Free Forever the Colours by Richard Thomas Page B

and then looked back at Tommy. He realised his mistake and jumped out of bed and came to attention. ‘Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sar’nt Major.’
    â€˜Indeed,’ he said. ‘And what is wrong with you, exactly? For you look healthy and well fed to my eyes.’
    â€˜I was caught by an RPG, Sergeant Major,’ replied Tommy, without a thought for what he had just said.
    Cuppage raised his bushy eyebrows. ‘An RPG, you say. Very good. And what, pray tell, is an RPG?’
    â€˜I am afraid, Sergeant Major,’ intervened Surgeon Major Preston, ‘that the young Private has taken a knock to his head, and, well, frankly talks nonsense now and then. But he is recovering, albeit slowly.’
    Realising his mistake, Tommy said, ‘Sorry, Sar’nt Major, what I meant to say was a cannon. Yes, a cannon shell took me off my feet.’ He wanted to laugh but kept a straight face.
    â€˜Indeed. Very well, lad, I pray you make a speedy recovery.’ He turned to Preston and Rayner, nodding at them in turn, and said, ‘Good day, sirs.’ Then he made his way to the entrance. But as he got there, he turned and looked at Tommy, who felt that, for some strange reason, the Sergeant Major was seeing right into his mind. After a moment Cuppage shook his head as if to clear it, and then left.
    â€˜Well, that was strange,’ said Rayner.
    â€˜What was?’ replied Tommy.
    â€˜Well, my erstwhile friend, it seems as if you spooked old Cuppage. I mean, what was that look about, as though he’d seen a ghost or something?’ He realised what he’d said, ‘Oh damn it all.’
    â€˜Ah ha,’ exclaimed Tommy. ‘There you go, mate, now you’re talking.’
    â€˜Talking about what?’ asked Preston.
    â€˜Oh, it’s nothing, Major, sir. More ramblings from Private Evans. But there is improvement, wouldn’t you say? Every day, yes indeed.’
    â€˜Hmm, well that remains to be seen, Lieutenant Rayner. Now if you will excuse me, gentlemen, I have to attend the smoothbore battery.’ He made his way to the entrance. ‘It seems we may have a case of cholera. If you need anything, please instruct my wallah Arun to attend you.’ He nodded and then left the tent.
    Tommy was lost in thought until Private Armour dropped something with a loud clang in his haste to pack. Tommy and Maurice looked at each other and started to laugh.
    â€˜What ye laughing at, eh? And you should know better, Lieutenant, being a young gentleman and all.’
    â€˜You are quite correct, Joseph. It is Joseph, yes? On behalf of Thomas and myself, please accept our apologies for the puerile behaviour.’
    â€˜Well that would be, well, alright then, sir.’ Armour didn’t know what else to say to the two young men, so he just nodded, picked up his kit and left.
    â€˜What a tosser,’ said Tommy.
    â€˜I would agree with you, Thomas, but I have no idea what a tosser might be, so I will assume it means a malingerer of sorts, what.’
    â€˜Yep,’ replied Tommy.
    â€˜Very well, Thomas, we have managed to get our poor injured brother in arms evicted. Now I think it’s time we shared a little snifter, what.’ He reached down to the floor, picked up what looked like a canvas bag, opened it and produced a green glass bottle with a flourish and held it aloft like a trophy.
    â€˜What’s that, then, mate?’
    â€˜My dear Thomas, this little beauty and I have travelled far and wide, from England to India, and now to our little haven.’ Maurice handled the bottle as you would a baby. ‘This, Thomas, is an 1865 Hardy cognac that I picked up from London, and I have been saving it to share with a friend. So what say you, Thomas, will you procure a couple of crystal glasses so we may sample it?’
    Tommy looked around the tent. ‘And where would I find them, then, Maurice?’
    Maurice shook his head, ‘My dear