“Your storeroom is ten feet deeper thanthe rest of the trench, is it not?”
“Yes, sir. Had it deepened to protect mystocks from casual shellfire, sir.”
“What’s the normal temperature in there?”
“Oh, about thirty-five, sir. I wouldexpect it to vary little from that, summer or winter.”
The old Army had its ways, Richard knew.Mostly they were concerned with obeying every rule of military existence,except where they were inconvenient.
“Right. Do we need any coal stores dugwhile the Chinese are here?”
“No, sir. Did that yesterday. Set up aspace for battalion small arms ammunition as well, sir. They have a few goodcarpenters among them, built racks for us.”
“None of my business, I expect, old chap…How did you fiddle that?”
Hawkeswill tapped his nose.
“Old dog knows a few tricks, sir. Youdropped the knapsacks when the men made the assault on the line. That left agreatcoat on each. We lost forty-five dead and thirty seriously wounded – eightof them died since, by the way, sir – and a round dozen of walking wounded whohad to go back for a dressing and were held for a day or two. Eighty-sevenpacks recovered, each with a greatcoat cut and bloodied in action and needingto be replaced, which has been done, sir. Each had a pair of spare boots, alsolost in action. Their personal effects have all been sent to next of kin orheld pending their return to the battalion, of course. As a result, I had anamount of warm clothing to offer the labour battalion, who have been kept shortof their issues. There were also three days rations in each of those packs,recovered and officially destroyed as spoiled, sir. Together with a few otheritems available in my store, sir, we had more than enough to give the Chinks inexchange for the few extras requested.”
“Well done. I would not have known how todo that.”
“There’s a right way of going abouteverything in the Army, sir. If you know the wrinkles, that is. We old handshave a few uses, sir. Most of us, that is. One or two – well, a few more thanthat – are no use at all. Have you had word of Captain Draper, sir?”
“Brigade confirmed that he took ship fromMarseille. Desertion if he had not – too big a risk for him to take.”
“He’ll be working out how to swing the lead,I don’t doubt, sir. If he can’t go sick, he will probably volunteer for thegeneral’s staff when he reaches Mombasa.”
Richard shook his head.
“Fotherby knows the general from a longtime back. They served in South Africa together and then were in the samegarrison in India a few years later.”
“Best way of doing it, sir. The word willgo out and Draper will be a marked man. He will be right out at the front forthe whole campaign with the medical officers tipped the wink to kick him out ofthe sickbay whenever he turns up. I could almost feel sorry for him.”
“Could you?”
“No, not really, sir. No use for theyellow, sir. First officer I have ever seen who was shy. Rare among the men aswell. Might be a few if conscription comes in. ‘When’ rather. It’s due fromJanuary, is it not?”
“Yes. Don’t like it. If a man’s notwilling to sign up as a volunteer, what use will he be as a conscript? It’s a badidea. You watch – we will find all of the dregs of the gutters sent out and proudvolunteers having to mix with criminal scum in their companies and platoons. Utterlyunfair on good men to dump the trash on them! We have already been told thatthe bulk of conscripts will be sent out as replacements, not as new battalions.”
Hawkeswill had not considered that aspectbefore. He was much struck by it.
“Need to have a word with ‘Major O’Grady,I think, sir. He will speak to his sergeants and corporals. Make them ready forany little tricks the new objects think to pull, sir.”
“Sensible. I’ll leave that to you, Hawkeswill.Probably better that I am not involved.”
The Adjutant gave an approving smile.
“That’s the ticket, sir. You can be allinnocent if a man is discovered thoroughly beaten or happens to stumble into alatrine pit. Sort of thing that happens, accidentally in the night, in thedarkness.”
“Could that happen, you know, falling in…”
Richard was close to retching at the verythought.
“Only once, sir. Amazing what an objectlesson that can be. Even the least amenable reprobates find it in themselves tobehave after that. Just one of the worst is all it takes. An object lesson, youmight say, sir.”
“Good God! I think I might have preferredto retain my innocence, Hawkeswill.”
“The Army has its ways, sir. Been aboutsince Cromwell’s day. Bound to have picked up one or two ideas about how to dealwith hard cases.”
“I did not think I was soft, you know,Hawkeswill. Innocent as a new-born lamb, so I am.”
Hawkeswill laughed.
“We all have to learn, sir. Thirty yearsfrom now and you will be looking back and laughing at yourself. Field MarshalBaker will be entertained by the callow colonel!”
Another one! Richard wondered how ithappened, how it came about that experienced officers were willing to hang onhis lips, to treat him as a prodigy. If only they knew!
“What’s the position regarding wire?”
“Difficult, sir. We can’t put wire upuntil it is clear that we shall not be moving from this location. The battle isstill in progress and the High Command believes that there will be abreakthrough any day. Such being the case, it would be wrong, wasteful, to putup wire. I am doing all I can to get hold of some. So is every other adjutantand the supplies are just not available.”
“It makes sense, if one is sat in achateau thirty miles behind the lines and listening only to the reports broughtin by the staff officers who planned the battle and have invested their careersin it.”
“More than that, sir. If this battlefails, French is finished. He knows it, too. He will keep pressing for moreaction, more pushes as the only way to save himself.”
“Using gas, still?”
Hawkeswill thought not. Gas
