by Griff Hosker
They both held up their glasses for the orderly to fill them. The colonel frowned. They looked at me and then Captain DeVere said to his brother, “I didn’t know we had any Indian officers here. Things must be pretty desperate.”
The major heard it and stood. “Captain DeVere you will apologise for that remark.”
I was confused. Percy whispered from behind his hand, “Sir, he is insulting you. Officers who do not have much money can buy a commission in an Indian regiment. Then they can transfer to a regular regiment. It is the colour of your skin you see. he thinks you served in India.”
Captain DeVere stared at me, “Apologise? Well the fellow obviously served in India so how am I insulting him?”
Before the major could answer I stood, “I am sorry sir, we haven’t been introduced. My name is Captain Matthews and I have never served in a British regiment either here or in India. It seems you are confused by my tanned complexion. I apologise if it offends you but you see I have the funds to travel and I did so before joining this fine regiment.”
As I sat down I saw both the colonel and the major nodding. Many of the other officers banged the table and said, “Well said. Hear, hear.”
The look on Captain DeVere’s face told me that I had made an enemy. He gave me the false smile the Egyptians associated with the crocodile. “I do apologise sir. You are correct; I took your colouring for the effect of India. Matthews? I don’t know the family. Which school did you attend? Eton? Harrow?”
“I was educated by a tutor, abroad.”
“Oh I see. And your family?”
I was now aware that I was in danger of giving away too much information. “The Matthews.”
He looked irritated and thought I was mocking him, “Yes I know but where is your property?”
“We have a little in London but most of it is in Italy where the estate is.”
“So how do you get your money then eh? The Frogs have Italy all sewn up.”
David said, “I believe you are overstepping the mark here DeVere.”
He shrugged and nodded to me before turning to his brother and saying, just loud enough for me to hear. “Trade. That explains everything.”
I knew he was insulting me but the last thing I needed was another duel. I merely smiled a thin smile and stared at him until he was forced to look away. I was not afraid of him and I was letting him know it.
The meal was both long and formal. The chairman told us when we could loosen our collars and when we could smoke. We had port and brandy to finish and I felt fuller than I had felt in a long time.
Sharp was waiting for me at my quarters. He looked red faced and embarrassed. “Come in Sharp, what is the problem.” He shook his head slightly. I said quietly, “Tell me.”
“When Lieutenant DeVere came in he asked me why I was skulking around here when I should be in the barracks. I explained I was your servant and he said I was too incompetent to be a servant to a decent officer so either I was lying or you were a fool sir.”
I nodded, “Don’t let that bother you. I have met their type before. Put them from your mind they are not worth bothering about.”
The next morning the whole regiment was ordered on parade. I noticed that Lieutenant DeVere tried assiduously to avoid looking at me. I could see that it galled him to have to serve under me and I wondered how he would react to learn that he was being separated from his brother.
The colonel addressed the whole regiment his voice carrying across the parade ground as clearly as Sergeant Major Jones’. “Men of the 11th Light Dragoons; our wait for action is at an end. We will be sailing at the end of next week for the Cape of Good Hope. “
There was some murmuring until Sergeant Major Jones roared, “Silence on parade!”
“As you know we have to leave one squadron at the depot to provide replacements. As D Squadron is the smallest then they will remain here under the command of Captain Matthews. Upon dismissal of the parade all officers will join me in the mess so that I can give more information.”
As he rode off Sergeant Major Jones rode forwards. “All sergeants to report any equipment which needs replacing. Dismiss!”
Once in the mess everyone was busy chattering. I felt guilty for I had known in advance. Percy looked thoroughly depressed. “My only chance to get promoted and I have to stay here at the depot.”
“Don’t worry, Percy. As far as I know there is little action over there anyway.”
David sat next to me. “This is a bit of luck eh? Not too far for the horses and a damned sight warmer than here in January.”
