June 30th: A Meeting by Chance

The young man came belatedly to attention, his shoes scraping audibly over the rough ground. "Beg pardon, sir," he said stiffly, offering a salute. "He ain't rightly mine, sir, but I'll shift him directly-like. C'mere, fella, and cease that noise."

Whether or not this admonition was understood could not be said, but the dog recognised a summons when one was given. He backed toward the lad, a low growl still rumbling from somewhere deep within. Of the three humans, this lad - the Noisy Human - was the only one he knew and therefore could trust.

Well, that was a problem solved. He wondered what regiment the young man belonged to. Infantry, obviously. But it didn't matter.

"Thank you private. Lieutenant, shall we continue? It's just a few minutes now."

"Hold on Fraser." He said. "Before you go lad." Even though they were probably the same age. "Do you happen to know where Captain Vickery's company is located? Any help would be appreciated."

"Of course, sir," the youngster said immediately. His thin face seemed to brighten again and he turned on his heel to point. "Just yon, it is, sir. Not terrible far, neither. I'll show you, if you likes, sirs."

Preferably without the dog tagging along, though he reckoned there was no putting the beast off. He belonged to the Rifles more than he did to the Coldstream's Light Company. Waiting only for a moment, since he assumed the two officers would follow him anyway, the lad set off at a brisk pace.

True to his expectation, the dog trotted along after him, keeping a wary eye on the two officers as he went.

"Good fellows, the Riflemen," the lad went on. "Had some adventures, they done, not too long ago. But they're the sort to go lookin' for adventures. You newly come out to join 'em, sir, or are you just back from Belem?"

Fraser? Fraser? Captain Fraser. Damned, he was senior here and he knew the way damn well himself, so why did this lieutenant think he could things like this?
Did he think Fraser was not up to this? He felt like being played with by senior officers again. But this time, Fraser had the higher rank.

"Lieutenant, as you are new I will forgive your little mistake there," he said as he walked next to him, looking him in the eyes," But it is customary in the army to adress an officer with his proper rank, especially when the officer in question is senior to you. Further, most senior officers appricate being consulted before a decision, how minor it can be."

Maybe he was a little hard on him, but it was clear that this young frenchman needed some teaching, for it was just a matter of time that he would find an officer with a lot less patience.
Personally, Fraser didn't mind iniative from his subalterns, where some men did, bút he was excessivly proud on his rank.
"Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant?" He added.

Jean froze as heard Fraser starting to talk behind him. He knew what was coming. He swallowed as Fraser walked up beside him to begin his lecture. Had Jean had a tail, it would have been between his legs. Though Jean listened, making absolutely sure not to show his exasperation as it went on.

"Yes... Captain. Point taken." The Private had continued on ahead. Either unaware of the dispute or just preferring to avoid it, a wise choice. Jean quickened his pace to get closer to the soldier. "I have just arrived to meet them. I have not yet had the pleasure of staying at Belem. I needed to spend some time as a Lieutenant before I can become a Captain, so I found a spot with the rifles." Jean wasn't normally one for such talk with, of all things, a Private, but right now he would do just about anything to get away from Fraser for a moment.

So the fellow was no different from a redcoat officer, the lad thought. Well. Except for his green jacket, that was. He had managed not to grin when the Artillery captain had snapped out his reprimand but still found the situation highly amusing.

"That's right clever, sir," the youngster said. "Belem's an unhappy place, what-all I heard of it, sir, so not havin' been there is a blessing. Yon's the Rifles. Will that serve, sirs?"

There probably wasn't anything else they needed from him, anyway. This might be a good thing, though, since he wanted to get the dog back to his own company's bivouac before the wretched beast took it into his head to bite someone.

This time, Fraser took the word.

"Yes, that would be all, private". He saluted, and added:"Goodday, and don't forget to feed your dog". He also added a quick, almost unnotecable wink.

He took a moment to spot Vickery's tent, found it, and set off.
"Come on Lieutenant! Duty is calling!"

