title: Sharpe's Gold: Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of Almeida, August 1810
author:  Bernard Cornwell 
description: <P>Bernard Cornwell was born in London, raised in Essex, and now lives mainly in the USA with his wife. In addition to the hugely successful Sharpe novels, Bernard Cornwell is the author of the Starbuck Chronicles, the Warlord trilogy, the Grail Quest series and the Alfred series.</P>
zlib_text: Bernard Cornwell - 1805 10 Sharpe's Trafalgar  
    
  CHAPTER 1  
    
  "A hundred and fifteen rupees," Ensign Richard Sharpe said, counting the money
  onto the table.  
    
  Nana Rao hissed in disapproval, rattled some beads along the wire bars of his
  abacus and shook his head. "A hundred and thirty-eight rupees, sahib."  
    
  "One hundred and bloody fifteen!" Sharpe insisted. "It were fourteen pounds,
  seven shillings and threepence ha'penny."  
    
  Nana Rao examined his customer, gauging whether to continue the argument. He
  saw a young officer, a mere ensign of no importance, but this lowly Englishman
  had a very hard face, a scar on his right cheek and showed no apprehension of
  the two hulking bodyguards who protected Nana Rao and his warehouse. "A
  hundred and fifteen, as you say," the merchant conceded, scooping the coins
  into a large black cash box. He offered Sharpe an apologetic shrug. "I get
  older, sahib, and find I cannot count!"  
    
  "You can count, all right," Sharpe said, "but you reck