I noticed that both the colonel and the DeVere brothers were missing. The major arrived and unrolled a map which he had an orderly pin to the wall. I also noticed that one of their cronies, Lieutenant Jackson looked as though he had toothache.
When the colonel eventually arrived he began by announcing. “Lieutenant DeVere will be taking over Lieutenant Jackson’s duties in A Troop. Lieutenant Jackson has requested that he stay in England for family reasons.”
I looked at David who said, “And that my friend, is a lie. It looks like Captain DeVere put pressure on the young lad.”
“What is he like? He will be serving with me.”
“A bit wet if you ask me but this might be the making of him. He is a bit of a mummy’s boy. DeVere gambles as does Jackson.” He looked at me, “Jackson loses.”
The next hour was spent going over the logistics of transporting men and material to the Cape. Lieutenant St.John the adjutant lieutenant went through the majority of the instructions. He would be remaining in England with our squadron. Major Hyde-Smith then stood. “The new grey uniforms we will be wearing in Africa and Tarleton Helmets will arrive this afternoon.” He smiled in my direction, “Captain Matthews will be pleased to know that his squadron will not require the uniforms.”
Captain DeVere shot an irritated glance in my direction and then said, in a slow drawl, “I take it we can leave the carbines and pistols at home eh sir? Don’t need to carry that excess baggage all the way to Africa and it will be too damned hot anyway.”
The major smiled, “You weren’t in Egypt, Captain DeVere but I was. Those pistols and carbines come in very handy. When we fought the French Chasseurs they cut us up pretty badly with their muskets let me tell you. And those weapons were only half as good as the Paget. We will take the firearms with us.”
I thought how ironic it was that I had fought the 11th just a year or so back and here I was fighting for them.
“Typical Froggies, too afraid to use a sword. so they hide behind a pall of smoke. Give me a good sword any day.”
I suppose it was the slur on my dead comrades which did it or perhaps I just didn’t like Captain DeVere. I stood. “In my view a man with a carbine and a brace of pistols will beat a man armed with a sword any day of the week.”
Captain DeVere stood, “And would you back that statement with a wager sir.”
Major Hyde-White stood. “Gentlemen.”
The officers in the room were divided. There were the supporters of DeVere and those who disliked him. Surprisingly the colonel held up his hand and said, “Do not be so hasty, major. Let us hear what Captain DeVere proposes.”
The captain gave me a smug smile, “Well I doubt that Captain Matthews will agree to it but I propose we test this on the drill ground this afternoon.”
Major Hyde-White exploded, ”Impossible. Someone could get hurt.”
Percy’s small voice broke the silence, “There is a way sir. If Captain DeVere charges a practice dummy and we have four moving targets for Captain Matthews then when Captain DeVere begins his charge Captain Matthews could try to hit the four targets all of which would be progressively closer. If Captain Matthews failed to hit the targets before Captain DeVere struck the dummy then he would have lost.”
I liked it and I could see Captain DeVere looking for the trick. Of course there was none and he suddenly beamed, “Capital. And the wager. Could you afford fifty guineas?”
&n
bsp; There was a gasp from some of the junior officers. I smiled, “I was thinking more of a hundred guineas but fifty is fine by me.”
His face became angry as he snapped, “A hundred guineas it is then.”
The colonel smiled which I found strange. “And we will have the regiment present to watch the exhibition. It might well be educational.”
As I left David and Percy both joined me. “Are you sure you can afford the money sir?”
“Don’t worry, Percy, if I couldn’t afford it I wouldn’t have bet. Besides, I do not intend to lose.”
“But Robbie, that’s a moving target!”
“I will not fire my carbine until he is a hundred paces from me.”
“But how will you draw your pistols quickly enough to fire again?”
I laughed, “You do not even know your own equipment do you David?” He looked blankly at me. “On your swivel belt is a little clip for your carbine; you drop the carbine and draw your primed pistol.”
