Chapters 1 and 2 Summary

As the story opens, Ensign Richard Sharpe is in India trying to make a deal for several pieces of furniture and equipment that he plans to use during his upcoming voyage to England. Sharpe says that he is planning to set sail on the "Calliope." He pays for the goods but before he can pick them up, he discovers that the warehouse where the goods were stored has burned to the ground and the merchant reportedly killed. On a tip, Sharpe travels to the home of another merchant and pretends to be a beggar. There he discovers the merchant who sold him the goods. While he is deciding what to do, several British seamen arrive and confront the merchant. However, the British are outnumbered and are quickly defeated. Sharpe steps in and the British get the upper hand. Later Sharpe and...