On duty in the dark

"But t' collars?" His own was a fine thick red, not as faded as that of the riflemen who had a good long time behind them, marching and serving. "Won't notice?" He asked and was glad that they had an upper hand on the French. IF they would come. He looked back to the path again. Perhaps they were all asleep now, and they were the only ones awake. Wide awake is what he felt.

Roper shook his head. "Not in the dark they won't. It ain't like it's white facings, after all. Red still looks black, along of everythin' else in the dark. Besides, it'll fade quick enough, same's the rest of ours did. And they won't notice us if we don't move too fast or show ourselves against the sky. That's one reason we're sittin' down, after all, that."

"Like forms, ain't seeing them unless they're standing against the sky." He nodded. If the night wasn't pitch black, in which case one saw nothing at all, the sky seemed to permit seeing things against it, while the trees would hide them well enough. And the night that they were at, wasn't as dark as to prevent seeing. Couldn't have seen that owl earlier if it were so.

He shifted a little where he saw and pulled his hands a bit into the sleeves, balling them into fists. He kept them away from the cool length of his rifle, and saved warmth by holding them close and tucked in. "Keep shiny things from sight too. They're easier spotted. Even at night. 'cos they're not natural too." He looked at Roper as if seeing if his thesis would receive a confirmation.

Roper nodded. "Aye, that's right. That's why our rifles don't have shiny barrels like muskets do. Means less polishin' to do, and means they can't be seen at night. They don't get rusty, neither, though it's still good to wipe 'em dry after it's been raining." He ran a hand along the cool length of his own Baker's browned barrel.

He smiled. Learned a little bit more about his rifle, that he did. Not only what he saw, and he'd had her seen through well, but also the why it was so.

"Keep t' rifle clean, s' t' mos' important one, that." He piped up, though hushed enough that he couldn't be heard, nor betray their position.

" Clean n' tended to, all proper." he said and looked at his own one, then quickly at the path they were guarding and down at the rifle again. He didn't want to ask about the buttons, which the riflemen had very much a good deal more in more rows than one. They were a bit shiny, he thought, though perhaps not that much neither.

"We're like t' wind ter them. They can't see us at all, but they'll feel us right when it's the time!" He thought it was fitting. A wind could sneak up on a man, never to be seen coming.

Roper chuckled. "Reckon that's one way of puttin' it, sure," he said. It would be interesting to see just how clean the lad's rifle was in comparison to those of the old sweats, of course. Pye seemed enthusiastic enough, at any rate, which was something. Mind you, considering the regiment he'd come from, Roper thought anyone would be enthusiastic about the regiment he found himself in.

"You got plenty to learn, but seems you'll be learnin' it all real quick. You've got a good head on your shoulders, I'll say that for you," he said, noticing the lad glancing down at his own rifle.

Pye felt his cheeks burn at the compliment. It was all too kind, he thought. Didn't deserve that, but it was all nice too, and he was grateful. So grateful for being taught and learnt too. And being let to think. By the captain himself, no less!

"Show me,.." He blurted and felt ready to disappear into the ground, for doing so. " His hand was running along the length of the rifle, and checking at the same time that all was well with it. He had cleaned it again, kept it from having dirt on her of course, but still he went to look, as if afraid that it'd turn itself not presentable just like that.

"..n' I'll do me all to learn." He looked up, and more timid and quietly, but so the more feeling he added:" N'. .thank you. For saying somethin' so nice." His smile was bright even if the darkness concealed most of it.

He glanced at the road, saw nothing move again, saw but a waver of leaves at the three tops, which could be nothing else but some wind. He payed it less attention now and that was good too for it would be good to learn a false alarm for the one that was true.

Roper grinned. "We'll show you, right enough. Reckon you'll be quick enough at learnin' it all, too. An' you'd best get used to folks sayin' nice stuff. People can say bad things too, like they do anywhere, but we try to say nice things as well. Makes it a bit of a better place to be, y'see. And I don't just mean us Riflemen, but the Sergeants and officers too."

"I'll give it me bes'. I'll try!" He nodded quickly and several times, a grin still quite present on his face. He meant it too, he wasn't just saying it because it sounded nice. It was becoming a bit of a family here, though he had some of his friends, that he knew and visited in the 33rd too. Wouldn't forget them. He was a rifleman now however, and that was something he'd not forget either.

Nice things by an officer and a sergeant? He nodded again and rubbed his neck as if rubbing an ache from it there. " You'm.. joined with a transfer like, or jus' straight for the rifles? ..If, if you don't mind me askin'." He looked at the road again. There, no.. just as he'd thought it could be something, it prooved to be another alarm ill placed. He relaxed a little.

The night was so clear that it seemed to amplify each and every sound and show a shadow where there was not but a stump or a stone, a rock uncannily shaped that it looked like a human, but was not.

