Editing Tharkay
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− | {{People|name= | + | {{People|name=Tharkay|dob=|service=|rank=|nationality=British/Tibetan or Nepalese|billets=}} |
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
− | Tharkay was the son of a British gentleman, a man of property and possibly a senior officer, and a Nepalese woman. His father may have come from the border region of Scotland, as Tharkay showed some familiarity with an estate there for purposes of requisitioning cattle to feed the [[Aerial Corps]]' dragons during Napoleon's occupation of Britain (December 1807-March 1808). (There appear to have been some similarities between the life of Tharkay's father and that of the Scottish adventurer and diplomat, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bogle_(diplomat) George Bogle].) | + | Tharkay was the son of a British gentleman, a man of property and possibly a senior officer, and a Tibetan or Nepalese woman. His father may have come from the border region of Scotland, as Tharkay showed some familiarity with an estate there for purposes of requisitioning cattle to feed the [[Aerial Corps]]' dragons during Napoleon's occupation of Britain (December 1807-March 1808). (There appear to have been some similarities between the life of Tharkay's father and that of the Scottish adventurer and diplomat, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bogle_(diplomat) George Bogle].) |
Tharkay's father took some pains with his son's education, and Tharkay spoke English with an upperclass accent, but Tharkay was not accepted as a British gentleman by others. At some point in his life he was embroiled in a lawsuit in Scotland and became "tolerably familiar" with the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland's highest civil court. He once told [[Temeraire]], rather sardonically, that lawyers were translators one hires to "say things properly", then added that, "Justice is expensive. That is why there is so little of it, and that reserved for those few with enough money and influence to afford it." | Tharkay's father took some pains with his son's education, and Tharkay spoke English with an upperclass accent, but Tharkay was not accepted as a British gentleman by others. At some point in his life he was embroiled in a lawsuit in Scotland and became "tolerably familiar" with the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland's highest civil court. He once told [[Temeraire]], rather sardonically, that lawyers were translators one hires to "say things properly", then added that, "Justice is expensive. That is why there is so little of it, and that reserved for those few with enough money and influence to afford it." | ||
− | Tharkay's lawsuit apparently failed, and he went on to spend "the better part of his life in the wild places of the earth" as an experienced and highly competent | + | Tharkay's lawsuit apparently failed, and he went on to spend "the better part of his life in the wild places of the earth" as an experienced and highly competent traveller with a command of many languages, including Chinese, Turkish and the dragon language [[Durzagh]] (which he taught to Temeraire). He considered himself answerable to no authority but his own conscience and, in contrast to [[William Laurence|Laurence]], had little "natural inclination" to hold himself "responsible for the sins of the world", rather than for his own. |
In appearance Tharkay possessed a lean and angular face with somewhat Oriental features. His eyes were dark and slanting, but more Western in shape than Chinese, and although his skin was "much like polished teak wood" in colour, this was mainly due to sun and weather. He had something of a fondness for taming birds of prey. When Laurence first met him in the summer of 1806, he had an eagle as a companion, although she was later killed in an avalanche in the Pamirs inadvertently caused by Temeraire. Later on, during Napoleon's occupation, he acquired a kestrel. | In appearance Tharkay possessed a lean and angular face with somewhat Oriental features. His eyes were dark and slanting, but more Western in shape than Chinese, and although his skin was "much like polished teak wood" in colour, this was mainly due to sun and weather. He had something of a fondness for taming birds of prey. When Laurence first met him in the summer of 1806, he had an eagle as a companion, although she was later killed in an avalanche in the Pamirs inadvertently caused by Temeraire. Later on, during Napoleon's occupation, he acquired a kestrel. | ||
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<b>Twenty Feral Dragons</b> | <b>Twenty Feral Dragons</b> | ||
− | Tharkay helped Laurence, Granby and other crew members retrieve the eggs from the baths, suffering a bad burn on one leg in this action. He then escaped with them and Temeraire first to Austria, then Prussia. On arriving in Prussia, however, they were refused the promise of safe passage that would have allowed them to continue on to Britain. The British [[Aerial Corps]] had promised the Prussians the assistance of twenty dragons, but had "mysteriously" failed to deliver. (The Aerial Corps did not want the word getting out that all its dragons had been stricken with the [[Dragon Plague]].) | + | Tharkay helped Laurence, Granby and other crew members retrieve the eggs from the baths, suffering a bad burn on one leg in this action. He then escaped with them and Temeraire first to Austria, then Prussia. On arriving in Prussia, however, they were refused the promise of safe passage that would have allowed them to continue on to Britain. The British [[Aerial Corps]] had promised the Prussians the assistance of twenty dragons, but had "mysteriously" failed to deliver. (The Aerial Corps did not want the word getting out that all its dragons had been stricken with the [[Dragon Plague]].) The Prussians requisitioned Temeraire instead. Tharkay chose to leave the company in Dresden, telling Laurence that being untrained, he would be little more than a dangerous nuisance in aerial battle. |
