Swordpoint by Swordpoint (retail) (epub)

Author:Swordpoint (retail) (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788637312
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2020-02-03T00:00:00+00:00

5

Yuell had by now moved to Capodozzi where the Scammells had off-loaded the boats in a wood and the Engineers were assembling them.

They were a scow-type craft with a square stern and flat bottom, thirteen feet long and more than five feet wide. They weighed four hundred and ten pounds, and held twelve men and a crew of two. They were bulky and awkward to carry, and were normally transported to the river by truck. There were also some rubber craft but they were large, easily punctured, difficult to paddle, easy to capsize and hard to beach.

Yuell examined the boats carefully. The scows had canvas sides, held in place by wooden pegs, and in some cases the paddles were missing.

‘They’ll have to use their rifle butts,’ he growled. ‘Is this the lot?’

‘All we’ve been given, sir,’ the RASC sergeant in charge said. ‘We were told the boats would have to be brought back for a second load.’

Yuell frowned. They couldn’t hope to succeed if they were going to cross in penny numbers. With every crossing they made the chances of being hit increased.

‘Is it possible to make rafts?’ he asked.

‘Sir—’ the RASC sergeant was pointedly polite – ‘with respect, I reckon you’ve been here longer than I have but I’ve seen nothing to make rafts of. If you know of anything, I’d be glad…’

‘Never mind, Sergeant,’ Yuell said tiredly. ‘You’re quite right, of course. There is nothing. This place has long since been stripped bare of wood for fuel. Everybody’s been so damned cold and so damned wet for so long.’

The actualities of war, the imponderables, were taking over: the narrow road from Capodozzi, the officer – whoever he was – who had said that it was fit to use, the loading of the boats on to Scammells instead of ordinary lorries, the accident to the grenades and mortar bombs, the absence of hot food, the unbelievable amount of rain that had fallen.

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