The next day The army marched in the middle of the most pristine French countryside with Three hundred horses and their charges. Chris kept on looking down rethinking why she did this. For Joey, For Mum and Dad and For Albert not to do anything stupid. She thought
Chris,Nicholls and Stewart and Charlie ride on a smooth road past a series of posts screened with cloth. They're silhouetted against the setting sun. The regiment are tense and nervous as they gingerly make their way along the country road. Topthorn and Joey sense the grim change of atmosphere.
They are in woodland above a plain stretching for miles. A small table has been taken out for Stewart and his officers. sergeant Major Singh - a turbaned Indian with a magnificent moustache dressed in ceremonial garb - explains the lines of battle on a map."That is our target - the German 11th Division - at the moment bivouacked three miles to the east of the Menin Road. We have been watching them and they have pitched tents for the night and lit cooking fires. Knock them out - and we could slide in behind the German lines and come at them from the South at Geluveld." Major Singh informed.
"Excellent."
"Numbers?" James Asked.
"About six hundred. Infantry." Chris cringed at that number.
"Twice our size..." James Trailed off.
"In regiments of horse and men, the advantage is ours." Major Stewart said.
"And we have surprise on our side. But the sooner we move, the better - we have no assurance they'll still be there tomorrow morning. Our officers just have a second to take in the news. The day has suddenly arrived. The day they have worked for, for so long." Singh said.
"Right. Good. So - today it is. Charlie - tell the men." Stewart commanded.
"Salisbury formation?"
"Salisbury formation. We'll charge through them and secure the ground behind."
"The grass to the left is taller than we are - it's perfect cover." Singh informed.
"Excellent work, Sergeant Major. Time spent on reconnaissance is rarely wasted." As Stewart departs:
"Thank you, Singh." Chris Thanked then James started calling
"Jamie!" Chris and Nicholls catches up to Stewart, concerned. "They have no idea we're coming."
"Not having scruples, are you, Jim?"
"No. I understand the surprise is everything. But if it must be done, let's do it quickly." Chris and Nicholls notices Charlie nervously attending his horse.
"Are you alright, Charlie?" Chris asked.
"Never been better. Literally, never better." Charlie said with his mouth but it was clear to Chris and James that he was afraid.
Stewart rides through the lines astride Topthorn. "Prepare to mount! Mount!"
As the cry is echoed throughout the regiment, Nicholls accepts Joey from an attending soldier. "Thank you, Standley." James said while Chris nodded.
"Hey, Joey. My bonny boy. You're all right, aren't you, Joey? Hey?" Chris said to Joey. James looked at the two then the red campaign pennant from his pocket and threads it through Joey's reins.
Minutes later - Stewart addresses the men. "Gentleman. It is an honour to ride beside you. Make the Kaiser rue the day he dared to cross swords with us. Let every man make himself, his King, his country, and his fallen comrades proud! Be brave. Fear God. Honor the King!"
"Fear God. Honor the King!" The troopers said in unison.
An elegant field of tall grass, waving in the gentle breeze. Then suddenly three hundred men seem to rise out of it. They are in fact our soldiers, mounting their horses - but the horses are invisible in the height of the grass. Stewart gives a signal, it is easy to see the intense anticipation on his face. He takes out his sabre. "Draw swords!" The men draw their sabres in silence.
Then Nicholls just turns to his two friends and almost whispers... "Good luck, my friends. And to you Chris" James said,not looking at Chris who was behind him with her arms around his pats Joey's side. And then...
"Forward, to walk! Walk...march!" The regiment begins moving through the field. "Forward to canter! Canter...march!" The men start to float over the grass - swept along by their invisible horses, until...
Suddenly they emerge from the tall grass - the immense power of the galloping horses - silence explodes into a violent crashing of hooves. The noise is immense, swords are flying in the air. Hundreds of horses racing towards the German encampment.
On the German side, two soldiers wake to the sound of hoofbeats. They pull their tent flap aside to find the invincible charge coming towards them. The Germans are totally unprepared. they scramble back towards tents, rush towards their guns - one man pulling up his trousers rushes for cover. One German drops some dirty dishes into a wash pot, screaming:
"Kavallerie!"
Topthorn and Joey race each other like a rerun of their practice on Salisbury Plain. The swords and uniforms glint in the sun, the German troops look terrified - some run in panic, others prepare to stand their ground.
"CHARGE!" screamed James.
The British head in for the kill, the men scream battle cries with sheer exhilaration. Nicholls and Stewart yell as they approach the enemy. The surprise attack is a huge success. The first row of unprepared Germans are falling...
The regiment sweeps through the encampment, cutting down soldiers and driving the rest in a panicked retreat to the tree line.
But then there is shadows of the forest behind the camp - A machine gun. No, a line of machine guns - at least twenty guns, sandbagged apart - the logical, new, modern defence of a garrison. In an instant, the fleeing Germans have manned the guns. All now firing.
The noise of the blast of bullets drowns out everything else. A score of men and horses are suddenly on the ground, it happens almost so quickly Joey and Topthorn don't realize anything's wrong and find themselves racing straight towards the guns. The bullets keep coming, now suddenly half of the regiment are on the ground.
Horse after horse races past the guns into the woods...all of them now riderless.
James and Chris watches helplessly as one of the barrels swings towards them. Their face goes slack as he realizes he is about to were shot and Fear crosses Chris' face. She tighten her grip on James and pulled him off. They hit the ground with a huge thud. As horses race towards them James is stood on by a horse on the leg.
He cried out in pain so Chris grabbed his arm and put it around her then pulled him up to run. They started running away from the battle, James who was not able to see just went with it. James had been hit with bullets and was now bleeding so he just went with it.
It was now dark and two figures stopped by a tree. Chris lay down James by the tree and undid James' shirt to see his wounds. "That's deep. Not good." Chris though for a moment. "Give me a moment" She moved behind the tree and took off her bandges which pressed down her breasts. she came out from behind the tree and took off James' shirt completely then wrapped the bandge around James but not before she pulled out a pair a twisers to pull out the bullets.
"How" gasped out James. Chris plled off her dark wig for her curly red locks fall back her back. James'eyes widened in shock. Christina brushed off the look of shock"Y-your a woman"
She nodded "Have been since birth." She rolled up James' pant leg to feel that it was broken. "Alright. so your legs broken and your wounded...I wonder" Chris sat down and rolled her pant leg to reveal, halfway out of her boot, was a small brown book that she took out.
"What is that?" James Questioned.
"I was given it by a few ladies in my village. They help me with the disguse. It has a list of people to help us." She started flipping through it until she saw a name.
Angel Rosette
"Right, get ready Captain. We're moving in the morning."