A Company Court-Martial

"A worse place? Don't be daft. They work out to be about the same when you get down to it - you'm doin' the same thing wherever you are in the line. It's just that in the middle of the skirmish chain you'm more likely to hear the Captain' tellin' Joe what call to blow. You ain't igger... ignorant. You just don't know things yet."

"..if's a'right. I don' mind wot'ever you choose. You'd know better anyhow." He nodded. If it was alright with them, he had but to nod and agree. "..You'll have to wait though, wont' you Gabe. With Joe still healin'. So.. You'll , will you even come?"

He straightened up. "..if'n we dun' make a sound.. can we catch rabbits while out 'ere?"

"Well, while Joe's still gettin' better, I can partner you prop'ly. The Captain won't go sendin' us scoutin' off way ahead, not till you'm ready for it. But the other stuff we do, I can teach you in a pair. You'll pick it up quick 'nough f you keep your eyes and ears open." He grinned. "Rabbits, aye. Though... Here, Tom. You'll mind our stuff for us, won't you?" He turned to fish something out of his pack. "Come on, let's see if we can't show you sup'm else useful."

"You'll tell 'im, when I'm ready?" He wondered if it happened that way. Or was there a final test, in which the captain would observe, evaluate and say a yay or a nay to what he saw.

He perked up to attention when he saw that there was something else that he could learn. Leaning forward, he had become rather expert in not having his rear touching anything much. Not that he was finding it as bad at all anymore. Just tender, almost enough to sit, if one made an effort to ignore it properly. "What's that?"

"He'll know when you'm proper trained, like the rest of us." He stood up. "Won't be too long, Tom."

"You'll be away jus long enough, is that it?" Roper said, grinning. "Don't go too far, whatever you do."

"We won't. Comin', Zack?"

Pye wondered how. The captain wasn't around to see them, but that didn't quite matter now. He got up to his feet and nudged his things closer to Roper, then placed his chick down." If'un you got bored o' watchin' over her, jus' pick 'er up n' stuff 'er in me bread bag. She'll know ter shut up soon." He smiled and then turned to Cotton and nodded. "Comin'!"

"Can't go too far, not out here, not with picquets set. But over this way ought to be good." He passed something over to Pye. "It's really just a bit o' wire that tightens on 'em, that's all."

"We're huntin' rabbits?" Pye looked at the wire, he was given, and taking hold of it, he continued to walk, as quietly as he knew. They weren't getting far. It was best that they didn't. Especially with the possibility of both the enemy and even their 'friends' to be on the prowl. Desertion was not something, that they would survive the accusation of.

"That's great." He whispered.

"We prob'ly won't be as lucky as we was back home when we knew the warren an' the rabbit paths and that," Cotton said, speaking very quietly. "I think here looks a likely spot."

He took the snare back and set it up under a bush, where the branches curved above the ground. "See where the grass has bin et short?" he said, indicating the area he meant, a faint track in the grass.

"Mhm. " Pye leaned forward a bit, but even so he could see the grass that was shorter easily enough. "We's place this 'ere.. n' come around again 'morrow?" He asked, wondering how long it would take for a rabbit to catch himself or herself in a snare.

He held the wire to the man." You'd be needin' this." He murmured very quietly.

"Aye. If we get away real early and see what's what." He moved away to set up a second snare a few yards from the first one. "Back home, I'd set up more, but we ain't got the time an' two will be plenty if we catch anythin'."

"I'll see t' traps early tomorrow. Don't need two of us for that task." Pye smiled. He could get the water, get the snares checked and come back in time, before the others woke. Get the tea ready or rather get the water boiling for the tea, and see to his kit. When all that was finished, they'd decide who carries the rabbit till next they would eat.

Pye followed and watched what Cotton was doing, marking both what the noose he made, looked like, and how he placed it, and where he chose to put the snare down.

"All right. Just give 'em a hard whack on the head like we did with that one of yourn. An' don't forget to let me have me snares back." He grinned at Pye through the gathering dusk. He was eager to learn; he just hoped he could keep the lad learning the right way of things.

