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TheGreatEvilKing posted:Flashy never learns, does he? Poor Flashy, so susceptible!
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Feb 15, 2020 23:22
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The men are Rudi von Starnberg, who is vastly amused, and two nasty-looking flunkies, and Flashman isn't so drunk that he doesn't realize the danger he's in. The two men grab him while he's trying to get his tight uniform pants back on, and Starnberg tells him that these are police officers and he's under arrest. Flashy demands to see the British ambassador and/or Lola and starts struggling, so Rudi directs one of the cops to clonk him on the head. quote:I wonder sometimes if any man on earth has come to in a cell more often than I have. It has been happening to me all my life; perhaps I could claim a record. But if I did some American would be sure to beat it at once. Flashman realizes he's in a police station when officers show up and drag him out of his cell and into an interview room, where a stern-looking official and a clerk are waiting for him. quote:"I demand to be allowed to communicate with my ambassador this instant," I began, "to protest at the outrageous manner in which—" The magistrate explains that Flashman is under arrest, and while he has not been charged yet, there are quite a few possibilities: quote:"As yet, none has been laid," says Karjuss. "I repeat, as yet. But I can indicate what they may be." He sat very prim and precise, his cold eyes regarding me with distaste. "First, obscene and indecent conduct; second, corruption of public morals; third, disorderly behaviour; fourth, resisting the police; fifth—" Flashman finally realizes exactly how thoroughly he's been set up. Karjuss mentions that he's aware that Flashman has fought a duel over a woman and been expelled from school for drunkenness, and that his word wouldn't count for much in court against at least four respectable German witnesses. Flashman starts to invoke Lola's name, but then is brought short by the realization that Lola must know about this because it happened in her own palace – and the fact that she hasn't done anything to help him means that she's in on the plot. Karjuss confirms that the Grafin is not coming to his help. Flashy tries to insist on seeing the British ambassador, and Karjuss warns him that if he goes to his ambassador and makes this scandal public, the charges will be filed and he will almost certainly go to prison for many years, possibly even for life. On the other hand, Starnberg points out, the charges don't have to be filed... quote:"You're blackmailing me, then!" I stared from the thin-lipped Karjuss to the debonair stripling. "In God's name, why? What have I done? What d'ye want me to do?"
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Feb 16, 2020 19:23
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TheGreatEvilKing posted:Flashy never learns, does he? Flashman: "Well, I'd like to see ol Flashy wriggle his way out of THIS jam!" *Flashman wriggles his way out of the jam accidentally* Flashman: "Ah! Well. Nevertheless,"
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Feb 16, 2020 19:45
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Karjuss and his clerk obediently leave Flashman alone with Starnberg, who is unruffled in the face of Flashman's angry ranting. quote:"(...)As you yourself said, a dastardly plot. But the point is—you're caught in it, with no choice but to do as you're told. If you refuse—the charges are brought, you're convicted, and good-night." Rudi goes on to explain that this plot wasn't Lola's idea, and that there are powers in Germany that even Lola has to cooperate with. He then takes Flashman out of the police station to a carriage to get him cleaned and patched up. quote:"Oh, by the way," says Rudi, as we left the police office and he handed me into a carriage, "to a man of action like yourself it may seem that an opportunity will arise of giving me the slip. Don't try it. I would kill you before you'd gone five yards." And he smiled genially as he settled himself opposite me. Back to Zenda for the moment. Zenda is also an example of how a sufficiently exciting villain can steal the spotlight from a hero. And in this case it's not even the main villain! Black Michael has numerous henchmen, but the one who makes the biggest impression is the cocky young swordsman, Rupert of Hentzau. Rupert walks off with every scene he's in through his determined refusal to take anything, even his own life, seriously, and at the same time being a dangerous man of action. When Hope wrote his sequel to Zenda, he naturally made Rupert the main villain and title character – he's certainly a lot more fun to read about than the stolidly heroic Rassendyll. This is reflected in the casting for the 1937 movie, where the dashing Douglas Fairbanks Jr. plays Rupert, while the supposed hero, Rassendyll, is played by the handsome, urbane, and terminally bland Ronald Colman. Rudi von Starnberg is Rupert with the serial numbers barely filed off. I've always felt he fits into this book much less successfully than he does Zenda. Maybe the pastiche is a little too close to the original in this case, or maybe Rupert needs an actual hero to play against, instead of a Flashman.
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Feb 21, 2020 00:38
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I thought Rudi was an amusing opponent for Flashman. But yeah, they are pretty similar characters.
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Feb 22, 2020 03:21
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I read this book once but can't remember how the main plot all kicks off, so this is enjoyable so far!
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Feb 24, 2020 01:17
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Flashman and Rudi take a week-long, tedious trip, first from Munich to Berlin, and then by carriage out into the snowy German countryside. Finally, though, they arrive at their destination: quote:I leaned forward to look out, and I've seen cheerier prospects. We were rolling slowly up a long avenue of trees towards a huge, bleak house, half mansion, half castle; in the fading light, with the wintry sky behind it, it looked in silhouette like the setting for some gothic novel, all towers and spires and rugged stonework. There were lights in some of the windows, and a great lantern shone yellow above the pointed archway of its main door, but they served only to exaggerate the ancient gloom of the place. Childe Flashy to the Dark Tower came, thinks I, and tried not to imagine what lay within. The inside of the house matches the outside, being gloomily medieval and cheerless. Rudi introduces Flashman to three of his associates: quote:One was a massive, close-cropped, typical Prussian, whose fleshy face was wealed with a great sabre cut from brow to chin; the second was a tall, supple, sinister gentleman with sleek black hair and a vulpine smile; the third was stocky and stout, balding and ugly. All were in undress uniforms, and as tough-looking a set of customers as you could wish for; my spirits sank even farther as I realised that with this crew on hand my chances of escape had dwindled out of sight. (Zenda reference! Krafstein, Bersonin, and de Gautet are all members of “The Six,” Black Michael's henchmen.) Rudi leaves Flashman with Bersonin to get fed and cleaned up, and when he returns he leads Flashman deeper into the