Tongues of Serpents Page 0,140

his second lieutenant behind him. "Mr. Fellowes! You will rig Caesar out at once; it is a rebellion. You are to remain here," he added to Temeraire. "Laurence is in no danger whatsoever: they are advancing on the governor's mansion, and nowhere near the inn where he was dining."

"As though I were likely to take your word for it," Temeraire said scornfully, "or listen to you; I am not under your command, and if someone is rebelling, who is it, and why?"

"That," Rankin snapped, "is none of your concern; if you do mean to go blundering in, and likely crush Laurence yourself in reckless abandon, by all means do so, but you will keep out of our way. Caesar, does all lie well? That breast-band does not look secure to me, Mr. Fellowes, you will see to it."

"It is a little loose there over the shoulder, as well," Caesar reported, puffing out his chest tremendously, and then Demane said, "I don't see why we should - ow!"

Roland had kicked him soundly in the shin, and as he bent towards it caught him by the ear, twisting it painfully. "Don't be an ass," she said, "and don't you yowl at me, either," she added, when Kulingile had reared up his head in bristling protest. "It is for his good, and yours."

"Let go!" Demane hissed back at her, but she was managing to dance around him and keep hold, so he could not easily wrench loose without hurting himself worse. "Why should we let him decide, who is ruling the colony and everyone in it - "

"We shouldn't," she hissed, "but you aren't the son of an earl with twenty thousand a year and half the Lords in his pocket; if you look a rebel, someone will just shoot you, you ass, and not bother with trial about it, either; you haven't a scrap of influence. And anyway," she added, "if he hasn't any business deciding, you have less; you don't even know who it is rebelling, or why: and I dare say they are all just drunk."

"They are certainly not drunk," Temeraire said, "for they have got off three volleys: and it is no joke to reload a gun even when one is sober; it was the greatest difficulty for our artillery company to manage it, with seven men to a cannon, so it must be even more trouble for one person with a musket, it seems to me; and I do wish I knew who they were - "

"It is the New South Wales Corps," Lieutenant Forthing said, panting; he had dashed up the hill. "Mr. Laurence is coming, Temeraire; he says to tell you he is quite well, and you are not to come in search of him."

"Where is he, pray?" Temeraire said, still a little wary; Laurence, he knew, thought a little better of Forthing after their journey, but Temeraire did not see that he had done anything of particular value; he would much rather have had Ferris back, or perhaps his midwingman Martin; except of course Martin had given them the cut direct, after the trial.

It was grown too dark to see, but there was a lantern coming up the hill, and then Caesar said, "All lies well, Captain Rankin," very satisfied with himself, and stood waiting while the company of officers began to go aboard with their rifles and their pistols, and as they mounted, he added aside to Temeraire and Kulingile, in a tone of unpardonable condescension, "Well, fellows, we will settle this in a trice, and be back; pray don't trouble yourselves over it."

"I do not see why we do not get any fighting, and you do?" Kulingile said queryingly, which Temeraire felt was a remarkably appropriate question. "I have been very sleepy, but no one can sleep when there are guns going. And if it is the New South Wales Corps, have they not been giving us those sheep? and the cows?"

"Well," Temeraire said judiciously, "so far as that goes, Governor Macquarie did provide us with some cattle." One ought, he felt, be scrupulously fair in such circumstances. "But he does mean to start a war with China, which no one would like; Laurence," he said, swinging his head around, "I am so very relieved to see you: I had meant to go down, but Forthing came sooner. We are discussing whether we ought help Governor Macquarie, or the Corps, who are rebelling again."

"Yes," Laurence said, grimly, " - Roland, my glass."

The battle,