He smiled, “You might just do this. If no one mentions it to the aged parents then I might have a little flutter myself. I think you might just do it. I am looking forward to this.”
I was not arrogant enough to think this would be easy. Trooper Sharp and I cleaned and loaded all four pistols and the carbines. We replaced the flints in all of them and chose the most spherical balls we had. “When we have time I will show you how to cast balls. It can make all the difference.”
He looked at me in amazement. “You can make musket balls?”
I laughed, “I worked in a smithy when I was young and I can even shoe a horse if needs be although it is a long time since I had to do so.”
There was a buzz of excitement in the regiment. A great deal of money had been wagered on the exhibition. I found out later that virtually all of D Squadron had placed money on me. This was partly because they hated Captain DeVere but many had seen me shoot and knew that I could.
The colonel appointed Sergeant Major Jones to see that there was fair play. Captain DeVere’s course was marked at three hundred, two hundred, one hundred and fifty yards respectively. There was a bugler at each mark and they would sound their bugle at each point when he passed. I had asked for targets at one hundred, fifty, twenty and ten yards respectively. Major Hyde-Smith seemed quite concerned. “Are you sure that you can change pistols that quickly?”
I nodded, confidently, “I hope so sir.”
The targets were offset so that I could not make a lucky hit. A trooper was assigned to set them swinging when the captain made his charge.
I sat astride Badger. I wanted them to see that this could be done from the back of a horse. Of course Badger was well trained; not every horse would stand as still as he would. To make it more realistic Lieutenant Austen and Trooper Sharp were on either side of me on their horses. Captain DeVere had his brother and Lieutenant Jackson with him. They would replicate the effect of a cavalry charge.
The Sergeant Major’s voice boomed out. “Ready!”
I shouted, “Ready!”
In the distance I heard Captain DeVere shout, “Ready!”
The Sergeant Major’s pistol started the horses and the swinging targets. I rested my left elbow on the pommel of Badger and lined up the carbine on the swinging target. It seemed an age before I heard the first bugle. I waited until I heard the third bugle and I fired then dropped the carbine. I drew my first pistol and rested my elbow again. I heard the last bugle and I fired at the second target. I dropped the pistol. I drew my second and third pistols and repeated the shots at the last target. I heard a cheer behind me as the dummy was decapitated.
Percy looked at me in awe as Sharp recovered my first pistol. “You managed four shots!”
“Yes, but did I hit anything?” I turned and rode towards the major and the colonel who were chatting with Captain DeVere.
“That was impressive shooting Matthews. I thought you might get two shots off but four was amazing.”
Captain DeVere sniffed imperiously, “It remains to be seen if you hit anything.” He pointed to the headless dummy. “There is my evidence!”
Sergeant Major Jones strode over to us with the paper targets in his hand. His face was impassive. As he approached he put the targets behind his back. Captain DeVere frowned.
The colonel had a half smile on his face. “Well Sergeant Major, what are the results?”
“Well Captain DeVere I am sorry to say that you and your fellow officers are dead and, probably, your bugler.” He flourished the targets like a magician at a fairground. Two of them had a single hole in them while the last had two less than two fingers apart.
The colonel took them and shouted, “Captain Matthews wins the wager!”
Captain DeVere became red and shouted. “That was not fair. You could not have faced charging horses like that. You would have run. You had two pistols in your hands.”
The colonel was not happy, “Captain DeVere, I protest. Pay the wager. It is a matter of honour.”
I could see that he would not let it lie and so I said, “Captain DeVere, I have won the wager however if you are saying I could not have stood then let us have a separate wager of fifty guineas eh? I will stand where the dummy was and I will hold the pistol and you and your two companions can charge at me and I will stand until you reach me.” He smiled, “Of course you and your companions have to be good enough horsemen to avoid striking me and my stationary horse.”
The major and colonel tried to hide their smiles. Captain DeVere snarled, “Wager accepted and if any of us touches your horse then I will pay double the wager.”