mansion. Flashman hears a couple of gunshots, and Rudi tells him the house is infested with rats. He leads Flashman through one final door, and: quote:It was a fine, spacious room, far better appointed than anything I had seen so far, with carpet on the flags, a bright fire in the huge grate, solid-looking leather furniture, several shelves of books round the panelled walls, and a long, narrow polished table running down the centre under a brilliant candelabra. At the far end of the table sat a man, his feet cocked up on the board, reloading a long pistol, and at the sight of him I stopped as though I had walked into a wall. It was Otto von Bismarck. As Flashman goes into a panic, Bismarck takes a moment to gloat a little and remind him of the incident with Guly. However, Bismarck says, he wouldn't have wasted all this effort just to get revenge: he actually needs Flashman for something. He's under no illusion that Flashman would have helped him of his own free will, hence the setup. And, as Flashman settles back with brandy and a cigar, Bismarck launches into an explanation of … the Schleswig-Holstein question. quote:...it is the most infernally complex affair that ever bedevilled European politics. Nobody has ever got to the bottom of it— indeed, Palmerston once said that only three people understood it: one was Pam himself, and he had forgotten it, another was a famous statesman, and he was dead, and the third was a German professor, and he had gone mad thinking about it.  The question revolves around the territories of Schleswig and Holstein, which lie between Denmark and the German mainland. They're semi-independent duchies that, at this time, are part of Denmark, but the people there mostly speak German, and many of them consider themselves Germans already. This is a problem for the Danes, since Schleswig and Holstein are rich, valuable lands and they're not willing to let them go. The Danish crown also has a claim to the duchies because for centuries the king of Denmark was also duke of Schleswig and Holstein, except the Danish royal line may or may not have lost that title depending on how you interpret medieval inheritance laws, and... well, none of that is really relevant to this story. At this point in history, Germany is still a weak confederation of princedoms, a state of affairs that our friend Otto will be instrumental in changing. For now, though, Germany's ability to press its claim to Schleswig and Holstein is limited by its internal politics. Bismarck is determined that Germany must have Schleswig and Holstein, and he has a plan to make it happen. quote:I couldn't see what the devil this had to do with me, and said so. Bismarck's aims go beyond Schleswig and Holstein, however. The latter half of the 19th century of Europe was a time of widespread revolution and liberal reform, and Bismarck can see it coming – and aims to stop it. quote:”...If Germany is to take her place among the leaders, she must have unity, she must have strength, she must have discipline"—his great fist smacked the table with each phrase—" she must submit herself to the guidance and government of a supreme authority, who will do for her what Napoleon did for France, what Washington did for America. These were not liberals, Mr Flashman; these were not progressive intellectuals. Germany must have her Napoleon, if she is to have her—"
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Feb 24, 2020 01:29
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Flashy you dumb, dumb bastard.
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Feb 24, 2020 13:26
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Okay Otto walked right into that Waterloo bit
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Feb 24, 2020 14:17
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Finally, Bismarck gets to the details of his plan. At the eastern tip of Holstein is the Duchy of Strackenz, which is about to fall into chaos over a question of succession – and if it does so, Bismarck says, the fighting may spread to Schleswig and Holstein, and pull Denmark and Germany into it as well.  (The Duchy of Strackenz, much like Ruritania, doesn't exist. The shape of the map is the Isle of Man, where Fraser was living as he wrote this, flipped upside down.) Strackenz's ruling Duchess Irma has reached marriageable age, and is preparing to get hitched to one Prince Carl Gustaf, a nephew of the Danish king. Even though Carl Gustaf is a Dane, Bismarck approves of the marriage because it will keep the peace and buy him more time to pull Schleswig and Holstein toward Germany. quote:"Well, then," says I, "good luck to the happy couple, and God bless 'em all and Tiny Tim. Will you come to the point as far as I'm concerned—if I am at all, which I'm beginning to doubt." Bismarck explains the marriage must happen – if it doesn't, the anti-German Danish parties in Strackenz will claim some sort of German plot. Right now, only Prince Carl Gustaf, his doctor, a couple of ministers, and of course Bismarck know that the Prince has what Flashy sensitively describes as “Cupid's measles.” Flashman, by this point, is thoroughly puzzled as to what this has to do with him. quote:Bismarck tossed down on the table the thing he had been holding. It slithered along the length of the wood and stopped in front of me. I saw it was a gold case, oval, and about four inches long. You'll remember, in their initial meeting in London, Bismarck did think he'd seen Flashman before somewhere. Flashman immediately bursts out with objections to the plan, which Bismarck calmly parries. Yes, Flashman doesn't speak Danish, but he does have a talent for languages – and besides, Carl Gustaf has adequate German, which Flashy has already acquired. Bismarck has already planted an agent in Carl Gustaf's entourage, who will vouch for Flashman. quote:"You wandered in Afghanistan disguised as a native, did you not?" says Bismarck. "I know as much about you as you do yourself, you see. If you can do that, you can easily do this." He leaned forward again. "All this has been thought of. If you were not a man of action, of proved resource and courage, of geist und geschichlichkeit, wit and aptitude, I would not have entertained this scheme for a moment. It is because you have all these things, and have proved them, that you are here now." Bismarck says once the marriage has been completed, and Carl Gustaf has recovered, all Flashy has to do is go on a hunting trip, and he and Carl Gustaf can exchange places in the woods. And then Flashman will be allowed to leave Germany, with a payoff of ten thousand pounds. Flashy isn't foolish enough to believe that: he sees immediately that for Bismarck's plan to work, it'd be a lot better for him to end up dead and unable to tell tales. However, at the same time, he's conscious of the fact that he's sitting in the middle of nowhere surrounded by Bismarck's murderous flunkies. He asks for fifteen thousand instead, but Bismarck refuses – which Flashman takes as a good sign, since if he was going to be killed, Bismarck would probably promise anything. With no other option, Flashman agrees to the plot.
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Feb 25, 2020 02:51
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What could possibly go wrong??
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Feb 25, 2020 23:28
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Now that it's been brought up I'm not exactly sure how Flashman doesn't have a potent combination of STIs himself.
