The Moghul

eating handfuls of small brown balls.
    As he stood puzzling, he recognized Vasant Rao standing among the men. The Rajput was somber now, clasping each of the men in what seemed a farewell gesture. He looked up and saw Hawksworth and smiled.
    "Captain Hawksworth, I'm glad you're here. You're almost a Rajput yourself by now. Do you want to comb your hair? It's how we prepare for what may happen. Who knows which of us will see the morrow?"
    "I can die just as well with my hair the way it is."
    "Then you're not entirely a Rajput after all. But you're still welcome to join us." He held out one of the boxes.
    Hawksworth opened the box and gingerly took out one of the balls. As he rolled it under his nose, it triggered a distant memory of his first night in Surat and Mukarrab Khan's dinner party. Suddenly he stopped dead still.
    It was opium.
    "Jesus Christ! Have you all gone mad?" He flung the ball to the ground and whirled on Vasant Rao. "That's the last thing you need if you hope to fight at all. It's like eating death."
    "Affion prepares a Rajput for battle, Captain. The more we eat, the stronger we become. It gives us the strength of lions."
    "Good Jesus help us all."
    Hawksworth pushed his way incredulously back through the milling crowd of infantry and mounted cavalry, feeling as though the world had collapsed. All around him Rajputs were eating handfuls of opium, combing their hair, embracing in farewell. Many had already put on their khaftan , the quilted vest they wore under their armor. He wondered how long it would be before they became drunk with opium and began killing each other.
    God, we're all going to die. Can't Jadar stop it? Can't he at least stop them from eating opium before we're attacked? And where are they moving the cannon? Out of the camp? What the hell is happening?
    He wheeled and headed for the naqqara-khana , the entry to Jadar's compound. When he reached it, he realized the guards were gone. Amazed, he walked through the entry and discovered all the interior partitions of the gulal bar were also gone. The satin tents that had held the melons, the pan leaves, the kitchen—all were deserted, empty.
    He made his way on through the deserted gulal bar, feeling like a man lost. In the dark there were no guards, no troops, nothing. Ahead he heard the sound of elephants trumpeting and he felt his way forward through the semi-darkness, the ground a mosaic of flickering shadows from the still-burning camp light. His despair absolute, he reached into the pocket of his jerkin for the bottle.
    A katar was at his throat.
    "It's forbidden by death to draw a weapon in the gulal bar , Captain."
    "I was only . . ."
    There was an explosion of laughter and he turned to see the shadowed face of Jadar.
    "What . . . what are you doing here?"
    "Thinking, Captain Hawksworth. Do you never think before a battle at sea? Surely you must."
    "I think. And I also keep my gunners sober." Hawksworth felt vaguely foolish as he finished extracting the brandy bottle. "Do you know half your men are eating handfuls of opium?"
    "I'm glad to hear it. It means my Rajputs will be invincible tomorrow." Jadar flipped the katar in his hand and dropped it into is leather sheath. "By the way, I understand you failed to master the bow. But let's talk about something more important. Perhaps you can be of help after all. I'm sure you realize. Captain, that a commander must always understand two things. He must know his own strengths, and he must know the strengths of those who oppose him. But he can really only know one of these for sure. He can never know exactly what he will meet." Jadar paused. "Tell me, if you were Inayat Latif, how would you deploy the Imperial army tomorrow?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "How would you choose to attack? The position of infantry, cavalry, elephants is never exactly the same in any battle. For example, often the front line is held by rows of infantry. The first row will be men wearing plate armor— which is much heavier than the usual steel netting—forming a protective wall with special broad shields. They are always excellent archers. Behind these will be another row, wearing only helmets and breastplates, and armed with swords and pikes. The third row is infantry with swords, bows, and axes. The fourth carries lances and swords. The rows are segmented, so those behind can see ahead, and cavalry can get through."
    "That deployment would mean a slow-moving attack, and a very bloody fight."
    "Precisely.