The Castle Karlstadt – Excerpt 6

The Castle Karlstadt – Excerpt 6

  As I rode through the village and saw the looks I was getting from the local populace, I began to realise that this was not the normal reaction. The women looked away and crossed themselves as if I were something unholy, and the men looked at me with unbridled hatred in their eyes.

I unslung my rifle from across my shoulders, I was badly outnumbered but I had been  in situations like this before in India. And from experience I knew that if you killed or wounded the ring leader, the remainder would back down allowing you to make good you escape.

This situation had in no way reached that point, but as a stranger in a foreign land, I was taking no chances with them, better safe than sorry.

I put the spurs to my horse and galloped unhindered through the rest of the village and out the other side, until I was safely back on the road to Karlstadt.

I halted behind a small copse of trees, and checked to see if I was being pursued. I saw and heard nothing. Odd? I thought, I somehow expected to be pursued. This was hardly the welcome that I had expected to receive.

I was now in something of a predicament? Should I continue to Karlstadt and hope that my welcome would be a little more civilised. Or did I take the view that for reasons unbeknown to myself, I was persona non-grata in this region.

It was a typical military situation, damned if you do, damned if you don’t! there was no other choice. I had to venture in to Karlstadt, and face up to whatever problem was awaiting me there, I had no choice. It had to be done.

(C) Damian Grange 2019