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Feb 26, 2020 01:17
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PetraCore posted:Now that it's been brought up I'm not exactly sure how Flashman doesn't have a potent combination of STIs himself. Plot armor? The next day, the training for Flashman to impersonate Carl Gustaf begins. Rudi starts deferentially calling him “your highness,” and they start altering his appearance toward the prince's: quote:And then and there, despite my protests, Kraftstein sat me in a chair and set to work, first cropping my hair and whiskers, and then soaping and shaving my skull. It was a long and unpleasant process, and when it was done and I looked in the glass I could have burst into tears. The ghastly creature with his great, gleaming dome of a skull was a horrid parody of me—my face, surmounted by a naked convict head. This, of course, is approximately 140 years before Michael Jordan and Stone Cold Steve Austin made being bald cool. At breakfast, Bismarck checks in, and agrees that the resemblance is amazing, except for one thing: quote:"The scars. One either side, the left immediately above the ear, the one on the right an inch lower and running slightly downward—so." And he drew his finger across my shaven skin; the touch sent mice scampering down my spine. The scars in question are dueling scars, which Carl Gustaf picked up as a student at Heidelberg. In the 19th century, every upper-class man who studied in Austria or Germany was determined to acquire a dueling scar or two on the head or face. They were considered signs of courage, toughness, and all-around manliness, and the whole business of acquiring them was taken very, very seriously. Flashman has no choice but to go along because the alternative is getting mauled by Kraftstein. Bismarck and his friends take him to the house's gymnasium and prepare him for the duel. quote:"You must be exact to the inch," says Bismarck. "Look here." He stood in front of me, drawing from his pocket the little miniature he had shown me last night, glancing at it and then at me and frowning. "You see how they run—so and so. Now, the crayon." And to my horror he took a fat black pencil which Kraftstein held out, and with great care began to mark on the skin of my head the places where the cuts were to go.  Typical mensurschlager protective gear. Mensurschlager is different from regular fencing in that the goal is to demonstrate toughness as much as skill at swordplay. Thus, there's no advancing or retreating; the duelists just stand a defined distance apart (which is where the name comes from, mensur meaning “measure”) and whack away at the exposed parts of each other's head. Flinching or trying to dodge is bad form. Once a wound was acquired, it would be rubbed with horsehair to irritate it and/or stitched up with deliberate crudeness so it would produce a more dramatic scar. There are still underground fraternities in Germany that keep dueling scar culture alive today, and they tend to be right-wing if not thoroughly fashy – which is a bit ironic, since the Nazis banned the practice when they were in power.
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Feb 27, 2020 05:00
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 Is that really what that protective gear looked like? I didn't have a mental picture when reading.
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Feb 27, 2020 06:18
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The fraternities that do it aren't underground, it's a niche national conservative thing to do but they have nice large old villas in all the uni towns and websites and poo poo. This is the list of the active groups in my small city: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Studentenverbindungen_in_Freiburg_im_Breisgau It's in German but you can see the pics of their houses. The fourth column from the right is their stance on the fencing question. "Nichtschlagend" is doesn't do it, fakultativ schlagend is you can do it, pflichtschlagend is you have to do it. Every house represents <ten active students, so like 1-200 do this out of 20k students in this city. It's very quaint:  e: interestingly that pic is from Poland apparently but it looks the same in Germany.
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Feb 27, 2020 14:39
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quote:"Very good," says Bismarck. "You will observe that your opponent's head is covered, as is yours, at all points except for the cheeks and lower temples. These are your targets— and his. I may tell you that, with de Gautet, you are as likely to hit those targets as I was to strike Mr Gully. You may cut, but not thrust. Do you understand? I shall call you to begin and to desist.” Flashman admits he's not really that great a swordsman; he depends on his size and strength in a fight, and of course his ability to duck fights in the first place. However, he's pretty sure he can at least protect his face. quote:He came on guard, the blades grated between us, and then he twitched his wrist, quick as light, right and left, aiming deft little cuts at the sides of my head. But Flashy's nobody's fool; I turned my wrist with his, and caught the cuts on my own blade. He cut again, and the blade rang on my cap, but I broke ground and let go a regular roundhouse slash at him, like a dragoon full of drink. With the schlager,I learned later, you are supposed to employ only wrist cuts, but I was just an ignorant foreigner. My sweep, if it had landed, would have loosed Mr de Gautet's guts all over the floor, but he was quick and turned it with the forte of his blade. Flashman tries to beg off, claiming his skull is fractured, but Bismarck threatens to have Kraftstein open the second cut himself and forces him to take up the schlager again. Deciding to get it over with, Flashy attacks recklessly, takes the second cut to his head – and then stabs de Gautet with his schlager when de Gautet looks to Bismarck for approval. quote:The next thing I knew I had been hurled to the floor, and as I lay there, blinded with my own blood, all hell broke loose. Someone fetched me a tremendous kick in the ribs, I heard Rudi shouting and de Gautet groaning—delightful sound—and then I must have fainted, for when I opened my eyes I was sprawled on one of the benches, with Kraftstein sponging the blood from my face. With Flashy's physical appearance taken care of, the conspirators start preparing him to play the part of Carl Gustaf. quote:This consisted of some of the hardest brain work I’ve ever had in my life. For a solid month, every waking hour, I lived, talked, walked, ate and drank Prince Carl Gustaf until I could have screamed at the thought of him -- and sometimes did. Along with that comes more work in languages: quote:All our talk was conducted in German, at which I made capital progress -- indeed, Rudi’s one fear was that I might be too proficient, for Carl Gustaf apparently didn’t speak it too well, for all his Heidelberg education. Bersonin, who despite his taciturnity was a patient teacher, instructed me in Danish, but possibly because he himself only spoke it at second hand, I didn’t take to it easily. I never learned to think in it, which is unusual for me, and I found it ugly and dull, with its long vowels that make you sound as though you had wind. After almost a month of this, Flashman is feeling like he's almost forgotten his old life and he's starting to behave more like a prince: quote:We were sitting down to table, myself at the head, as usual, and Bismarck plumped down in his chair before I did. Now I was so used by this time to being seated first that I simply stared at him, more in curiosity, I imagine, than anything else; and he, catching my glance, actually began to get to his feet. Rudi, who missed nothing, couldn’t repress a chuckle and a delighted slap of his thigh.
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Feb 29, 2020 05:43
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I always enjoy Flashman being taken as much more than he is by others, and there's more than usual in this book due to the impersonation thing. Makes it all the more amusing when he's revealed as a fraud.
