Light Cavalry Action by Max Hennessy

Author:Max Hennessy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2021-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

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While Moyalan’s junior counsel took over for him, and Moyalan and his clerk fought for a telephone connection to a northern firm of lawyers, Kirkham tried hard, with a great deal of bluster, to shake Hardacre’s testimony. But Hardacre, as good as his word, was too old a hand in the cut and thrust of argument, and had long since grown too cunning in the council and parliamentary jousts of South Yorkshire to be intimidated by anyone, and Kirkham had to retire from the contest eventually with a great deal of noise that might superficially have passed for victory but which, in fact, left Hardacre’s evidence untouched.

Moyalan, who had arrived back in court somewhat ruffled after his struggle but triumphant enough to catch Hardacre’s eye as he left the witness box, called as his next witness a small man who, in spite of his grey hairs, was still slim and energetic-looking.

‘You are Captain Count Alexei Josip Kuprin—’ Moyalan began, but the witness shook his head, smiling.

‘How much right I have to that rank and title, I don’t know,’ he said in clipped good English. ‘It seems only right that I should explain that I have no estates and no longer belong to any existing army. I am now simply Alexander Kuprin and I run a hacking stable at Golney in Sussex. I am a British subject and have been for many years.’

Moyalan smiled, acquiescing.

‘Very well,’ he agreed. ‘You were Captain Count Kuprin. All that ceased after you left Russia, did it not?’

‘That is true. I still cannot make up my mind whether to be sorry or not.’

‘Please confine yourself to answering the questions.’

‘Of course. Certainly.’

‘I am going to ask you to start at the end of November, 1919. You remember that period?’

‘Unhappily, only too well.’ Kuprin paused thoughtfully. ‘It was after the affaire of the cars,’ he said. ‘After B Squadron had been sent out and had returned without forty of their effectives.’

‘How was the Colonel at this time?’

‘It seemed just then as though the regiment had become too much for him. He seemed to lose interest.’

‘Why, Mr. Kuprin?’

Kuprin shrugged. ‘I think he’d been eager to make up for the four years he’d spent as a prisoner of war and he’d looked forward to distinguishing himself. Now he saw he wasn’t going to and both he and Major Finch seemed depressed. Nothing whatever was done about Captain MacAdoo’s insolence, or even about the growing murmurs of mutiny in the Russian squadrons.’

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