Day of the Flogging

"That's just like him. He'm proper nice, for an officer. Though you wouldn't credit the fluster I was in when he called me up to his room, to interview me 'bout becomin' his batman. I thought for sure I'd done summat awful wrong."

Vickery raised an eyebrow. "If there's a spare soldier hanging around, send him to the Rifles, eh? Well, Private Willoughby of the 15th Hussars, I don't have any message for the Colonel. And who do you know in my Company that you can mess with? For I do not believe you would wish to form a mess of one."

"Sir... I have met private Cotton on the hills when I first arrived." As a horseless horseman no less. He wasn't quite sure of the question and grounds for it, but he tried full well to be helpful in his reply. ".. And private Newbury, Private Jacklin. " Given that he had only met them then, and the boy of the 95th hardly counted.

He tried to recall if there were others that he knew more then by their faces and the green of their uniforms, but he could not remember any names so he turned that thought down. He did feel a slight offense at being addressed as if he were but the baggage that the riflemen were forced to carry. A burden with little other prospects.

".. I am an excellent rider, and a fair good shot." He supplied, his voice calm and polite, though the fire was barely concealed beneath it.

"Sir."

"Rifleman. They won't like it if you call them 'Private'," Vickery said. "And I am sorry if you thought I was being disrespectful of your skills and experience. But if you mess with Riflemen Cotton and Newbury, that should suit everybody."

A fair shot. With a carbine, that was saying something; they were generally worse than muskets. And Vickery had no idea how easy or otherwise it would be to fire a Baker from the saddle. "Do you have a carbine with you?" he asked, wondering how to supply the deficiency if he did not.

"Noted, sir." Riflemen it was then. The second question came with less zeal to be answered, for he had but a crooked sabre with him, the carbine lost somewhere in the scoffle. Whether it had been left beneath the horse, or if the mudd had claimed it, he had no means to find it, nor had no time to search for it. If it were of course not allready damaged beyond good use.

"No sir." He gave no further explanation, not expecting that the officer would want it. A smart thing to suggest ability of shooting, when he had no weapon now to do so. Inwardly he frowned, yet gave no indication of such feeling on his face. Holding himself still as proud as any Hussar.

Maggie looked thoughtful as she listened to Cotton. "Yes. Yes, he's very kind." Though she was still heartily ashamed of the way she had repaid Vickery's kindness. She tried to look more cheerful. "And Private Williams is very kind too. How did you come to be friends with him?"

Somehow, they would have to make good the deficiency in the lad's weapons. He wondered if the Quartermaster of the Scots Greys would be amenable to releasing any of his stores for a stranded Hussar. Maybe not. He made a mental note to speak with Colonel Edrington about it.

"I presume it was a Paget carbine?" he asked. "A Baker rifle in the saddle would not answer, of course, being designed for soldiers to use on foot."

"We - me, an' Dan Hagman, one of Mister Sharpe's men - met him in a tavern, and we needed someone to judge our shootin' for us. An' then we had a run-in with that Sergeant Hakeswill, and he was accused of assaultin' Mister Sharpe. And I was on guard duty that day, posted down on the cells. So we got to talkin' an', well, that's about it, really."

"Yes sir. A Paget." He hesitated a moment, immersed in his thoughts. He looked to the captain, tigtening the reins of his mare, for she was beginning to show her impatience. "..When I am able sir, I should have no problem to dismount nor walk a distance, should it be needed, to fire a weapon. I have not ridden with a baker rifle before, but I am quite certain that its use would thus be by far.. limited.."If poor to non existant even.

He was eager to ride yes, but he would not have his own desires and wishes come in way of duty, whichever the later could be. If his grandfather had heard that, by all means he would have been shocked. The boy who had fled solely to be able to join the Hussars.

"No, you are a Hussar, and proud of it, rightly so. We shall try to arm you as you are used to being armed. You are not being recruited to the Rifles, after all. Although if you should wish to learn to fire a Baker, I am sure some of my men would welcome the chance to teach you."

He smiled, and stroked one of Brandy's ears. "You are a horseman, and from what I can see, a good one. You should be employed where your talents lie. That is where you will be most needed."

"Accused of assaulting Mister Sharpe?" Maggie was surprised. "He took me to see Mister Sharpe last night, right before the court martial, and..." She paused, trying to remember the events and conversations. Had it really only been last night? "He said that he'd once done a favor for Mister Sharpe."

"It was some other bastard who tried to do for the Lieutenant and he came up and scared the man off - he didn't want no witnesses. And Mister Sharpe knew it wasn't him who'd done it, 'cause he'd seen him at the end of the street just afore he got jumped." He would have shrugged then, if his back wasn't hurting so much. "So, yes, he did Mister Sharpe a favour."