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Mar 4, 2020 15:05
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Spending several weeks miles from anywhere with only other men for company is having the expected effect on Flashy, but Rudi declines his suggestion that they might bring in some of the local girls for entertainment. quote:“Thanks very much,” says I. “And may I respectfully remind you that I’m feeling randified now, and in no mood to hold myself in until my wedding to some young German cow who probably looks like a boatswain’s mate.” A week later, Bismarck announces it's finally time to put the plan into action. Rudi and de Gautet will be taking him to a country mansion where Carl Gustaf and his entourage are staying, and will sneak him in and hand him off to Detchard, one of Carl Gustaf's ministers, who is part of the plot. (Detchard, of course, is another name swiped from Zenda's villains.) Then Rudi will get Carl Gustaf out of the mansion and leave Flashman to begin the impersonation. At the prospect of actually having to do it, Flashy starts getting nervous again. quote:“But . . . but, look here,” I began, “suppose something goes wrong -- I mean, suppose somebody comes. . . .” Bismarck is overcome with the brilliance and completeness of his plan, and despite himself, Flashy finds his spirits rising a bit. Not so much that he doesn't make a point of getting thoroughly drunk the night before he leaves, however. Rudi, de Gautet, and Flashy travel up into Holstein, where they put up in a small hut and wait for night to fall before setting out for the mansion. There's a bit of an argument when Rudi discovers that Flashman still has his pistols in his baggage -- princes don't carry handguns -- but Flashman refuses to part with them and de Gautet is impatient to go, so Flashy keeps them in the end. They approach the mansion and sneak in, and are met by Detchard ("a tall, distinguished old file with a beaky nose and heavy lower lip"). Flashman has to strip off his old clothes for Rudi and de Gautet to carry away, and wait, naked and cold, until they finally get the real Carl Gustaf out of the way. Detchard explains to Flashman that only two other people know what's going on: Dr. Ostred, the prince's personal doctor, and his valet, Josef. Just then, Ostred shows up to check on what's going on: quote:“Ah, Ostred,” says Detchard, and the little chap blinked, looked at me, at Detchard, and back at me again. Ostred does point out that Flashy's dueling scars are still too fresh-looking, and Detchard applies makeup to them. They leave Flashman alone, and for once Flashy isn't panicking. If he could fool Ostred, this might actually work out! quote:I took a turn round the room, grinning to myself, drank another glass of brandy, and another, and stood beaming at myself in the mirror. Well, Prince Harry, thinks I, if only Elspeth could see you now. And old moneybags Morrison. And Lord Godalmighty Cardigan. He’d be glad enough to have royalty back in his flea-bitten 11th Hussars. For I was royal, for the moment -- a full-blown prince of the blood, no less, until -- aye, until Bismarck’s little game was played out. And then -- oh, the blazes with him. I had another glass of brandy and took stock of my royal surroundings. When Josef, the valet, shows up to prepare the bed for the night, Prince Flashman orders him to send in the chambermaid instead, and proceeds to make up for those weeks of enforced abstinence in Schonhausen. quote:I’ve sometimes wondered what the result of that encounter was, and if there is some sturdy peasant somewhere in Holstein called Carl who puts on airs in the belief that he can claim royal descent. If there is, he can truly be called an ignorant bastard. Selachian fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Mar 6, 2020 |
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Mar 6, 2020 04:33
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quote:If there is, he can truly be called an ignorant bastard. 
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Mar 8, 2020 05:10
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In the morning, Flashman and Carl Gustaf's retinue proceed into Strackenz, with Flashy still enjoying the perquisites of royalty: quote:There are ways of being drunk that have nothing to do with alcohol. For the next few days, apart from occasional moments of panic-stricken clarity, I was thoroughly intoxicated. To be a king -- well, a prince -- is magnificent; to be fawned at, and deferred to, and cheered, and adulated; to have every wish granted -- no, not granted, but attended to immediately by people who obviously wish they had anticipated it; to be the centre of attention, with everyone bending their backs and craning their necks and loving you to ecstasy -- it is the most wonderful thing. Perhaps I’d had less of it than even ordinary folk, especially when I was younger, and so appreciated it more; anyway, while it lasted I fairly wallowed in it. Everywhere Flashy goes in Strackenz, he's greeted with cheering crowds and groveling nobles eager to impress him. In Strackenz City, the local burgomaster awards him the keys to the city. quote:I knew enough to say that I was deeply sensible of the great honour done me, and to give him the keys back again. And being somewhat exalted, I felt it appropriate to slip my sword-belt over my head, present the weapon to him, and say that it would be ever-ready in the defence of Strackenzian honour and independence, or some such stuff. Flashman decides to ride into the city on his own, and is escorted to the town hall, where he is presented with a proclamation releasing everyone in the local jails for his signature. Except there's one thing Bismarck overlooked: he has no idea how Carl Gustaf signs his name. [i]For what seemed a year I hesitated, at the great burgomaster’s table, with the long roll of parchment stretched out in front of me, and my pen poised, while the crowd goggled expectantly and the little burgomaster stood waiting to pounce on my signature with the sand-caster. And then my mother-wit came back to me, and I laid down the pen and said, very quietly and seriously, that before signing such a delivery -- which I reminded them was a grave matter indeed -- I would wish to hear a report from the justices assuring me that no malefactor who might prove a danger to the commonweal would be enlarged by the amnesty. It could wait, I said firmly, for a day or two, and added that I would find other and better ways of marking this happy occasion of my arrival.[/quote] This disappoints the crowd, which was looking forward to a general amnesty. But the festivities go on: quote:They all cheered up, though, at the next act of the comedy, when a small child was led in to present me with a peach that they had been preparing for me in the hothouse of the local orphanage. I say led in, because the child was so lame he had to go on little crutches, and there were sighings and affected cooings from the females present. I’m no hand with children at all, and have found them usually to be detestable, noisy, greedy little brats, but it seemed best to be monstrously pleasant to this one. So instead of just accepting the gift I racked my brains quickly for a touching gesture, and was inspired to pick him up -- he was no size at all -- and sit him on the table, and talk to him, and insisted that we eat the peach between us, then and there. He laughed and cried together, and when I patted his head according to form, he fastened on to my hand, and kissed it. The females were all snivelling foully by this time, and the men were looking pitying and noble. I felt ashamed, and still do. It is the only time in my life I have felt ashamed, which is why I put it on record here, and I still don’t know why. Next comes a visit to a local school, where Flashman amuses himself by picking out "the local Flashman ... a big, surly lout," and having him speak in front of the class, which he does poorly (and will probably take his frustrations out on his classmates afterward). Finally, he makes his way to Strackenz palace. quote:The people were jammed up to the railings, and the sweep of the drive beyond was lined with the yellow-jacketed infantry of the Duchess’s guard, all in glittering back-and-breasts, with drawn swords. Trumpeters blew a fanfare, the crowd surged and shouted, and I cantered up the gravel to the broad palace steps. There I turned and waved, for the last time, and wondered why people will make such a fuss over royalty. It’s the same with us; we have our tubby little Teddy, whom everyone pretends is the first gentlemen of Europe, with all the virtues, when they know quite well he’s just a vicious old rake -- rather like me, but lacking my talent for being agreeable to order. Anyway, I was aboard Lily Langtry long before he was. His introduction to the prospective bride, Duchess Irma, is a chilly affair, as she seems completely disinterested in him (and not crazy about the bald head either). quote:She was beautiful, too -- far more so than her portrait had made her out. She couldn’t have been more than twenty, but already she had the hard, cold loveliness that you find only among Northern women, with their fine, long features looking as though they had been carved from marble. Her figure, in an ivory dress with a train that spread out behind her, was perhaps a trifle on the slim side, with a hint of boyishness about it, but everything was there and in good parade order. She was crowned with a little silver diadem sparking with stones, and her shining fair hair was pulled back and rolled into some kind of jewelled net behind her head. The effect of it all -- so pale and pure and perfect -- was rather awe-inspiring; I felt almost afraid of her. After the state dinner, Flashman retires to his chambers, where he finds Rudi and de Gautet awaiting him. They come with bad news: tomorrow, a Danish official named Hansen will be coming to Strackenz for the wedding. The problem is that Hansen is a close friend of Carl Gustaf's, and in fact grew up with him. Which means he'll be extremely difficult to fool. Flashy starts getting nervous again at the news, but Rudi tells him that they're prepared for it: quote:“... Now, we have decided what you shall say when he approaches you in the reception line. Detchard here will be at your elbow, and will whisper ‘Hansen’ when he reaches you. At the sight of him you’ll start, look as delighted as you know how, seize his right hand in both of yours, shake it hard, and exclaim: ‘Erik, old friend, where did you spring from?’ Then, whatever he says in reply, you’ll give your merriest laugh and say: ‘This is the happiest surprise of this happy day. God bless you for coming to wish me joy.’ And that will be all. I’ll see to it that he doesn’t get near you before you leave for the lodge at Strelhow, where your honeymoon is being spent.
