"Sharpie's no more, sir." Hakeswill's face twitched as he remembered the pleasure of kicking his enemy.

"Stripped the b.a.s.t.a.r.d naked, sir, gave him a headache he won't ever forget, not that he's got long to remember anything now on account of him being on his way to meet his executioner, and I kept him trussed up till Jama's men came to fetch him. Which they did, sir, so now he's gone, sir. Gone for bleeding ever, just as he deserves."

"You stripped him?" Torrance asked, puzzled.

"Didn't want the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds dropping off a body all dressed up in an officer's coat, sir, even though the little bleeder should never have worn one, him being nothing more than a jumped-up dribble of dried toad spittle sir. So we stripped him and burned the uniform, sir."

"And nothing went wrong?"

Hakeswill's face twitched as he shrugged.

"His boy got away, but he didn't make no trouble. Just vanished. Probably went back to his mummy."

Torrance smiled. All was done, all was solved. Even better, he could resume his trade with Jama, though perhaps with a little more circ.u.mspection than in the past.

"Did Sajit go with Sharpe?" he asked, knowing he would need an efficient clerk if he was to hide the treacherous transactions in the ledger.

"No, sir. He's with me, sir, outside, sir." Hakeswill jerked his head towards the front room.

"He wanted to go, sir, but I gave him a thumping on account of us needing him here, sir, and after that he was as good as gold, sir, even if he is an heathen bit of sc.u.m."

Torrance smiled.

"I am vastly in your debt, Sergeant Hakeswill," he said.

"Just doing my duty, sir." Hakeswill's face twitched as he grinned and gestured towards the garden window.

"And hoping for a soldier's reward, sir."