As they rode off the colonel said, “I have learned, today the value of firearms. When we return from the Cape we will start to use your drills with the men.”
While I waited I reloaded my pistols. I had a surprise in store for the three horsemen. I calmed Badger and we stood. I held the pistols in my hands and they pointed to the sky. The Sergeant Major’s pistol cracked and the three horsemen began galloping towards me. Each leaned forwards in his saddle with his sabre well ahead of the horse’s head. In a real battle that was a mistake. You leaned forwards at the last minute to gain the momentum and strike a heavier blow. Time seemed to stand still. I imagined firing at them as they passed the silent buglers. They were riding boot to boot which would cause a problem once they neared me. I saw Captain DeVere pulling ahead of his brother officers in his haste to prove a point and win the wager. I saw the tip of his sabre and it was aimed directly at my head. He had to lean to one side to avoid his horse hitting Badger who stood as placidly as though on parade. As his horse’s head flashed by I fired my pistols. The effect was dramatic. Lieutenant DeVere’s horse reared up and threw him. Lieutenant Jackson’s horse took off across the drill field. Only Captain DeVere was a good enough horseman to control his mount.
The whole regiment exploded in spontaneous applause. As the major and Captain DeVere approached me the major said, “That settles both wagers conclusively and shows us that the two lieutenants need their horses schooling a little better. Agreed Captain DeVere?”
His face was white with anger but he nodded, “I will send my man with the guineas this afternoon.”
I nodded too, “Thank you Captain DeVere, a most illuminating exercise. I have learned much and I thank you for the lesson.”
Sergeant Major Jones strode over to me, “He barely missed you with sabre. An inch closer and you would have lost an eye. You have some nerve sir.”
“Let’s just say I do have a stubborn streak and a dislike of those who would bully others.”
I was surrounded by all those officers not of the DeVere persuasion. It was the first stage to my acceptance in the regiment.
Chapter 4
The new uniforms and helmets arrived in the afternoon. My squadron were equipped first as the others were busy with their new grey uniforms. The Tarleton helmet was leather with a bearskin crest. It looked magnificent but I wondered how it would stand up to and the rigours of campaigning. For D Squad
ron it was not a problem. We would not need them in the foreseeable future.
I sent for Lieutenant Jackson. There was no one in the Squadron office; I had sent the orderly on an errand.
He stood there like a naughty schoolboy with his head hung down. “Sir, you sent for me.”
“I did. Close the door.” He did so and looked even more worried. My smile did not seem to help. “Look I know that the decision to join my squadron was not your choice.” He looked startled and I held up my hand to calm him. “I take no offence at that but I believe you can become as good an officer as Lieutenant Austen given the right encouragement. What’s say we make a new start eh? You give me and your new troop a chance and we’ll see how it goes.”
He seemed somewhat relieved at that. “Thank you sir.”
I took a deep breath. I had always found that having things in the open helped. “Tell me, Jackson, how much do you owe Captain DeVere?” He looked ready to deny it. “New start eh? Let’s begin with honesty.”
His shoulders sagged. “Fifty guineas to the captain and ten to his brother.”
I counted out sixty guineas from the wager. “Here you are then. Pay off your debts and we will start anew.”
He straightened, “No sir, I could not accept a loan…”
“It is not a loan, it is a gift from me to you. There are no strings and no conditions. I do not think that the money will make you like me. That does not concern me but I want an officer I can rely upon. I need an officer who is not worried about paying off a debt.” I paused, “Actually there is a condition attached; I want you to foreswear gambling.”
His face showed the torment he was feeling inside. Eventually good sense got the better of him. He held out his hand for the money. “Thank you sir and I think if I am not in their company then I will be able to give up gambling.”
“Good. Look to Percy, he is a good officer and a good model for you.”
I was summoned to the regimental office. “Sir, there is a case of wine here for you from Fortnum and Mason’s in London.”