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Mar 9, 2020 23:37
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Occasionally there are glimpses of Flashman that are very human and hint at what kind of man he would have been if he weren't just an absolute piece of poo poo. It's to Fraser's credit that Flashman is so much more than a caricature. I'm talking about that moment with the orphan kid, to be clear.
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Mar 11, 2020 18:16
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I love that Flashy is planning to steal the silverware.
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Mar 12, 2020 00:14
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How are u posted:Occasionally there are glimpses of Flashman that are very human and hint at what kind of man he would have been if he weren't just an absolute piece of poo poo. It's to Fraser's credit that Flashman is so much more than a caricature. Idk him crashing and burning with in conversation with a lady seems very relatable to me 
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Mar 12, 2020 12:39
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The wedding is the very next day, and Flashman is rushed through it so quickly that he barely remembers all the details, although his most detailed memories seem to indicate what he was really thinking about that day: quote:And then there was the sudden dimness and hush of the great Cathedral, the pungent smell of the church, the soaring stained glass and the carpeted stone flags underfoot. There was the rustle as hundreds of people rose to their feet, the solemn booming of a great organ, and the hollow thud of my own footsteps on the stones. And there was the shrill sweetness of the choristers, and people softly moving to and fro about me, and the splendid figure of the Bishop of Strackenz, bearded to the eyes, and for all the world like Willie Grace, the great cricket champion nowadays. (Salic law, as anyone who's played Crusader Kings knows, forbids the inheritance of titles through the female line.) The newlyweds take a carriage ride through the city so the cheering crowds can see them, but there's one sour note when the carriage passes by a street orator denouncing the monarchs. quote:He wasn’t a big chap, in height, but he was built like a bull across the shoulders, with a huge, shaggy head and a beard like a sweep’s broom. Even at that distance I could see the flashing eyes as he thundered out his message, thumping the air with his fist and laying it off like a Mississippi camp-meeting preacher full of virtue and forty-rod whisky. The people nearest him and his group were shouting threats at him, but he kept bawling away, and it looked to me as though an excellent brawl was in prospect; unfortunately, just as the soldiers reached him and were trying to haul him down, the coach moved out of vision, so I didn’t see how it came out. In a footnote, Fraser suggests that the speaker might just have been Karl Marx himself. In any case, when they get back to the castle Duchess Irma finally shows some emotion, raging at her chief minister about the disruption and demanding that the orator be found and jailed. She finally calms down for the reception, a long line of dignitaries passing by to give their congratulations until: quote:And then Detchard’s voice behind me whispered “Hansen,” and I glanced sharply to see a fair-haired, long-jawed young fellow just straightening up from his bow to the Duchess. He turned to me, smiling expectantly, and in my sudden nervousness I took a step forward, grinning like a death’s head, I shouldn’t wonder, grabbed him by the hand, and cried: Flashman is shaking and red-faced with terror, but manages to calm himself down and work his way through the reception until he can get back to his own rooms with Rudi, de Gautet, and Detchard. They reassure him that Hansen can't possibly suspect what is really happening, and Rudi adds that Hansen is being watched by Bismarck's other agents -- he's not just a friend of Carl Gustaf's, he's also involved in pro-Danish political groups that intend to secure Schleswig and Holstein for Denmark, by force if necessary. Flashman proceeds to get thoroughly drunk while the rest of his household is packing up to relocate to the royal hunting lodge at Strelhow. A palace guardsman comes to collect the various pieces of the Strackenz crown jewels, and Flashy isn't so out of it that he doesn't notice Rudi questioning the guard about where the jewels are stored. On the ride to Strelhow, Irma is still annoyed because the agitator hasn't been arrested, so Flashman just ignores her and enjoys the trip. quote:The road from Strackenz runs through some splendid forest country, which encloses an unusual feature for that part of the world in a short range of little crags and cliffs called the Jotun Gipfel. They are very pretty, very wild, as our late Queen would say, and rather like the English lake hills in miniature. Apart from a few shepherds’ huts they are fairly empty, most of the inhabitants of Strackenz province living down in the flat lands near the city, but they contain one or two beautiful mountain tarns, in one of which stands the old castle of Jotunberg, which was the stronghold of the Dukes of Strackenz in the bad old days. It was kept now by the Bülow family, a Strackenzian branch of the great German house of that name. The von Bülows are a real German noble family, although most U.S. readers probably only know Claus von Bülow, who tried to murder his wife nine years after Fraser released this book. quote:The hunting lodge of Strelhow stands some miles from the Jotun Gipfel, tucked away in the woods a little distance off the main road. It has been the country seat of the ruling house for generations, and is an excellent little box, all rough timber and fur rugs, with fine open fires, leaded windows, comfortable appointments, and plenty of room -- altogether a bang-up place. Once the party has unloaded, Irma excuses herself to go upstairs while Flashman, Rudi, and the others settle down for a party. This lasts until a servant comes down to say the Duchess is going to bed and ask for quiet, which Flashman takes as his cue to excuse himself: quote:I blundered upstairs, shed my clothes in my dressing-room, thrust Josef out, threw on a gown, and strode through into the bedroom. I was full of booze and lewdness, and the sight of Irma, caught unawares, standing there in a white nightgown, did nothing to sober me. Her cold, proud beauty brought out the worst in me, I threw off the gown, and she shrieked and covered her eyes.