"Hello, dog!" Maggie called happily, kneeling and holding out her hands to the animal. She straightened up when she noticed the officers not far behind.

"Gabe," she whispered to her husband. "Officers comin'."

The voice belonged to the Human from the Stream. With a happy wuffle, the dog went trotting toward her, as ever interested in positive attention. He knew her better than the Noisy Human anyway, and she was automatically preferable to those two strangers.

He thrust his nose at her offered hands for an obligatory sniff, then decided her fingers needed a wash, so he lapped at them with his broad pink tongue.

~



"Yes sir," the youngster said cheerfully and saluted. He glanced around briefly for the dog, then saw it had found someone else to get attention from. With a grin, he turned and made his way back toward his company's bivouac. Like as not the dog would remain here with the Rifles for the night.

"Stop it," Maggie scolded softly, wiping her hands on her apron. She looked up to see if McIntyre was about, but the dog seemed to have come with the young lad in a forage cap who was now departing. She called after him. "Hoy! Don't leave your dog here! Take him with you! No no no, you're not staying," she said, speaking now to the dog himself as she rubbed his ears. "Little beggar, go on. No more captain-scraps for you."

Officers? Cotton nearly offered his hand for the dog to sniff, but restrained himself. "Any idea what they'm after?" he asked Maggie, looking at the two approaching officers. One of them was in the uniform of the 60th Rifles and the other... "Looks like that artillery officer from t'other night," he said thoughtfully. "Wonder what they want?"

They were heading for the 60th's camp, so it would be only polite to go and ask them. Cotton straightened, slipped his rifle from where it was slung on his shoulder down to the 'shoulder arms' position so that he could offer a proper salute, and approached the two officers.

Fraser saw a riflemen approaching. Wasn't that...yes, it was, he remembered. It had been just 2 days ago, after all.

He stopped and mimed taking a dirt of Delacroix's expensive looking pelisse.
Still, he wasn't sure what to make of the youngman, other then that he would either become a perfect officer, or a really bad one.

"That's Vic...Captain Vickerys batman, if I'm not much mistaken. I'm sure you are a good chap, Lieutenant, but take this advice from me, someone who has been in your spot for many years.
Do not try to be too friendly with the soldiers, especially in the beginning. But you shouldn't be a dictator neither. Try to find the right balance,". He straightened up, thought for a second, and added: "Your captain, is a good example."

Jean watched the rifleman approach. Then turned as Fraser started talking to him.

"I'll remember that Captain." He replied. Fraser was certainly an interesting character Jean thought. He also guessed that there may have been more to the man then what he had seen so-far. But he also guessed that this wouldn't be his last meeting with the Captain. Jean grinned at the Captain's boast. "It's been a pleasure to meet you Captain Fraser." He nodded then turned back towards the Private.

Jean returned the salute. "I see you are with the 60th Rifles Private. I am looking for Captain Vickery, do you know where he is?"

He was being hailed by the woman the dog had gone to greet. Turning back, the lad lifted an eyebrow. He had no real control over the dog, any more than the woman did - or anyone else, for that matter.

"Aye, Missus," he replied, and shoved a hand into his trouser pocket. He'd learned, in the few days that the dog had been with his company, that the beast had a fondness for cooked meat. "Here, you daft beast, c'mon along this way. There's a lad!"

~



That the Noisy Human had Food in his hand caught the dog's attention immediately. Food was the one thing that could be guaranteed to distract him from everything else. Even strange and bad humans.

With his tail wagging eagerly, the dog bounded toward the Noisy Human, intent on receiving that bit of Food in return for his arriving. To his surprised dismay, however, the Noisy Human turned quickly about and ran, the scrap of meat in his hand. Two-legged devil! The dog yapped at him in reprimand and gave chase. That was his Food!

To here.

"Yes, sir," Cotton said. "He's this way, sir. And it's 'Rifleman', if you don't mind, please, sir."

