"David Drake - Hammer's Slammers 16 - Other Times Than Peace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

"Hey, Queenie!" Froggie saidтАФin Latin. He could've called the chief girl in a passable equivalent of her
own language, but he didn't think it was the time or place to show off. The troopers didn't have lavalieres
to translate for them, but they'd had a lot of experience getting ideas across to barbs. Especially female
barbs.

Queenie obediently stepped forward, but Froggie could see that she was worried. Well, so was he.

"No, not a female!" Three-Spire said. The lavaliere wouldn't translate a snarl, but it wasn't hard to figure
there should've been one. "I mean the male who's leading this contingent!"

The Commander looked from Queenie to his aide, apparently puzzled. He didn't slap Three-Spire down
the way Froggie expected. Hercules! Froggie remembered one Commander who'd had his guards smash
a centurion to a pulp for saying the ground of the chosen campsite was too soft to support tent poles. The
legion had slept on its tents that night, because spread like tarpaulins the thick leather walls supported the
troopers enough that they didn't sink into the muck in the constant rain.

"We take care of that ourself, citizen," Froggie said, more polite than he wanted to be. Something funny
was going on here, and Froggie'd learned his first day in the army that you usually win if you bet "unusual"
meant "bad."

"That's not permitted!" Three-Spire said. "Sawtooth here will accompany you."

He spoke to the barb beside him, then opened a bin that was part of the chariot and handed the fellow a
lavaliere from it. Sawtooth walked toward the girls clustered around the carts. He didn't look any too
pleased about the assignment.

"What's this barb mean 'not permitted'?" Glabrio said in a ragged whisper. "If he don't watch his tongue,
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he's going to lose it!"

"Take your own advice," Froggie said out of the side of his mouth. Loudly, facing the Commander, he
said, "Yes, sir!" and saluted again. "Century, form marching order and await the command!"

The Commander blinked inner eyelids that worked sideways the way a snake's do. He spoke to Pollio,
who obediently stood and raised his trumpet.

"You're going to take this from a barb?" Glabrio demanded.

Pollio blew the long attention call, then the three quick toots for Advance. He looked past the tube of his
instrument at his fellow troopers, his eyes troubled.

"March!" Froggie called. The century was too small a unit to have a proper standard to tilt forward, so
Froggie swept his swagger stick toward the open gateway instead. To Glabrio, in a voice that could
scarcely be heard over the crash of boots and equipment, he added, "For a while, sure. Look what
Crassus bought by getting hasty, trooper."