Chapters 14-16 Summary

While the troops stand in formation waiting for the executions, Sharpe has time to think. He thinks about how much Gibbons must want revenge. Sharpe has gotten the promotion and command Gibbons wanted, and Sharpe has also gotten the woman Gibbons wanted.

After the executions are complete, the troops begin to make loud verbal protests. The officers and sergeants try to restore order. Once the troops are again quiet, Simmerson says that they will all pay for the outburst. He says that in the evening the troops will again assemble for punishment.

In Chapter 15, Simmerson announces that at 6 pm, sixty men from the battalion will be flogged. Sharpe tries to protest, but this just makes Simmerson angrier. He says that each of the ten captains will pick six men, and he tells Sharpe that three of the six soldiers he will...