"Oh." She wasn't much interested in the perils of Williams and Sharpe for their own sakes. Her mind was still distracted by thoughts of last night and this morning. "I think... I think Private Williams disapproves of me."

"Yes sir." He nodded, in part relieved that he was not made to walk. The long few days that he had to be going by foot, through mud and through rock had made full sure that he was glad to be riding a horse and never regretted his choice. Not that he would, should he not have gone through the same experience.

"I would like to learn, yes sir." He smiled. By his first impression the captain was of good character, and slight different than the ones he was used to so far. he could not yet point to what made him feel otherlike, but it was there.

No harm to learn to shoot a Baker, perhaps one day it could pose a useful skill too. It was the offered knowledge that one did not learn, that was the one the same person would despair for, when the occasion came.

Bella's ears twitched and she raised her elegant head to look at the rider in green. She stomped her foot at the ground, and flicked her tail, but made no move forward, for she was halted by her man.
The kind words and a compliment sat most well with the youth, who had forgotten a moment to hold his serious formality, and smiled as bright as a younger lad would when praised. "Thank you, sir!"

"All right, then. I think the Colonel will be needing you back, if you are to be his galloper for the foreseeable future. When we are in bivouac, the Rifles will be camped together next to the 62nd. Just ask for the 60th, and when you have found us, ask for Rifleman Cotton. No, no, you had best ask for Rifleman Newbury. The surgeon may want to keep an eye on Cotton tonight."

Maggie Evans wrote:"Oh." She wasn't much interested in the perils of Williams and Sharpe for their own sakes. Her mind was still distracted by thoughts of last night and this morning. "I think... I think Private Williams disapproves of me."

"Why do you think that, Maggie?" Cotton tried to find a more comfortable position. The only way he could be anything like properly comfortable was lying down, though, and he really didn't want to spend all his time on his belly. That sort of thing made you lazy.

"Yes sir. Is there a message I should take to him?" He repeated the instructions in his mind, not to forget. The men could easily disappear in the dark and the last he needed was to go hungry along with his horse, for being unable to locate the proper camp. Ofcourse there was always the go and ask routine, which had helped him so far.

"..May I inquire on Rifleman Cotton's wellbeing, sir?" It was question that gnawed at his mind, though he saw that he would be quite able to go ask himself. But with miss there again, he could not disturb them. Sure many close friends would be coming already and the man might have probably had those enough, let alone a stranger.

The question, unexpected as it was, raised the young Hussar in Vickery's expectation. "He is doing well, though I daresay he was relieved he was not expected to march with us today. He will be on light duties this week, and possibly next week as well. Knowing him, you can ask him yourself this evening. Even if the surgeon does want him under close supervision, he'll come along to our camp to eat."

"I am glad, and I shall sir, thank you." Atleast the lad was doing better! It was no pleasant thing to have your back flayed with a cat. More so were he innocent in the accusation. He knew not of the event itself, but solely of the man's character. Which as before had been pleasant and right.

Bella again pulled at her reins and had her ears thrust to the sides and forward. She eased herself a step backward, and had to be given attention, to have her stop proper again. A fiery spirit that one, he again wondered if this was the reason he got her as easily.

Awaiting solely the dismissal of the captain now, and were there be a message, to have such message given, before he were to salute, turn and depart. The day was turning out for the better. Even the rain seemed to remain at bay for the time being, solely the dark clouds looming ahead. And there, for even the slightest of moments a ray of light pierced through the gray fluff and had the land beneath bathed in gold.

[OOC - And with this i hit the hay.. er what they say. Good night!]

Maggie looked down at her hands in her lap, feeling embarrassed. "I'm afraid I made a bit of a spectacle of myself, Gabe - last night and this morning."

"Oh, Maggie, lass. Nobody expected you to stand there and not say anythin'. Would've tried the patience of an angel, that."

He reached out to grasp her hand. "Plenty o' women have done what you did, an' worse."

"I shall tell my men to look for you this evening, then, Private. Carry on."

Maggie looked crestfallen. "He told you?"

"No, he didn't. But I remember the court-martial, and then I think you called out somethin' this morning, only I don't 'member that so well."

He gently ran a finger down her cheek. "It's all right, Maggie."

She hung her head, remembering Williams' words: You are shaming him. And his aversion to staying with her to talk after the court martial. Was that just the way he was, or did he have a personal dislike for her? Did he blame her for Cotton's trouble? Did he think her an unworthy match for his friend? "I wish... I wanted to be brave, for you. You were brave." She sighed, thinking but reluctant to share all of her thoughts. "I'm sorry. For everything."