"I transferred. I think most of us did. Was in the 9th Norfolks when the 60th were recruitin'. They had permission to recruit from other regiments, and that's when I joined, a bit before Cotton come here from the 22nd. There's some folks who've bin the Fifth battalion since it was raised, back in '97, though I ain't one of 'em. Sar'nt Fischer is, I know that, and some of the others."

It was a clear night, with a few wisps of cloud. It would be easy for anyone, especially a new recruit, to startle, but it seemed that Pye had a lot of nerve and wouldn't fire at the natural nocturnal sounds and movements, which was something. Although even experienced soldiers sometimes startled at shadows, but it did look as though Pye wasn't a nervous sort. It might well be different in battle, of course, but that would come later.

Unless the French decided to come tonight, in which case Roper would get him back to the bridge if he had to drag him by the collar.

Encouraged by the answer the youth listened and as the other had finished, he added another quiet question, his attention shifting briefly between them two and the area that they meant to watch, but never so much that he'd think himself careless.

"Why'd ye join t' army?" It was a curious question and many a man had a similar answer, some didn't want to give theirs and others had had a particular bit of luck turning against them, but still it was an interesting question and still each man had a story of their own.

He looked more alert again, for the shuffle of sounds up ahead. He watched, looked in the direction from whence the sound came, then settled back down, his motions much slower since he was told that they weren't meant to move faster, so as not to be seen.

Sergeant Fisher was of the old, many were given the chance, such as he, to join into the ranks to fill them. Different regiments they've come from and have then been shaped into being the 60th. He smiled.

Roper grinned. "Got caught with a brace of Squire's pheasants once too often. They was tryin' to eat the wheat we'd sown, and when I got hauled in front of a judge he said I'd be better off puttin' me shootin' skills to use in the King's service rather'n trying for the Squire's game. And it was that or hang. So I took the shillin'." He shrugged. "Same thing happened to other folks as well, o' course. They've got to get recruits somehow, and it ain't a bad life, bein' in the Rifles. Could be worse, anyway."

"'least you'd have been gettin' some fine feedin' before that!" He grinned, and thought that it wasn't really much of a surprise and as earlier he considered it, it was similar yet different too. A similar, different story, as he'd called it.

"n' now is good n' fine too!" He subconsciously licked at his lips at the memory of the bowl full of food he'd gotten since the first day with the Rifles. "Very fine." He was happy about that and that he was fed just right and food really was an important thing anyhow. No doubt in that.

"Rifles are good, mmhmm." He agreed. " Tough n' good." And dare noone say it was all an easy life, but in his mind it was a better one. And it was that he couldn't deny, no matter what.

"Tough as old boots, us Rifles, an' just as hard for the Frogs to swallow. And we do things diff'rent, as you know. Well, you've seen a bit, anyway. And we've got good officers, and good mates, and that's all you need, really. Well, you've met the Captain, haven't you?" Roper would be very surprised if he hadn't met the Captain - he knew Vickery, like other officers, usually liked to interview men he was going to accept into his Company. "What did you think of him, as an officer?"

(OOC - I really am for bed now! I'll see you around!)

"I've seen him, I did! First day I came to see him, to see if I could be transferred then. Seen him n' Cotton right there!" He remembered the experience in part fondly and in part nearly as nervously as he'd felt at the time. He had tea with sugar later. Proper sweet thing. And before he'd talked and all. He smiled.

"He's a..." It was terribly hard to speak about an officer, usually. But he'd done before and there was nothing bad that he could say. Not really. All truth and all good and he hoped Roper would know that. He paused a moment then as he organised some of his thoughts and convinced himself it was alright to say more, he did.

"A real excellent officer, fer what I've seen him. He talks to men n'.. he asks, he really asks things and wants you to say them too!" He spoke animatedly, though at all times watching his volume and observing the road.

"He wants you to think, which is sumething real new. And he listens to what you have to say. He looks like he wants ter know t' men." Was hard to explain too, in so many words: "He's real kind too , but just right! I like him, that. N'.. N'.." He smiled and lowered his gaze a little, lower on the road.

"He's goin' far... that I'm sure of. Even if I'm jus' a pri... a rifleman and don't know t' world, I know that as sure as I'm wearin' green right now! Well.. 'e should."

He hesitated: "..N' I'm real grateful he gave me t' chance here. Wot'.. What do you think of him, knowing him for so much longer and.. and all?"

(ooc - see you! Sleep good!! And we'll watch the paint!....*eyes the furniture* or find new furniture, looking just like the old! ;D. Bye bye, and see you!)

Waldegrave could hear the murmur of voices before he reached the place where the picquet was, and before they noticed him. He cleared his throat, hoping that their watch to the front was better, and slipped into the dip behind them.

