We have reviewed earlier books in this series here before. See Sharpe’s Tiger and Sharpe’s Triumph to catch up with the earlier reviews.
Sharpe is an officer now but the entire division he is with seems to ignore him and get on with what they know they should do. He unhappily tags along.
Maratta (different spelling from the author’s but more authentic) army is led by the royal Bappo and has a traitorous Scotsman Dodd serving as his deputy. Their forces outnumber the British forces in number but Bappo does not seem to be listening to meaningful advice from Dpdd. Dodd is a deserter from the British army and we have met his evil and wicked ways in earlier books from the same series.
The Arab soldiers – mercenaries hired – are the most fearful and they come attacking like demons from the worst nightmare but the British discipline tells and they are scattered. Bappo’s army also scatters in the battle. The descriptions, as ever, are enthralling. As has become a signature characteristic in Bernard Cornwell’s books, an Arab lad is surrounded by the British (favouring) Maratta soldiers and Sharpe saves him, Ahmed, from a certain death. He becomes loyal to Sharpe.
He meets his old pal Sevajee who is a Maratta but fights with the British to avenge the loss of his kingdom by an evil plotting uncle.
We find that the new boss Torrance is a lazy and corrupt man, and is very upset when Sharpe exposes the theft of horseshoes and ammunitions, forcing him to hang his accomplice Naig. And in return, he promises to hand over Sharpe to Naig’s brother and gives the task to his assistant – and Sharpe’s old enemy – Jebediah Haskell. Haskell delightfully promises to complete the task.
Torrance is upbraided by Wellington for delaying the shipment – the issue is blamed on his Indian assistant Das and Haskell manages to hang him before any inquiry from the superiors into the real reason for the delay can be investigated.
Sharpe now is in charge of getting food to the soldiers who are trying to get into the ‘fortress in the sky’ at Gawlighur where Bappoo, Dodd and others have taken refuge. The British try to build a door in the mountain to reach the gates. Dodd is asked by Bappo to guard the inner fortress which is separated by another wall and also by a moat from the outer fortress.
The book takes off. When Torrance asks Sharpe to investigate which person has been signing his chits, with the help of the new clerk Sajit he falls into a trap in a tent. He is hit on the head by Haskell assisted by his old colleagues Kendrick and Lowry but Ahmed manages to run away. Haskell strips Sharpe of the uniform, finds the stones in the linings and distributes some to the two folks and three stones to shut up the new assistant who is really the nephew of Jama the brother of Naig.
Sharpe comes to in the ox cart that is taking him to his certain death and remembers Haskell’s tone in the tent, as well as realizing that Torrance must be a part of this. But the realization, in his mind, comes too late as he is doomed and there is none to help him.
There is a fascinating scene where Sharpe faces two well muscled Jettis in an arena with hundreds of people. He is naked, and one of the Jettis has a sphere but that is simply to push Sharpe in the direction of the gigantic Jetti, Prithviraj, so that the latter can tear him piece by piece while keeping him alive – his speciality.
Sharpe has no chance is has vowed to die in dignity and shows courage in what he thinks are his final moments. But Ahmed comes with a sword and Sevajee’s troops to save him. After Sharpe blinds the smaller Jetti with the sword given by Ahmed and takes his spear, Sevajee insists that he have a fair fight with Prithviraj. Sharpe tosses the sword to him, keeping the spear and manages to slit his throat – the big brute was good with his arms against weaponless opponents, but was really not skilled with weapons himself.
Sharpe returns with Sevajee but decided to be in hiding. The first place he goes to is back to Torrance’s tent. He confronts him and then kills him with Torrance’s own pistol, arranging a ‘suicide’. Sharpe has sliced Sajit’s throat earlier and vanishes with the lady – Clare.
There is a fantastic scene where in darkness, both Kendrick and Lowry are murdered silently. He goes after Haskell but he, with the luck of the devil he usually has, escapes and goes and joins Dodd in Gwalighur fort. Dodd, believing that he is a great fighter, makes him a sergeant in his army, over the native Cobra fighters.
The battle begins – among impossible odds. Treachery abounds. First Dodd traps Manu Bappo in the Outer Fort (and locks the inner gates) and waits to see the result. When it turns out that the British has overwhelmed the outer fort, Manu tries to retreat and finds the doors locked. Dodd then kills him – with the aim of defeating the British and claiming Gawilghur fort for himself as a starting point to rule all of India.
Hakeswell goes and kills the representative of the ruler of Mewar and then plunders all their jewellery.
Meanwhile, the British has found a daring and nearly impossible climb through a nearby steep hill and cross over through a ladder to the unguarded side of the fortress with Sharpe at its head and so overwhelm them
Hakeswell is stopped by a badly injured Sharpe and then with all his gens recovered, throws him into the snakepit.
I think Bernard is too fond of Hakeswell : he is abandoned under impossible situations – thrice in a row now – a tiger in Tippu Sultan’s palace, an elephant in another book, and now snakes – to let him die easily. He is an interesting caricature indeed – sly, grovelling, with horrible manners and also horrible twitches – but comes across as much a caricature as a bond villain.
I think we will meet him in future books too (he is like the Moriarty of Sherlock novels).
A nice enough book, but too formulaic for Cornwell and so I guess it deserves a 6/10
== Krishna
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