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Mar 13, 2020 06:18
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I love how even in the wedding, Flashy is sizing up how to steal the bride's jewelry.How are u posted:Occasionally there are glimpses of Flashman that are very human and hint at what kind of man he would have been if he weren't just an absolute piece of poo poo. It's to Fraser's credit that Flashman is so much more than a caricature. That's an interesting question, what is it about Flashman that makes him more than a caricature to other readers? I always took him as a plausible character because I read the books after coming off of a contract in Iraq with British teammates, and knowing them and the shenanigans they got into. But I'm guessing most readers haven't worked with that particular type of Brit.
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Mar 13, 2020 13:59
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You'd think that the prince could've dropped his BFF a card about having a spot of the clap and having had to hire a Doppelgänger for the wedding.
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Mar 13, 2020 14:34
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aphid_licker posted:You'd think that the prince could've dropped his BFF a card about having a spot of the clap and having had to hire a Doppelgänger for the wedding. I think you're assuming that the actual Prince is a willing part of this scheme!
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Mar 13, 2020 18:56
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Genghis Cohen posted:I think you're assuming that the actual Prince is a willing part of this scheme! I have the reading comprehension of an actual literal physical toilet so it's a p safe bet that I missed something e: the idea of the prince having to be briefed on and mimick Flashy's lovemaking style for the rest of his life to avoid his wife getting suspicious is cracking me up aphid_licker fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Mar 13, 2020 |
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Mar 13, 2020 18:57
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Good garage sale luck today!
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Mar 15, 2020 05:37
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Duchess Irma probably wasn't expecting her wedding night to be like that, but the shock seems to have benefited her (and Carl Gustaf). quote:But next morning she was positively meek, in a thoughtful but apparently contented way, and very attentive to me: she seemed to be in a state of wonder, almost, and yet she was ready to talk to me, and what was even more remarkable, listen to me, too -- not that I’m a great hand at conversation in the mornings. With Irma pacified, and the deception successfully completed, the wedding party settles down for a relaxing honeymoon in Strelhow. Flashman even makes friends, sort of, with de Gautet when he finds they both appreciate horses. But still, he's getting tired of the effort of pretending to be Carl Gustaf all the time and is starting to wonder how he's going to get out of this. One night, Flashman hears mention of a man who lives across the Jotun Gipfel ridge and raises excellent horses, and the next day he, de Gautet, and a servant ride out to see them. The servant's horse pulls up lame, and he has to return to the lodge while Flashman and de Gautet go on. quote:We went on together, and about twenty minutes after parting from Steubel we, had reached the summit, a pleasant little tree-fringed plateau, split by a deep gorge through which a river rushed, throwing up clouds of mist against the rocky sides. The whole table-top hemmed in by trees, but there was a clear patch of turf near the edge of the gorge, and here we dismounted to have a look down into the bottom, a hundred feet below. I don’t care for heights, but the scene was so pleasant and peaceful that I never felt a moment’s unease, until de Gautet spoke. That hesitation gives Flashman the time to grab his seaman's knife out of his boot and throw it. While only the butt of the knife hits de Gautet, it's enough to make him stumble and his shot goes wild, and Flashy leaps on him. quote:He was tall and active, but nothing like my weight, and Flashy in the grip of mortal fear, with nowhere to run to and no choice but to fight, is probably a dreadful opponent. I was roaring at the top of my voice and clawing at him for dear life; he managed to shove me off once, but he made the error of lunging for the fallen knife, and I was able to get one solid, full-blown boot against the side of his head. He groaned and fell back, his eyes rolling up in his head, and collapsed limply on the turf. Flashy's first instinct is to flee the scene, but then he realizes he can't go back to Strelhow, where Rudi will be waiting. The only thing he can do is get out of Strackenz as fast as possible, and to do that he needs to know what Bismarck's crew is planning. So after binding de Gautet and waking him up, Flashman makes use of the pain-inflicting skills he learned as an English public school bully to get him to spill the entire plan: quote:The Prince Carl Gustaf hadn’t had pox at all; he was clean as an old bone. But Bismarck had plotted with Detchard to spirit him away and put me in his place -- as they had indeed done. The pox story had simply been an excuse for my benefit, and if it seems ludicrously thin now I can only assert that it seemed damned convincing coming from Bismanck in his lonely stronghold with Kraftstein waiting to fillet me if I didn’t believe it. Anyway, their little plan was that after a few days, when Strackenz was convinced it had got a genuine consort for its Duchess, I was to be murdered, in the Jotun Gipfel, and de Gautet was to vanish over the German border. There would be a hue and cry, and my body would be found and carried back to Strackenz amid general consternation. De Gautet explains that embarrassing Britain is only part of the plan -- when Flashman is revealed to be an impostor, the Danes and Germans in Strackenz will be in an uproar and most likely turn on each other, and as the fighting spreads it will give Germany the perfect excuse to march into Holstein under the guise of keeping the peace. quote:A thought struck me. “I don’t suppose you showed any to that poor Danish sod, either. Where’s Carl Gustaf, then? Lying somewhere with his throat cut and a letter in his pocket saying: ‘A present from Flashy and Lord Palmerston’?” Jotunberg's dungeon, de Gautet explains, includes a deep shaft that empties out into the Jotunsee, and bodies dropped down there are never seen again. And once Flashy had been disposed of, Carl Gustaf would be taking a trip down that shaft to tie up the last loose end. And now that he's confessed everything, de Gautet reminds Flashy that he promised to let him go. But Flashy is hardly the sort of gentleman who keeps his promises, is he? quote:“So did Bismarck -- so did you. You’re a dirty creature, de Gautet; I think you need a wash.” I propelled him to the edge of the precipice, and held him for a second. “I’ll let you go, all right, you murderous cur -- down there.” De Gautet hits a rock outcropping halfway down and drops into the river, leaving Flashman to figure out what to do. When de Gautet doesn't return, Rudi will know something went wrong. The horses fled during the fighting, leaving Flashy with only his knife. He considers and rejects the possibility of going north to the coast, because it's the obvious way to go and the conspirators will be expecting it. Instead, he decides, he'll head south, back to Munich. All he needs is a horse, somehow, and he'll be out of Strackenz by the end of the day. Selachian fucked around with this message at 06:12 on Mar 15, 2020 |
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Mar 15, 2020 06:05
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d r a m a !
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Mar 15, 2020 08:50
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Yeah this swashbuckler story style with all the preposterous developments is hilarious
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Mar 15, 2020 11:42
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I'd completely forgotten that Flashman was meant to be exposed, and as Flashman! Never trust a German...
