Rifleman Dodd

General Lord Wellington and several of his staff ride to the top of a ridge in Portugal, where Wellington notes the puffs of smoke from enemy weapon fire in the valley below. Below him stand a line of Red Coats; further out are green-clad men in sheltered positions. Wellington scribbles a note to one of his generals and passes it to an aide, who gallops away. Wellington turns and gallops back down the trail to inspect his troops across the river; his aides ride hard to keep up.

Below, a lieutenant of the 95th Regiment of Foot—the famous Rifle Brigade—hears a bugle play the signal for “Fire and retire” (4), and climbs the hill, wondering where his picket is. The picket, a sergeant, hurries up from the battle and reports that his men had to scramble to avoid an ambush, and that “Dodd’s missing.” The lieutenant decides that his men can’t wait for Dodd, and they retreat.

Cut off from his fellows, Dodd runs through a grove of olive trees, angling around the line of French soldiers, but they see him and give pursuit. Dodd dashes out of the grove and up a hill, a backpack bouncing on his dark-green uniform, pursued by a dozen of the enemy.