"Elizabeth Moon - Paksenarrion 1 - The Sheepfarmer's Daughter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

except that the first file was one short. "Paks, you march
here." Bosk pointed to the last place in the short file.
"Now remember, at the command you all start off on the
left foot, march in step, keep even with the rank on your
right, and don't crowd the man ahead." Bosk walked
around and through the group, shifting one or another an
inch this way or that. Paksenarrion watched him curiously
until he bawled suddenly, "Eyes front, recruits!" At last
he was through fussing (as she thought to herself) and
stepped back.
"Good enough, Bosk," said Stammel. "March 'em out."
For the first time in her life, Paksenarrion heard that most

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Elizabeth Moon - The Deed of Paksenarrion [vol 1] Sheepfarmer's Daughter


evocative of military commands as Bosk drew in a
lungful of air and shouted: "Recruits. Forward...
MARCH!"
The afternoon's march was only four hours, with two
short rest-breaks, but when they halted, Paksenarrion was
more tired than she had ever been. Besides the recruits,
there were six regulars (Stammel, Bosk, and four
privates) and four mules that carried the booth and
supplies. In the course of the afternoon, they reviewed
(and Paks learned) the correct way to form up, begin
marching, and turn in column. She now knew her file
number and who her file leader was, and had learned to
keep an even distance behind the man in front. Tired as
she was, she was in better shape than one of the puffy-
faced men. He groaned and complained all afternoon, and
finally fell in a faint at the last rest-break. When cold
water failed to rouse him, two privates hoisted him over
one mule's pack and lashed him there, face down. When
he came to, he begged to walk, but Stammel left him
there, groaning piteously, until they made camp.
Paksenarrion and the next newest recruit were set to dig
the jacks trench at the camp. This was the tall yellow-
haired boy; he told her his name was Saben. He had dug
the night before, too, and knew how long to make the
trench. As they walked back into camp, the tattooed man
sneered, "Here come the ditchdiggers тАФ look like a real
pair, don't they?"

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Elizabeth Moon - The Deed of Paksenarrion [vol 1] Sheepfarmer's Daughter


The man who'd fainted snickered appreciatively. "It took