He shook his head ruefully at the dog and his redcoat companion. Obviously the dog had got good at scrounging from pretty much anyone in the camp - which would mean that the Rifles weren't the only ones to have adopted the mutt.

"Captain Fraser! Sir! Captain Fraser!"

Freddie came cannoning down the space between two tentrows, nimbly jumping over everything (and in one case everyone) that happened to be on the ground there.

When he came near the officer and saw the new lieutenant in all his finery, he abruptly dug in his heels and nearly defied the laws of impulse in the attempt to come to attention before he had completely stopped.

"Uh, Herr Leutnant! Entschu ...excuse me!"

He nearly twisted himself in knots to divide attention and his excuse evenly. Fraser was of higher rank, but the lieutenant was an officer of his own regiment, so who was he supposed to talk to now? Without daring to turn his head or even his eyes to him, he tried to cast a pleading look to Cotton, hoping for pointers.

Fraser had not even turned around before a rifleman came rocketeering towards him. No wonder he's in the light infantry, if he can move so quickly trough this 'terrain'.
It was not without some amusement he saw the man almost fall over when he came to an abrubt stop.
That amusement quickly became terror as he realized that someone had been looking for him! God, he knew he should have stayed in the safety of his tent. But there was no escape out of this.

"Yes, Rifleman, that's me,' he said, trying to sound as friendly as possible and by that, hiding his fear. He knew he failed and that he must have sounded like a schoolboy having heard his name being said by the headmaster. Terrified by a friendly ranker whose face looked oddly familair to him.

"Uh, Sir, yes ... I shall give you this!"

The young rifleman pulled a letter, immaculately folded and sealed with a coat of arms and indeed addressed to Captain Fraser, Esq., RHA, in a neat and clean copperplate. The author had also added the full address below.

Rottlaender held out the letter with his fingertips, clearly afraid that he would leave mudprints on the white paper otherwise.

"Mylord said I should bring you this!"

Mylord...Offcourse! Torrington! Fraser recogized the German batman and relaxed. He used the back of his hand to wipe some sweath of his forehead, and his other hand to accept the letter.

He was about to open it, as he expected that the German would want a reply for the lord, but he suddenly noted Delacroix was still standing next to him.

"Lieutenant, you shouldn't let Captain Vickery wait." he said. Though he would like to see their meeting, this was something between the two rifle officers. "I hope we will meet again soon. You are offcourse always welcome."

"Yes, Riflem..." But he didn't finish. For just then, another rifleman came screeching to a halt in front of Fraser. Jean watched as he handed Fraser a letter.

He was somewhat what disappointed when Fraser hinted that he should be leaving. "Right. I shall be on my way now. It was good to meet you." With that, he turned and walked over to the other Rifleman. "Well then Rifleman, if you know where he is at, would you be so kind as to take me to him?"

Freddie nearly knocked himself out again at trying to salute perfectly when the lieutenant left. He defnitely would have to tell Pye that he had seen a new officer!

But he couldn't linger, because there was a Captain on his other side now, so even during the salut he turned sharply around again.

"Do you want to give me an answer, Captain Fraser, Sir?"

cotton couldn't help rolling his eyes at Rottlaender's enthusiasm. The lad would have to learn to calm down - hopefully before he totally wrecked something by running into it.

"Certainly, sir," he said in response to the officer's question. "He'm this way."

Fraser made a down waving gesture with his arm.

"A moment, please, Rifleman" he said, with just a small hint of reprimanding. What was it with these...rifles.
The letter was a very small square note, and the message which it contained quite surprised Fraser, and he had to read it two times before he was sure his eyes were not deceiving him.

He turned around to the German, thought for a few seconds about a good answer, as the man would surely pass on his exact words.
"Tell Captain Torrington I am honored by his request, and gladly accept."

"Honored by his ... your request, and gladly accept."

Freddie repeated the words dutifully, commiting them (and quite innocently, even Captain Fraser's diction and tone) to memory. Then his concentrated expression was replaced by his usual grin again.

"I will tell him, Sir! Can I do anything else?"