Sharpe's Challenge Page #10

Maintenant, an old enemy salutes you,

and bids you farewell.

# Come cheer up, my lads

# 'Tis to glory we steer

# To add something more to this wonderful year

# To honour we call you as freemen, not slaves

# For who are so free as the sons of the waves?

# Hearts of oak are our ships

Hearts of oak are our men

# We always are ready

# Steady, boys, steady

# We will fight till we conquer again and again #

Courage, boys.

-Will there be grub in the town, sir?

-Aye, boys. Plenty.

-And bibis?

-Running over with it, lads.

Just panting for you.

Even enough for us old officers.

(MAN SINGING SOULFUL SONG)

There you go, son.

It's my first cigar, sir.

When you come back, find me

and we'll have one together.

-Do your duty, lad.

-Whenever you say, sir.

Forlorn hope, stand to!

Forlorn hope will advance!

Forward march!

May God keep you.

Sergeant Bickerstaff,

I promised the British spies a spectacle.

Have his Highness's jetti

fetch them up from the dungeon.

Very good, sir.

May I say I am grateful to you, sir,

for giving me this chance to prove meself.

You've proven yourself already.

As model of self-interest, I confess

you put even my own ambitions to shame.

Sir.

(MEN SHOUTING)

What are you doing?

(MEN SHOUTING)

Forlorn hope onward!

HARPER:
Oh, God almighty.

Out of the frying pan...

It's just not our bloody night, Pat.

Follow me, lads! Run! Run!

Come on, lads!

Oh, come on now, lads. Three to one?

That's hardly fair odds, now is it?

They don't want fair odds though, do they?

Eh, Shadrach?

It's a bloody contest.

Come on, Pat.

Come on, let's show these buggers.

Sharpe!

Kill him. Kill him!

Eh bien, les gars, it seems you've chosen

another form of suicide, pas vrai?

-What's this?

-Une belle alliance, non?

You'll be needing this, I think.

-Colonel Gudin.

-Don't look so surprised.

There must be rules, no? Even in war.

My sword is yours to command.

Glad to have you, Colonel. Find Celia Burroughs.

Keep her safe.

And get her out of Ferraghur if you can.

-GUDIN:
And yourself?

-We've got a bloody army to save.

Bonne chance.

(MEN SHOUTING)

Sharpe and Harper have escaped.

The French are helping them.

-They've betrayed us.

-Highness, it's of little consequence.

(MAN SCREAMING IN HINDI)

You see, my love?

The British will soon lay scattered across the plain

and Ferraghur will be ours.

(CELIA SOBBING)

Bonsoir, madame.

I come here in Sharpe's confidence.

Only it's Shadrach Bickerstaff's.

(LAUGHING)

(SOBBING)

(BICKERSTAFF SINGING IN FRENCH)

Oh, Colonel.

The fortunes of war, madame.

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

(MEN SHOUTING)

(MEN SCREAMING)

Cease fire! Cease fire!

Let them come on.

-Sir, they're falling back, sir.

-Come on!

Is that it?

Don't think so.

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

Oh, shite.

-Christ, God.

-It was too soon.

They blew it too soon.

Who gave the order to blow the mine?

Who?

On your feet, troops. Forward!

Now's the time, lads!

Forward!

We must go. We must go now!

(MEN SHOUTING)

Forward!

(COUGHING)

Harper? Oh, no.

No, no, Pat!

Pat?

Pat!

Is it done?

It's done.

God.

I'm gonna get you out of here.

Jesus, it won't budge.

You're gonna be all right. It's our lads now.

Where are you going?

I've got an account that wants settling.

(MEN SHOUTING)

Well, I'm the Rajah of Ferraghur.

Why do you not strike?

Do you not hear me?

I am the Rajah of Ferraghur.

You are a child.

And I am not a murderer.

Get the boy out of here, sir.

(GUN FIRING)

(SCREAMING)

Well then, paddy?

Where was we?

(GUN COCKING)

Say hello to Mr Mack.

Quickly! Pick it up!

-You must take me with you.

-Why? You mean nothing to me.

And love, William?

(SCOFFING)

Love? For a whore?

(GRUNTING)

Come back! Come back, damn it!

Lieutenant Dodd.

So it's come down to this.

For all your dreams of kingship,

you're naught but a common thief.

You were the same at Chasalgaon,

only there it were peer chests.

Now it's the royal treasury.

What the hell do you know of Chasalgaon?

Oh, I know all about Chasalgaon, Lieutenant Dodd.

By God, I should do.

-For I were there.

-I left not a man alive.

You left one.

A red-coat sergeant.

I shan't make the same mistake again.

Well, you've got your throne.

How does it feel, Your Majesty?

(GRUNTING)

Pat!

-Mohan Singh.

-General Burroughs' daughter?

She's safe.

Good.

Good. That is well.

I'm sorry to take my leave of you so soon, Colonel.

I should have liked to know you better.

So you shall. You just rest easy.

It's perfectly all right, Colonel.

I am unafraid.

This is not my first death,

and nor will it be my last.

We keep coming back, you know.

Aye, I know.

Before I go though, Colonel,

I should like to beg your forgiveness

for my earlier discourtesy.

I remember nothing.

When we met, I called you my enemy's enemy.

A necessary evil.

-It's just words.

-Words,

poorly chosen.

It was wrong on my part.

And I hope...

I hope that we might part now in friendship.

We do, and to my mind,

we've never been anything else.

Papa!

Richard.

You are leaving us, Colonel Sharpe?

Aye, ma'am.

Princess Lalima tells me she hoped

you might be persuaded to stay on

to oversee the retraining of her father's soldiers.

Had you not heard?

Khande Rao is to be awarded a Company pension.

And a jagir of Pindari lands in perpetuity.

And what does the Company get

by way of a return for its investment?

The Rajah's signature on a new peace treaty

and some 5000 of his troops

requisitioned to the 3rd Army.

There's me thinking

for once all that blood were about

something more than making rich men richer.

How might General Sharpe sound?

No disrespect to your father, ma'am,

but I think this place

has seen enough generals for a while.

Is there nothing one might say

that could induce you to remain?

I came to India to find a friend.

That's all my mission ever was.

-Now I've done that so...

-BURROUGHS:
Celia.

Let's not keep the General waiting, ma'am.

They don't care much for it.

Goodbye, Richard, and Godspeed.

Well, are we out of here or what?

Yeah, we're away.

-Let's go.

-Let's go.

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