'Send him in, Orderly!' he shouted, and dropped his eyes to his boots.
You couldn't tell the difference, he decided. No one could tell by
looking at them which one was flesh and bone beneath the polished
leather-or which leg was carved wood with a cunningly articulated
ankle.
'Sir.' The voice startled him and he pulled his legs in guiltily,
hiding them beneath his chair.
'Curtis!' He looked up at the man who stood before his desk. Tim
stood rigidly to attention, staring stolidly over Garry's head, and
Garry let him stand. He felt satisfaction that this hulking bastard
must use those two powerful legs to pay respect to Garrick Courtney.
Let him stand. He waited, watching him, and at last Tim fidgeted
slightly and cleared his throat.
'At ease! ' There was no doubt now as to who held the power.
Garry picked up the paper-knife from Ins desk and turned it in his
hands as he spoke.
'You're wondering why I sent for you.' He smiled expansively.
'Well, the reason is that I have a job for you at last. I lunched with
General Buller today.' He paused to let that absorb. 'We discussed
the Offensive. He wanted my views on certain plans he has in mind. '
Garry caught himself. 'Anyway, that is beside the point. I want you
and your men to reconnoitre the river on both sides of Colenso. See
here. ' Garry spread a map on the desk in front of him.
'There are fords marked here and here.' He jabbed at the map with the
paper-knife. 'Find them and mark them well. Check the bridges-both
the railway and the road bridge, make certain they are intact. Do it
tonight.
I want your full report in the morning. You can go.
'Yes, Sir.
'Oh, Curtis-' Garry stopped him as he stooped in the entrance of the
tent. 'Find those fords.' The canvas flap dropped closed behind the
American, and Garry opened the drawer of his desk and took out a silver
flask set with camelians. He unscrewed it and sniffed the contents
before he drank.
With the dawn, in bedraggled pairs the Guides dribbled into camp.
Sean and Saul were the last to return. They dismounted, turned their
horses over to the servants and joined the group around the fire.
'Yes?' Tim looked up from where he squatted with a mug of coffee
cupped in his hands. His clothing was soaked and steam lifted off it
as it dried in the heat of the flames. 'They've blown the rail
bridge-but the road bridge is still intact.
'You're sure?'
'We walked across.'
'That's something anyway,' grunted Tim, and Sean raised a sceptical
eyebrow.
'You think so. Hasn't it occurred to you that they've left the bridge
because that is where they want us to cross?
No one replied and Sean went on wearily: 'When we checked the bridges,
Saul and I did a bit of exploring on the far side. Just beyond the
railway bridge there is a series of little kopJes. We crawled around