"A good whack on t' head.. or a twis' of their neck." Pye nodded with a smile. "I'll not ferget ter do that 'fore i get them out of t' noose." He looked at the traps, that were set and nodded one last time. He would also remember, where they were, so that he would not loose neither their meal, nor the means to catch it.

"Think we should get back no'?" He asked turning to Cotton. "..So's they don't get scared o' us bein' here."

"Aye, we should get back. An' they'll know it's me - it's just us Rifles out here, see." He grinned. "C'mon then. It's near time to be gettin' our heads down, after all."

Pye nodded and turned to follow. His mind returned for a little to Maggie, and how she had found to complain to him. He wondered if she did that to Newbury as well, or her female friend or was it just the newest and the youngest. It wouldn't be a surprise if that had been the case. It would not have been a surprise. Women were like that. They got gifts merrily, and took them, but as happily they turned around to smack the one who brought them.

He didn't care. He stopped those provosts, not caused their attack. He made certain they got some of their own, even if he had had his own hide touched for that. It was a fair sacrifice. He could hope that they learned. If they didn't, then life was going to be the same as before. With all the similar dangers.

As they walked, he glanced around again, to remember where they had taken a turn. Good. A short walk, meant that he wasn't going to miss it. He already knew where the source of the water would be. "... Gabe. ..why does yer lass 'ate me?"

"Hate you?" Cotton stopped short and turned to look at Pye. "I wouldn't have thought she'd have any reason to hate you, mate. She don't like the 33rd, I do know that, but you person'lly? No idea, 'fraid."

"... Well.. we've talked.. ..n' she upped and left all abruptly.. n' then.. ever since, she made certain ter stay out o' me way.. or us meetin'." He shuffled his feet. "...Could ye... could yer tell 'er that I'm sorry. I dunno why she's upset, but that... whatever it is, I'm sorry fer?"

"Aye, I'll do that." He started walking again. "She'm still, well, she still gets upset easy, so mebbe it was sup'm you said that upset her, without you knowin' it?" He shrugged; he really didn't know what it could be.

"..well.. we talked 'bout how we men cause t' women ter be in trouble. 'actually.. it's she who started it, really. How we endanger them in a bit, because people who hate us, get at them." He looked thoughtful , and followed still as he did. "...Hm.. then there wos' talk...."

"Oh. Yeah, that sort of talk'd upset her pretty easy at the minute. Still, I don't s'pose she meant it personal-like." He shrugged. "Look, she went through summat real bad back in Coimbra an' it's goin' to take her a while to get over it. I ain't goin' to say what, 'cause it ain't my place to, but if the talk seems to want to go off that way again, try talkin' about summat else, all right?"

"Well... I saw 'er bein' beat.. Gabe. I heard things in t... 33rd. Nothin' specific. But...I tole her.. well I think I guessed near right wot' I said." He bit his lip. "I wasn' thinkin'. I forgot how... uh.. how fragile lasses can be. How you can't jus' say everythin' to 'em. Could... could that have angered 'er? N' I promise never ter talk to her about that. I'll be quiet rather than say it. I promise!"

"You... you watched that bastard do... that to her and didn't do nothin' to help?" Cotton stopped and caught Pye's arm. If he'd seen her and done nothing, Cotton was going to lay him out cold. He'd already clenched his fist.

"Watched....." He looked at Cotton, and was startled at his sudden bout of anger, for that's what he thought it was. "Oh.. no no... I did not watch when it 'appened! No.. No not that. I meant, I saw wot' 'er face looked like, beat. I saw 'er injuries after it. But I guess'd. ....I guessed right..I thought right. If it 'appened.... I would'ov done summat." He might've have done something. Probably. "I jus' knew .. o' who'd done it... later."

"Oh." He stepped back, deflated. "Same's I'd've done for him if I'd known about it at the time." He kicked at a tuft of grass. "Sorry I grabbed you thataway, mate. Didn't mean to... I'd've thumped you good 'n' proper if I thought you'd had anythin' to do with it."