A reluctant hand

. . . my tale of the strangest campaign in the whole history of British arms — and that takes in some damned odd affairs, a few of which I’ve borne a reluctant hand in myself. But Abyssinia took the cake, currants and all.


Flashman on the March, pp.3-4, Harper Collins, paperback edition 2005.


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Odd fish, no vandal

He was an odd fish, was Elgin. He was no vandal, certainly; indeed, bar Wolseley, he was probably the most sincere lover of the arts in the army — not that I’m authority, you understand; give me Rubens and you can keep the rest. So how could he bring himself to destroy so much that was rare and beautiful and valuable? I’ll tell you. He was avenging our dead with cold-blooded fury, striking at their murderers (the Emperor, Sang, Prince I, and — although he didn’t know it — Yehonala, who probably shaped Imperial policy more than all the rest) in the way he knew would hurt them most.


Flashman and the Dragon, p.281, Fontana Paperback edition, 1986.



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A mighty if

It was a mighty ‘if’, of course, but funny things happen north of the Khyber…

Flashman at the Charge, p.209, Pan edition, 5th printing, 1979.

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Flashman, Flashman quotes,Khyber Pass, funny.

Strange conversation

I suppose I’ve been in some queer places with some damned odd fellows, but nothing queerer that watching those big black fighting sluts march by while a classically educated slaver skipper babbled to me about anthropological research.

Flash For Freedom!, p.76, Pan edition, 8th printing, 1980.

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Flashman, Flashman quotes.