He returned to the Pamir Mountains, where he located the band of feral dragons, led by [[Arkady]], who had previously accompanied Temeraire from the Pamirs to Istanbul. He persuaded twenty of them to return to Prussia with him through "vanity and greed." Arkady was "not unhappy to engage himself to ''rescue'' Temeraire," as Tharkay explained to Laurence when he and ferals located Temeraire in the middle of the [[Siege of Danzig]]. Furthermore, Tharkay promised the ferals that they should each receive one cow every day while they remained in service to the British, a far richer diet than they would have been able to manage for themselves in their home territory. | He returned to the Pamir Mountains, where he located the band of feral dragons, led by [[Arkady]], who had previously accompanied Temeraire from the Pamirs to Istanbul. He persuaded twenty of them to return to Prussia with him through "vanity and greed." Arkady was "not unhappy to engage himself to ''rescue'' Temeraire," as Tharkay explained to Laurence when he and ferals located Temeraire in the middle of the [[Siege of Danzig]]. Furthermore, Tharkay promised the ferals that they should each receive one cow every day while they remained in service to the British, a far richer diet than they would have been able to manage for themselves in their home territory. | ||
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Wellesley intended that Laurence should make use of them in carrying out the guerrilla tactics, but Tharkay refused, pointing out ironically that ''he'' - unlike Laurence - had not "the luxury of setting aside, for a time, the veneer of civilization." "A temporary viciousness" that "may be pardonable in a gentleman, even admirable," would brand Tharkay "forever a savage." Tharkay then asked Laurence quite plainly, "What are you doing?" indicating his unwillingness to come under Laurence's command, as long as Laurence's modus operandi remained unchanged. | Wellesley intended that Laurence should make use of them in carrying out the guerrilla tactics, but Tharkay refused, pointing out ironically that ''he'' - unlike Laurence - had not "the luxury of setting aside, for a time, the veneer of civilization." "A temporary viciousness" that "may be pardonable in a gentleman, even admirable," would brand Tharkay "forever a savage." Tharkay then asked Laurence quite plainly, "What are you doing?" indicating his unwillingness to come under Laurence's command, as long as Laurence's modus operandi remained unchanged. | ||
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Six days later, the British forces met Napoleon's troops at the [[Battle of Shoeburyness]] and expelled the French from Britain. In order to cover Napoleon's escape, the [[Celestial]] [[Lung Tien Lien]] used the [[Divine Wind]] to destroy almost all of Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]'s fleet. | Six days later, the British forces met Napoleon's troops at the [[Battle of Shoeburyness]] and expelled the French from Britain. In order to cover Napoleon's escape, the [[Celestial]] [[Lung Tien Lien]] used the [[Divine Wind]] to destroy almost all of Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]'s fleet. | ||
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Suspicious of Temeraire both for his political organizing and for his ability to replicate Lien's feat, the government agreed to commute Laurence's death sentence to transportation and labour in Australia on the condition that he take Temeraire with him. They were sent aboard the Allegiance, which was serving as a prison ship for the journey and carrying many, many other convicts. | Suspicious of Temeraire both for his political organizing and for his ability to replicate Lien's feat, the government agreed to commute Laurence's death sentence to transportation and labour in Australia on the condition that he take Temeraire with him. They were sent aboard the Allegiance, which was serving as a prison ship for the journey and carrying many, many other convicts. | ||
− | Somewhat to Laurence's surprise, Tharkay also chose to travel aboard the Allegiance. Technically he travelled as Captain Riley's guest, Riley's wife Captain [[Catherine Harcourt|Harcourt]] | + | Somewhat to Laurence's surprise, Tharkay also chose to travel aboard the Allegiance. Technically he travelled as Captain Riley's guest, Riley's wife Captain [[Catherine Harcourt|Harcourt]] having formally introduced them. Tharkay explained to Laurence only that he was "tolerably well in pocket, at present," thanks to Admiral Roland's generosity, and that since he had never been to Australia, the journey tempted him. Why he had selected the Allegiance for the voyage, when his funds would have allowed him to choose otherwise, he did not say. |
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[[Category:A-Z]] | [[Category:A-Z]] | ||
[[Category:British]] | [[Category:British]] | ||
[[Category:People]] | [[Category:People]] |