"I'm looking for your officer," he said quietly.

Pye glanced from the road, which he was watching while talking and turned towards the lieutenant. He gave a quick salute, and glanced briefly at Roper.

He spoke quietly, though ready to turn quiet any moment the older and more experienced two men would have chosen to speak. "He's not here sir, last I seen him .." And he hoped it wasn't too far from where the officer was now, he didn't want to see the lieutenant go about in any wrong direction and already he felt wrong for speaking in what he felt out of turn. "..There sir. By t' two bigger bolders." He pointed his hand in the direction. He shut up then and thought he should've done so before.

He turned quickly to the road. To see if there were any changes there. And luckily there was none. But he checked all the way from their one marker to the other anyway, to be sure, then looked down but in the direction of the lieutenant. An officer has confused him enough whether he should have the attention or really the land before them.

The Lieutenant dropped down into a crouch to look forward at the road. Very softly he said: "Ah. I must have missed him. The Colonel was looking for Captain Vickery, but I don't think he's passed the bridge yet..."

"Don't know 'zactly, sir. We've been watching t' road here, n'... sir." He hastened to say. Say again even, didn't he just mean to be quiet a moment ago? He frowned at himself for that.
And he hadn't even asked which officer. He felt blood rush to his cheeks, but tried keep his nerve. It was a red coat officer, but just an officer too.

There was another rustle of leaves and grass to the side of the road. The rocks were in places pale against the ground, with the natural abnormalities hidden to view, till a foot would slip and twist in them, or at the very least bring forth a curse from the unlucky.

"It's the German chappie with you tonight, I think. He spoke to my Captain when you took over... " But they spoke English - the officers almost perfectly, and the men in a way that could be understood, at least. His own German was rusty...

The rustle stilled him, and he peered forward, until a flurry of movement, and a high squeal told its own story. Something very small - a mouse, probably, crossed the band of moonlight, and disappeared while whatever was hunting was occupied with its prey.

"From t' 60th, sir?" He glanced at Roper who knew more of the officers by name. He moved a small deal out of the way so that the lieutenant could see all that he wished, well enough.

He glanced at the direction in which the mouse or some sort of rodent at least, judging by its size, ran off to. He glanced then in the opposite direction to see what has spooked it. It had to be an animal again, for the predator, a mere glimpse of it, was seen a moment later.

"Is very lively today, sir. ..lots of ..er.. animals out there." He said timidly and more quietly.

"Of course from the 60th!" There were only half a dozen British Riflemen in this Rifle company, after all. German officers were at least as competent as the British, and often more so. And their riflemen were deferential, provided you treated them right - they had not been infected with this foolish revolutionary view of the essential equality of men and officers, which Captain Vickery pandered to. The equality of men and officers, and the even more stupid notion that the Rifles were superior to the line. When they had idiots like that Irish boy of Sharpe's, unable to speak English.

"It's when they start walking all over you that you know that you have successfully merged into the background - but if they're running, it probably means that something bigger and nastier is on its way."

Pye dropped his gaze quickly. His smile wavered till it was completely gone. Even before it was rather faint, with the red coat officer arriving.

He was silent for a time, hearing only partially when the animals plight and presence was mentioned. He fidgeted slightly where he sat and looked at the road. It was rather silent again. Except for the phanthom sounds that the smaller animals of the forest caused but one never knew where they were from, nor their exact source or reason. They could speculate it was a mouse, or some other sort of mammal, and children could think they were mystical beings too.

He looked at the lieutenant: "is..Is.." He tried to recall the wherabouts of such a man. He'd been paying so much attention to Roper and their third company that he wasn't sure now. "..Lieutenant Brady, he's.." He wanted to say an officer, but just stopped himself, it was rather obvious that, and even nervous he couldn't act and speak so foolishly. " he'd be alright?" Maybe he meant another officer altogether, but that's about the names he knew. He knew faces, and he meant to remember all the rest too, sometime.

He looked at the road again. A stronger gale of wind, which luckily didn't dislodge another dry branch, still left to make a sound of its own along the rocky and ragged terrain. " Yes , sir. If many of them come runnin' is time to listen.." He murmured.

Roper had half-turned when the officer approached, but anyone coming from that direction was a friend. He acknowledged the officer, but kept his eyes open for the French, if they decided to come.

When the visiting officer mentioned looking for the 60th's officers, Roper risked turning to see him. "Mister Jaeger's over there, I think, sir. Or Captain Vickery'll be along shortly, if you want to wait for him, sir."

Waldegrave smiled. "I will look for Mr Jaeger, but if you see Captain Vickery, would you advise him that Colonel Edrington wants to see him... " Unless they already had met, before Vickery got to the picquets, but people managed to miss each other, and at least the Captain would get the message. He gave a last cautious look to the front.