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Mar 16, 2020 21:29
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Bismarck's plot doesn't really make much sense if you think about it, does it? He could probably get the war he wanted by killing the real Carl Gustaf, without having to go to all that effort to prepare Flashman just to expose him as a spy. But then, if he didn't, Flashy wouldn't be involved in this situation, and we wouldn't have a true king (or prince) to be rescued from a forbidding castle. Speaking of which... Flashy stumbles across a peasant's hut in the forest. The peasants don't know who he is, but can tell he's someone important and are willing to lend him a horse. Only they don't actually own one, but they know someone who knows someone who does... Flashman is forced to wait for hours while some of his hosts go in search of the horse. But instead, they bring four burly armed peasants who inform him that their master wants to see him, and will not take no for an answer. They lead him on a long hike back to the Jotun Gipfel and a cabin where two men are waiting. quote:One was a tall, slender, serious-looking chap dressed like a quality lawyer, and grotesquely out of place here; the other was burly and short, in a corduroy suit and leggings, the picture of a country squire or retired military man. He had grizzled, close-cropped hair, a bulldog face, and a black patch over one eye. He was smoking a pipe. To Flashman's horror, Hansen comes out of the cabin, still confused by the sight of his old friend's double. Sapten suggests Hansen ask something difficult in Danish, and once Hansen starts speaking Danish, Flashy knows it's all over -- Bersonin only gave him a very basic knowledge of Danish, and he can barely grasp anything Hansen is saying. All he can answer is "Jeg forstar ikke" -- "I don't understand." quote:“Ny,” he said slowly. “De forstar my ikke.” He turned to them, and said in a voice that shook: “He may be the devil himself. It is the Prince’s face and body. But it is not Carl Gustaf -- my life on it!” With his cover blown and a noose hanging over him, Flashy has no choice but to tell the truth. Or, actually, a very carefully edited version of the truth. He gives his name as Captain Thomas Arnold, a British officer, explains how he was abducted by Bismarck -- leaving out Lola and his being framed for rape, and claiming he has a wife and child who he brought to Germany with him. He goes on to tell Bismarck's plot straight, and then de Gautet's attempt to kill him, although he says he killed de Gautet in a fair fight. quote:Sapten’s icy eye never left my face, but Grundvig kept giving exclamations of incredulity and horror, and finally Hansen could contain himself no longer. The Danes (who belong to a group called the Sons of the Volsungs) seem less interested in the melodrama than the whereabouts of the real Carl Gustaf, so Flashy has to explain about the Jotunberg and Bismarck's plans for him. They still aren't sure whether to believe him or not, but Sapten finally points out that any other explanation for a British officer impersonating Carl Gustaf for two weeks would probably be equally as farfetched. However, Flashman isn't quite out of the woods yet: quote:“What are we to do with him?” says Grundvig. The Sons of the Volsungs lock Flashman in the cabin while they decide what to do. Finally, after dinner, they return. Sapten tells him that they still haven't decided whether or not to believe his story, but there's a way to earn his life and undo the crimes he's committed. They can't attack Jotunberg directly, because if they do, Bismarck's crew will just shove Carl Gustaf down the shaft and that will be the end of it. quote:“To storm Jotunberg is impossible,” says Sapten. “It stands in the lake of the Jotunsee, and only at one point is it accessible from the shore, where a causeway runs out towards it. There were two guards on the causeway tonight, at the outer end, where the gap between causeway and castle is spanned by a drawbridge. That bridge is raised, which is a sign that those within know that their plans have gone astray. Doubtless when the man you killed this morning failed to return to his friends, they took alarm. Two of them, at any rate, rode into the castle tonight -- Hansen and I saw them; a youngster, a gay spark, for all he looked little more than a boy, and a big ruffian along with him -- ” But all is not lost, for Hansen has a plan. Part of Jotunberg has fallen into ruins, and it might be possible for two men -- more would attract attention -- to boat and then swim across the Jotunsee, sneak in through the ruins, find the Prince, and lower the drawbridge so the Sons of the Volsungs can rush the castle. quote:“And the very fact that they were telling me this informed me who one of those two was going to be. Of all the lunatic, no-hope schemes I ever heard, this seemed to be the primest yet. If they thought they were going to get me swimming into that place in the dark, with the likes of Rudi and Kraftstein waiting for me, they didn’t know their man. The mere thought was enough to set my guts rumbling with fright. I’d see them damned first. Sapten has one thing to add as the other two leave: quote:(...) "I promise that whatever befalls, I shall not rest until I have ensured the safety of that wife and daughter who so concerned you earlier today, but whom you seem to have forgotten tonight. Take comfort from the knowledge that little golden-haired Amelia is in my thoughts.” He opened the door. “Goodnight, Englishman.”
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Mar 17, 2020 05:15
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Another Zenda reference: Sapt is one of the true king's loyal retainers who assists Rassendyll. quote:First Hansen and I stripped right down, so that we could be rubbed all over with grease as a protection against the cold when we took to the water. Sapten whistled softly when he saw my scars -- the place where a pistol ball had burrowed from my side towards my spine, the whip-marks left by the swine Gul Shah, and the white weal on my thigh where my leg was broken at Piper’s Fort. It was an impressive collection -- and even if most of them were in the rear, they weren’t the kind of decorations you normally see on a coward. Flashman and Hansen then don heavy wool clothes and are given weapons -- they can't take guns while swimming through the Jotunsee, but Flashman asks for and gets a saber in addition to his knife. They also take some food, a flask of brandy, and a coil of rope. quote:“Tell me,” I said to Hansen. “Back in Strackenz City -- what made you think I wasn’t Carl Gustaf?” The Sons of the Volsungs and Flashy take a long ride through the darkened forest. Flashy has drained his brandy flask by the time they arrive, but it has no effect on him. quote:Hansen was beside me, and there was much whispering in the dark; I could see the vague outline of a boat and its rowers, and then the moon came out from behind the clouds, and through the tangled branches at the creek’s mouth I saw the choppy grey water of the lake, and rising out of it, not three furlongs off, the stark outline of Jotunberg. As the moon slips behind clouds ("it was black as the earl of hell's weskit," Flashman notes), the boat sets off across the Jotunsee. When they get close enough, Hansen and Flashman slip into the bitterly cold water. Flashman's bad leg cramps up from the cold, and he nearly sinks, but Hansen manages to catch him and has to drag him the rest of the way -- with Flashy whining and complaining, quietly, all the way. They arrive at a small, concealed harbor at the base of Jotunheim, and Hansen starts to pull himself up: quote:For a second he hung there, poised, straining to pull his body onto the ledge; the moonlight was full on him, and suddenly something glittered flying above the water and smacked between his shoulder blades; his head shot up and his body heaved convulsively; for a second he hung, motionless, and then with a dreadful, bubbling