The Moghul

cavalry must attack last."
    "It seems best. And his cavalry is mainly Rajput. He'll not risk cutting up his finest troops by sending them in the first attack wave, when your artillery is still in place." Hawksworth hesitated, then continued bitterly. "Or should be."
    Jadar laughed and looked at Hawksworth, then at his bottle.
    "What's that in your hand. Captain?"
    "A bottle of brandy. Spanish, I'm ashamed to admit, but it's still the best."
    "May I try it?"
    Jadar took the bottle and gingerly swallowed a swig. He stood motionless for a moment and then coughed violently.
    "Merciful Allah! Now I understand why the Prophet forbade its use." He shoved back the bottle. "But I wanted to drink once with you, Captain. I'm told it's a European custom. You've eased my mind."
    "Eased your mind! I just told you how your camp will be devastated at sunrise."
    "Absolutely. I will regret losing these tents." Jadar's tone grew pensive. "You know, some of them have been with me since my first campaign in the Deccan, years ago."
    "How about your Rajputs? And your women? Will you regret losing them as much as your tents?"
    "I don't expect to lose them." Jadar took Hawksworth's arm and led him around the last tent. In the firelight baggage elephants were being loaded with women from the zenana . The elephants were covered with pakhar armor, steel plates around the sides of their bodies and a special steel casement for their head and trunk. The women were being helped up tall ladders and into their elephants' howdah , an octagonal box of heavy boards strengthened with iron plate.
    "Why are you loading the women now?"
    "But we're leaving, Captain."
    Hawksworth stared at him speechlessly for a moment, then noticed Shirin walking toward them, carrying a bow and two quivers of arrows.
    "You're leaving?"
    "You just predicted this camp would be devastated. I agree with you entirely. In fact I planned it that way. So why should anyone be here when it happens? The camp will be empty by dawn, Captain. Naturally we had to wait until dark to move out. And continue work on the trenches until the very end. Inayat Latif undoubtedly has scouts all around. But by dawn there'll only be smoldering fires here. And the troops needed to man our decoy cannon across the eastern perimeter. I've loaded half the cannon with elephant barbs made in my workshops. The other half with nothing. Why waste shot? We'll fire the blank cannon to induce them to charge, and after the elephants have come inside cannon range, we'll shoot the barbs in among them. A barb in the foot of an elephant can immobilize it completely. Inayat Latif will never expect barbs. They haven't been used in India for fifty years. His war elephants should be contained right out there, unable to advance or retreat."
    "But where will your army be?"
    "Captain. Just when I thought you were beginning to understand tactics. My army will be waiting along both sides of the open plain on the east, behind a foliage camouflage we've been erecting over the past two weeks. After the attack force of Imperial war elephants has been funneled into the empty camp, we will open fire against them with our biggest cannon. From both sides. The medium-range cannon will fire into the infantry, as will the small artillery. All the guns should be in place just before dawn if I've timed it right."
    Hawksworth turned to see keepers leading an armored elephant forward for him and Shirin. Only its ears could be seen behind the steel plate. Then he looked again at Jadar.
    "But you're still outnumbered in infantry three to one."
    "All things in time, Captain." He turned and embraced Shirin lightly. "This was my best swanih-nigar . Guard her well."
    Shirin examined Hawksworth's brandy bottle with her dark eyes and laughed skeptically. "I've brought my own bow."
    Hawksworth cleared his throat as he slipped the bottle back into his jerkin. "I've requisitioned a brace of muskets. It's still the weapon I prefer."
    "Congratulations, Captain." Jadar's laugh was cynical. "I admire your feringhi initiative. But I don't want to see you harmed. Like I told you, I'm sending you with the zenana . They'll be moved to that hilltop there west of the camp. So at least you'll be able to watch the battle." He turned to leave. "Farewell until tomorrow, Captain. May Allah ride with you."
    "And I wish you Godspeed. You're a ten times better strategist then I realized, for whatever it may be worth."
    Jadar laughed. "Just save some of your foul-tasting