Bolitho 16 - A Tradition of Victory by Alexander Kent

Author:Alexander Kent [Kent, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction:Historical
Publisher: Arrow
Published: 2011-06-19T13:01:12+00:00

Allday bent down, and after a further hesitation drove the

guard of his cutlass into the Frenchman's jaw.

"Die in peace, mounseer! "

He rejoined Bolitho and started to prise with the cutlass at

the ring-bolt which secured his chain.

"I saw that." Bolitho watched him, moved by Allday's rough

compassion in spite of the nearness of death for all of them.

Allday said between his teeth, "Might have been me, sir."

Voices, confused and frightened, announced more arrivals on

the orlop, but this time it was different. Bolitho saw an outflung

arm, the spreading red stain on the man's side where a heavy ball

had smashed through his ribs, but more than that, he saw the

captain's gold epaulettes.

Two soldiers also came down the companion ladder. Bolitho

recognized their uniforms as those of a maritime regiment.

They stood apart from all the rest, their hands gripping their

bayoneted muskets as they looked at the shackled prisoners, their

intentions obvious.

The surgeon cut open the French captain's shirt and then gestured to his men.

"Il est mort."

Stricken wounded men peered through the smoke, unable to

accept what had happened.

Overhead there was less firing, as if everyone who had survived was still shocked by the loss of their commander.

Then came the slithering impact of the other ship grinding

alongside.

The deck swayed steeply, and Bolitho guessed that the other

captain had allowed the crippled Ceres to drift down to him, and

now with rigging and spars entangled they were held firmly in a

last embrace.

"Huzza! Huzza!" The shouts sounded wild and inhuman. "To

me, Ganymedes!"

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