Bretwalda, The Final Chapter

 

cover art by Rudolph Belarski

Read/Watch 'em in Order #149

"Farewell, England," by Philip Ketchum, is the last and arguably the best of the Bretwalda stories. It was originally published in the December 23, 1939 issue of Argosy. 

The previous story was set in 1755, during the siege of Quebec. This one jumps ahead to the First World War.

James Wilton is an officer in the British army, serving under Lawrence in the Mid-East. And he has a lot on his plate. General Allenby is about to launch a major offensive against the Turks. Lawrence, who has wielded various Arab tribes into a cohesive fighting force, must launch his own attacks in support of this, destroying railroad tracks and cutting telegraph wires. 

So we have a story set in an era filled with machine guns, bombs and airplanes. So where does the battleaxe Bretwalda fit in? 

The justification for Wilton carrying that family heirloom into battle is simple and perfectly justifable in the context of the setting. Lawrence's Arab soldiers carry rifles and know how to use them, of course. But they still carry swords and other melee weapons as well. Wilton's battleaxe fits right in and gives him an elevated status among the Arabs. Wilton doesn't expect to ever need it, but the image it gives him is important.

As it true with all the Bretwalda stories, the pacing of the story is fast and the action is exciting. Great characters are scattered throughout, including not one--but two of Wilton's countrymen who seek redemption. One of them, the brother of the woman Wilton loves, sold the Turks military information to pay off gambling debts. The other had once chickened out in battle, leaving Wilton's brother to die.

But both men may get a chance to fight along Wilton and a small force of Arabs, earning that redemption. When the battle doesn't quite unfold as planned, Wilton digs his men into the ruins of an old Crusader castle, tasked with delaying an entire Turkish army.

The ensuing desperate, last stand at the castle is a superbly written battle sequence. Wilton's tiny force is gradually wittled down, his fellow Englishmen are given their respective chances to redeem themselves and Wilton himself will discover that he might just have a practical use for Bretwalda.

The conclusion brings the Bretwalda saga to a dramatically and emotionally satisfying conclusion. It's tragic and triumphant at the same time. 

You can read this story online HERE. 

I haven't yet acquired the next volume of Sheriff Henry stories, though I will eventually and those tales will return to the Read 'em In Order posts at that time. In the meanime, I torn whether the next Read 'em In Order entries should be a story-by-story look at an issue of Pirate Stories or an issue of Foriegn Legion Adventures. It's a tough choice, but knowing that our very civilization may depend on the right choice, I'll be giving it careful thought.