Flashman - 05 - Flashman in the Great Game by George MacDonald Fraser

Author:George MacDonald Fraser
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Military Fiction
ISBN: 9780007217199
Published: 2006-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

He broke off, and there was an uneasy silence; everyone knew that Wheeler's own son had died the day before. Finally he rubbed his face and looked round.

"If it were ourselves alone, there could be but one answer. As it is, I confess I should be tempted, for our women and children's sake, to accept this murderer's terms, were it not that my judgement tells me he will play us false. I … "

"Forgive me, sir," says Moore, quietly, "but if he does, we've lost nothing. For if we don't trust him, we're dead anyway — all of us. We know that, and —"

"At least we can die with honour!" cries some fool, and the younger chaps cheered like the idiots they were. At this Wheeler's head came up, and I saw his stubborn lip go out, and I thought, now, Flashy, now's your time, or the stupid old bastard will damn us all in the name of Duty and Hon-our. So I growled in my throat, and scraped my heel, and that caught his attention, just in time, and he looked at me.

"You've said nothing, Flashman," says he. "What is your thought?"

I felt all their eyes turn to me, and deliberately took my time, for I knew Wheeler was within an ace of deciding to fight it out to a finish, and I was going to have to humbug him, and the rest of them, into surrendering. But it was going to require my most artistic handling.

"Well, sir," says I, "like you, I wouldn't trust the Nana as far as the tuck-shop." (Someone laughed; homely old Flashy, you sec, with his schoolboy metaphors.) "But as Moore here says — that don't matter. What does — or so it seems to me — is the fate of our ladies —" (here I looked red-faced and noble) " — and the … the youngsters. If we accept the Nana's offer, at least there's a chance they'll come off safe."

"You'd surrender?" says Wheeler, in a. strained voice.

"For myself?" growls I, and looked at the floor. "Well, I never quite got the habit … goes against the grain, I reckon. Matter of honour — as someone said just now. And I suppose it can be said that honour demands we fight it out to the last —"

"Shabash!" cries Delafosse. "Well done, Flashy!"

" — but, d'ye know, sir," I went on, "the day my honour has to be maintained by sacrificing Vibart's little boy — or ' I'unstall's mother — or Mrs Newnham's daughter, well … " I raised my head and stared at the circle of faces, a strong, simple man stirred to his depths; you could have heard a pin drop. "I don't know — I may be wrong … but I don't think my honour's worth that much, d'ye know?"

The beauty of it was, while it was the most fearful gammon, coming from me — it was stark truth for the rest of them, gallant and honourable souls that they were.

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