Bernard Cornwell - Sharpe’s Triumph - The Battle of Assaye, September 1803

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 1998

SHARPE’S TRIUMPH. Copyright © Bernard Cornwell 1998.

Map by Ken Lewis

Cover design by Holly Macdonald © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2018. Cover photographs © AKG-Images

The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780007338757

Ebook Edition © JUNE 2011 ISBN: 9780007338757

Version: 2018-04-13

Sharpe’s Triumph is for Joel Gardner, who walked Ahmednuggur and Assaye with me

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Maps

Chapter 1

It was not Sergeant Richard Sharpe’s fault. He was not…

Chapter 2

Sharpe sat in the open shed where the armoury stored…

Chapter 3

Colonel McCandless led his small force into Sir Arthur Wellesley’s…

Chapter 4

Sharpe followed McCandless into the gatehouse’s high archway, using the…

Chapter 5

Sharpe was curiously relieved when Colonel McCandless found him next…

Chapter 6

Colonel McCandless excused himself from Pohlmann’s supper, but did not…

Chapter 7

Dodd called his new gelding Peter. ‘Because it’s got no…

Chapter 8

General Wellesley was like a gambler who had emptied his…

Chapter 9

‘There!’ Dodd said, pointing.

Chapter 10

The redcoats advanced in a line of two ranks. The…

Chapter 11

Colonel McCandless had stayed close to his friend Colonel Wallace,…

Chapter 12

Assaye alone remained in enemy hands, for the rest of…

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Historical Note

About the Author

The SHARPE Series (in chronological order) Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

The SHARPE Series (in order of publication) Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Also by Bernard Cornwell Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

About the Publisher Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

It was not Sergeant Richard Sharpe’s fault. He was not in charge. He was junior to at least a dozen men, including a major, a captain, a subadar and two jemadars, yet he still felt responsible. He felt responsible, angry, hot, bitter and scared. Blood crusted on his face where a thousand flies crawled. There were even flies in his open mouth.

But he dared not move.

The humid air stank of blood and of the rotted egg smell made by powder smoke. The very last thing he remembered doing was thrusting his pack, haversack and cartridge box into the glowing ashes of a fire, and now the ammunition from the cartridge box exploded. Each blast of powder fountained sparks and ashes into the hot air. A couple of men laughed at the sight. They stopped to watch it for a few seconds, poked at the nearby bodies with their muskets, then walked on.

Sharpe lay still. A fly crawled on his eyeball and he forced himself to stay absolutely motionless. There was blood on his face and more blood had puddled in his right ear, though it was drying now. He blinked, fearing that the small motion would attract one of the killers, but no one noticed.