Oporto.
There had been an unforeseen problem among the men of Jingee’s land patrol before they began pushing the boulders and logs down the cliff.
After burying the four young French Marines, Jingee had ordered his patrol to begin the next step of their manoeuvre. But the seamen hesitated near the scene of the carnage, a few men sinking to their haunches, unable to walk. Two held their stomachs, bodies doubled over, spewing sickness onto the ground, while one lay face down on the ground.
Jingee’s deputy, Danji, shook his head resignedly and raised both hands to the sun, blaming the heat for the men’s suddenly unco-operative conduct.
Jingee knew better. It was not the heat. All the men were seamen; all were used to sun beating down on them. No, they were squeamish from the bloody atrocity they had committed, and from the sight of the dead bodies of the French Marines.
Running to the first man, Jingee grabbed him by the ear, shouting, ‘There’s more work to do.’
The man stared at him, shaking his head.
Jingee turned and looked out beyond the edge of the plateau. Below him, he could see two battles progressing: one confrontation inside the cove, between Horne and the Calliope; the other outside the cove, cannon fire booming between Babcock’s brig and the frigate from Mauritius.
Knowing that the Captain sahib was depending on him to create a diversion, Jingee turned back to the reluctant seaman and slapped him across the face; he slapped him a second time, harder than the first, and shoved him towards the precipice.
Grabbing another man, he saw his mouth gaping with horror and, pulling back his hand, slapped him smartly across the face.
The man held his cheek in astonishment, staring disbelievingly at Jingee.
Jingee hissed, ‘If you don’t start pushing those rocks as I told you to, I’ll shove you down the cliff.’
The man hesitated, shaking his head.
Jingee gripped him firmly by the neck and pulled him kicking and screaming to the edge of the cliff.
‘No, no,’ pleaded the young man. ‘I obey you. I do what you say.’
Jingee boxed him sharply on the ear, gave him a kick in the dhoti and shoved him after the first man.
Turning, he looked challengingly at the others.
Quickly, the men lowered their eyes and hurried to the plateau’s edge, taking their places obediently behind logs and boulders.
Taking up his position at the cliff’s edge, Jingee chopped down his arm through the air, ordering, ‘Heave … heave …’ He believed the problem had been settled.