Crackdown (43 page)

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Authors: Bernard Cornwell

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As I foretold you, were all spirits, and

Are melted into air, into thin air;

And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,

The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve

And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on—

I stopped abruptly, obedient to Sir Tom’s adage always to leave the little darlings panting for more, and then I bowed, and then I laughed, and then I walked away. Ellen, her arm in my good arm, was laughing with me. The senator looked like a man reprieved from death, but not sure why. The equally puzzled reporters swarmed after me, shouting their questions, but I had nothing more to say. The isle was full of noises, but I had none to add, nor did I care what the world made of me, nor of Ellen, for we were bound for the long seas where high stars would guide us and a good boat would carry us, together and for ever.

About the Author

B
ERNARD
C
ORNWELL
is the author of the acclaimed and bestselling Saxon Tales, which include
The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, Lords of the North,
and
Sword Song,
as well as the Richard Sharpe novels, the Grail Quest series, the Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles, the Warlord Chronicles, and many other novels, including
Stonehenge
and
Gallows Thief.
He lives with his wife on Cape Cod.

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B
OOKS BY
B
ERNARD
C
ORNWELL

The Saxon Tales

THE LAST KINGDOM
^*

THE PALE HORSEMAN
^*

LORDS OF THE NORTH
^*

SWORD SONG
^*

The Sharpe Novels (in chronological order)

SHARPE’S TIGER

Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam, 1799

SHARPE’S TRIUMPH
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803

SHARPE’S FORTRESS
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Gawilghur, December 1803

SHARPE’S TRAFALGAR
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805

SHARPE’S PREY
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Expedition to Copenhagen, 1807

SHARPE’S RIFLES

Richard Sharpe and the French Invasion of Galicia, January 1809

SHARPE’S HAVOC
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Campaign in Northern Portugal, Spring 1809

SHARPE’S EAGLE

Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign, July 1809

SHARPE’S GOLD

Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of Almeida, August 1810

SHARPE’S ESCAPE
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Bussaco Campaign, 1810

SHARPE’S FURY
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Barrosa, March 1811

SHARPE’S BATTLE
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 1811

SHARPE’S COMPANY

Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812

SHARPE’S SWORD

Richard Sharpe and the Salamanca Campaign, June and July 1812

SHARPE’S ENEMY

Richard Sharpe and the Defense of Portugal, Christmas 1812

SHARPE’S HONOUR

Richard Sharpe and the Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813

SHARPE’S REGIMENT

Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of France, June to November 1813

SHARPE’S SIEGE

Richard Sharpe and the Winter Campaign, 1814

SHARPE’S REVENGE Richard Sharpe and the Peace of 1814

SHARPE’S WATERLOO
*

Richard Sharpe and the Waterloo Campaign, 15 June to 18 June 1815

SHARPE’S DEVIL
^*

Richard Sharpe and the Emperor, 1820-21

The Grail Quest Series

THE ARCHER’S TALE *

VAGABOND
^**

HERETIC
^*

The Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles

REBEL
^*

COPPERHEAD
^*

BATTLE FLAG
^*

THE BLOODY GROUND
^*

The Warlord Chronicles

THE WINTER KING

THE ENEMY OF GOD

EXCALIBUR

The Sailing Thrillers
*

STORMCHILD
^*

SCOUNDREL
^*

WILDTRACK
CRACKDOWN
^*

Other Novels

STONEHENGE, 2000 B.C.: A NOVEL
^*

GALLOWS THIEF
^*

A CROWNING MERCY
^*

THE FALLEN ANGELS
^*

REDCOAT
^*

CRACKDOWN.Copyright © 1990 by Bernard Cornwell. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader June 2008 ISBN 978-0-06-165087-1

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