sigh he flopped face down on the stone and slid slowly back into the water. As he slipped under I could distinctly see the knife-hilt standing out of his back; then he was floating, half-submerged, and I was scrabbling frantically away from him, choking back the shriek of terror in my throat. Rudi and a couple of his men relieve Flashman of his weapons, and then Rudi brings Flashy inside the castle, where he's given more brandy and dry clothes. Seeing no reason to hold back, Flashman tells Rudi everything about what happened with de Gautet and about the Sons of the Volsungs' plan to storm the castle. Rudi says that the castle garrison spotted the Volsungs and their boat across the lake long ago, and they'd been watching the boat all the way across. Rudi suggests that Flashman might want to meet his royal counterpart, and leads him down into the dungeons, where Kraftstein is guarding a cell. quote:“Guten abend, highness,” says Rudi as we went forward. “Here’s a visitor for you.” Carl Gustaf explodes in rage, threatening Rudi and the conspirators with revenge if he ever gets out of the cell. quote:“Oh, never fear, highness,” says Rudi. “We’ll certainly kill you when the time is ripe. Remember the royal progress we have prepared for you.” Rudi taunts Carl Gustaf further by letting him know Hansen is dead, and then takes Flashman back upstairs, telling him that he's just come up with a clever idea. Flashy, at this point, is rather tired of people coming up with clever ideas that involve putting himself in danger, but he can't do anything other than listen: Rudi's idea is this: only a few people so far know that Flashman is an impostor. If they persuade the Sons of the Volsungs to launch their attack and then ambush them, they can probably kill Sapten and Dr. Grundvig, and arrange for Kraftstein to die in the fighting too. Then that would just leave Dr. Ostred and Josef, and, Rudi adds, Bismarck is too busy right now to pay much attention to what's happening in Strackenz. quote:“You haven’t heard the news, of course. Berlin is alive with alarms, it seems. The revolution’s coming, my boy; the student rabble and the rest will have the King of Prussia off his throne in a week or two. So dear Otto has other fish to fry for the moment. Oh, it’s not only in Germany, either; I hear that France is up in arms, and Louis-Phillipe’s deposed, they say. It’s spreading like wildfire.” He laughed joyously. “Don’t you see, man? It’s a heaven-sent chance. We could count on weeks -- nay, months -- before anyone gave a thought to this cosy little duchy -- or to the identity of the duchess’s consort,” Flashman cringes at the thought of stepping back into the role of Carl Gustaf, but Rudi is overcome with the brilliance of his plan. quote:“You can go back to your pretty duchess, too,” says he. Once again, Flashman finds himself in a situation where it's agree or die. After asking if Rudi is absolutely sure they can kill off the Sons of the Volsungs, he reluctantly agrees, but: quote:“Let’s drink to it!” cries he exultantly, and turned to the table, where the bottles stood.
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Mar 20, 2020 00:21
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Glassing a son of a bitch is always a good move.
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Mar 20, 2020 00:57
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Go Flashy  e: curious to see how he weasels his way out of having to fight Rudi aphid_licker fucked around with this message at 11:00 on Mar 21, 2020 |
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Mar 20, 2020 11:45
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Leaving Rudi on the floor unconscious but breathing, Flashman grabs his saber and runs out of the room -- which he immediately regrets as he realizes he should have made sure of Rudi first. Always double tap, y'know. His first destination is the wheel that opens the drawbridge, which he spotted while Rudi was taking him down to see Carl Gustaf. He has to hide when Kraftstein and another man pass by, and then discovers that there's a bolt jammed in the wheel to keep the drawbridge closed. He hammers the bolt out with a piece of wood, and the drawbridge drops with a scream of chains and a massive bang when it hits the ground. Almost immediately, the Volsungs and the castle guards start exchanging gunfire. Flashman takes a moment to wonder whether Carl Gustaf is still alive, but since this is Flashman, saving his own rear end takes priority, and he starts looking for somewhere to hide. quote:I peeped cautiously out; the dungeon passage seemed a good place, for I recollected openings off it where I ought to be able to lurk in comparative safety. The hall was empty; I made sure there was no one in sight at the main arch, and was flitting stealthily out when a voice from the stairway stopped me dead in my tracks, yelping as I did so. Flashy tries to escape down the dungeon passage, but Rudi, even with the crack on his head, is too fast for him to get by. Flashman realizes his only chance is to hold out and hope to wear him down, or that the Volsungs will win the battle for the castle. quote:He advanced slowly, his eyes flashing as the light caught them. Flashy retreats and retreats and Rudi keeps coming on, as they battle down the spiral stairs leading to the dungeon -- because fighting up and down stairs is a vital part of any swashbuckling duel. quote:“You can’t run forever,” cries he, cutting back-handed. Rudi nearly catches Flashman with a thrust at the bottom of the stairs, and Flashy keeps retreating, toward the guardroom and Carl Gustaf's cell. quote:“Not much farther to run now,” says he. “D’ye know any prayers, you English coward?” Rudi spits in Flashman's face and nearly hits him again, but he's too tired to aim properly. They stumble through the door of Carl Gustaf's cell, and the prince immediately tries to brain Flashy with a pot and then a stool. quote:“I’m on your side, you crazy bastard!” I shouted. “Throw them at him!” The sound of gunfire comes from the stairs, and Carl Gustaf starts calling for help. Rudi decides it's time to get out rather than risk being caught by the Volsungs. quote:“Another time, drat you,” he cried. “Au revoir, your highnesses! “ and he swung his sabre once and let it fly at me, whirling end over end. It sailed over my head, ringing on the stones, but I had started back instinctively, my feet slipped out from under me, and I came crashing down on the flags. Christ! they weren’t level! I was sliding backwards, and in a moment of paralysing horror I remembered the funnel and that ghastly pit at its base. CLIFFHANGER! Selachian fucked around with this message at 07:20 on Mar 21, 2020 |
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Mar 20, 2020 23:47
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It helped when it finally clicked that flags=flagstones.
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Mar 21, 2020 00:11
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quote:You haven’t heard the news, of course. Berlin is alive with alarms, it seems. The revolution’s coming, my boy; the student rabble and the rest will have the King of Prussia off his throne in a week or two. So dear Otto has other fish to fry for the moment. Oh, it’s not only in Germany, either; I hear that France is up in arms, and Louis-Phillipe’s deposed, they say. This of course is the series of revolutions that swept Europe in 1848, which in Germany attempted to create a unified German state. Didnt pan out, King of Prussia was fine in the end, Germany eventually becomes unified 22 years later under Prussian hegemony and his son becomes Emperor. But yeah Louis-Philippe is toast, briefly replaced by a republic and then later by Napoleon III (who promptly loses a war against Prussia, hence said aforementioned unification). The Communist Manifesto is written at this time too! 
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Mar 22, 2020 20:27
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