Sharpe's Fortress Part 24

"Add a list of the stores," Torrance ordered.

"You can do that later.

Just leave a s.p.a.ce, man."

"Yes, sahib," Dilip said.

"I had suspected for some time," Torrance intoned, then scowled as someone knocked on the door.

"Come," he shouted, 'if you must."

Sharpe opened the door and was immediately entangled in the muslin. He fought his way past its folds.

"It's you," Torrance said unpleasantly.

"Me, sir."

"You let some moths in," Torrance complained.

"Sorry, sir."

"That is why the muslin is there, Sharpe, to keep out moths, ensigns and other insignificant nuisances. Kill the moths, Dilip."

The clerk dutifully chased the moths about the room, swatting them with a roll of paper. The windows, like the door, were closely screened with muslin on the outside of which moths cl.u.s.tered, attracted by the candles that were set in silver sticks on Torrance's table. Dilip's work was spread on the table, while Captain Torrance lay in a wide hammock slung from the roof beams. He was naked.

"Do I offend you, Sharpe?"

"Offend me, sir?"

"I am naked, or had you not noticed?"

"Doesn't bother me, sir."

"Nudity keeps clothes clean. You should try it. Is the last of the enemy dead, Dilip?"

"The moths are all deceased, sahib."

"Then we shall continue. Where were we?"

' "I had suspected for some time," Dilip read back the report.

"Surmised is better, I think. I had surmised for some time." Torrance paused to draw on the mouthpiece of a silver-bellied hookah.

"What are you doing here, Sharpe?"

"Come to get orders, sir."

"How very a.s.siduous of you. I had surmised for some time that depredations I can spell it if you cannot, Dilip were being made upon the stores entrusted to my command. What the devil were you doing, Sharpe, poking about Naig's tents?"

"Just happened to be pa.s.sing them, sir," Sharpe said, 'when they caught fire."

Torrance gazed at Sharpe, plainly not believing a word. He shook his head sadly.

"You look very old to be an ensign, Sharpe?"

"I was a sergeant two months ago, sir."

Torrance adopted a look of pretended horror.

"Oh, good G.o.d," he said archly, 'good G.o.d alive. May all the spavined saints preserve us. You're not telling me you've been made up from the ranks?"

"Yes, sir."

"Sweet suffering Jesus," Torrance said. He lay his head back on the hammock's pillow and blew a perfect smoke ring that he watched wobble its way up towards the ceiling.

"Having confidential information as to the ident.i.ty of the thief, I took steps to apprehend him. You will notice, Sharpe, that I am giving you no credit in this report?"

"No, sir?"

"Indeed I am not. This report will go to Colonel b.u.t.ters, an appallingly bombastic creature who will, I suspect, attempt to take some of the credit for himself before pa.s.sing the papers on to Arthur Wellesley who, as you may know, is our commander. A very stern man, our Arthur. He likes things done properly. He plainly had a very stern governess in his nursery."

"I know the General, sir."

"You do?" Torrance turned his head to look at Sharpe.

"Socially, perhaps? You and he dine together, do you? Pa.s.s the time of day, do you? Hunt together, maybe? Drink port? Talk about old times? Wh.o.r.e together, perhaps?" Torrance was mocking, but there was just an edge of interest in his voice in case Sharpe really did know Sir Arthur.

"I mean I've met him, sir."

Torrance shook his head as though Sharpe had been wasting his time.

"Do stop calling me "sir". It may be your natural subservience, Sharpe, or more likely it is the natural air of superiority that emanates from my person, but it ill becomes an officer, even one dredged up from the ranks. A search of his tents, Dilip, secured the missing items. I then, in accordance with general orders, hanged the thief as an example. I have the honour to be, et cetera, et cetera."

"Two thousand muskets are still missing, sir," Sharpe said.

"Sorry, sir. Didn't mean to call you "sir"."

"If it pleases you to grovel, Sharpe, then do so. Two thousand muskets still missing, eh? I suspect the b.u.g.g.e.r sold them on, don't you?"

"I'm more interested in how he got them in the first place," Sharpe said.

"How very tedious of you," Torrance said lightly.

"I'd suggest talking to Sergeant Hakeswill when he gets back," Sharpe said.

"I won't hear a word spoken against Obadiah," Torrance said.

"Obadiah is a most amusing fellow."