Finally, the captain looks up as if seein’ all of us for the first time.
“Where are the others?” he sez to one of the guards.
“At the infirmary tent, sir,” the guard sez.
The captain raises his eyebrows.
“Anything serious?”
“No sir. Just a few bumps and bruises. Besides …”
“The guard hesitates and glances at me, and I knew I was on.
“I told ’em they should get patched up and let me talk to you first, captain … sir,” I sez. “You see, it was Nunzio and me what started the fight, and the squad just pitched in later to help us out … so I figured that … well, since we was responsible …”
“Can you verify this?” the captain sez to the guard, cuttin’ my oration short.
“Yes sir.”
“Very well. Send word over to the infirmary. Tell the rest of the squad they are free to return to their quarters after their wounds are treated. Sergeant Guido and Corporal Nunzio are taking full responsibility for their actions.”
“Yes sir,” the guard sez, then salutes and leaves.
This is a bit of a load off my mind, as I have been worryin’ a bit about gettin’ the crew into trouble with our gambit. A bit, but not all … as there remains the question of what the captain is gonna do about me and Nunzio. This is a for real question, as the stare the captain is levelin’ at us is real noncommittal, which is to say he neither looks happy nor upset … though I’m not sure what he would have to be happy about in this situational.
“Are you aware,” he sez finally, “that I was called off stage to deal with this matter? One song into my final set, no less?”