more of refugees; from their clothes, well enough off to be making a fortune for whoever was running this scam. A swelling murmur ran through them as Raj passed. By the time they reached the buildings still in military use, it had preceded them a little; enough for protesting feminine squeals to be fading as women were hustled out of the barracks, and for the soldiers to have made emergency repairs. Not much in the way of repairs. Gear was piled in heaps all over the floors, few of the men were in full uniform, and there were still cards and dice lying in some corners. The troopers stood braced at the foot of their cots, visibly willing their vital functions to cease.
Raj ignored them for a moment. Instead he stripped a rifle out of the rack by the locker at the head of a cot and worked the action. “No rust here, at least,” he said mildly. Then:
“Captain Pinochet, how many men are on muster here? You’re rated at four battalions.” Twenty-four hundred men or so, in theory.
“Ah . . . about one thousand, sir. Most of the officers aren’t, ah . . .”
“Present at the moment, yes,” Raj said. “Fall the men in, if you please, Captain.”
Raj crossed his arms and waited while the bugles rang. It took a very long time for the garrison troops to sort out their equipment. Starless Dark knows what shape the infantry’s in, he thought with a mental wince. This was the elite cavalry.
“Ten’ hut .”
The noncom’s bark brought the men to a ragged attention as Raj strode out; the banner of the 5th Descott was at his back, and his personal blazon. The two companies of the 5th tramped out at the double, and fell in at his back with the smooth economy of endless practice, the uniform crash of their hobnails sounding across the drillground and echoing back from the barracks and stables that ringed it.
Raj waited for a minute. “Men,” he said at last, “I’m going to keep this short and sweet.”
He pointed over his shoulder. “There’s a bloody great wog army coming up the Drangosh; they’re about five days’ march that way. I’ve got troops coming in from the west, but we’re going to need every man who can ride and shoot. That means you . Every soldier, that is. I’ll be back in a few hours, and I expect to see you looking and acting like soldiers by then.” He paused again.
“Captain Pinochet, please send runners to the remaining battalion officers of this command. You may inform them that any man holding the Governor’s commission not present when I return may consider himself dismissed from the service.” He turned his head to the bugler. “Sound dismissed to quarters. ”
The garrison left much more quickly than they’d assembled. Raj nodded once, tapping a thumb against his chin. “I think they’re getting the message,” he said. “Now for Osterville.”
Antin M’lewis was muttering under his breath. Raj knew the song without needing to hear words or tunes: it was an old Army ditty whose chorus went Lovely loot/That’s the thing makes the boys git up an’ shoot!
Commandant Osterville’s house was a looter’s dream. The outer gates were gilded wrought iron, the inner Zanj ebony studded with miniature silver sauroid heads. A chandelier of Kolobassian crystal hung overhead, to light the three-story atrium. Floor and sweeping staircases were of marble; the walls held gilt-framed mirrors and paintings; man-high alabaster urns held trailing bougainvillea . . . Punkahs swayed, moving air cooled by fountains playing over fretted stone and scented by orange-blossom.
The majordomo bowed himself out of the way—a plump eunuch with a Colonial accent. Poor bastard can’t help it, Raj thought; but they always put his teeth on edge. Osterville had put on weight and lost a lot of hair since Raj had seen him last. He’d always been ambitious, and Capital-smooth; now he had a sour pinch to his mouth and lines between there and his nostrils. Which were turned up as if at a bad smell. There
Raj ignored them for a moment. Instead he stripped a rifle out of the rack by the locker at the head of a cot and worked the action. “No rust here, at least,” he said mildly. Then:
“Captain Pinochet, how many men are on muster here? You’re rated at four battalions.” Twenty-four hundred men or so, in theory.
“Ah . . . about one thousand, sir. Most of the officers aren’t, ah . . .”
“Present at the moment, yes,” Raj said. “Fall the men in, if you please, Captain.”
Raj crossed his arms and waited while the bugles rang. It took a very long time for the garrison troops to sort out their equipment. Starless Dark knows what shape the infantry’s in, he thought with a mental wince. This was the elite cavalry.
“Ten’ hut .”
The noncom’s bark brought the men to a ragged attention as Raj strode out; the banner of the 5th Descott was at his back, and his personal blazon. The two companies of the 5th tramped out at the double, and fell in at his back with the smooth economy of endless practice, the uniform crash of their hobnails sounding across the drillground and echoing back from the barracks and stables that ringed it.
Raj waited for a minute. “Men,” he said at last, “I’m going to keep this short and sweet.”
He pointed over his shoulder. “There’s a bloody great wog army coming up the Drangosh; they’re about five days’ march that way. I’ve got troops coming in from the west, but we’re going to need every man who can ride and shoot. That means you . Every soldier, that is. I’ll be back in a few hours, and I expect to see you looking and acting like soldiers by then.” He paused again.
“Captain Pinochet, please send runners to the remaining battalion officers of this command. You may inform them that any man holding the Governor’s commission not present when I return may consider himself dismissed from the service.” He turned his head to the bugler. “Sound dismissed to quarters. ”
The garrison left much more quickly than they’d assembled. Raj nodded once, tapping a thumb against his chin. “I think they’re getting the message,” he said. “Now for Osterville.”
Antin M’lewis was muttering under his breath. Raj knew the song without needing to hear words or tunes: it was an old Army ditty whose chorus went Lovely loot/That’s the thing makes the boys git up an’ shoot!
Commandant Osterville’s house was a looter’s dream. The outer gates were gilded wrought iron, the inner Zanj ebony studded with miniature silver sauroid heads. A chandelier of Kolobassian crystal hung overhead, to light the three-story atrium. Floor and sweeping staircases were of marble; the walls held gilt-framed mirrors and paintings; man-high alabaster urns held trailing bougainvillea . . . Punkahs swayed, moving air cooled by fountains playing over fretted stone and scented by orange-blossom.
The majordomo bowed himself out of the way—a plump eunuch with a Colonial accent. Poor bastard can’t help it, Raj thought; but they always put his teeth on edge. Osterville had put on weight and lost a lot of hair since Raj had seen him last. He’d always been ambitious, and Capital-smooth; now he had a sour pinch to his mouth and lines between there and his nostrils. Which were turned up as if at a bad smell. There
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