6 June, morning - Bump on the head

"You wasn't the only one. We'd got him to wear our uniform, remember?" Rousseau said , glancing at Seviére. "If we knew he'd turn, we'd have had him hacked to the wagon, and running behind it. " He shrugged. "We lost good men, but so did the Portuguese... our prisoners escaped ...yeah, and for that you might still get a fine scolding and a few days in the dump..." He paused. "Though, wouldn't you have tried doing the same , if you had been a prisoner?"

"Shut it Rousseau, you're not just supporting that Rosbif's plan." Morel muttered. "No...I'm not..." Rousseau added defensively. "The kid just doesn't need to gnaw himself to the bone on it.. it's done. We're back and alive.. and we can hope that the English never find their own.. or something."

"Yes, and I still do not understand why we are so trusting when an English prisoner offers to turn his coat? I hope the officers realize it is foolish to continue such a policy," sighed Francois, not that anyone of importance would ever listen to him.

He also disagreed with the man's take on the Englishman's ploy.

"And no I would not do the same if I were in that situation. I would try and escape, yes, it is an honorable thing to do, no blame there. But to do that way...no, there is no honor that way. I know it's war but there are rules and there should always be honorable ways of fighting it. Isn't this why we hate the Portuguese and Spanish guerillas so much? Because they have no honor, they are animals."

"Escaping is not honourable. It's just needed. You can just as easily allow to be taken away of to a prison and hope it's not some ship you'll be left to rot in. But if you're smart you'll try to escape... I'm surprised he didn't just do it, rather than go off to try and save his own." He shrugged.

"Don't think those men knew what he was plotting either." Rousseau paused and looked on. " He did not kill you, did he? Ain't fair comparing him to the Spanish, or the Portuguese."

Rosseau made some good points, Francois had to concede that much.

"Yes, he did not kill me and he could have. And for that I am grateful to him. And no, he was not like the Portuguese and Spaniards, I will admit I even liked him for awhile. We had a conversation even. Perhaps that is why I'm angry, because it was my fault. I trusted him. And I should not have. But he is not a bad sort," Francois sighed.

"You trusted him probably, because he's not a bad sort... who knows. If we were not fighting this war and by some miracle you two had met.." Rousseau shrugged.

"..You're not a bad sort, kid." Morel murmured. "Will just learn not to trust anyone, while the war's going. " Rousseau chuckled. "And turn out old and bitter.."

"But alive.." Morel countered. "...Not necessarily. Musket balls don't pick out just the optimistic." Rousseau grinned. "Anyway. today all three of us lived, right? We've got ourselves a prisoner, right again? And killed a good few Portuguese, correct? See, it wasn't half bad a day. Except, I'll be much more pleased when we don't all smell like rotten shit."

Francois nodded, smiling a bit at their sympathetic words, "Yes, we are alive and that is the most important thing. But then I have no intention of dying in this war I assure you. I will get back to France and see my family again. I just know it."

It was bravado of course but he said it more to buck up himself than convince those men.

"You know....we really need to try and wash some of this swamp smell off...before some officer has us doing yet more duty."